Behind the Bedroom Wall Lesson 7 and 8

Behind the Bedroom Wall

Lesson Seven: Chapters 13, 14 (pg. 135-157) 

Comprehension Questions

1. Who did Korinna’s father bring up to her room in the middle of the night? _________________________________________________________________
2. Describe the plan that helped the Krugmann’s escape. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What was Korinna’s explanation for the Gestapo’s search and raid of her house that night? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Why did Herr Rehme decide that his family was going to escape that very night? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Getting Involved with the Story

1. On pages 138 to 140 we sense that something is wrong before Korinna does.  What signs does the author give that warn us things are not quite right? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. At the end of chapter 14, the kitten is brutally kicked.  Throughout the book the kitten reveals things about each person it comes in contact with.  Look back over the book and list all the scenes in which the kitten is involved.  Jot down what you learned about each character through his or her thoughts about and actions toward the kitten.  The kitten is a device the author uses to reveal characters. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Were you surprised when Eva warned Korinna?  Why or why not?  What clue were you given to Eva’s character early on in this book? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. “I never told her I cared.” “She knew.”

You read these words in chapter 13.  Think about ways we know someone cares about us.  How do we express love?  Think of all the ways people show their love for you. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Word Mastery List

instigated ________________________ incredulous ______________________

brazen __________________________ grating __________________________

Special Words

Guten Abend ___________________________________________________________

Behind the Bedroom Wall

Lesson Eight: Chapter 15 & Afterward (pg. 159-169)

Getting Involved in the Story

1. Its’s when we feel at ease and certain of ourselves that we make mistakes.” (pg. 161). Frau Rehme says this to Korinna near the end of the book.  What do you think she means by this in the context of the story? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. When Korinna and her parents were leaving their home, Korinna finally realized what her father meant when he had said maybe there is something more important than love.  What did he mean?  Do you agree or disagree?  Explain your answer. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. In the afterward, the author tells us that she “ended this novel with Korinna’s realization that freedom is perhaps more important than love.  After all, if you’re not free to love whom you wish, what good is love?”  Do you agree or disagree?  Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper.  Put the word Freedom at the top of one column and the word Love at the top of the other.  List reasons why each is important.  Draw arrows from one column to the other when you see that a quality in one column is important or dependent on a quality in the other.

Freedom                     Love

There are many important themes in the novel, Behind the Bedroom Wall.  They include CHANGE, LOVE, FREEDOM and FAMILY.  What was the most important lesson about one of those themes that you learned while reading this novel. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________