Activity Overview
Having students choose a favorite quote or scene from the book allows them to express which parts of the story resonated with them on a personal level. In this way, students are making a text-to-self connection that demonstrates their understanding of the characters and their development or the themes of the novel. Students can share their storyboards afterwards and have a short discussion about what the quotes mean to them.
Some students may end up choosing the same quote, but have different perspectives. This is always interesting for students to see and can open up a discussion as to how not everyone can read the same lines in the same way based on their own perspectives and personal experiences.
Examples of Quotes from The War That Saved My Life
“I understood. In all my life I’d never hurt Jamie. I’d never hit him, not once. Now I’d become like Mam.”
“Up. Grab the chair. Steady myself. Step forward. Fall down. Up. Try again.”
“When things got really bad I could go away inside my head. I’d always been able to do it. I could be anywhere, on my chair or in the cabinet, and I wouldn’t be able to see anything or hear anything or even feel anything. I would just be gone.”
“You can’t leave. You never will. You’re stuck here, right here in this room, bombs or no.”
“I don't know what to say," she said, after a pause. "I don't want to tell you a lie, and I don't know the truth." It was maybe the most honest thing anyone had ever said to me."
“I wanted to say a lot of things, but, as usual, I didn't have the words for the thoughts inside my head.”
“Then I did what I should have done to start with. I taught myself to walk.”
“It was us, I thought. Jamie and me. We had fallen down a rabbit hole, fallen into Susan’s house, and nothing made sense, not at all, not anymore.”
“After that it was easy. It was the most impossible thing I’d ever done, but it was also easy. I held on to Jamie, and I kept moving forward.”
“I stared at the paper. I said, “This isn’t reading. This is drawing.” “Writing,” she corrected. “It’s like buttons and hems. You’ve got to learn those before you can sew on the machine. You’ve got to know your letters before you can read.” I suppose so, but it was boring. When I said so she got up again and wrote something along the bottom of the paper. “What’s that?” I asked. “‘Ada is a curmudgeon,’' she replied. “Ada is a curmudgeon,” I copied at the end of my alphabet. It pleased me."
“And even if it felt like Mam hated me, she had to love me, didn’t she? She had to love me, because she was my mam, and Susan was just somebody who got stuck taking care of Jamie and me because of the war.”
“Victory,' she said, 'means peace.”
“Somehow Christmas was making me feel jumpy inside. All this talk about being together and being happy and celebrating - it felt threatening. Like I shouldn't be part of it. Like I wasn't allowed. And Susan wanted me to be happy, which was scarier still.”
“But now, thinking back, it seemed a little silly to be unhappy about a dress when the pilots were dead. If I had it to do over, I would at least have learned their names.”
“I wanted Mam to be like Susan. I didn’t really trust Susan not to be like Mam.”
“You feel safer in your bedroom, but you’re actually much safer in the shelter.” It didn’t matter how I felt. She made me go into the shelter every time the sirens wailed. Men came and removed all the signposts from the roads around the village, so that when Hitler invaded he wouldn’t know where he was. When he invaded, we were to bury our radio. Jamie had already dug a hole for it in the garden. When Hitler invaded we were to say nothing, do nothing to help the enemy. If he invaded while I was out riding, I was to return home at once, as fast as possible by the shortest route. I’d know it was an invasion, not an air raid, because all the church bells would ring.
“I didn’t know what to do. Susan was temporary. My foot was permanent.”
“I don't want to just survive”
“I wasn’t relaxed. I was wearing the green dress. I’d put it on when I came in from seeing Butter, because I knew it would please Susan, and it did. She brushed my hair and let it hang loose, tying my new green ribbon around my head. “That’s an Alice ribbon,” she said. “The girl in your book, Alice, she wears her hair like that.” I felt like an imposter. It was worse than when I tried to talk like Maggie. Here I was, looking like Maggie. Looking like a shiny bright girl with hair ribbons. Looking like a girl with a family that loved her.”
“Saying something stupid doesn't make you stupid,” Susan said. “Luckily for all of us.”
“One step, I thought. One step at a time.”
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies your favorite quote or scene in The War That Saved My Life. Illustrate your quote and write what it means to you.
Student Instructions:
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Choose a favorite quote or scene from The War That Saved My Life.
- Create an image that represents this quote using appropriate scenes, characters and items.
- In the description box, write the quote and at least one sentence about what this quote means to you.
Requirements: Quote or Scene, Illustration, 1-2 sentences about what it means to you.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 7 Points | Emerging 4 Points | Beginning 1 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | The explanation of the scene and why it was chosen is clear and at least two sentences. | The explanation of the scene and why it was chosen can be understood but it is somewhat unclear. | The explanation of the scene and why it was chosen is unclear and is not at least two sentences. |
| Illustrations | The illustration represents the scene or explanation using appropriate scenes, characters and items. | The illustration relates to the scene or explanation, but is difficult to understand. | The illustration does not clearly relate to the scene or the explanation. |
| Evidence of Effort | Work is well written and carefully thought out. | Work shows some evidence of effort. | Work shows little evidence of any effort. |
Activity Overview
Having students choose a favorite quote or scene from the book allows them to express which parts of the story resonated with them on a personal level. In this way, students are making a text-to-self connection that demonstrates their understanding of the characters and their development or the themes of the novel. Students can share their storyboards afterwards and have a short discussion about what the quotes mean to them.
Some students may end up choosing the same quote, but have different perspectives. This is always interesting for students to see and can open up a discussion as to how not everyone can read the same lines in the same way based on their own perspectives and personal experiences.
Examples of Quotes from The War That Saved My Life
“I understood. In all my life I’d never hurt Jamie. I’d never hit him, not once. Now I’d become like Mam.”
“Up. Grab the chair. Steady myself. Step forward. Fall down. Up. Try again.”
“When things got really bad I could go away inside my head. I’d always been able to do it. I could be anywhere, on my chair or in the cabinet, and I wouldn’t be able to see anything or hear anything or even feel anything. I would just be gone.”
“You can’t leave. You never will. You’re stuck here, right here in this room, bombs or no.”
“I don't know what to say," she said, after a pause. "I don't want to tell you a lie, and I don't know the truth." It was maybe the most honest thing anyone had ever said to me."
“I wanted to say a lot of things, but, as usual, I didn't have the words for the thoughts inside my head.”
“Then I did what I should have done to start with. I taught myself to walk.”
“It was us, I thought. Jamie and me. We had fallen down a rabbit hole, fallen into Susan’s house, and nothing made sense, not at all, not anymore.”
“After that it was easy. It was the most impossible thing I’d ever done, but it was also easy. I held on to Jamie, and I kept moving forward.”
“I stared at the paper. I said, “This isn’t reading. This is drawing.” “Writing,” she corrected. “It’s like buttons and hems. You’ve got to learn those before you can sew on the machine. You’ve got to know your letters before you can read.” I suppose so, but it was boring. When I said so she got up again and wrote something along the bottom of the paper. “What’s that?” I asked. “‘Ada is a curmudgeon,’' she replied. “Ada is a curmudgeon,” I copied at the end of my alphabet. It pleased me."
“And even if it felt like Mam hated me, she had to love me, didn’t she? She had to love me, because she was my mam, and Susan was just somebody who got stuck taking care of Jamie and me because of the war.”
“Victory,' she said, 'means peace.”
“Somehow Christmas was making me feel jumpy inside. All this talk about being together and being happy and celebrating - it felt threatening. Like I shouldn't be part of it. Like I wasn't allowed. And Susan wanted me to be happy, which was scarier still.”
“But now, thinking back, it seemed a little silly to be unhappy about a dress when the pilots were dead. If I had it to do over, I would at least have learned their names.”
“I wanted Mam to be like Susan. I didn’t really trust Susan not to be like Mam.”
“You feel safer in your bedroom, but you’re actually much safer in the shelter.” It didn’t matter how I felt. She made me go into the shelter every time the sirens wailed. Men came and removed all the signposts from the roads around the village, so that when Hitler invaded he wouldn’t know where he was. When he invaded, we were to bury our radio. Jamie had already dug a hole for it in the garden. When Hitler invaded we were to say nothing, do nothing to help the enemy. If he invaded while I was out riding, I was to return home at once, as fast as possible by the shortest route. I’d know it was an invasion, not an air raid, because all the church bells would ring.
“I didn’t know what to do. Susan was temporary. My foot was permanent.”
“I don't want to just survive”
“I wasn’t relaxed. I was wearing the green dress. I’d put it on when I came in from seeing Butter, because I knew it would please Susan, and it did. She brushed my hair and let it hang loose, tying my new green ribbon around my head. “That’s an Alice ribbon,” she said. “The girl in your book, Alice, she wears her hair like that.” I felt like an imposter. It was worse than when I tried to talk like Maggie. Here I was, looking like Maggie. Looking like a shiny bright girl with hair ribbons. Looking like a girl with a family that loved her.”
“Saying something stupid doesn't make you stupid,” Susan said. “Luckily for all of us.”
“One step, I thought. One step at a time.”
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies your favorite quote or scene in The War That Saved My Life. Illustrate your quote and write what it means to you.
Student Instructions:
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Choose a favorite quote or scene from The War That Saved My Life.
- Create an image that represents this quote using appropriate scenes, characters and items.
- In the description box, write the quote and at least one sentence about what this quote means to you.
Requirements: Quote or Scene, Illustration, 1-2 sentences about what it means to you.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 7 Points | Emerging 4 Points | Beginning 1 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | The explanation of the scene and why it was chosen is clear and at least two sentences. | The explanation of the scene and why it was chosen can be understood but it is somewhat unclear. | The explanation of the scene and why it was chosen is unclear and is not at least two sentences. |
| Illustrations | The illustration represents the scene or explanation using appropriate scenes, characters and items. | The illustration relates to the scene or explanation, but is difficult to understand. | The illustration does not clearly relate to the scene or the explanation. |
| Evidence of Effort | Work is well written and carefully thought out. | Work shows some evidence of effort. | Work shows little evidence of any effort. |
How To Use Quotes From “The War That Saved My Life” for Activities
Select a Quote
Ask the students to read the story carefully and select one quote that resonated with them at a deeper level and they find it relatable according to their life experiences. Tell the students beforehand that they will be using the quote for several activities such as writing, critical analysis, painting and many other interactive exercises so students can select the quote accordingly.
Perform Critical Analysis
Help the students understand the meaning of the quote and why it made a significant contribution to the story. Ask the students if things would have changed had the author used a different line at a major point in the story. Students can also include their own perspectives and write an analysis of the importance of the quote in the story.
Encourage Creative Writing
Once the students are done relating the quote to the story, ask them to write their own story as to why they selected this specific quote. Students can write about this in a narrative format or a creative story writing format. Provide students with the creative freedom to make their own choices.
Use Interpretational Art
Introduce the concept of artistic interpretation to students and ask them to draw the first thing that comes to their mind after reading the quote. Teachers can give the same quote to the entire class for this activity to see different interpretations of the same quote.
Reflect and Discuss
Encourage the students to reflect on all the activities they have performed so far and discuss what they have learned from these exercises. Students can also provide their opinions on how they want to perform these activities in the future and if there are any other activities they want to do which can help their learning process.
Frequently Asked Questions About Quotes from The War That Saved My Life
How do the quotes show Ada’s character development throughout the narrative?
Initially, Ada was scared, alone and cautious of all the people around her because of the trauma she experienced. Through her words, the readers can understand that she has insecurities because of her disability and can not recognize her worth. Gradually, with the help of Susan Ada begins to realize that she has every right to be happy and she can live her life as she wants.
How can teachers and students use excerpts from the book to examine and discuss in the classroom?
Encourage your pupils to examine the feelings or thoughts the phrase evokes while also analyzing the quote's context, who said it to whom, and when. They can also consider how the quotation relates to the story's underlying themes, character arcs, or narrative developments.
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