Name: The War That Saved My Life Reader Response Questions
SKU: 68798a5a51282400195c138a
Price: 39.99 USD
Availability: InStock

About this resource

What's inside this resource

The War That Saved My Life – Reader Response Questions & Graphic Organizers

Printable & Digital | Grades 5–7 | 45 Pages | Answer Keys Included

When I first taught The War That Saved My Life, I wanted my students to move beyond just reading the book. I wanted them to interact with the story, make connections, and practice using text evidence in a meaningful way. That’s why I created this resource. It’s packed with activities that encourage discussion, writing, and critical thinking while helping students understand the big ideas in the novel.

This packet includes 26 ready-to-use activities in both printable and digital formats. The short-response questions for each chapter keep students engaged and accountable, while the graphic organizers support skills like summarizing, analyzing character traits, and identifying themes. One of my students’ favorite activities is “Character Inside & Out,” which asks them to describe what Ada, Jamie, Susan, and Mam say, think, and do, supported with text evidence.

What’s Included

✔ 26 reader response activities

✔ Printable PDF and digital Google Slides versions

✔ Answer keys for all text-based questions

✔ Activities such as:

Judging by the Cover (predictions)
Reader Response Questions for each chapter section
Character Inside & Out for Ada, Jamie, Susan, and Mam
SWBST Summary Charts
Plot Structure Organizer
Ada’s Character Portfolio (traits, influences, and reflection)

Whether you use these for whole-class lessons, literature circles, or independent reading, this resource will save you time and give students the tools they need for deeper comprehension. Answer keys are included for every response question and organizer.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Predict a novel's content and themes from its cover before reading.
Answer short-response questions about character development, key events, author's craft, and theme using evidence from the text.
Analyze a main character's traits, influences, and growth using text evidence and the S.T.E.A.L. characterization method.
Break the novel's plot into its rising action, climax, falling action and resolution, and explain how setting and character development shape it.

Teaching tips

Spread the seven activities across the full novel rather than assigning them in one sitting, as the teacher-tips page recommends.
Choose the activities that best fit your teaching style and students' needs rather than assigning every organizer to every student.
Use the Google Slides version for students who will type responses digitally, and make a per-student copy in Google Classroom so students are not all editing the same file.
Remember that answer keys are included only in the PDF version, not the Google Slides version.

Skills covered

Evidence-based short response — students answer chapter-section questions on character development, events, craft and theme using text evidence.
Character analysis — students apply the S.T.E.A.L. method and cite text evidence to describe Ada's traits, influences, and growth across the novel.
Plot structure analysis — students identify rising action, climax, falling action and resolution and explain how setting and character development shape the plot.
Summarizing — students complete an SWBST (Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then) chart to identify key plot elements and character motivation for each chapter section.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How does the Character Portfolio activity have students analyze Ada?

Students identify Ada's character traits and appearance with text evidence, name three influences on her growth, apply the S.T.E.A.L. method to her direct and indirect characterization, and compare who she is at the beginning and end of the novel.