Unpaid Ransom Student Workbook and Teacher’s Guide

Unpaid Ransom: Student Workbook & Teacher’s Guide

Medieval Germany was a dark and dangerous time for the Jewish people. Into that world steps Rabbeinu Meir of Rothenburg, the beloved Rav and leading Torah authority of his day. When a greedy Count and a bitter former student put him in grave danger, his family, his devoted pupil Asher, and his faithful attendant Moshe are swept into a story drawn from real events.

The Student Workbook covers all 10 chapters in two units. Each chapter includes a vocabulary preview from the text, a prediction prompt, historical background, comprehension questions, vocabulary practice in context, a close-reading passage, and a guided writing response with sentence starters. Each unit wraps up with a vocabulary review, discussion questions, an activity, and a written response.

Skills built: reading comprehension, vocabulary in context, close reading, recalling and sequencing events, citing the text, written explanation, and historical background on Jewish life in medieval Germany.

The separate Teacher’s Guide makes teaching this novel easy. Every chapter has a summary, a 45-minute lesson plan, a teaching tip, Support and Challenge ideas, and student pages with answers filled in. It also includes a pacing guide, unit quizzes, a final test, answer keys, and grading rubrics.