BBOOKOOKNNOTESOTES EDUCATORS GUIDE

the books of ember Grades 4–8 The

The Diamond of Darkhold Yearling PB: 978-0-375-82274-2 Yearling Movie Tie-In PB: 978-0-385-73628-2 Random House HC: 978-0-375-82273-5 GLB: 978-0-375-92274-9 Listening Library CD: 978-0-7393-3167-5 An ALA Notable Book for Children The People of Sparks about the novels A CBC–IRA Children’s Choice Yearling PB: 978-0-375-82825-6 Random House HC: 978-0-375-82824-9 GLB: 978-0-375-92824-6 of Jeanne DuPrau Listening Library CD: 978-0-7393-3169-9 A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age Come inside award-winning author Jeanne DuPrau’s imaginary worlds, where the characters may be fictional, but their reactions to potential catastrophes remind us what all humans are capable of when faced with the threat of war, starvation, or extinction. Final Book! In The Diamond of Darkhold, the final Book of Ember, DuPrau juxtaposes yet another action- packed adventure with powerful themes about learning, hope, and the search for truth.

The Prophet of Yonwood Yearling PB: 978-0-440-42124-5 Random House HC: 978-0-375-87526-7 GLB: 978-0-375-97526-4 Read the Books of Ember in Listening Library CD: 978-0-7393-3109-5 The Diamond of Darkhold your classroom—and then go see Random House HC: 978-0-375-85571-9 GLB: 978-0-375-95571-6 The City of Ember movie! Listening Library CD: 978-0-7393-6818-3

Visit Teachers @ Random at www.randomhouse.com/teachers www.booksofember.com the city of ember

about the book

In the underground city of Ember, young Lina and Doon struggle with clues in order to reveal both the history of their city and a way to save the population before their source of light dwindles away to nothing. a winner across the states! pre-reading activity

Explain that today is “Assignment Day” assigned to a profession. Ask them to and students will get a job placement speculate on what kind of world they Connecticut—Nutmeg Children’s Book Award that will determine their future within are going to read about, where people the community. Distribute mock job are assigned jobs to work as messengers, Florida—Sunshine State Young Reader's Award assignments to students and give a talk laborers, electrician’s helpers, and about service to one’s community. Ask supply clerks. Indiana—Young Hoosier Book Award students how they feel about being

Kansas—William Allen White Award Maryland—Black-Eyed connecting to the curriculum Susan Book Award

Minnesota—Maud Hart Economics—The principles of supply Music—The townspeople of Ember have a Lovelace Book Award and demand dictate what resources are “Song of the City” that describes the town Missouri— available in the towns of Ember (and and its people. Ask students to write a Mark Twain Award Sparks). As Lina says in The City of Ember, song, the lyrics of which reflect the spirit New Hampshire— “You can’t divide a can of applesauce and the mission of their community and Great Stone Face Award evenly among all the people in the city.” describe the kind of people who live there. New Jersey—Garden (p. 153) Teach students about the concept Encourage students to use melodies that State Teen Book Award of supply and demand and ask them to reflect the tone of the written descriptions. New Mexico—Land of make a list of all the items in the novel Enchantment Award that are in demand. Then ask students to Art—Lina dreams of a world full of color Nevada—Nevada Young think about the creative ways in which and wonders what it might look like. She Readers Award the novel’s characters supply these items. uses drawing as a way to express her Texas—Lonestar dreams about faraway cities and unknown Reading List Science—The waning light source in The regions. She says that pictures can capture Utah—Beehive Award City of Ember emphasizes the importance an idea or a place in ways language (Utah Children’s Book Award) of electricity. Have students research the cannot. Ask students to sketch a place they fundamentals of electricity. How does it have often dreamed about, as Lina does, Vermont—Dorothy Canfield Fisher work? Who discovered it? What are the and carefully select colors that reflect Children’s Book Award key scientific principles behind it? the mood and tone of the dream. Request Washington— that students accompany their artwork Sasquatch Reading with a one-page explanatory essay. Award the people of sparks

about the book

Followed by fellow Emberites, Lina and Doon emerge from the underground city and are taken in by the first town they encounter—but the additional population puts a strain on the town’s resources, inciting conflict. pre-reading activity

Ask students to write an essay about asked to give up vital resources for community using the following strangers being added to their writing prompt: What is the role of community. Consider role-playing a community? Is the community the idea of “survival of the fittest” to internet responsible for taking care of every demonstrate what happens when a resources citizen? Ask students to share their community’s resources are strained, Famous American Trials: writing responses and discuss and individuals begin to rely on Salem Witch Trials how they would react if they were survival instincts. www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ salem/SALEM.HTM This site, hosted by the University of Missouri—Kansas City, outlines the fearful connecting to the curriculum group hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. New York Times Daily Lesson Plan Iraq, the Palestinian territories, www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/ Language Arts—Ask students to lessons/19990708thursday.html write a magazine article for a travel Somalia, and Sudan. Then ask them Contains activities that illustrate how magazine that describes either to each choose one, and give a three electricity flows through basic circuits Sparks (or Ember) as a travel page overview of that location’s (grades 6–12). destination. Cite lines from either current refugee situation as well as a The Great Idea Finder text that describe what it’s like to brief history of its cause. www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/ lightbulb.htm live there. Ask students to use Ask students to use a map to Fascinating facts about the invention of the elements of descriptive language like pinpoint the 10 areas mentioned light bulb by Thomas Alva Edison in 1879. imagery, simile, and metaphor in above. Have students consider why Electricity and Magnetism their writing. refugees flee their homelands and www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/ why some countries deny refugees A series of experiments about electricity and magnetism. Social Studies & Geography— access into their territories. This When the citizens of Ember assignment is suitable for Black Dog’s Word Puzzles for Kids www.blackdog4kids.com/games/word escape their dark society for a older grades. Fun word puzzles like the one Lina deciphers more promising land, they become to exit Ember. refugees. Ask students to define Science—The idea of growing food Kids RegenTeaching Themes: the word refugee and research the and nurturing plants from seeds is Healthy Kids, Healthy Planet global refugee crisis. Provide your paramount in both Ember and www.kidsregen.org/educators/educators2. students with a brief overview of the Sparks. Have students grow food php?section=eduNga&ID=3 top 10 locations on the planet with from seeds and research the science Activities for teaching students about gardening and its history. the highest population of refugees: behind it, like photosynthesis and Afghanistan, Angola, Burma, the life cycle of a plant. Barter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Eritrea, More information on the barter system. the prophet of yonwood

about the book

Nickie Randolph is a young girl in the town of Yonwood, where the local prophet’s predictions of doom and destruction have inspired the townspeople to build a “shield of goodness” against impending evil. pre-reading activity

Nickie Randolph, the young protagonist in The Prophet DuPrau’s other two novels, also seek ways to help of Yonwood, says she wants to “do something helpful their communities. Brainstorm the needs of the school for the world, what that would be she had no idea, and local community with students. Then ask them but the world needed help badly. She would keep her to write a journal entry on how they can make a eyes open for an opportunity.” (p. 14) The protagonists difference and ultimately help the world. in The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, connecting to the curriculum

Language Arts—Nickie instantly falls in love with History—Mrs. Beeson becomes overly zealous in her grandfather’s home in Yonwood. She describes the her attempt to wipe out evil. Hoyt McCoy says that rooms of the house as “majestic” and decides to “these days Mrs. Beeson was seeing something wicked “point out good things about Greenhaven as often as everywhere she looked.” (p. 207) Ask students to she could, to change Crystal’s mind about selling it.” research periods in history, such as the Salem Witch (p. 51) Review the elements of persuasive writing. Ask Trials, when citizens became zealots in the face of students to pretend they are Nickie and write a letter fear. Ask students to write an essay comparing the persuading Crystal to buy the house in Yonwood events surrounding the witch trials to the events in and remain there as a resident. The Prophet of Yonwood.

Science—Grover introduces readers to his love of Performing Arts—Nickie describes Hoyt McCoy’s snakes. He shows us how to care for snakes, and home as a “star-spangled chamber of night.” (p. 250) even describes how their jaws work. (pp. 185 & 187 Ask students to imagine the inside of Hoyt’s celestial respectively) Ask students to make a pamphlet habitat and capture its essence with the composition featuring a type of snake. Include pictures of the of a song or a painting. snake along with explanations of how to care for it. Have students focus on one aspect of the snake’s anatomy, like Grover did when he described the expandable jaws of his snake. vocabulary from the Social Studies—Police officers demand to enter Hoyt books of ember McCoy’s house without a warrant, citing that a threat The Prophet of Yonwood The People of Sparks to security changes the rules. (p. 206) Ask students to jaunty (p. 62), blustery tasseled (p. 25), flummoxed investigate this claim in order to understand the (p. 100), ardently (p. 143), (p. 67), thermodynamics constitutional rights of American citizens regarding flailed (p. 217), stymied (p.110) their rights to privacy. In what instances can privacy (p. 269), vacillating (p. 351) The Diamond of Darkhold laws be waived? Have your class research the standards The City of Ember replenish (p.15), waning for attaining a search warrant and design a search resonant (p. 29), enmeshed (p. 64), vicious (p. 90), warrant for Officer Gurney to enter Hoyt’s home. (p. 55), moldering (p. 57), blundered (p.93), rampaged pungent (p. 59), chortled (p. 92) (p. 102), ingenuity (p. 107) the diamond of darkhold

about the book

While tensions have died down in Sparks, the town is in the grip of winter and resources are scarce. Together Lina and Doon will go back under- ground to Ember to retrieve what was lost and bring light to a dark world. pre-reading activity

Power! Many sources, many agents. An individual can time line for the use of electricity, beginning before be powerful, displaying strength and/or taking action. Ember is built and following electricity through A group can wield power or authority over another The Prophet of Yonwood. Based on their time line weaker, smaller group. And then there is the power of and before reading The Diamond of Darkhold, ask an energy source. The Books of Ember portray all of students to write a prediction of possible changes in these types of power. Ask students to brainstorm the community in Sparks if a power source were connections to the power of electricity throughout the to be introduced. Books of Ember. Students should then make a connecting to the curriculum

Science—Doon asks himself the question, “How charcoal, watercolor, and/or paint. Have them title could a jagged line of light be the same thing that the their artwork and site the page number of the passage old generator in Ember produced from river water? they have selected to illustrate. Display the artwork in How could something that vanished in an instant be the classroom or the school’s library. the same thing that made a lamp glow all evening?” (p. 13) Ask students to find a partner and then Social Studies—After Lina and Doon lead a group research the answers to these questions. When they of townspeople to Ember for supplies to help survive discover the answers, have them illustrate their the winter, the people of Sparks seem to be more answers on a poster board to present to the class accepting of the Emberites. Why is this a turning point and to display in the classroom. for the community? What role do the blue diamonds play in the change of not only the town, but also the Language Arts—Ask students to recall a time when surrounding area? Ask students to think about conflicts they experienced severe weather—tornado, hurricane, in their school or community and to brainstorm ways thunderstorm, blizzard, and/or windstorm. Have them they could help ease the tensions among the members make a list of words and phrases that describe the of each group. Have them write a detailed proposal and weather conditions and their feelings, even including action plan to present either to the principal or the bits and pieces of conversations. From this list of mayor respectively to solve any current problems. words and phrases, ask students to write a poem that can be shared with the class. Have students bring in Math—On pages 67–68, Doon tries to decipher the readings of sound effects or music that conveys the concept of distance to determine how far away mood of their poem. Host a class poetry reading to something is and the measure of a square yard. There share the poems and accompanying sound recordings. aren’t any books in the Sparks library to help him. In groups of three, ask students to research and Art—The author writes beautifully descriptive write a pamphlet explaining the units of measure. passages that allow the readers to see pictures in their Have the groups include charts with explanations and mind’s eye. Ask students to select a specific passage to illustrations, a title page, a table of contents, and illustrate using a variety of mediums: pastels, pen, an index. the books of ember culminating activities/ ideas for further study

Dynamic Characters display. Have students brainstorm the Lina and Doon become friends in Ember names of other young adult novels and they learn to depend on and made into movies. Then have them pick understand each other through all their a favorite young adult book they believe adventures. With a partner, ask students would make a good movie. Have them to write a character analysis of both write to a movie studio recommending characters, making notes about how the book and justifying its selection to the characters change individually and be made into a motion picture. how their relationship evolves as they experience new adventures. Have the Full Circle pairs make connections between their When The City of Ember begins, the about the own lives and one or two of the other existent problems in the city worsen as author characters. Ask them to make a graphic the book progresses until finally, the representation of the comparison in Emberites must flee their city to a T chart, Venn diagram, or other survive. In the final chapters of the final Jeanne DuPrau writes for appropriate graphic organizer. Share book, The Diamond of Darkhold, Lina several hours each day and and display both the character analysis and Doon lead a team of people back finds inspiration in a quote and the graphic organizers. to Ember to retrieve supplies to help from Thomas Mann that them all survive. It is almost as if the says, “A writer is someone Movies Anyone? dead city reaches out to its people for whom writing is harder than it is for other people.” Many young adult through its death. In pairs, ask students This quote guides DuPrau’s novels are becoming to trace the steps Lina and Doon have writing, which she often movies, and The City of taken that lead them full circle back finds to be a challenging Ember is soon to be to Ember, back to electricity, back to task. DuPrau knew she added to the major their passions, and back to their wanted to be a writer at a motion picture list. In hearts. Have the pairs create maps that young age and has tried small groups, ask illustrate Lina and Doon’s journey, as related careers in teaching, students to investigate well as other characters who made the technical writing, and the process of how a novel becomes a trip with them, sequentially identifying editing. She has written movie. Then come together as a class and recording the steps along their way. four novels, six books of and list the steps on a classroom Display the maps in the classroom. nonfiction, and essays and stories. She lives in California where she loves on the web to garden. For more information about the author, visit For bios, teachers guides, and more . . . www.jeanneduprau.com Visit our FREE online site Teachers @ Random Search over 140 themes and holidays www.randomhouse.com/teachers for books for your classroom!

Prepared by Jennifer L. Hart, International Baccalaureate Coordinator, Thomas Jefferson High School, Richmond, Virginia and Susan Geye, Library Media Specialist, Fort Worth, Texas. Random House Children’s Books • School and Library Marketing • 1745 Broadway, Mail Drop 10-4 • New York NY 10019 • BN0817 • 08/08