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ENGLISH LITERATURE6TH GRADE2010-2011

TEACHER: Mauricio Martinez Martinez

GUIDE: 2 From: September 6th to October 8th Total number of hours: 18 THEME: FRIENDS TO THE RESCUE

SUBTOPICSa. Reading selection: “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry.b. Literary genre: Historical Fiction.c. Reading skills: Interpreting Symbolism. d. Literary devices: Setting, Conflict and Resolution.e. Writer´s workshop: write a paragraph about one character. f. Vocabulary power

PERFORMANCES Identifies the characteristics of Historical Fiction. Identifies and analyzes the influence of setting on plot conflict and plot resolution. Codes and decodes new vocabulary. Analyzes and synthesizes the story "Number the Stars" Uses divergent thinking to express personal opinions and facts by means of

writing projects.

MENTAL OPERATIONS

MENTAL OPERATION DEFINITIONIdentifying Gathering the general characteristics of an object in order to

express them in a word which defines them.Divergent thinking Adopting a new position changing a point of view, through

creativity and imagination.Analyzing and synthesizing

Breaking down into parts and forms describing what is really relevant.Combining elements by selecting and abbreviating.

CodingDecoding

Expressing ideas or concepts through different kinds of codes.Interpreting different types of codes.

Deducing Obtaining and building reasonable concepts based on the new given information.

Hypothetical reasoning Making assumptions from which conclusions can be made.Syllogistic reasoning Arguing using premises and conclusions.

CONTENT FRAMEWORKThe following subtopics can be found on Trophies Timeless Treasures (Theme I). Harcourt

“Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry pp 134 to 153 Historical Fiction p 134 Setting Vocabulary Power pp 132 and 133 Symbolism p 157 Conflict and Resolution pp 158 and 159

June 11th, 2010

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NEW VOCABULARY

1.belligerently 7.swastika 13.sabotage 19.tentatively 25.halte2.conflict 8.sprawling 14.imprinted 20.urge 26.pose3.disdainfully 9.holocaust 15.nazi 21.submerged 27.unfamiliar4.exasperated 10.jewish (adj) 16.rabbi 22.hazy 28.pride5.occupation 11.unwavering 17.lanky 23.synagogue 29.militar arrest6.soothingly 12.jew(s) (n) 18.kroner 24.relocate 30.rationed

CONTENT METHODOLOGY

SUBTOPICSACTIVITIES

Background Knowledge

Concept Apprehension

Closure

Vocabulary power

3hrs

Students will read the passage “Natalie home alone” in practice and application and will review the narrative elements and the reading strategies.

Students will be exposed to the power with the five word fields: definition, meaningful sentence, part of speech, context clue, and illustration, synonym or antonym.Students will consolidate by their knowledge by practicing the vocabulary fields on the erasable boards.

Students will write a short composition using ten Vocabulary Power words.

Homework: Students will skim and scan “Number the Stars” and will find the context clues for the vocabulary power.

SUBTOPICSACTIVITIES

Background Knowledge

Concept Apprehension

Closure

Historical Fiction and Setting

3hrs

Students will read the context clues in a round table.

Students will listen to an excerpt of a story. Students will identify the literary elements Historical Fiction and Setting.

Students will report their findings in a round table discussion.

Students will summarize in S.S.S.S (Sixty Seconds Synopsis Strategy) what they learned in class.

Homework: Students will read “Number the Stars” and will send a summary to www.mr.mrtz08@hotmail.com

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SUBTOPICS Background Knowledge

“Number the Stars”

Students will revise Historical Fiction and Setting in class discussion.

3hrs answer the questions in content evaluation.

Homework: Students will read the articles The Star of David and application and will answer the questions.

SUBTOPICSACTIVITIES

Background Knowledge

Concept Apprehension

Closure

Symbolism

3rs

Students will discuss and answer the questions of the articles “The Star of David” and “The Swastika” in a round table discussion.

Students will do the activity oral skills Signs of Life in practice and application. Then they will present the interpretation of the symbols.

Students will create a symbol that can represent their personality. At random, five students will expose it to the class.

Homework: Students will discuss with their families to design a symbol that represents their family values.

SUBTOPICS

ACTIVITIESBackground Knowledge

Concept Apprehension

Closure

Writer´s workshop: write a paragraph about one character

3rs

Students will share a conflict they had had in their lives and peers will suggest some resolutions.

Students will write a character up close using the information from the Describing Wheel in practice and application.

Students will choose their favorite character in the story. They will explain their choice orally.

Homework: Students will have to study for the first term exam.

CONTENT EVALUATIONAnswer the following questions based on the reading selection and the vocabulary power.

1- What reading strategies help you understand better when you read? (Identifying)2- What is setting? How do you make out the setting in a story?(Analyzing and

SUBTOPICSACTIVITIES

Background Knowledge

Concept Apprehension

Closure

Conflict and Resolution

3rs

Students will share their family symbols in class.

Students will be exposed to a power point presentation about conflict and resolution and will identify them in the story “Number the Stars” in a round table discussion.

Students will take the formal test about the selection and literary devices.

Homework: Students will choose one character of the story and will complete the describing wheel in practice and application.

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synthesizing)3- What is the purpose for reading a historical fiction story?(Deducing)

Answer these questions based on the historical fiction story "Number the Stars”1- Who is the main character of the story? How do you know? (Identifying)2- What is the problem to be resolved? (Deducing)3- How do Mama and Kirsti feel when they enter the apartment? (Hypothetical

reasoning )4- How does Annemarie’s family work together to help save Ellen from the German

soldiers during the occupation of Denmark? (Hypothetical reasoning )5- Do you think the Johansens were right to have hidden Ellen? Explain why you feel

as you do. (Hypothetical reasoning )6- Why did Annemarie yank off Ellen’s necklace? (Hypothetical reasoning )7- Why do you think Lois Lowry called this book “Number the Stars”? (Hypothetical

reasoning)

Answer these item based on the vocabulary power1- Tell three events where you look disdainfully.(Coding and decoding)2- What do you do when somebody is speaking soothingly? (Coding and decoding)3- What moments make you feel exasperated? (Coding and decoding)4- Do our armed forces and rebel groups act belligerently? .(Coding and decoding)5- What happens when occupation forces invade a country? .(Coding and decoding)

PRACTICE AND APPLICATIONNarrative elements (review) (Using mental representation)

Example: Natalie had been home alone during the day many times, but not in the evening. Now that Natalie is twelve, she and her parents felt uncomfortable with her staying alone in the evening. Natalie was reading a suspenseful and scary mystery story when the telephone rang. Usually, Natalie ran to answer the telephone. This time, however, she felt a bit frightened. She was not sure whether to answer the phone or to let it ring. Finally the answering machine picked up. Natalie heard her father’s voice. She picked up the phone and said,” Hi, dad! I am glad it’s you!”

Characters Setting Conflict Resolution

(Taken from TROPHIES extra material packe)

Characters are the people or animals in the storySetting is the time and place of the storyPlot conflict is the major problem or struggle in the storyResolution is the ending of the conflict

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NARRATIVE ELEMENTS: Story map (Using mental representation)

“Number the Stars”- Lois Lowry

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Oral skills: Signs of life. Create a list of ten symbols and present orally what they represent. (Using mental representation)

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Symbolism: Read the following articles and answer the questions below the texts.(Analyzing and synthesizing)Disclaimer:

It is generally recommended that the Holocaust not be taught to children until age 10. It is only then that they are emotionally mature enough to understand this horrible chapter in human history. I have selected sites and sources from hundreds available on this topic, that are not graphic or too disturbing in nature. I have taken a few minutes to plan these resources for my students to become familiar with the story “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry and decide for myself which ones my students can be exposed to. This material is only intended for teaching purposes no whatsoever to influence or persuade students’ brainpower. Mr.Mrtz.

The Star of David The Star of David is an ancient symbol. Next to the menorah, a seven-branched candle holder, it is the symbol most commonly associated with Judaism. The Star of David contains two equilateral triangles (triangle that have all sides equal). This shape, some believe, forms the shape emblazoned on the shield of King David, the Biblical hero who as a boy killed the giant Goliath.

The top triangle points upward, towards God. The lower one points downward, toward the earth, the real world. The two triangles are intertwined symbolizing the inseparable link between God and his people. It was also used as a seal of King Solomon, the son of David.

The Star of David was once a common symbol in the Middle East and North Africa. It was often considered a good luck charm. In the middle ages, Jews were required to wear badges of the Star of David to identify themselves as Jews. During the Second World War, Jews were again required to wear a yellow star of David on the outside of their clothing to identify them as Jews too.

Under these conditions, it was certainly not a symbol of luck. Since the Holocaust it has been regarded as a badge of honor by most Jews. In the 17th century, it became a popular practice to put the Star of David on the outside of synagogues, to identify them as Jewish houses of worship. This is the same as when a cross is used to identify a Christian church. When the modern state of Israel was founded, the Star of David was chosen as the

symbol for the country’s flag. Today, it is colored blue and is centered on a white background.

References: Star of David http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/star.html

The Swastika: An Ancient Symbol of Peace, Now a Symbol of Violence and RacismIn her novel “Number the Stars” Lois Lowry writes that Mrs. Hirsch’s button store had a sign written in German hung on the door. In describing the sign to her mother, Annemarie says“…it had a swastika on it.” Alarmed, her

“Annemarie relaxed the clenched fingers of her right hand, which still clutched Ellen’s necklace. She looked down, and saw that she imprinted the Star of David into her palm.”(p. 49) this quote from Lois Lowry’s novel “Number the Stars” is the first time the Star of David symbol is mentioned in the novel. It is probably the first time Annemarie realizes who her best friend really is and what trouble she is in.

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mother left the house and went straight to the Rosens. What was this swastika and why did it alarm her mother? “Annemarie’s mother was alarmed by the swastika sign. It meant that the Germans were now arresting the Jews, and had closed down the button store just as it had done to other Jewish businesses across Europe. The relocation that had not happened for three years since the beginning of the occupation was now ready to begin.”

Every people around the world has it own set of symbols. These are objects and signs that remind us of who were are and where we have come from. One popular type of symbolism is religious symbols; the cross for Christians, the crescent moon for Muslims, the Star of David for the Jews to name just a few. Flags and national anthems are symbols of national pride and help identify our nationality and the values of our society holds. Even logos on products, patches on sports teams tell something about what we value.

But not all symbols are a source of pride. Some are grim reminders of past cruelties even though the symbol was not always associated with despair. The swastika is one such symbol. The swastika is the one symbol most often identified with the ruling party of German from 1930 to 1949.

An ancient symbol found in many cultures around the world, the swastika was once used as a symbol of life, strength, prosperity, power, laughter, and good luck. Today, as a result of the attitudes and action of the Nazis during World War II, the swastika in any form is associated with the evil, death, horror and racism. It’s appearance anywhere in any form is repulsive to most people. The swastika is basically two crossed lines with their ends pointing either to the right, represented life and health, or to the left, a sign of misfortune in the cultures that used it. One of the oldest known swastikas was painted by early caveman at least 10,000 years ago. Symbols similar in shape to the both swastika designs have been found around the world.

Every race, religion and continent honored one form or another of the swastika. Known by different names in different cultures, the symbol was used by American Indians, Hindus, Buddhists, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Mayans, Aztecs, Persians, and early Christians. They have even been found in ancient synagogues side-by-side with the Star

of David! The Vikings used the swastika to symbolize Thor’s hammer in motion as it was thrown from and returning to his hand.

Around the 1800's, the swastika was the symbol adopted by a growing number of Germans nationals, groups who believed in the supremacy of the German people and nation. In 1910, a poet and nationalist Guido von List suggested that the swastika as a symbol for all organizations who hated Jews. When the National Socialist Party, later to be named the Nazi Party, was

formed in 1919, it adopted this ancient symbol. Because of the actions of the Nazis between 1930 and 1949, the swastika has taken on the worst meaning possible.

In 1935, the black swastika on a white circle with a crimson background became the national symbol of Nazi Germany. The major difference between the Nazi swastika and the ancient swastika symbol is the slanted representation. The arms of the ancient swastika are rested flat.

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Because of the Nazis, the swastika has become a symbol of hate, violence, death, and murder. Today, whenever the ancient symbol is used, it is automatically assumed by most people that it is a Nazi symbol and that the people who use it are Nazis and there is little toleration for its likeness anywhere. When the Nazis took the ancient symbol, they erased the good meaning of the swastika, the symbol of purity and of life. Racist people of today further degrade the meaning of the ancient symbol by spray painting the swastika on people houses, cars, and even schools and churches.References:© Prepared by Jim Cornish, Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, 2002.http://www.swastika.com/

Reading Comprehension

Provide answers to the following questions in the notebook.

1- What did the swastika hung on the door of Mrs. Hirsh mean? (Hypothetical reasoning)

2- What are your national symbols? What do they represent? (Coding and decoding)

3- Do you have a personal symbol or logo that identifies you? If not create one. (Divergent thinking)

4- What was the swastika used as in many cultures? (Deducing)5- What cultures used it? (Identifying)6- What did swastika represent from 1930 to 1949? (Deducing)7- What caused that people assumed swastika as a symbol of hate, violence,

death and murder? (Hypothetical reasoning)8- How different is Nazi swastika and the ancient swastika? (Comparing and

contrasting)9- Where do racist people spray printing the swastika on? Why? (Identifying)10- Compare and contrast the Star of David and the Swastika. (Meaning,

people, use) (Comparing and contrasting)

Writer´s workshop: Students will complete the describing wheel to get information in order to start writing their paragraph about one character of the story. (Using mental representation)

Character

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GRAPHIC SUMMARY

Design your graphic summary about the topics we studied in this guide, include: “Number the Stars”, narrative elements (characters, setting, plot conflict, resolution) reading strategies, vocabulary power, conflict, symbolism. Provide definitions and examples.

NEW CONCEPTS

1.Historical fiction2.Symbolism3.Conflict 4.Topic sentences and details5.Star of David6.Friendship7.Loyalty

FINAL EVALUATION

Part One: Answer the questions about the story “Number the Stars”

1.What is the real cause of Kirsti waking up on the night of her birthday? How do

you know? (Hypothetical reasoning)

2.Why does Mama say that Ellen must spend the night? Why do you think Ellen

must spend the night? (Hypothetical reasoning)

3.Why do the Rosens leave Ellen with the Johansens? (Hypothetical reasoning)

4.What does Papa say and do that lets you know he is a loyal friend and neighbor?

(Hypothetical reasoning)

5.What does Papa mean when he says, “It will be a long night”? (Hypothetical

reasoning)

6.What clues does the author give that let you know that Annemarie once had

another sister? (Deducing)

7.What is the difference between Annemarie and Ellen that might make the Nazis

suspicious? (Comparing and contrasting)

8.What happened to Annemarie’s sister Lise? (Identifying)

9.What is the setting on pages 146-147? How does the setting influence the

mood? (Identifying-hypothetical reasoning)

10. Do you think Papa will be able to keep his promise that Ellen will be safe

with the Johansens? Why or why not? (Syllogistic reasoning)

Summarizing “True or False” If it is false, explain why. (Differentiating)

1.During the Jewish New Year, Ellen must not stay with the Johansens._____

_______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2.Mr. Johansen explains that the Nazis have taken lists of names of Danish Jews

and plan to arrest them._____

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

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3.He tells the girls to pretend that Ellen is Annemarie’s sister._____

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

4.Annemarie and Ellen are awakened by loud music from Tivoli Gardens._____

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

5.German soldiers begin to search the apartment._____

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

6.Ellen tries to remove her Star of David but can’t get the clasp undone._____

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

7.Annemarie yanks it off and clenches it in her fist._____

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

8.The soldiers order the girls to stay in the room and ask their names._____

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Part Two: Answer the items based on the Narrative Elements in the stories

“Number the Stars” and “The Best School Year Ever” Write in front of the

following sentences: Plot, Setting, Character or Theme. (Differentiating)

“Number the Stars”1- Annemarie, Kirsti and Ellen.__________

2- Mama and Papa. __________

3- It is 1943 in Denmark. __________

4- The bedroom is dark, and the candle is out. __________

5- Kirsti will not wear the shoes because they are made of fish skin and are green.

__________

6- Ellen offers to have her father use ink to make the shoes black. __________

7- Ellen comes to stay with the Johansens because her family is in

danger__________

8- The Johansens pretend that Ellen is their daughter Lise, who also had dark

hair. __________

9- Provide one sentence for plot._______________________________________

10-Provide one sentence for setting._____________________________________

11-Provide one sentence for character.___________________________________

“The Best School Year Ever”12-Boyd gets stuck in the bike rack. __________13-The schoolyard and parking lot. __________

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14-Imogine is one the rowdiest kid in town. __________15-Imogine, Beth, Mrs Kemp. __________16-Classroom in language arts class. __________

17-Mrs. Kemps says that the last day will be the best day of school.__________

18-Provide one sentence for setting._____________________________________

19-Provide one sentence for plot._______________________________________

20-Provide one sentence for character.___________________________________

Part Three: Vocabulary PowerLabel the pictures by using the Vocabulary Power. Complete the sentences below. (Coding and decoding)

occupation forces unwavering exasperatedbelligerently soothingly disdainfully

1- A big dog barked __________ at Katy’s smaller dog. Now Kathy is petting

her dog __________.

2- The girl’s brother is teasing her __________.

3- Mrs. Lee is __________with her neighbor’s dog, which always comes to her

yard. She is__________ in her attempts to keep the dog out.

4- The war is over, and __________ are leaving.

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Part Four: Symbolism (Using mental representation, identifying and coding and

decoding)