12 Nov


Friendship is a central theme of this story. As you continue reading, answer the following question with reference to key passages in the novel.
• Why do you think Bruno and Shmuel become friends and stay friends?
• Does the friendship between Bruno and Shmuel evolve in the story? How?
• Why doesn’t Bruno try to protect his friend when Shmuel is attacked by Lieutenant Kotler?
• Have you ever done something to a friend that made you feel bad or ashamed? How does
shame and remorse figure into the friendship between Bruno and Shmuel? How does Bruno show his remorse?
• Why does Shmuel forgive Bruno? How?
• How is it possible for Bruno and Shmuel to have fun together and maintain their friendship in the midst of their circumstances?
• How does Bruno justify continuing his friendship with Shmuel despite what his father, sister, and tutor have said about Jews?
• The barbed wire fence is a physical separation between Bruno and Shmuel. What other types of separation does the fence represent in this story?
• How do Bruno and Shmuel demonstrate the essence of friendship despite their many differences?
What are their differences?
• How can people use the power of friendship to cross boundaries of race, religion, and culture?


7 Nov

Answer the following question on your blog

1. What do “innocent” and “naïve” mean when used to describe children?

2.  Can adults be naïve? In what ways can they be naïve? What adults in the book seem naïve?

3. Can you give an example of a time when you were a young child and saw the world from a more innocent perspective?
What are some examples of that?
What experiences helped you see the world differently than what you initially thought?

4. Although Bruno and his family have moved to a desolate place, Bruno continues to display his strong sense of adventure and creativity. What are some examples of this?

5. Can you give an example from your own life when your sense of adventure and imagination allowed you to escape from a sad or painful situation?

Orientation and development

29 Oct

1. Class reading of Chapters 1 and 2
2. Complete this Cloze passage:
3. Read Chapters 3 and 4.

4. What are two questions that you have after reading this section?

5. Also answer:

  • When and where is the book set?
  • How old is Bruno?
  • Where does he live, and with whom?
  • What impression do you get of Bruno?


29 Oct

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has the subtitle ‘a fable’.
What do you think a ‘fable’ is? Can you think of any examples that you might have come across?
A fable is a tale that has a moral message for the reader. Traditionally, fables are tales featuring talking animals or objects which come to life; however, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a different kind of fable.

Prediction – judging a book by its cover

29 Oct

What can we learn about a book by looking at its cover?

What feeling does the book’s cover give you?

What do you think it will be about?

What do you associate with striped pyjamas?

Anne Frank

29 Oct

1. After reading the booklet about Anne Frank, compile a biography that provides details of her life.
2. Using your understanding of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in what ways were Anne’s (and other Jewish people’s) human rights abused?

Never Again

25 Oct


Edmund Burke