exploring what it means to be human through the voices of...

Exploring What it Means to Be Human Through the Voices of

the HolocaustAn Instructional Unit Designed for 10th Graders

Brittany Vandergriff & Sarah RobbinsLAE 4335.001

C.Edge

Rationale

What does it mean to be human? How does our view on human value

shape how life is viewed and valued? These questions will encompass the

overall theme for the unit plan on the Holocaust. The concepts central to the

Holocaust include personal freedoms, hate, prejudice, anti-Semitism,

genocide, perseverance, family, and propaganda.

These concepts all help tie the unit back to the question, “what does it

mean to be human?” It is necessary to teach this unit keeping in mind these

concepts to understand our past in order to change the future. Teaching the

Holocaust from various perspectives, helps to promote understanding and

tolerance. The unit can be taught through use of a wide range of mediums;

including, novels, poetry, speeches, newspaper articles, and movies. The use

of various mediums allows students of all learning styles to be engaged.

Teaching the Holocaust, introduces students to the idea of civic

awareness. Units centered on the idea of civic awareness help students to

understand their roles as citizens in their communities, states, and nations

(Smagorinsky 143). Students will be examining the ideas of rights and

responsibilities and how they relate to the ways a society views the value of

human life. Making students more aware of their rights and responsibilities

as well as the rights and responsibilities of others helps produce more

knowledgeable citizens.

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Teaching the Holocaust, under the umbrella of what it means to be

human, discusses social problems of both the past and present; those issues

being prejudice, and discrimination. When addressing the social problems, it

is also necessary to address the needs of the social environment. Addressing

both the problems and the needs of society helps to create a more

understanding, compassionate community and society.

Texts:

Night- Elie Wiesel

The book, Night, explores the darkest points in the Holocaust from a

first hand account. Elie Wiesel and his father experienced time in the

ghettos, and one of the most notorious concentration camps, Auschwitz.

Wiesel describes the warning signs leading to the eventual detainment in

concentration camps- he also describes the process of selection, and the

brutality suffered at the hands of the guards.

This novel gives readers a real look at the experiences of a son and his

father. It is a true account, and won Elie Wiesel a Nobel Peace Prize. The

book is well written, and is age appropriate.

Alicia: My Story- Alicia Appleman-Jurman (excerpts)

A handout containing details of Alicia Jurman’s Holocaust story will be

given to students as a companion reading to Night. Alicia Jurman was a

young Jewish girl whose family was torn apart by the Holocaust. She acted in

a moment of heroism to save the life of her mother. The excerpts that will be

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used give another real look at the experiences of those that survived the

Holocaust. The viewpoint in this novel comes from a young girl and her

experiences as a young woman in the Holocaust. It gives another voice to

the exploration into what it means to be human.

Ten Hours: A Holocaust Short Story

This short story details a man named Yossi, and the ten hours that led

him to death in the concentration camps. The short story gives a glimpse

into a guard that was forced to be part of the concentration camps. Because

this story is fictional, we are able to be lead in a first person telling to the

moment that death happens. It is a great short story that introduces a new

style of writing and delivers a powerful message.

We Will Never Forget Auschwitz – Alexander Kimel

This poem, written by a Holocaust survivor, is a great learning tool as it

introduces a new style of writing and delivers a powerful message.

Movies:

The Wave

The Wave is a film that documents an experiment that took place in a

classroom with the intention to explore how the Holocaust happened, and if

it could happen again. This film takes a real look at what it means to be

human.

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Unit Goals & Rubrics

Overarching Theme/Question/Idea:What does it mean to be human? This unit is intended to open students’ minds and eyes to various human voices through the context of the Holocaust.

Goals:

Students will read, evaluate, discuss, and respond to a variety of Holocaust literature.

Students will participate in literature circles to demonstrate ability to work cooperatively and think critically

Students will demonstrate ability to research using various media, through the completion of a multi-genre project

In Process/ Culminating Texts:

Cumulat ive Portfol io of Student Learning

This will be a portfolio of student work in the format of a binder. The portfolio will contain various writings, artifacts, and responses that students produce over the course of the unit. This portfolio is intended to document students’ learning experiences, critical thoughts, and personal responses as we explore voices and perspectives of the Holocaust. Students are expected to take pride in their work, and creating a portfolio comprised of personal reflections and artifacts that document their hard efforts will help them value their learning achievements.

The portfolio will be assessed using the following rating scale:

CriteriaNot

Present0

Okay1

Good 2

Excellent3

Includes multiple entries per week

0 1 2 3

Includes thoughtful responses to daily task

0 1 2 3

Is neat and logically organized

0 1 2 3

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Each entry is dated 0 1 2 3Is turned in on time 0 1 2 3Each entry is clearly labeled

0 1 2 3

Score__ _ / (18)=___%L i terature C i rc les

Students will participate in one of four literature circles. Literature circles allow students to have autonomy over their learning. Literature circles also provide a sense of belonging and safety within the context of the classroom. As students discuss weekly, they will develop connections and an understanding amongst their peers. Together they will discuss the primary text Night, as well as the discussion of an alternative novel of choice. Students will rotate specific roles in the literature circle, giving each student the chance to contribute to the group in a meaningful way. Roles also allow students to excel beyond what they may normally feel comfortable doing, giving them each opportunities to explore new avenues to understanding and exploring text.

The literature circle roles will include:

WordSmith While reading the assigned section, you watch out for words worth knowing. These words might be interesting, new, important, or used in unusual ways. It is important to indicate the specific location of the words so the group can discuss these words in context.

Illustrator Your role is to draw what you read. This might mean drawing a scene as a cartoonlike sequence or an important scene so readers can better understand the action. You can draw maps or organizational trees to show how one person, place, or event relates to the others. Use the notes area to explain how your drawing relates to the text. Label your drawings so we know who the characters are.

Illuminator You find passages your group would like to/should hear read aloud.These passages should be memorable, interesting, puzzling, funny, or important. Your notes should include the quotations but also why you chose them, and what you want to say about them. You can either read the passage aloud yourself or ask members of your group to read roles.

Summarizer Prepare a brief summary of the day’s reading. Use the questions to the right to help you decide what to include. In some cases, you might ask yourself what details,

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characters, or events are so important that they would be included on an exam. If it helps you to organize the information, consider making a numbered list or a timeline.

Connecter Your job is to connect what you read with what you study in this or other classes. You can also connect the story with events in your own life or the world outside school as depicted in the news or other media. Another valuable source of connections is books you’ve already read this year. Connections should be meaningful to you and those in your group.

Discussion Director

Your role demands that you identify the important aspects of your assigned text, and develop questions your group will want to discuss. Focus on the major themes or “big ideas” in the text and your reaction to those ideas. What interests you will most likely interest those in your group. You are also responsible for facilitating your group’s discussion.

Roles from: Burke, Jim. Tools for Teachers. “Lit Circle Notes”.< http://www.englishcompanion.com/pdfDocs/litcirclepacket.pdf>

Since literature circles are based around students’ personal involvement and decision-making, they will complete a self-evaluation as a form of assessment, once a week. Self-evaluation is a critical part of students becoming responsible in their personal and professional. The Teacher will also assess the student, using the same rubric. This will allow the teacher and student both to monitor intellectual progress though literature circles. Students will also take part in occasional quizzes and written assignments to help drive learning and engagement (These additional items will be included in the portfolio).

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Name:_________________________ LC Group___________ Date_____________

Literature Circle Self Evaluation Rubric:1 2 3 4 My Response

Discussion-Stayed on Topic-Asked Open-Ended Questions-Added Appropriate Input -Showed respect by taking turns -Made Personal Connections to the text

I did not participate

I participated in the discussion sometimes, But didn’t offer many opinions, ask many questions, or make many personal connections.

I participated proficiently in the discussion, offered insightful opinions, and made connections to the text

I participated enthusiastically in group discussionsOffering insightful and thoughtful opinions and making pertinent connections to the text.

1 2 3 4

Reading-Read the Selection in its entirety-Jot Down Quick Notes to practice active reading

I did not read the book.

I did some of the assigned reading.

I read all of the assigned reading.

I read all of the reading and took note of importantParts to share.

1 2 3 4

Preparation/Role-Fulfillment - Brought Book- Completed my role-task

I was not prepared. I did not bring my novel or my fulfilled role.

I forgot either my novel or my role.

I was prepared and brought my novel and my role.

I brought my novel and assigned role. I read over my contribution before meetingwith my group

1 2 3 4

Listening--Look at Speaker-Listen to Understand-Don’t Interrupt Others

I did not listen to others

I listened to others some of the time. But I found my mind wandering.

I carefully listened to others.

I listened to others at all times in an attentive way, and thought about what was said, trying to make connections.

1 2 3 4

Notes/Comments

Mu l t i -Ge n r e Re se a rch P ro j e c t

Students will complete a multi-genre research project towards the end of this unit to demonstrate their new knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust, gained by studying various literatures and performing their own

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personal research. A multi-genre project is an alternative to the classic research paper. It is a compilation of various genres of text, that still aim to argue a thesis, or prove a central point. A multi-genre paper is personal, creative, and can’t be copied from some other source. It involves the student, as a writer, making conscious decisions about what information is important and how it should be presented to the reader. In keeping with our essential question: “What does it mean to be human?” students will choose a character from Night, their Alternative Novel, or Holocaust museum ID cards, or another researchable historical figure/ fictional character.

The project will be completed individually, it will contain a minimum of 5 pieces, each a different genre. Some genres includes: poetry, diary, fiction, website, and art forms. Students will be provided with a long list of ideas to choose from. The project will be assessed in three parts 1) Required Elements 2) Each piece individually 3) Overall quality and appeal of the project.Adapted From: Hogue, Dawn. Your Multigenre Web. “Multigenre Web Rubric”. (2005). <http://www.mshogue.com/ce9/multi_genre/mg_rubric.htm>

1. Required ElementsPoor 1-2 Average 3-

4Incredible 5

Title “page” includes: title (not label) your first name only the date (due date)

teacher & course name

1 2 3 4 5

Table of contents page is complete and well organized. 1 2 3 4 5The opening/prologue meets expectations given in the original directions.

1 2 3 4 5The epilogue/closing meets expectations given in the original directions.

1 2 3 4 5The annotated bibliography correctly lists all sources according to MLA format, and annotations are complete and easy to understand.

1 2 3 4 5

I have used repetition of ideas/elements to create unity in my multi-genre project; it is recognizable and effective.

1 2 3 4 5

The overall presentation quality of my project is inviting, flowing, and coordinated.

1 2 3 4 5

Score ____/(35)

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2. Individual Pieces

Needs Work Acceptable Excellent

Genre piece #1Genre type:

1 2 3 4 5 6


1 2 3 4 5 6


1 2 3 4 5 6


1 2 3 4 5 6


1 2 3 4

5 6

Score ___/(30)

Adapted from: < classrooms.tacoma.k12.wa.us/sota/.../multigenreportfoliorubric11.doc>3. Overall Quality, Appeal, Impact

Holistic Scoring

Knocks me off my feet, bowls me over, so informative and emotionally moving is the project. Throughout there is evidence of original thinking, depth, specificity of detail, and delights of language or insight. Research is interesting, surprising, and deftly, creatively incorporated into the project. The project is rife with excellent writing that includes attention to a pleasing visage of the page, action verbs, varied sentence length, effective word choice, skilled placement of payoff information, strong leads and endings, visual and other sensory imagery. Evidence of revision and polish to individual elements is evident in the final presentation.

41-50

A Good Project, I’m upbeat because the writer pays attention to many of the elements that are mentioned above. The audience learns about the chosen topic as a result of the project. The multi-genre project was executed in a competent way, some individual work may be uneven in execution- with some individual pieces shining through more than others. Evidence of revision in discrete elements is uneven.

31-40

This project is complete or nearly there, but it has a “middle of the road” feeling to it. The project shows inconsistencies in the writing, or lacks important qualitative elements. Additional revision would improve the overall project.

21-30

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This project is not complete and lacking important elements of the multi-genre project. Material may seem perfunctory, as if written hastily and never revised. Content may show limited insight and depth. Unification of the project is uneven or not present.

11-20

This is not acceptable work, see your faculty. A parent teacher conference may be required. 10 or below

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Unit P lan Week ly Overview

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Week1

1-What does it mean to be human?-Into to unit

2-Defining the Holocaust-Creating a timeline of events

3-Power of Words-Introduction to Night

4-Night Discussion-Fishbowl Exercise

5-Night Discussion-Start Literature Circles

Week2

6-Night cont…-Poetry exploration-Gaining perspectives

7-Night Cont…-Literature Circles Meet

8-Night cont…-Literature Circles meet

9-Night cont…-Reader Response

10-Night conclusion.-Reader Response

Week3

11Night/Wrap UpIntro to Complementary Novels

12People of the Holocaust: Into to various groups of people. In depth look of each group to follow.

13Victims of the Holocaust Pt.1

14Victims of the Holocaust Pt. 2

15Perpetrators in the Holocaust Pt. 1

Week4

16Explanation of Multi-Genre Project

17Perpetrators in the Holocaust Pt. 2

18Bystanders in the Holocaust Pt.1

19Bystanders in the Holocaust Pt.2

20Class Workshop on Multi-Genre Projects

Week5

21Rescuers in the HolocaustAlicia: My Story

22Resisters in the Holocaust Pt.1

23Resisters in the Holocaust Pt. 2

24Liberators in the Holocaust

25Class Workshop

Week6

26Children in the Holocaust Pt.1Daniel’s Story

27Children in the Holocaust Pt. 2

28Survivors of the Holocaust Pt. 1

29Survivors of the Holocaust Pt. 2

30Multi-Genre Project Presentations &SymposiumParents Welcome.

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Week 1Day 1/ Monday

Lesson Title: What does it mean to be human?

Lesson Overview: Students will be introduced into the unit question; What does it mean to be human? Students will brainstorm answers to the question, What does it mean to be human? These answers will be recorded and the class will determine an overall classroom definition.

Lesson Rationale: This lesson will help students gain the background knowledge needed to begin reading the classroom texts for this unit, including the main text, Night, by Elie Wiesel.

Lesson Objectives: Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

a. Define what it means to be human.

Sunshine State Standards:SS.912.W.1.1: Use timelines to establish cause and effect relationships of historical events.LA.910.1.6.10: The student will determine meanings of words, pronunciation, parts of speech, etymologies, and alternate word choices by using a dictionary, thesaurus, and digital tools; and

Instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed:

Youtube.com video linkJournals

Lesson Sequence (50 minutes):

Bell Work (5 minutes)

Students will enter the classroom and will take out their journals and respond to the following quote:

“When we view people as things, we are capable of doing anything to them.”

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Class Discussion/Think-Pair-Share/ (35 minutes)

As a class we will begin to examine our unit question, “What does it mean to be human?” Considering things such as human rights, freedom, respect, and survival; students will complete a think-pair-share exercise, in which they will think individually, then collaborate with a seat partner and finally share with the class their ideas about what it means to be human.

Taking the overall idea from this in class discussion, a class definition will be created- it will be an evolving definition, getting more detailed as we delve into the unit.

Video/Wrap-up (10 minutes)

Students will watch a youtube.com video entitled, “What does it mean to human?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feuLud-wb68

Homework assignment: Students will be asked to interview family members and friends about what it means to be human; they will record the responses then compare and contrast the responses to their own definition formed in class.

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Week 1Day 2/ Tuesday

Lesson Title: What was the Holocaust?

Lesson Overview: Students will begin to discuss the unit topic: the Holocaust. Students will define the Holocaust, and explore important dates to form a timeline. This timeline will be used throughout the course of this unit as we explore different texts.



define the Holocaust create an organized timeline based on important Holocaust dates take a look at the Holocaust as it relates to the unit question,

What does it mean to be human?.

Sunshine State Standards:SS.912.W.1.1: Use timelines to establish cause and effect relationships of historical events.LA.910.1.6.10: The student will determine meanings of words, pronunciation, parts of speech, etymologies, and alternate word choices by using a dictionary, thesaurus, and digital tools; and

instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed:

Youtube.com video linkJournals



Students will enter the classroom and will take out their journals and respond to the following poem:

First They Came For the JewsBy Martin Niemoller

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First they came for the JewsAnd I did not speak out- because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communistsAnd I did not speak out- because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionistsAnd I did not speak out- because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me-And by then there was no one left to speak out for me.

Video/Introduction into Unit Topic: The Holocaust (20 minutes)

Students will begin introduction into unit topic by watching a youtube.com video entitled “He We Are (Holocaust)”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aByQl9P1c_0&feature=related

Following the viewing, students will be given a few minutes to verbally respond to what they viewed; how did it make them feel? Did it give them a sense of what the Holocaust was all about?

Class Activity: Timeline (25 minutes)

The teacher will ask for 12 volunteers to each read a notecard with an important event from the Holocaust, and then will add it to a timeline (the timeline will be set up prior to class, and will be located on a bulletin board to reflect back on the entire unit). Each event will be key in understanding how the Holocaust happened, and will be useful as we read through the various Holocaust texts to refer back to. As we read through the novel, Night, by Elie Wiesel along with the other texts that will brought into the class, students will be encouraged to add onto the timeline, with events specific to their characters experiences.

List of Timeline Events:

1933: Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany. The Nazi Party Takes Control. First permanent concentration camp, Dachau, is established.

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1935: Nuremberg Race laws; Jews are denied German citizenship.

1936: SS renames its units deployed to concentration camps “Death Head Units”.

1938: Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass): a government organized attack against Jews in Germany, Austria, and Poland. It included widespread destruction of synagogues, businesses and homes. 19 people were killed.

1939: Hitler violates the Munich Agreement of 1938- when he invades and dismembers Czechoslovakia. September of 1939, Germany invades Poland, starting WWII in Europe. In November of 1939, the first ghetto is established in Poland. Jews in occupied Poland are forced to wear armbands bearing the star of David for identification.

1940: May- Auschwitz concentration camp is established. German authorities seal off ghettos in Poland.

1941: July 31- Nazi security police chief Reinhard Heydrich is given authorization to plan a “final solution” to the “Jewish question”. The construction of Auschwitz-Birkneau camp begins. December 8- the first killing centers in Nazi-occupied Poland begin operation.

1942: The Wannsee Conference held in Berlin in January ensures full cooperation of all state, Nazi party, and SS agencies in implementing “The Final Solution”; a plan to murder the European Jews under the coordination of the SS and police.

1943: More than 4 million Jews are murdered by the end of the year.

1944: Germany occupies Hungary in March. Between late April and early July around 440,000 Jews are deported- mostly to Auschwitz. Himmler orders a halt to the Final Solution in November; also orders the destruction of gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkneau.

1945: January 27- Auschwitz liberated. April 11- Burchenwald liberated. November 20- Nuremberg Trials begin (International Military Tribunal).

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Homework assignment: Students will be given an identification card courtesy of the United States Holocaust Museum’s online resources. The identification cards describe the experiences of those that were hid or rescued, as well as those that survived internment in the ghettos and concentration camps; some of them tell the stories of those that died. It will be the responsibility of the student to create a timeline based on the information provided on the identification card. (http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/resource/pdf/idcards.pdf)

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Week 1Day 3/ Wednesday

Lesson Title: Power of Words/Introduction to book, Night.

Lesson Overview: Students will listen to a clip of a speech given by Adolf Hitler in order to recognize propaganda techniques. Students will be asked to record the feelings that arose when listening to the speech.



Identify propaganda techniques used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in carrying out the Holocaust.

Sunshine State Standards:LA.910.5.2.1: The student will use appropriate listening strategies according the intended purpose (e.g., solving problems, interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of the presentation);


Youtube.com video linkJournalsClass set: Night, by Elie Wiesel.



Students will enter the classroom and will take out their journals and respond to the following quote:

“But nor have I left any doubt that if the nations of Europe are once more to be treated only as collections of stocks and shares of these international conspirators in money and finance, then those who carry the real guilt for the murderous struggle, this people will also be held responsible: the Jews! I have further left no one in doubt that this

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time it will not be only millions of children of Europeans of the Aryan peoples who will starve to death, not only millions of grown men who will suffer death, and not only hundreds of thousands of women and children who will be burned and bombed to death in the cities, without those who are really responsible also having to atone for their crime, even if by more humane means...But before everything else I call upon the leadership of the nation and those who follow it to observe the racial laws most carefully, to fight mercilessly against the poisoners of all the peoples of the world, international Jewry.” – Adolf Hitler taken from his last testament.

Video: Hitler Speech/Response (15 minutes)

Students will watch a youtube.com video of a speech given by Hitler discussing the problem of the world as Hitler viewed things. The video is intended to elicit an emotional response from students; whether that is anger or disgust, or even admiration at Hitler’s speaking abilities.

Following the clip, students will be given 10 minutes to discuss the clip; how it made them feel, etc.

Lecture on the Power of Words (15 minutes)

During this lecture, students will be asked to consider how people could have gotten so wrapped up into the words of Hitler, and how those words and that influence led to the death of millions of Jews. Propaganda techniques such as emotional appeal will be discussed in this lecture.

Introduction to Night/ Distribution of Text(20 minutes) Students will view a Powerpoint presentation giving a brief overview of Elie Wiesel and his journey through the Holocaust. Following this presentation, students will receive a copy of the novel, Night. Elie Wiesal Intro. .pptx (Item 1.2)

Homework assignment: Students will read the Preface and the Forward from the novel. As they read, students will be asked to consider why Wiesel felt it necessary to write the book, and what did he feel was the importance of telling his story?

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Week 1Day 4/ Thursday

Lesson Title: Night.

Lesson Overview: Students will discuss the previous nights reading, and will respond to various quotes from the text.

Lesson Rationale: This lesson is designed to elicit higher level thinking when studying the novel, Night.


Participate in higher level thinking and class discussion.

Sunshine State Standards:LA.910.1.6.2: The student will listen to, read, and discuss familiar and conceptually challenging text;LA.910.1.7.2: The student will analyze the authors purpose and/or perspective in a variety of text and understand how they affect meaning;


JournalsClass set: Night, by Elie Wiesel.



Students will enter the classroom and will take out their journals and respond to one of the following quotes:

“But how was one to rehabilitate and transform words betrayed and perverted by the enemy? Hunger-thirst-fear-transport-selection-fire-chimney: these words all have intrinsic meaning, but in those times, they meant something else.” (Night, ix)

“Could men and women who consider it normal to assist the weak, to heal the sick, to protect small children, and to respect the wisdom of their elders understand what happened there? Would they be able to comprehend how, within that cursed

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universe, the masters tortured the weak and massacred the children, the sick, and the old?” (Night, x)

“But is there hope? Is there hope in memory? There must be. Without hope memory would be morbid and sterile. Without memory, hope would be empty of meaning, and above all, empty of gratitude.” (Wiesel, Days of Remembrance address- 2002)

Class Discussion: Fish Bowl (30 minutes)

Students will be labeled a one or a two- one’s will be inside the fish bowl discussion first, while the two’s will be active observers (this includes taking notes, etc). Following the one’s being inside the fish bowl, the two’s will have a go at it. Each student is expected to participate. The first discussion question will be “Why did Elie Wiesel write Night?”, students will be expected to support answer based on the reading from the previous night. The second discussion question will be “What was the importance of telling Wiesel’s story?”

Wind Down (10 minutes)

Students will be able to journal about the discussion, the bell work prompts, or read silently.

Homework assignment: Students will read the page 3-22 in Night.

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Week 1Day 5/ Friday

Lesson Title: Night continued…


Lesson Rationale: This lesson is designed to elicit higher level thinking when studying the novel, Night.


Participate in higher level thinking and class discussion.

Sunshine State Standards:LA.910.1.6.2: The student will listen to, read, and discuss familiar and conceptually challenging text;LA.910.1.7.2: The student will analyze the author’s purpose and/or perspective in a variety of text and understand how they affect meaning;





Students will enter the classroom and will take out their journals and describe the significance of the following quotes in relation to one another:

“Yes, we even doubted his resolve to exterminate us. Annihilate an entire people? Wipe out a population dispersed throughout so many nations So many millions of people! By what means In the middle of the twentieth century!” (Night, 8)

“ The Germans were already in our town, the Fascists were already in power, the verdict was already out- and the Jews of Sighet were still smiling.” (Night, 10)

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“The yellow star? So what? It’s not lethal…” (Poor Father! Of what then did you die?) (Night, 11)

“The ghetto was ruled by neither German nor Jew; it was ruled by delusion.” (Night, 12)

Class Discussion: Introduction to Literature Circles (30 minutes)

Students will be broken into groups of 5 to form literature circles. These groups will remain in tact for the remaining time of the unit. As students discuss weekly, they will develop connections and an understanding amongst their peers. Together they will discuss the primary text, Night, as well as the discussion of an alternative novel of choice. Students will rotate specific roles in the literature circle, giving each student the chance to contribute to the group in a meaningful way.

Students will receive a handout (see Item 1.3)including all the roles of the literature circle: wordsmith, illustrator, illuminator, summarizer, and connector.

Literature Circle Work Time (10 minutes)

Students will get into their groups and assign roles for the weekends reading assignment. Each student will be expected to fulfill the duties of their assigned role for Monday’s class.

Homework assignment: Students will read the pages 23-28 and 29-46 in Night. Students will complete their assigned literature circle role for class discussion on Monday.

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Week 2Day 6/ Monday


Lesson Overview: Students will discuss the previous nights reading, and will respond to various quotes from the text. Students will also begin to read and discuss other Holocaust stories in addition to Night.

Lesson Rationale: This lesson is designed to elicit higher level thinking when studying the novel, Night and to encourage the exploration of many texts on one topic to gain multiple perspectives.


Participate in higher-level thinking and class discussion. Compare and contrast texts.

Sunshine State Standards:LA.910.1.6.2: The student will listen to, read, and discuss familiar and conceptually challenging text;LA.910.1.7.2: The student will analyze the author’s purpose and/or perspective in a variety of text and understand how they affect meaning;LA.910.1.7.6: The student will analyze and evaluate similar themes or topics by different authors across a variety of fiction and nonfiction selections;LA.910.1.7.7: The student will compare and contrast elements in multiple texts;


JournalsClass set: Night, by Elie Wiesel. Class handout: “We Will Never Forget Auschwitz” Poetry Handout

(Item 2.1)



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Students will enter the classroom and will begin silent reading a handout synopsis of “We Will Never Forget Auschwitz” by a Holocaust Survivor.

Classroom Discussion: Night and “We Will Never Forget” (35 minutes)

To begin this discussion, the class will start off volunteering parts of each reading that they found particularly powerful or moving. If not mentioned by students, teacher will make sure the following sections are discussed:

- Mrs. Schachter and the foreshadowing of the “fire”.- “Never Shall I forget that night…” (Page 34)- “Those were the first human words.” (Page 41)- “I became A-7712. From then on I had no other name.” (Page

42)

Teacher will handout a Venn diagram worksheet, and together with students, will create a compare/contrast chart discussing the main text and the handout on “We Will Never Forget Auschwitz”. venn diagram.docx (Item 2.2)

Homework assignment: Students will continue to read the completing pages 47-65 in Night. Literature Circles will work in class on Tuesday.

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Lesson Title: Literature Circle Workday

Plan for the Day:

Students will work in their groups to ensure each student is completing their assigned works, and they are prepared to present on Wednesday.

Literature Circle Groups are responsible for covering pages 23 through 65 in Night.

WordSmith: Should have a minimum of 15 words worth knowing to share.

Illustrator: Should have a minimum of 3 detailed illustrations, diagrams, maps, etc.

Illuminator: Should have a minimum of 4 scenes to read aloud, and the reason they were chosen.

Summarizer: Should have 3 summaries. [Summarize the sections as follows: section1= pages23-28, section2=pages29-46, section 3=47-65.]

Connector: Should make connections to the poem read in class, as well as an outside piece of literature found by student.

Homework: be prepared to share in class Wednesday.

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Week 2Day 8/ Wednesday

Lesson Plan Title: Literature Circles Share Day.

Homework: Read pages 66-84 in Night.

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Week 2Day 9/ Thursday


Lesson Overview: Students will discuss the previous nights reading, and will respond to various quotes from the text. Students will also begin to read and discuss other Holocaust stories in addition to Night.

Lesson Rationale: This lesson is designed to elicit higher level thinking when studying the novel, Night and to encourage the exploration of many texts on one topic to gain multiple perspectives.








Students will enter the classroom and take out their journals and respond to one of the following quotations from the previous nights readings:

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“Those whose numbers had been noted were standing apart, abandoned by the whole world. Some were silently weeping.” (Night 72)

“Here, take this knife,” he said. “I won’t need it anymore. You may find it useful. Also take this spoon. Don’t sell it. Quickly! Go ahead, take what I’m giving you!” My inheritance. (Night 75)

“I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.” (Night 81)

Lecture/Class Discussion (35 minutes)

Students will be encouraged to share and discuss parts of the book they found most profound and moving. If not mentioned by students, the teacher will mention the following:

o “Whenever he could, he would “organize” a cauldron of soup for the young, for the weak, for all those who dreamed more of an extra portion of food than of liberty.” (Night 51)

o “For God’s sake, where is God? “ And from within me, I heard a voice answer: “Where He is? This is where- hanging here from this gallows…” That night, the soup tasted of corpses.” (Night, 65)

o The word “last” as it applies to the experiences of Elie and his father.

o The importance of the inheritance. (P.75)o The final missed opportunity to escape (P. 82)o Loss of faith in God, Only faith in Hitler (P. 77, P.81)

Homework assignment: Students will continue to read, finishing the novel Night.

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Week 2Day 10/ Friday

Lesson Title: Night conclusion.


Lesson Rationale: This lesson is designed to elicit higher level thinking when studying the novel, Night .








Students will enter the classroom and take out their journals and respond to one of the following quotations from the previous nights readings:

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“From time to time, a shot exploded in the darkness. They had orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace. Their fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of the pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog.” (Night 85)

“We were the masters of nature, the masters of the world. We had transcended everything-death, fatigue, our natural needs. We were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die, doomed and rootless, nothing but numbers, we were the only men on earth.” (Night 87)

Discussion (35 minutes)

The class will discuss the topic of death, and the fight for survival as is seen in the final chapters of the novel. Students will consider the following things during this discussion:

o Contrasting father-son relationships [Elie & his father, Rabbi Eliahu & his son, Little Meir and his father on the train]

o The need to survive for others: Elie for this father, Juliek for his chance to play Beethoven, etc.

The discussion will include in depth look at the following quotes:

“Death enveloped me, it suffocated me. It stuck to me like glue. I felt I could touch it. The idea of dying, of ceasing to be, began to fascinate me. To no longer exist. To no longer feel the excruciating pain of my foot. To no longer feel anything, neither fatigue nor cold, nothing. To break rank, to let myself slide to the side of the road…My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me.” (Night 86)

“…our hearts empty and heavy, our brains a whirlwind of decaying memories. Our minds numb with indifference. Here or elsewhere, what did it matter? Die today or tomorrow, or later? The night was growing longer, never-ending.” (Night 98)

Homework: Students will be given a worksheet of essay questions relating to the novel, Night. They must answer a minimum of 3 questions with a thoughtful, in depth analysis based on textual evidence.

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Week 3Day 11/ Monday

Lesson Title: Night Wrap Up/ Introduction to Complementary Books

1. Lesson Overview : Today we will be wrapping up our main discussion of Night; however, Night will continue to remain an intricate part of our discussions and studies. Students will be instructed to choose an alternative young adult book from a list to read, we will go over some of the book selections, and will talk about the importance of multiple voices.

2. Lesson Rationale : This lesson is important to transition students from reading the primary text Night and to provide them with autonomy in choosing a complementary novel. The complementary novel is intended to give students another perspective of the Holocaust

3. Lesson Objectives :

Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will: Examine purpose in writing of the memoir Night Describe the effectiveness of Night in accomplishing its purpose

4. Sunshine State Standards :o LA.910.2.1.7: The student will analyze, interpret, and evaluate

an author's use of descriptive language (e.g., tone, irony, mood, imagery, pun, alliteration, onomatopoeia, allusion), figurative language (e.g., symbolism, metaphor, personification, hyperbole), common idioms, and mythological and literary allusions, and explain how they impact meaning in a variety of texts;

o LA.910.1.7.2: The student will analyze the authors purpose and/or perspective in a variety of text and understand how they affect meaning;

5. Instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed:

List of Alternative BooksJournals

6. Lesson Sequence

Check-In/ Focus: (5-10 min)o Take Attendanceo Have students reflect on their experience reading Night. Think

about new knowledge, new perspective, and new insights. What do you know now that you didn’t know before? What would you still like to learn? What are unanswered questions that you

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have? If you could ask Elie Wiesel any question, what would you ask him?

Explicit Instruction:

o Teacher will read, in the preface to Night, Elie Wiesel says, “I do not know, or no longer know, what I wanted to achieve with my words. I only know that without this testimony, my life as a writer—or my life, period—would not have become what it is: that of a witness who believes he has a moral obligation to try to prevent the enemy from enjoying one last victory by allowing his crimes to be erased from human memory” (Weisel viii)(2-3 minutes)

o Explain that as humans we are prone to forgetting things. As humans we sometimes do things that we wish we could forget. But there are some things that are too large to be forgotten. (5 minutes)

o Students Respond: On a sheet of paper students will describe how you think having read this story will impact you in your life? To what extent has Elie accomplished his goal through you? What techniques did he use to achieve his purpose? Papers will be collected.(10 minutes)

o Pass out Alt Novel Choices Handout(Item 3.1)/Introduce Alt Novel Choices by going over handout (5-7 min)

o Point out that the texts are arranged in order or perspectives, encourage students to read a book that offers a different perspective than Night, perhaps a female voice, etc…

o Now that we have studied a primary text as a class, allowing students to choose another novel to read will expose them to a different voice of the Holocaust, will provide a sense of autonomy, and will incorporate young adult literature into the English classroom.

o Explain that students will still being working within their literature circles, but in a different capacity. Because each person can choose a book of his or her choice, Instead of individual roles each person will play 2 roles per meeting. They will be summarizing their novel for the lit group, as well as choosing another role to share during literature circles,

7. Misson: Look at the list of provided alternative novels, choose any novel, and make a plan to acquire it by either:

a. Checking it out of the school libraryb. Checking it out of the teacher’s libraryc. Checking it out of your neighborhood libraryd. Purchasing ite. Borrowing it from a friend

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Lesson Title: People of the Holocaust

1. Lesson Overview : As students choose an alternative book that will give readers a new perspective, as a class we will be examining different groups of people of the Holocaust. Today’s lesson will be an introduction to these groups. For the next 2 weeks we will be looking at victims, perpetrators, bystanders, resisters, rescuers, liberators, survivors, and children.

2. Lesson Rationale : It is important that students understand that there were a variety of people involved in the Holocaust. We want them to critically examine and be exposed to the various perspectives of people in the Holocaust, as to broaden their response to “What it means to be human”.


Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will:o Recall definitions for: victims, perpetrators, bystanders,

resisters, rescuers, liberators, survivors, and childreno Make predictions about the meaning of words, based on prior

knowledge & experience.

4. Sunshine State Standards :

o LA.910.1.6.1: The student will use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly;

o LA.910.5.2.1: The student will select and use appropriate listening strategies according to the intended purpose (e.g., solving problems, interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of a presentation);

o LA.910.1.6.5: The student will relate new vocabulary to familiar words;

5. Instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed: Copies of definition handout for all studentsOverhead/Whiteboard

6. Lesson Sequence :

Check-in/ Focus: (10 min)

o Attendance

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o Based on what you have read and what you know so far, write down the groups of people that were part of the Holocaust. Think about characters from Night, or other voices that we have heard.

o Go over student responses.

Explicit Instruction: o Students will be introduced to the various types of people who

were involved in the Holocaust: victims, perpetrators, bystanders, resisters, rescuers, liberators, survivors, and children.

o Students will be instructed to fold a paper into 8 boxes. Unfold and label each box with a group of people. In each box the students will write down what they know about each word.(10 min)

o Together students will share our and we will create the definitions for each based on what we have already read and what we already know. (15 minutes)

o Students will then receive a definition handout( Item 3.2), with correct definitions on them; we will compare what we came up with to what is on the handouts. (5 min)

o Teacher will explain how we interpret words and new information based on what we know, and have experienced.

o Encourage students to refer back to the hand out, and our created definitions throughout the rest of the unit to see if what we know changes. (5 min)

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Week 3Day 13/ WednesdayLesson Title: Victims of the Holocaust Part 1

1. Lesson Overview : In this lesson students will examine the various groups of victims that were part of the Holocaust. While Jews were the main target of the Nazi’s, other groups of people were also targeted.

2. Lesson Rationale : It is important that students recognize that while the Jews were a major target of the Nazis, other groups were persecuted for racial or ideological beliefs.


Upon successful completion of the lesson students will be able to:o Recall different groups of people who were victims in the

Holocausto Work Cooperatively in Groupso Scan an article for important information

4. Sunshine State Standards :o LA.910.5.2.1: The student will select and use appropriate listening

strategies according to the intended purpose (e.g., solving problems, interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of a presentation);

o LA.910.5.2.2: The student will research and organize information for oral communication appropriate for the occasion, audience, and purpose (e.g., class discussions, entertaining, informative, persuasive, or technical presentations);


o Brochures downloaded and printed from the Holocaust Museum Website about Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust( see http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/resource/)

o Copies of Non-Jewish Victim Blank Information worksheet for each student (Item 3.3)


Check-in/ Focus:

o Attendanceo As citizens living in America, we all have certain personal

freedoms. America is considered by some, a melting pot, by others, a salad bowl. Whatever the metaphor, the meaning

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remains, that America is made u of many diverse populations. We all have qualities that make us diverse; these characteristics could include beliefs, hair color, profession, friends, or hobbies.

o Think about what makes you unique and pick a characteristic that describes you or your beliefs. How do you feel about this characteristic? Explain. (5 min)

o Now imagine, that whatever character that once made you unique, now made you a target for persecution. How would you react? (5 min)


o Teach: There were many different people who were persecuted during the holocaust: Jews, Roma or Gypsies, Poles and Other Slavs, Political Dissidents, Dissenting Clergy, Persons with Physical or Mental Disabilities, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Homosexuals, etc… (5 min)

o Students will be broken up into 5 groups. Each group will receive a brochure from the Holocaust museum each one detailing the persecution of a non-Jewish population. Within the group students will answer the following questions:-What group is being targeted?-Why are they being targeted?-What was done specifically to persecute this group?-How did this group respond to persecution?-Pick 3 Things we need to know(25 min)

o Groups will share out their answers with the class as they share, students will individually complete the Worksheet “Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust”. (10 min)

o Worksheets will be collected, and will receive credit using a simple check, check minus, or check plus system. (5 min)

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Week 3Day 14/ ThursdayLesson Title: Victims of the Holocaust Part 2

1. Lesson Overview : We will continue looking at victims of the Holocaust, specifically, we will respond to the identification methods used to alienate victims. We will examine news articles from the time period, and a testimony from a victim.

2. Lesson Rationale : As we continue studying the different human voices of the Holocaust, we need to examine the specific ways that people were made to feel less-than human. Students need to become aware of ways that people were treated to reflect on one’s own treatment, and to educate one’s self.

3. Lesson Objectives : Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will:

Be able to identify purpose in newspaper texts Recognize the way different forms of media convey a similar message

4. Sunshine State Standards : LA.910.4.1.1: The student will write in a variety of expressive and

reflective forms that use a range of appropriate strategies and specific narrative techniques, employ literary devices, and sensory description;

LA.910.1.6.2: The student will listen to, read, and discuss familiar and conceptually challenging text;

LA.910.1.7.2: The student will analyze the authors purpose and/or perspective in a variety of text and understand how they affect meaning;

LA.910.1.7.7: The student will compare and contrast elements in multiple texts;

5. Instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed: o Newspaper Articles: “Nazis Order Jews Over Six Labeled”(Item 3.4)

and “Nazis to Banish Jews Failing to Wear Star”(Item 3.5)o Video Clip from Shoah Foundation website; testimony from Dina

Gottliebova- Babbitt http://college.usc.edu/vhi/

6. Lesson Sequence Check-in/ Focus: (5-10 min)

o Attendanceo We will look at images of people, not just Holocaust victims, who

have been alienated in some way. o Connecting with Day 13’s Lead-In, students will think about a

characteristic that makes them unique.

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o Students will imagine if there was a new law in place that persecuted whoever had that characteristic. You could no longer go to stores, be seen in public without identification, etc…

o Describe a moment in your new life.


o Explain: The Nazi party was very meticulous in their persecution of groups of people they considered inferior. They wanted Jews to be identified at all times. While they set up new rules for the Jews, this alienation was also part of the psychological manipulation the Nazi’s employed. They wanted the Jews and other groups to feel powerless and less-than human. (5-7 minutes)

o Students will read the articles from the New York Times that report the mandates about Jews wearing the yellow star.(10 minutes)

o Student will examine these articles for tone and purpose.Is the author trying to convey a message, does he or she seem urgent, worried, sympathetic, passive? To what extent does the article accomplish its purpose?(7 min)

o Students will then view the testimony, about the first day that Dina wore her star out in public. (2 minutes)

o Reading/Hearing two different accounts of the same situation how do the different accounts of events resonate within the reader? (5)

o Wrap up. Victims of the Holocaust were made to feel alienated and shunned. News reporting didn’t necessarily express open disapproval to this forced alienation and persecution. As humans, is it important to be empathetic to the persecution of others?(5 min)

Remind Students to come to class prepared with their selected novel of choice tomorrow.

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Week 3Day 15/ FridayLesson Title: Perpetrators in the Holocaust Part 1/ Propaganda/ Lit Circles

1. Lesson Overview : Today students will meet in their literature circles to discuss and organize the novels each student is considering. We will begin to look at the perpetrators in the Holocaust, which will enable us to look at Nazi propaganda, and Hitler’s views on propaganda.

2. Lesson Rationale : In order to have a broad understanding of the Holocaust, student must examine the groups of people who committed acts against humanity. We must question human motivation and beliefs.

3. Lesson Objectives : Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

Define perpetrator, in a the context of the Holocaust Define Propaganda Identify techniques of propaganda used by the Nazi regime Make critical judgments about propaganda in the world around them

4. Sunshine State Standards :LA.910.1.6.1: The student will use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly;LA.910.6.3.1: The student will distinguish between propaganda and ethical reasoning strategies in print and non-print media;

5. Instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed: o Internet access with projection capabilities or an overhead

projection of popular Nazi propaganda as found at: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005202 http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/posters2.htm


Check-in/ Focus: o Attendanceo Display on the projector a series of slogans/logos used by

popular companies. On a sheet of paper student will attempt to identify the company or brand that each slogan correlates with.

o Check to see that students have attempted each slogan.o Go over the slogan, asking students how they learned the

slogan, and what they associate with the product, company, or brand being advertised.

o Ask how the students feel about the company based on the slogans /images promoted by the company. (10 min)

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Explicit Instruction: o Explain that just as companies use specific marketing

techniques to gather customers, so did the Nazis. Only the Nazi’s tried and mostly succeeded at convincing millions of people that race purification, ethnic cleansing, and persecution of selected groups of people was the solution to German power and happiness for the German people.

o Explain how Nazis use propaganda to indoctrinate Germans of their beliefs.

o Define Propaganda- The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause. (7 min)

o Show students images from selected databases of Nazi propaganda.

o The teacher will choose a selected image and will analyze the image aloud, instructing students to look for specific details to understand the image’s message

What are the main colors used in the poster? What symbols (if any) are used in the poster? If a symbol is used, is it

clear (easy to interpret)? memorable? dramatic?

Are the messages in the poster primarily visual, verbal, or both?

The most effective posters use symbols that are unusual, simple, and direct. Is this an effective poster? (15 min)

http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/arts/ARTPROP.HTMo Students will then be given images to analyze on their own, and

will answer the above questions. Teacher will circulate to answer questions and promote critical thinking.

o Students will reflect on what they’ve learned about Nazis and Propaganda. (10 min)

o Students will meet briefly in Literature Circles to discuss individual book selections and to decide on reading assignments, and material to be prepared to share for the next literature circle meeting (10 min)

HW: Students are to acquire and begin reading their alternative novel

Week 4Day 16/ Monday

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http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/arts/ARTPROP.HTM

Lesson Title: Multi-Genre Project Explained

1. Lesson Overview : Today we will take time to explain the Multi –Genre Project that each student is responsible for creating.

2. Lesson Rationale : I am devoting a whole day to explaining this project so that students can gain a clear understanding of what is expected of them. They are creating doing this project as a way to demonstrate their understanding of the power of different human voices. Also, as a creative way to allow students autonomy over their learning


Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will be able to: Define to term Genre as it pertains to the project Explain the Multi- Genre Project

4. Sunshine State Standards :LA.910.5.2.1: The student will select and use appropriate listening strategies according to the intended purpose (e.g., solving problems, interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of a presentation);


Handouts for Multi-Genre Project Explanation An Example of a Completed Multi-Genre Project

6. Lesson Sequence

Check-in/ Focus: o Attendanceo Define the term “Genre” as you know whether in terms of music,

literature, etc…o Describe your favorite genre of something. Why do you like this

particular genre?


o Explain to students the term genre.o Genre: One of the categories, based on form, style, or subject

matter, into which artistic works of all kinds can be divided. For example, the detective novel is a genre of fiction.

o Ask students to share the definitions they came up with for Genre. Also ask them to share some of their favorite genres.

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o Explain how “texts” take the format of many genres. Genres offer us options, opportunity, diversity, and choice.

o Pass out Multi-Genre Project handout(Item 4.1)o Go over the handout and thoroughly explain the project.o Show the students and example of a Multi-Genre project.o Answer any questions they have, clarify, and make sure they

understand

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Appendix Item 1.1 Elie Wiesel Night Power Point PresentationsItem 1.2 Literature Circle Handout(s)Item 2.1 Poetry HandoutItem 2.2 “We Will Never Forget” Venn diagramItem 2.3 Essay Question WorksheetItem 3.1 List of Alternative Novels dealing with the HolocaustItem 3.2 Blank Definition Handout Item 3.3 Non-Jewish Victim Blank Information worksheet for each studentItem 3.4 “Nazis Order Jews Over Six Labeled”Item 3.5 “Nazis to Banish Jews Failing to Wear Star”Item 4.1 Multi Genre Project Handout

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L i terature C i rc lesI t e m 1 . 2

Students will participate in one of four literature circles. Literature circles allow students to have autonomy over their learning. Literature circles also provide a sense of belonging and safety within the context of the classroom. As students discuss weekly, they will develop connections and an understanding amongst their peers. Together they will discuss the primary text Night, as well as the discussion of an alternative novel of choice. Students will rotate specific roles in the literature circle, giving each student the chance to contribute to the group in a meaningful way. Roles also allow students to excel beyond what they may normally feel comfortable doing, giving them each opportunities to explore new avenues to understanding and exploring text.

The literature circle roles will include:

WordSmith While reading the assigned section, you watch out for words worth knowing. These words might be interesting, new, important, or used in unusual ways. It is important to indicate the specific location of the words so the group can discuss these words in context.

Illustrator Your role is to draw what you read. This might mean drawing a scene as a cartoonlike sequence or an important scene so readers can better understand the action. You can draw maps or organizational trees to show how one person, place, or event relates to the others. Use the notes area to explain how your drawing relates to the text. Label your drawings so we know who the characters are.

Illuminator You find passages your group would like to/should hear read aloud.These passages should be memorable, interesting, puzzling, funny, or important. Your notes should include the quotations but also why you chose them, and what you want to say about them. You can either read the passage aloud yourself or ask members of your group to read roles.

Summarizer Prepare a brief summary of the day’s reading. Use the questions to the right to help you decide what to include. In some cases, you might ask yourself what details, characters, or events are so important that they would be included on an exam. If it helps you to organize the information, consider making a numbered list or a timeline.

Connecter Your job is to connect what you read with what you

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study in this or other classes. You can also connect the story with events in your own life or the world outside school as depicted in the news or other media. Another valuable source of connections is books you’ve already read this year. Connections should be meaningful to you and those in your group.

Discussion Director

Your role demands that you identify the important aspects of your assigned text, and develop questions your group will want to discuss. Focus on the major themes or “big ideas” in the text and your reaction to those ideas. What interests you will most likely interest those in your group. You are also responsible for facilitating your group’s discussion.

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WE WILL NEVER FORGET – AUSCHWITZ Item 2.1by Alexander Kimel - Holocaust Survivor We will never forget the selections at Auschwitz,Where Black Jackals condemned millions to gas,Right - death, left - life, right death... death ...death.The black finger, surrounded with barking dogs,Works like the Angel of Death, creating living hell.

Children are torn apart from the tender embraceOf mothers, clinging to their treasures.Babies wailing from hunger,Parents parting tearfully with their children.Fathers shaken with helpless rage.The condemned form a column of trembling fear.

Soon the mass of fainting humanityIs lead to the clean foyer of death.Disrobe quickly, take a shower and you will be fed.Food! Food! The hungry mass of disoriented humanityAwakens runs and fights to get into the chamber of gas.

The heavy door closes and the cyclone dropped.Soon the parents choke and turn blue, Later the children turn rigid with deathThe people become a twisted load, Of intertwined limps and heads glued with blood.

When the human pulp is ready for the works, Sondercommando quickly pull, The bodies apart, peel the gold from the mouths.And the remains are taken to the open pit,Where the bones are cleaned with fire,And the fat drained for human soap.

Six days a week the Jackals drink beer, And rejoice doing the Devil's work.Sunday is the day of rest, the day When the Jackals ride to the Church, to praise GodAnd assure the Salvation of their pious souls.

Deutschland, Deutschland Uber Alles!In this Kingdom of Evil, There is no peace for the Righteous.It is the wicked that inherited This tortured World, engulfed In the red, milky, cry-absorbing fog,Guarding the wilted conscience of man.

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Venn Diagram Item2.2

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Essay Questions Item 2.31. As Night begins, Eliezer is so moved by faith that he weeps when he

prays. He is also searching for a deeper understanding of the mystical teachings of the Kabbalah. How does Eliezer's relationship with his faith and with God change as the book progresses?

2. What literal and symbolic meanings does "night" have in the book?

3. Early in the book, after Moishe the Beadle escapes his execution, no one, not even Eliezer, believes his tales (p. 7). Even when the Germans arrive in Sighet and move all the Jews into ghettos, the Jewish townspeople seem to ignore or suppress their fears. "Most people thought that we would remain in the ghetto until the end of the war, until the arrival of the Red Army. Afterward everything would be as before" (p. 12). What might be the reasons for the townspeople's widespread denial of the evidence facing them?

4. Think of the kapos and the little blonde pipel who is hanged on page 64. Who are the bystanders? Who are the perpetrators? Who are the victims in Night? Do these roles sometimes overlap?

5. At the end of Night, Wiesel writes: "From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me" (p. 115). What parts of Eliezer died during his captivity? What was born in their place?

6. What scenes from Night do you remember most vividly? Have they made you look at the world or your family differently?

7. In his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Wiesel says: "[O]ne person of integrity can make a difference, a difference of life and death. As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with anguish and shame. What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, that while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs" (p. 120). How has Elie Wiesel fulfilled this purpose with this book? How does this statement make you feel about your place in the world?

8. Talk about how the Nazis' program of persecution against the Jewish people in Sighet was carried out in gradual steps (p. 9). First, the German officers moved into private homes. They closed the

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http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Oprahs-Book-Club-About-Night-and-Elie-Wiesel/1

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/The-Night-Glossary/8

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/The-Night-Glossary/6

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Your-Guide-to-Night-and-Elie-Wiesel/6

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Your-Guide-to-Night-and-Elie-Wiesel/6

synagogues. They arrested leaders of the Jewish community, forbade the Jews from owning any valuables under penalty of death, and forced them to wear the Star of David on their clothes. Jews no longer had the right to frequent restaurants, to travel by train, to attend synagogue, or to be on the streets after 6 o'clock in the evening. Then, they were forced to leave their homes and move into designated ghettos. And from the ghettos, the Jews were deported to the concentration camps. How do you think the Jews felt as the persecution escalated? Why do you think they followed the Germans' rules? Should they have stood up? Would you have reacted differently?

9. On p. 23, Wiesel describes a scene familiar to anyone who has sat in the back of a movie theater: "Freed of normal constraints, some of the young let go of their inhibitions and, under cover of darkness, caressed one another, without any thought of others, alone in the world." How does the shadow of Nazi terror transform the ordinary moments Wiesel describes?

10. When Eliezer sees his father being beaten with an iron bar, he keeps silent and thinks of "stealing away" so he won't have to watch what's happening (p. 54). Instead of directing his anger at the Kapo, he becomes mad at his father. What do you think is really going on inside of Eliezer? Who is he really mad at?

11. In his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Wiesel says: "[O]ne person of integrity can make a difference, a difference of life and death. As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with anguish and shame. What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, that while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs" (p. 120). Think of conflicts and wars you've studied in your history or social studies classes at school. How does this statement make you feel about your place in the world?

12. When Night begins, Eliezer is so moved by faith that he weeps when he prays—but he is only 12 years old. How does Eliezer's relationship with his faith and with God change as the book progresses? When the book ends, he is 16 years old. How would you describe him?

13. At which points did you identify with Eliezer? Who did you identify with most in Night?

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http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Oprahs-Book-Club-About-Night-and-Elie-Wiesel/1

http://www.oprah.com/world/Inside-Auschwitz/1

Item 3.1Companion Reading ChoicesThis is a list compiled by Dr. Joan Kaywell in Chapter 4 of Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the Classics.

Group One: Other Jewish Children’s Experiences During World War II

Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld (287 pp.)

The authors have adapted their 1998 play of the same title into this easy-to-read novel where Nicole

Burns, a contemporary 10th-grade student who questions why they have to read The Diary of Anne Frank, is

mysteriously transported in time into the person of Nicole Bernhardt, a 15-year-old Jewish girl living in occupied

France. Nicole meets Anne Frank who helps her see the value of studying the Holocaust as she returns as Nicole

Burns. (MS)

London Calling by Edward Bloor (304 pp.)

Martin Conway hates his school and all of the snobbery there. When his grandmother dies and leaves him

an old Forties radio, he mysteriously teleports back in time to the London Blitz and meets Jimmy who needs his

help. Through a series of alternating story lines between the past and present, Martin helps expose various sins

committed in both times. (MS-HS)

We Are Witnesses by Jacob Boas (208 pp.)

Boas was born in the Westerbork Concentration Camp in Holland and writes this book from five teenage

perspectives he found in reading their diaries: David Rubinowicz, Yitzhak Rudashevski, Moshe Flinker, Eva Heyman,

and Anne Frank. As Boas points out, “alongside the other four diaries, Anne’s looks different than when you read it

by itself as the sole voice of the Holocaust.” (MS)

I Am David by Anne Holm (256 pp.)

Twelve-year-old David has only known life in a concentration camp in Eastern Europe. When the

opportunity to escape presents itself, David seizes it and then begins his journey to Denmark and freedom. Walden

Media made a movie of this book, originally published in Denmark in 1963, by the same name in 2004. Since then,

it has been mass marketed to educators. For teaching materials, visit their website at http://iamdavidmovie.com.

(MS)

Memories of My Life in a Polish Village: 1930-1949 by Toby Knobel Fluek (110 pp.)

Toby Fluek was a small Jewish girl growing up in Czernica, Poland, when World War II started. She and her

family moved to a Jewish ghetto and went into hiding several times to save their lives. By the war’s end, only she

and her mother had survived. Now an artist in New York City, the author presents her story through her paintings

and their descriptions. (MS)

Room in the Heart by Sonia Levitin (285 pp.)

Based on the true events of Germany’s invasion of Denmark, this story is told primarily from the

alternating perspectives of two young Danes. After learning the Germans have plans to capture all of the Jewish

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people in Denmark, Julie takes her family to Sweden by boat. Her friend and co-narrator, Niels, joins the resistance

when he discovers the Nazi plot while his friend, Emil, is captivated by and admires the power of the Germans. A

large cast of characters reveals how the Danes fought the Nazi occupation and saved almost all of Denmark’s Jews.

(MS-HS)

Tug of War by Joan Lingard (208 pp.)

Hugo and Astra, 14-year-old Latvian twins, are separated when the Russians invade their country in 1944.

Hugo ends up in Hamburg, Germany, where a family takes care of him until the end of the war. Meanwhile, his

family waits out the war in a refugee camp. When they are finally reunited, his family is disgruntled by Hugo’s

German girlfriend and places him in a choice situation. (MS-HS)

No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War by Anita Lobel (193 pp.)

A winner of the Caldecott Award for Illustrators, Anita Lobel writes her memoir growing up in Krakow,

Poland, during the Holocaust. She was only five when the Nazis invaded, and she is sent to live with their Catholic

nanny in the country. Anita and her brother are eventually discovered and deported to a concentration camp

where they live until the liberation. Art and books become her saving grace when she finally comes to America as a

teenager. (HS)

In My Enemy’s House by Carol Matas (167pp.)

Blond-haired and blue-eyed Marisa loses her family at the hand of the Nazis when the Germans invade

Poland. With the papers of a Christian Polish girl, she disguises her identity and goes to work as a servant for a Nazi

family. As she spends more time and becomes closer with the family, she has to answer some tough questions

about her basic beliefs of humanity. (MS-HS)

Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl (130 pp.)

Five-year-old Marion Blumenthal and her family left Germany and went to Holland in an attempt to travel

to America to escape the Nazis. Unfortunately, their ship was delayed three months and the Germans invaded

Holland. The Blumenthals became a bargaining chip for the Nazis who wanted German POWs. They are deported

to Bergen Belsen, where Marion, clinging to the hope that one day they would all be freed together, collects four

pebbles from the camp to symbolize the members of her family. This riveting memoir is a story of determination

and survival under the most dire of circumstances. (MS-HS)

We Were Not Like Other People by Ephraim Sevela (216 pp.)

A Russian Jewish teenager is separated from his parents at the onset of World War II. Exhausted and

practically starved, he is found and nursed to health by a peasant woman and her daughters. His life is a test of

survival as he wanders in search of his parents for six years. This novel is based on the author’s own experiences.

(MS-HS)

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli (208pp.)

As a young boy, Misha Pilsudski has had several names—Stopthief, Stupid, Jew, and Gypsy. Uri, another

homeless boy surviving in the street of Warsaw during World War II, is a bit older and more aware of what’s

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happening around them. Misha learns from Uri that the “Jackboots,” or the Nazis, are not ones to emulate but to

outsmart. (MS)

Behind the Secret Window: A Memoir of a Hidden Childhood during World War Two by Nelly S. Toll

(161 pp.).

The author was only six years old when the Nazis invaded Poland. She and her mother go into hiding with

the help of some Gentiles, but their hiding place happens to be next door to the Gestapo headquarters. For the two

years they are in hiding, Nelly records her fears, hopes, and dreams through art and in a journal. (MS)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (560 pp.)

Death narrates the story of Liesel Meminger as she grows up from the age of 9-13 in a small town outside

of Munich, Germany, during the years 1939-1943. The Nazis are in power, rounding up Jews and forcing kids to

participate in the Hitler Youth. Liesel goes to live with foster parents after her father is taken away as a communist,

her mother disappears, and her brother dies. Her new family is hiding a Jew from the Nazis, and Liesel steals books

because reading is what helps her survive. (HS)

Group Two: The Concentration Camps

The Children We Remember by Chana Abells (48 pp.)

This nonfiction photo essay focuses on the children in the concentration camps during World War II. (E-MS)

Alicia: My Story by Alicia Appleman-Jurman (433 pp.)

Alicia was only 13 years old when she began saving Jewish lives in war-ravaged Poland. In this nonfiction

account of the Holocaust, Alicia recalls how she stood on her brother’s grave and vowed she would tell his story.

(MS-HS)

The Seamstress by Sara Tuvel Bernstein (384 pp.)

This posthumously published memoir tells of young Sara’s resistance to anti-Semitism while growing up in

Romania. For awhile, she was able to escape the Nazis by her blonde hair and blue eyes but eventually was caught

and sent to Ravensbruck, a German concentration camp for female prisoners. (HS)

I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson (224 pp.)

Livia Bitton-Jackson a.ka. Elli Friedmann was only 13 years old when the Nazis invaded Hungary. She

recounts her struggle to survive with her mother, first in the ghetto, then in the Plaszow Concentration Camp (the

one shown in Stephen Spielberg movie, Schindler’s List), and then while working in a factory in Augsburg. (MS-HS)

Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs (188 pp.)

After hiding for weeks from the Nazis in Poland, the father of 12-year-old Eva sends her to a labor camp in

Czechoslovakia to join her sister Rachel and avoid deportation to Auschwitz where she would face certain death.

Suffering from starvation and disease, they are forced to make clothing for the German soldiers as they struggle to

survive from one hour to the next. The girls rely on each another and their friendships with other prisoners as they

wait for the camp to be liberated in this tension-filled story of human triumph based on the real-life experiences of

the author’s mother-in-law. (MS)

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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-3887512-7764030?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Livia%20Bitton-Jackson

Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II by Marisabina Russo (48 pp.).

Rachek always begs her Grandmother Oma to tell the story of Oma’s two lives: the one before American

and the one after. The first part recounts her marriage prior to World War I and then her family’s move from Poland

to Germany to seek safety. Ironically, two of her three daughters spent time in concentration camps but all

survived and were reunited in the United States. The illustrations really add to readers’ understanding of this

horrible time in history. (E-MS)

Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz and translated by Tim Wilkinson (272 pp.)

As a youth, Kertesz spent one year in Auschwitz and so develops this novel about a 14-year-old Hungarian

boy’s ability to see beauty even in a horrific concentration camp. Publisher’s Weekly called its prequel Fateless

(191 pp.) one of the best 50 books in 1992 and this one won him a Nobel Prize.

All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein (261 pp.)

Little did Gerda know that her father’s insistence that she wear her hiking boots one hot, summer day

would be her salvation from death. Gerda was able to see good even in the darkest of moments while struggling to

survive in several concentration and slave labor camps. From January through April 1945, it was those boots that

saved her from the cold during a brutal, 300-mile death march from a labor camp in western Germany to

Czechoslovakia where she was the only one of 120 women who survived. (HS)

Fragments of Isabella by Isabella Leitner and Irving A. Leitner (128 pp.)

This ALA Best Book for Young Adults is the true, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable story of the author’s

experiences at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. The reader will be shocked by the atrocities and the horror that she

faced but will be moved by her courage and willpower to survive. (HS)

I Am Rosemarie by Marietta D. Moskin (256 pp.)

Drawn from the author’s own experiences, this is the moving story of a young Jewish girl, Rosemarie

Brenner, and her experiences in a concentration camp during World War II. (HS)

The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender (224 pp.)

This is the memoir of a Nazi Holocaust survivor. This grandmother speaks from her experiences in the

Lodz ghetto in Poland and Auschwitz when she was a teenager. Riva Minska vividly shares how the Nazis destroyed

her family, her community, and her way of life and tells how she managed to survive the death camps of World War

II. (HS)

Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944 by Aranka Siegal (192 pp.)

Piri is nine years old at the onset of World War II, and her life becomes a nightmare when the Nazis invade

Hungary. Her Jewish family is placed into a ghetto to await the trains that will take them to the concentration

camps. Although the Nazis have little to no regard for them as people, Piri’s mother courageously attempts to instill

the values of human dignity and respect in her family. This sensitive fictionalized autobiography depicts the value

of life in direct contrast to others’ total disregard for humanity. In the end, Piri survives the horrors of Auschwitz.

(MS)

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Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale (160 pp.) and Maus II by Art Spiegelman (144 pp.)

In these graphic novels, Spiegelman writes of his father’s struggle as a Jew in Poland during World War II.

In comic book form, the Jews are depicted as mice, the Nazis as cats, and those who side with the Nazis are pigs.

Maus II continues the story with his father’s and Anja’s struggle in Auschwitz and Birkenau with Americans

portrayed as dogs and the French as frogs. Spiegelman won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for this work. (MS-HS)

I Never Saw Another Butterfly edited by Hana Volavkova (80 pp.)

This is a collection of drawings and poems that were done by children who grew up in the Terezin

Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia between 1942 and 1944. The terror, the pleas for rescue, and the

reflections of beliefs and values of these children who lived during World War II are vividly captured. (E-MS)

Night by Elie Wiesel and translated by Stella Rodway (112 pp.)

This short autobiographical novel is Wiesel’s rendering of his terrifying experiences as a teenager at

Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Nazi death camps. A winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Wiesel graphically describes his

witnessing the death of his father, his innocence, and his God. (MS-HS)

The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (176 pp.)

For students who resist studying the Holocaust, this is a must read. The protagonist, 12-year-old Hannah,

is really over her Grandfather’s stories about the Nazis and wishes he’d just stop bringing it up. When asked to

open the door for the prophet Elijah during her family’s Seder dinner at Passover, Hannah is transported back to

1942 Poland and assumes the life of a young girl named Chaya. Hannah as Chaya learns first hand about the

dehumanizing life in a concentration camp and why we must never forget. For a similar book that links the story of

Briar Rose, also known as Sleeping Beauty, to the Holocaust and the Chelmno Extermination Camp consider Yolen’s

Briar Rose (176 pp.). (MS)

NOTE: FOR TEACHERS ONLY: Because it is a good idea to read something new while your students are reading,

I highly recommend Etty Hillesum: An Interrupted Life/The Diaries, 1941-1943 and Letters from Westerbork (376

pp.). Regarded as the adult counterpart of Anne Frank, Etty Hillesum’s diary and letters capture two years of her

life between the ages of 27 and 29 before she died in Auschwitz.

Group Three: Those Who Risked Their Lives

Rescuers Defying the Nazis: Non-Jewish Teens Who Rescued Jews (Teen Witnesses to the Holocaust)

by Toby Axelrod (64 pp.)

Rescuers Defying the Nazis actually includes three short texts: “In the Ghettos,” “Rescuers,” and “Hidden

Children” replete with photo documentation. The stories of Jewish teenagers who were assisted by gentiles in

Poland, Denmark, and Germany are told as well as the harrowing accounts written by the courageous survivors of

the Lodz, Theresienstadt, and Warsaw ghettos. (E-MS)

Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers (312 pp.)

Jacob Todd, a British soldier wounded in World War II, falls in love with Geertrui, a Dutch teenager who

hides him from his pursuers in 1944. Now his 17-year-old grandson, also named Jacob Todd, has traveled to

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Holland to visit the grave of the grandfather he never met. Upon arriving in Amsterdam, Jacob is not prepared for

the perplexing experiences of the city, seeing Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam, or for the shocking story that

reveals family secrets. Two stories, Jacob Todd’s and Geertrui’s, from two different times are intertwined

throughout the book and raise some very thought-provoking questions. (HS)

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (144 pp.)

One day in 1943 Annemarie and Ellen are playing in German-occupied Copenhagen, and the next day Ellen

and her family face the possibility of relocation since they are Jewish. Annemarie decides that she must help her

best friend escape from Norway and go to Sweden where they will be safe. Before she knows it, 10-year-old

Annemarie finds herself involved in a dangerous mission. (MS)

The Good Liar by Gregory Maguire (129)

Three girls trying to complete a school assignment on World War II contact Marcel Delarue, an artist who

grew up in France when it was occupied by the German army. In the letter he writes to the girls—that makes up

the bulk of the book—Marcel describes how he and his two brothers, Ren and Pierre, took pride in their ability to

successfully tell outrageous lies; the boys even befriend a Nazi soldier. What Marcel doesn’t know, though, is that

the best liar in the family is his mother, who was hiding a Jewish family in their rural home for over a year without

the boys knowing it. This sometimes humorous, sometimes sad story shows how ordinary people can become

extraordinary heroes. (E-MS)

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill and John Sherrill (272 pp.)

This nonfiction work is the description of how this heroine of the anti-Nazi underground in Holland and her

family hid persecuted Jews in their home. Eventually they were betrayed, and they, too, spent some time in

concentration camps. (MS)

A Coming Evil by Vivian Vande Velde (213 pp.)

As a measure of safety, 13-year-old Lisette Beaucaire is sent away from her home in Nazi-occupied Paris to

live with an aunt in the country. Disappointed she won’t be with her friends to start a new school year, Lisette is

disconcerted about having nothing to do but spend time with her annoying cousin, Cecile. She quickly realizes,

however, that her time in the country will be anything but ordinary when she discovers that her aunt is hiding

Jewish and Gypsy children from the Nazis. In addition to preparing for the day the Germans come looking for them,

she meets Gerard, the ghost of a 14th-century knight, who ends up playing a significant role in the outcome of this

story. (MS)

Group Four: The Japanese, Japanese-American, and American Perspectives

Remembering Manzanar (96 pps.) and Fighting for Honor by Michael Cooper (128 pp.)

Ten thousand Japanese Americans were sent to the Manzanar relocation camp in eastern California

between March 1942 and November 1945. In the first book, Cooper shares what life was like for these imprisoned

Americans. The second book examines the treatment of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II

by the U.S. government. From Pearl Harbor to the Japanese Internment camps, and the victories attained by an all

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Asian battalion, these stories give readers insight into the dichotomy felt by Japanese Americans during this

shameful time in history. Photographs capture much what cannot be adequately expressed in words. (MS-HS)

Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff (180 pp.)

Lily is looking forward to spending another summer at her family’s vacation home with her grandmother on

the shore in Rockaway, New York, when her father drops the news that he must go to Europe with the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers during World War II. Angry at her widower father for leaving, Lily refuses to say goodbye to him

and is certain that this summer will be lonely. Then she meets Albert, a Hungarian refugee who lost most of his

family to the war and had to leave his sickly sister behind in Europe. The two friends rely on each other to

overcome their feelings of guilt in this story of how war affects the children at home. (MS)

Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese-American Internment Camps by Mary

M. Gruenwald (240 pp.)

This is Mary Matsuda’s memoir beginning when she was 16 years old. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in

1941, this teenager’s typical life on a farm in Vashon Island, Washington, is completely changed when she and her

family are relocated to an internment camp because of her Japanese ancestry.

Shadows on the Sea by Joan Hiatt Harlow (244 pp.)

Based on historical fact, this is a story that brings World War II home, just off the coast of Maine where Jill

Winters has been sent to live with her grandmother. With her mother traveling the Atlantic to visit a sick brother

and German submarines stalking in the nearby waters, Jill is feeling very nervous about the war, especially after

finding a carrier pigeon transporting a note written in German. After she hears her grandmother and a German

friend repeat the message on the note, she becomes suspicious. Determined to find the Nazi spy and solve the

mystery, Jill finds herself in her own deep waters. (MS)

Hiroshima by John Hersey (152 pp.)

Pulitzer Prize winner John Hersey interviewed survivors of Hiroshima’s bomb while the ashes were still

warm. Hersey describes the lives of six people--a clerk, a widowed seamstress, a physician, a Methodist minister, a

surgeon, and a German Catholic priest--shortly before and for about a year after the bombing. While describing the

ordeals of these individuals, Hersey manages to convey the devastation and the suffering experienced by the

people of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. A final chapter was added in 1985 that continues with the lives of these six

people. (MS)

Beyond Paradise by Jane Hertenstein (165 pp.).

Fourteen-year-old Louise Keller and her family leave Ohio for the Philippines in order to join a missionary

camp in 1941. Soon after their arrival, the Japanese have invaded and established internment camps that Louise

avoids for a time in the jungle but is later captured. This story is a bit different in that it is an American version of

being held in a Japanese Internment camp established by the Japanese in the Philippines. (HS)

Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse (160 pp.)

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In June of 1942, Japanese forces attack the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. In an effort to protect these native

islanders, the U.S. military move the people to relocation centers in Alaska’s southwest. Not only are the conditions

in these camps deplorable, but many are treated much worse than POWs and many died. Hesse combines poetry

and prose to tell young Vera’s story from May 1942 until April 1945, the time the Aleuts were held by the U.S.

government. (MS)

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston (208 pp.)

This is the true story of one spirited Japanese-American family’s attempt to survive the indignities of forced

detention as seen through the eyes of Jeannie, the youngest daughter of the Wakatsuki family. The family was

detained for four years at the Manzanar Internment Camp during World War II. (MS-HS)

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata (272 pp.)

Sumiko and her family are shipped to a Japanese internment camp in one of the hottest places in California

after the events of Pearl Harbor. She was raised in California on a flower farm and now instead of flowers, she must

endure dust storms regularly. In her old life she was accustomed to being the only Japanese girl in her class. Now

they find themselves on an Indian reservation and are as unwelcome there as anywhere. She finally finds a friend

in one Mohave boy. There they do their best to rebuild their lives and create a community. (MS)

Dear Miss Breed: Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian

Who Made a Difference by Joanne Oppenheim (287 pp.)

This nonfiction book is a collection of letters written to a librarian in San Diego by the name of Miss Breed.

These actual letters, replete with spelling and grammar mistakes, show how one person can make a positive

difference in the lives of so many. (MS-HS)

The Quilt by Gary Paulsen (96 pp.)

A 6-year-old boy whose mother is working in a munitions factory in Chicago during World War II is sent to

live in Minnesota with his grandmother, Alida. Since all of the men are in Europe fighting, the women have to work

the farm, and there are plenty of animals to look after to keep the young boy busy. But he is out of his element

when his cousin, Kristina, goes into labor. While waiting for the delivery, the women work on a quilt that reveals

the family stories of love and loss. (E-MS)

House of the Red Fish by Graham Salisbury (288 pp.)

Readers first met Tomi Nakajo in Under the Blood Red Sun(256 pp.), and this sequel continues his story a

year after this young teen was left in charge of the house after his father and grandfather were arrested after the

attack on Pearl Harbor. Prejudice abounds for Japanese Americans living in Hawaii in 1943, and Tomi meets it head

on when a former friend becomes his nemesis. (MS)

Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchida (144 pp.)

Readers first met young Yuki and her Japanese American family in Journey to Topaz (160 pp.), a story

based on the author’s experience of having her own family uprooted and sent to the Relocation Center in Topaz,

Utah. This novel continues their story after they are released into a society full of prejudice and fear. (MS)

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Group Five: The Soldiers’ Stories

Parallel Journeys by Eleanor H. Ayer, Helen Waterford, and Alfons Heck (244 pp.)

Ayer presents two alternating perspectives of the Holocaust—one from Helen Waterford, a Jewish woman

and her struggle to survive and one from Alfons Heck, a Hitler Youth whose ambition is to climb in rank. After

meeting in the Unites States long after the war, this Aryan and Jew befriend one another and, remarkably, join

forces to educate the youth of America to prevent this atrocity from ever happening again. (MS) (NOTE: Interested

students may want to find both of Alfons Hecks’s autobiographies: Child of Hitler: Germany in the Days when God

Wore a Swastika (228 pp.) and The Burden of Hitler’s Legacy (266 pp.).

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (176 pp.)

This Newbery Honor book shows how Hitler manipulated the German youth and created the Hitler Youth,

or Hitlerjugend, in 1926. Kathrin Kana narrates the stories of 12 young people and their evolution into being

patriotic supporters of the Third Reich. An epilogue tells what became of them when they realized their belief in

Hitler was misguided and the very antithesis of the evil they thought they were eliminating. (MS)

Under a War Torn Sky by L. M. Elliott (288 pp.)

Although Hank a.k.a. Henry Forester is an older teenager at 19, he’s still in the teens in terms of the

number of bombings he’s participated in as an American pilot during World War II. His luck runs out when he is

shot down and parachutes into German-occupied territory. With the help of the French Resistance, he overcomes a

number of perils and learns many lessons as he seeks safety in England. (MS-HS)

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene (208 pp.)

In this ALA Notable Book, Patty Bergen is an abused girl who befriends an escaped German prisoner of

war. In spite of what her parents and others say about the Germans, Patty gets to know Anton and falls in love

with his gentle spirit. (MS)

Children of the Swastika: The Hitler Youth by Eileen Heyes (96 pp.)

This nonfiction book is carefully researched and includes photos and source notes to add to its credibility.

It is fascinating to see how Hitler managed to brainwash children into doing things totally contrary to their parents’

values. (MS-HS)

The Last Mission by Harry Mazer (188 pp.)

In this ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults and New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, Jack

Raab, uses an older brother’s identification in order to lie his way into military service during World War II. This 16-

year-old American-Jewish boy vividly shares his experiences, including his harsh imprisonment and release from a

German camp. The horrors of a war that Jack never should have fought in make him an adult before his time. (HS)

Hansi, The Girl Who Loved the Swastika by Maria Anne Hirschmann (243 pp.)

This is the true story of a young, orphaned Czechoslovakian girl, raised in a Christian German home, who is

chosen to serve in Hitler’s Nazi Youth leadership. She eventually immigrates to the United States, but readers

won’t forget her story. (HS)

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And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat (256 pp.)

Mowat retells his own experiences as a young soldier during World War II. At first he was very idealistic

and romanticized the war effort but after exposure to many atrocities, Farley grows and learns painfully to see war

as it is. (HS)

Soldier X by Don L. Wulffson (240 pp.)

Based on a true story, this is a teacher’s recollection of how is life was as a teenager fighting on the side of

the Germans as a Hitler Youth. At 16, Erik Brandt was made to fight on the Russian front as a Nazi because of his

ability to speak Russian. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that he wants out of this war, especially after he

sees the cruelty done to the Jews. After a particular brutal attack on the Germans by the Russians, Erik switches his

uniform with that of a dead Russian soldier and feigns amnesia. It is as Soldier X that Erik escapes with a nurse and

lives to tell about his inner torment. (MS-HS)

Group Six: Other Holocausts

Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian (272 pp.)

This is a chilling recollection of 12-year-old Vahan Kenderian’s struggle as an Armenian refugee during the

Armenian holocaust (1915-1918) where 1.5 million men, women, and children were systematically murdered by the

Turks. Based on the author’s great uncle’s recollections, this historical novel is a vivid account of the Armenian

atrocities told from a young boy’s perspective. (MS-HS)

When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard (272 pp.)

Nine-year-old Yvonne Macaraig’s family flees their pleasant home in Ubec City to join a guerrilla movement

in the jungle during the 1941 Japanese invasion of the Philippines. She grows to realize that even if her family

survives and retires to their home that nothing will ever be the same. (HS)

Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic (240 pp.)

First published as Zlata’s Diary in 1994, this revised version includes additional photos. When Zlata

Filipovic, “the Anne Frank of Sarajevo,” began her diary entries on September 2, 1991, her life was typical of most

11 year olds. By the time she ended her diary entries on October, 13, 1991, the Serbian, Croatian, and Muslim

warlords had changed her life forever. Her diary may prompt readers to find additional information on Sarajevo,

Bosnia, the Geneva Agreement, Anne Frank, and Icarus. (MS)

The Other Victims: First Person Stories of Non-Jews Persecuted by the Nazis by Ina R. Friedman (224

pp.)

The Jews were not the only people persecuted under Hitler’s orders. This nonfiction book is organized into

these categories: “Those Unworthy of Life,” “The War Against the Church,” “Racial Purification: Breeding the

Master Race,” “Mind Control,” and “Slaves for the Nazi Empire.” (MS-HS)

The Stone Goddess by Minfong Ho (208 pp.)

Set during the Sixties during the Vietnam War, this story is about 12-year-old Nakri when the Khmer Rouge

takes over Cambodia. She and her siblings are forced to work in a labor camp until the Vietnamese army liberates

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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Zlata%20Filipovic

the camp, and two surviving family members go to a refugee camp on Thailand’s border. Eventually they immigrate

to the U.S. and it is Nakri’s prowess in dancing that helps her survive the trauma. (MS-HS)

The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag by Chol-hwan Kang and Pierre

Rigoulot (238 pp.)

Kang recounts his life as a boy growing up in Pyongyang during the Sixties after his Korean family returns

to North Korea from their affluent lives in Japan. After Kang’s grandfather is accused of high treason, Kang spends

ten years of his life surviving in a remote labor camp or gulag. Kang was only nine years old when he was first

imprisoned at the Yodok camp in 1977. (HS)

The Road from Home: A True Story of Courage, Survival and Hope by David Kherdian (242 pp.)

Many people are ignorant of the Turks’Armenian Genocide that occurred in 1915, killing over a million

innocent people. David captures the voice of his mother, Vernon Dumehjian Kherdian, who was born into a fine

family just prior to the systematic killings. (MS)

Dawn and Dusk by Alice Mead (160 pp.)

Thirteen-year-old Azad knows nothing but war while growing up in a predominantly Kurdish town in

Sardasht, Iran. Iran’s new religious leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini wants to eliminate the Kurds while Iraq’s

Saddam Hussein’s would like to occupy that part of Iran. Readers get a glimpse into the heart of this young Kurdish

refugee and will experience the loss and hope of emigration. (MS-HS)

Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples (288 pp.)

Najmah and Nusrat alternate the telling of the post 9/11 Afghan War on their lives until their tales

eventually intersect. Najmah actually witnesses the kidnapping of her father and older brother by the Taliban and

then survives the horror of her mother’s and little brother’s death in an unexpected American air raid. She

disguises herself as a boy and decides to walk to Peshawar, Pakistan, in hopes of finding a refugee camp. Nusrat’s

story begins with her waiting for the return of her husband, Faiz, who went to help the wounded in Northern

Afghanistan while she stayed behind to help the refugee children. Nusrat’s American name was Elaine until she

converted to Islam and followed Faiz to help those hurt by religious fanaticism. (MS-HS)

Teenage Refugees from Rwanda Speak Out by Aimable Twagilimana (64 pp.)

Eight teenagers who fled from Ethiopia and Rwanda tell how they got to America and Canada only to

receive more prejudicial treatment. (E-MS)

Group Seven: After the War—The Effects on Families and What We’ve Learned or NOT—Contemporary

Prejudice

Fire from the Rock by Sharon M. Draper (231 pp.)

Imagine being asked to be one of the first black students to integrate an all-white school in the Fifties.

Such is the case for Sylvia Patterson when she must decide whether or not to be an agent of social change or to

stay in the comfort of her inferior all-black school. (MS-HS) Readers may want to refer to Melba Pattillo Beals’s

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http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books-ca&field-author=Aimable%20Twagilimana

memoir Warriors Don’t Cry ( 312 pp.), for her personal account of what happened when she was one of the nine

teenagers who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. (MS-HS)

Silver Rights by Constance Curry (258 pp.)

Mae and Matthew Carter want something more for their children than life on the cotton fields, so they

decide to send 7 of their 13 children to an all-white school for a better education when Title VI of the Civil Rights Act

of 1964 is passed in Sunflower County, Mississippi. Unfortunately, the Carter children were the only blacks who

chose to integrate and claim their civil rights. (HS)

Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji (214 pp.)

In 1972, President Ida Amin had a dream that he believed was a message from God. Based on that dream,

this dictator decides to eliminate all foreign Indians—the “Jews of Uganda”—in 90 days. Fifteen-year-old Sabine

thinks that she and her family will be spared since they are citizens of Uganda, but eventually no one is spared from

the effects of this mandate. When there is a governmental shift in power by an extremist, NO ONE is spared by the

change of attitudes as pointed out by Gloria Miklowitz’s YA novel, The War between the Classes (158 pp.) and Todd

Strasser’s, The Wave (138 pp.). (HS)

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie by Mirjam Pressler and translated by Erik J. Macki (207 pp.)

Originally written in German, this English translation sets the stage for a contemporary controversy that

could erupt in any unsuspecting family of German descent. When the protagonist, Johanna, goes on a class trip to

Israel, she learns about the anti-Semitic laws that enabled her grandfather, Erhard Riemenschneider, to “acquire”

their family business from a Jewish family. What would you do if you discovered your grandfather was an

enthusiastic Nazi supporter? (MS-HS) Note: This novel is very similar to M.E. Kerr’s Gentlehands (208 pp.) where

Buddy finds out that his grandfather might have been the Nazi murderer “Gentlehands” in a World War II

concentration camp. (MS-HS)

Never Mind the Goldbergs by Matthue Roth (368 pp.)

Seventeen-year-old New Yorker Hava Aaronson is an Orthodox Jew who lives an unorthodox lifestyle in the

world of punk. She’s “discovered” and given the chance to go to Hollywood in order to play the part of an Orthodox

Jew on a TV show about a modern American Orthodox Jewish family. The problem is she is the only Jewish person

on the show which forces her to examine her beliefs more closely. (HS)

Grace in the Wilderness: After the Liberation 1945-1948 by Aranka Siegal (220 pp.)

Piri, now 17, resides with a Swedish family while she searches for news of family and friends who also

might have survived the Nazi concentration camps. Although the Swedes accept her as their own daughter, she

strives to hold on to her own identity and dreams of finding her blood relatives. The novel is dedicated to the many

people who assisted the Jews in their efforts to find their families after the war. (MS)

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (160 pp.)

This autobiography recounts the author’s struggle as a young girl, ages 10-14, during the Islamic

Revolution of 1979 and the Iran-Iraq War. The story uses black-and-white illustrations to express a rebellious teen’s

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struggle with this religious war and totalitarianism. Readers may wish to continue Marjane’s story as a teenager in

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return when she leaves Iran but then returns (192 pp.). (MS-H)

The Wave by Todd Strasser (138 pp.)

Based on a true story, this book will show contemporary students that the Holocaust could happen again—

even today. (MS-HS)

The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm (207 pp.)

For those students who just don’t understand how the desensitization of people for people begins, this

book will show bullies in action and the complicit nature of others who allow it to happen. A reference to Anne

Frank is made midway through the book. For another book that examines the inner workings of the bully mentality,

consider Jerry Spinelli’s Crash (176 pp.). (MS)

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People of the Holocaust Item 3.2Loose Definitions

Victims-Approximately 11 million people were killed because of Nazi genocidal policy. It was the explicit aim of Hitler's regime to create a European world both dominated and populated by the "Aryan" race. The Nazi machinery was dedicated to eradicating millions of people it deemed undesirable. Some people were undesirable by Nazi standards because of who they were,their genetic or cultural origins, or health conditions. These included Jews, Gypsies, Poles and other Slavs, and people with physical or mental disabilities. Others were Nazi victims because of what they did. These victims of the Nazi regime included Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, the dissenting clergy, Communists, Socialists, asocials, and other political enemies.

Perpetrators- Although Adolf Hitler is often perceived as the chief perpetrator, there were others. Perpetrators were Nazi party leaders, bankers, professors, military officials, doctors, journalists, engineers, judges, authors, lawyers, salesmen, police, and civil servants. The perpetrators of the Holocaust were those who played some role in the formulation and implementation of destructive measures against target victims.

Bystanders- Bystanders were ordinary people who played it safe. As private citizens, they complied with the laws and tried to avoid the terrorizing activities of the Nazi regime. They wanted to get on with their daily lives. During the war, the collective world's response toward the murder of millions of people was minimal.

Resisters- As fear and terror became everyday truths for many Europeans during the Holocaust, standards of daily reality shifted dramatically. The very act of survival became an act of defiance. Resistence took the form of unarmed Armed

Rescuers- Rescuers are those who, at great personal risk, actively helped members of persecuted groups, primarily Jews, during the Holocaust in defiance of Third Reich policy. They were ordinary people who became extraordinary people because they acted in accordance with their own belief systems while living in an immoral society. Thousands survived the Holocaust because of the daring of these rescuers. Although in total their number is statistically small, rescuers were all colossal people.

Liberators-Allied troops liberated prisoners of concentration camps. Although these soldiers had witnessed all the horrors of war, the condition of the prisoners in the camps was even more shocking. It was beyond any war scene the soldiers had experienced. Liberators struggled to make sense of the scenes they witnessed. Allied troops, physicians, and relief workers tried to provide nourishment and medicine for the prisoners, but many were too weak and could not be saved.

Definitions accessed through A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocausthttp://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/default.htm

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Name____________________________Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust Item 3.3

NotesJehovah’s Witnesses

Homosexuals

Handicapped

Sinti & Roma (Gypsies)

Poles

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Selected Newspaper Articles from The New York Times

These are just a sampling that we’ve included for the purposes of this Unit. There is an extensive collection of Newspaper articles through the ProQuest Database, accessed through USF libraries.

When used in class, these will be printed off as PDFs and will be enlarged for easier reading.

• “Nazis Order Jews Over Six Labeled” Item 3.4• “Nazis to Banish Jews Failing to Wear Star” 3.5

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Item 3.4

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Item 3.5

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Holocaust Voice Multi-Genre Project

About the Project: A Multi-genre Project is one that addresses a single theme in manydifferent ways. Similar to a Literary Magazine or Collection, many different genres areused to explore a common theme. Your task is to choose one character from Night, your alternative book choice, or another text we have examined.Using multiple genres, you will explore the changes they go through emotionally and physically. We will go over an example to help better understand the project.

You Will: create at least 5 pieces, encompassing at least 4 different genres. The pieces should thread together, showing similar emotion and following the storyline of the character. Create a title for you collection, add illustrations and artwork if you so desire. *Remember: that your 5 pieces do not all have to be written!You can express yourself artistically, musically, etc. We will have some additional workshops in class to help you work on the project and understand if better. On these in class days I will be coming around to check on your progress and see some of your works.

Why a Multi-genre Project? Because you can! These types of projects boast your abilities to be creative and show understanding in ways other than essays. They allow you to highlight your own personal interests and spend more time on things you are expert in or interest you.

How will you be graded? The project will be assessed in three parts 1) Required Elements 2) Each piece individually 3) Overall quality and appeal of the project.You will receive these rubrics. Projects will be presented in class during the last week of our unit

This is a list of possible genres to use in your project. Remember that each thing youuse must connect to the others in certain ways.

Journal Entries Personal Letter, Correspondence, or Greeting Card Business Letter Persuasive or Advocacy Letter Narrative Essay Short Scene from a Play with Notes for Stage Directions Short Scene from a Movie with Notes for Camera Shots Dialogue of a Conversation among Two or More People Inner Monologue Representing Internal Conflict Short Story Adventure Magazine Story Ghost Story Myth, Tall Tale, of Fairy Tale Picture Book Biographical Summary Newspaper or Magazine Feature Story Newspaper or Magazine Human Interest Story

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Home or Hobby Magazine Story Future News Story Letter to the Editor Classified or Personal Advertisement Obituary and Eulogy or Tribute Critique of a Published Source Speech, Diatribe, or Debate Personal Essay or Philosophical Questions Historical Times Context Essay Chart or Diagram with Explanation and Analysis Time Line, Chain of Events, or Map with Explanation and Analysis Top Ten List Textbook Article News Program Story or Announcement Talk Show Interview or Panel Magazine or Television Advertisement Glossary or Dictionary Recipe and Description of Traditional Holiday Events Restaurant Description and Menu How To or Directions Booklet Travel Brochure Description Science Article or Report Business Article or Technical Report Company or Organization Publication Receipts, Applications, Deeds, Budgets, or Other Documents Wedding or Graduation Invitation Local News Report Birth Certificate Year Book or School Newsletter or Paper Classroom Discussion Award Nomination Contest Entry Application Doctor, Teacher, Lawyer, Employer, Police, or Counselor Records and Notes Character Analysis or Case Study Review and Poster for a Movie, Book, or TV Program Board Game or Trivial Pursuit with Answers and Rules Comedy Routine or Parody Comic Strip or Book Tabloid Article Puzzle, Witticisms, or Aphorisms Poetry Lyrics for a Song or Ballad Video Power Point Presentation Web Site Advice Columns Bedtime Story Book Review Collage Diary Horoscope Interview Jingle Soap Opera Telegram Vignette Dedication Soliloquy

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