Think about the following quotes.

I am human and nothing

human is alien to me.

My own group aside, everything human is alien to

me. Terence, 163 B.C.

Renato Rosaldo, 1984

What do they mean?

The Universal

Human

Experience

Specific

Cultural

Experiences

Philosophical ChairsDo you think we are more shaped by “The Universal Human Experience” or specific cultural experiences?

Choose which side of the room you will go based on your answer. The opposing sides will face each other, just like these arrows.

By Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

After reading the excerpt from The Book Thief, consider the following question. We’ll walk through it together.

How would you describe the narrator in the excerpt from The Book Thief?

Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

Think about the way the narrator (Death) feels in the passage from The Book Thief. These key quotes may help– pay attention to specific word choice (DICTION).“Please believe me when I tell you that I picked

up each soul that day as if it were newly born. I even kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks.”

“I watched their love visions and freed them from their fear.”

“I took them all away, and if ever there was a time I needed distraction, this was it. In complete desolation, I looked at the world above.”

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

Why do you think Death “kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks” of the victims?What does a kiss indicate about how he feels?What does the word “weary” suggest about the

victims?What does Death’s use of the word “weary”

indicate about how Death perceives the victims?

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

Emotions Associated With KISS

1.2.3.

Emotions Associated with WEARY

1.2.3.

After examining the text, let’s answer the question using the evidence we found.

How would you describe the narrator in the excerpt from The Book Thief?

Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

Refer to the table below as an example:

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

ASSERT(Answer the

question.)

In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the narrator, Death, is…

PROVE(How do you

know?)

He “kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks” and “freed them from their fear.”

EXPLAIN(What does that

mean?)

Zusak chose for Death to use the words “kissed” and “freed” because they convey…

Now put the A(ssertion), P(roof), and E(xplanation) all together!

Use TEN LINES in your writer’s notebook to do so.

TRADE with a PARTNER! Make sure he or she ANSWERED the question, PROVED their answer with text, and EXPLAINED the significance of their quote.

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

After the timer goes…

Reflecting back to The Book Thief

What does the image on the book cover convey about Death, the narrator of The Book Thief?

Does it accurately reflect the way you characterized Death in your short answer? Why or why not?

Does this depiction influence the way you think about the Holocaust? Why or why not?

By Michael Kimmelman of The NY Times

“Auschwitz Shifts From Memorializing to

Teaching”

The NY Times article implies that your generation, Generation Z (New Millennials), ought to be taught differently than the ones that came before because they need to be guided to feel “responsibility to the present.” Is that true?

Choose where you will sit based on your position:

Philosophical Chairs: Round Two

Our generati

on is fundamentally different than other

generations

Our generati

on is not that different from other

generations

The Book Thief tells the story of the Holocaust in a very different way than the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, but both seek to engage and educate young people. How do you think the story of the

Holocaust should be told to people your age?

How should it not be told? Why?FIND EVIDENCE FROM THE SELECTIONS

TO SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER. Be prepared to share.

Comparing text with a partner

Consider whether your piece reflects what New Millennials or Generation Z (or a different people group, depending on

your chosen audience) value. Create a chart like the one below to brainstorm

what matters to your generation; then try REVISING your draft to insert some of those ideas.

Time to Revisit REVISING

Technology

Social media

?

Fill in the blank!

?

?