Title: “Adopting” a Holocaust Child
Approximate Duration: 2-4 days
Grades: 6-8
Subject Areas: Reading, language arts, and social studiesDescription: Using the Internet, pairs of students will learn about what happened to children during the Holocaust and will explain and relate in writing to one child’s compelling story.
Materials Needed: Computers with Internet access and web browser; student reading response journals, either notebooks or word processing documents (e-journals); handouts of essay (Step 1)
Mississippi Framework: Competency 10-Reads, analyzes, and responds in written and oral language or other art forms to increasingly challenging literature and other resources
Objectives:
Benchmark: (8th grade) Uses comprehension strategies to get information from a wide range of materials; Utilizes listening skills for a variety of purposes
Benchmark items: 11) Utilizes prior knowledge, 14) Recalls details and justifies, 15) Makes predictions, draws conclusions, and infers meaning, 16) Skims and scans to locate key information, 23) Summarizes main idea and supporting details 43) Listens and responds to teacher/peersBackground Information: This activity should be used within a larger unit on the Holocaust, World War II, and/or a literature study of fiction such as Jane Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic or non-fiction such as Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl or Elie Wiesel’s Night. Students should have prior knowledge of the basic major events and terms connected with the Holocaust.
Lesson Procedures:
1. Students and teacher will access the web site “Children and the Holocaust,” Middle Tennessee State University, http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/children.html. Read aloud the general informational essay and statistics concerning the fate of children during the Holocaust. A supplemental handout of the essay may be given to all students.2. Students will freewrite independently in their reading response journal about their reaction to the essay (5 min.) and then share response aloud with class if desired.
3. Students will work with a partner to access the following 2 web sites that give profiles of children of the Holocaust:
Children of the Holocaust—Grace Products, profiles of children killed in the Holocaust (links to 52 profiles, no photos on list site, but there is a photo on each link page)
http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htmChildren of the Holocaust—Museum of Tolerance, Simon Wiesenthal Center, profiles of children killed in the Holocaust (links to 84 profiles, list site has thumbnail photos)
http://www.wiesenthal.com/mot/children/list1.cfm4. The students will choose 2 children from each of the above sites (4 total) and take turns reading and discussing the children’s Holocaust profiles aloud.
5. The students will choose the one child whose story seems the most important, compelling, and/or touching, the one whom they can imagine “adopting” as their brother or sister.
6. Write a response in your journal using the information in the handout of general information (or the web site http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/children.html itself) and the Holocaust profile. Include the following:
1) Summarize the main details of the “adopted” child’s story.
2) Justify why that particular child was chosen, why he/she is special.
3) Explain how that child fits into the overall history of the Holocaust.
4) Tell how thinking and discussing about this child makes you feel.7. Share the response with the whole class, another group, and/or relatives, especially real brothers and sisters.
Assessment Procedures: Teacher observation of student participation and checklist for completion of each step of activity. The written response should be assessed with the following rubric:
Exemplary (5)-Fully discusses all 4 elements from Step 6 above, uses language that is concise yet emotionally powerful, and is free from all or most mechanical and usage errors.
Proficient (4)-Fully discusses all 4 elements from Step 6 above, uses clear and convincing language to explain concepts, and has few mechanical and usage errors.
Good (3)-Fully discusses at least 3 elements from Step 6 and attempts the 4th element, uses understandable language, and may have several mechanical and usage errors.
Improving (2)- Fully discusses at least 2 elements from Step 6 or attempts to discuss 3 or more elements, language may be somewhat unclear in conveying concepts, and may have several to many mechanical and usage errors.
Beginning (1)- Fully discusses at least 1 element from Step 6 or attempts to discuss 2 or more elements, uses language in a simplistic or somewhat unclear way, and generally has several to many mechanical and usage errors.Technology Connections: The web sites listed in the above procedures plus a word processing program such as Microsoft Word or Works for creating the optional e-journal and a TV-PC connection using a converter box such as AverKey for whole-class viewing/reading of the informational essay (optional)
Exploration & Extension:
1. Express yourself visually:
a. Draw a picture in your journal that expresses how you feel about your Holocaust child’s experience (e-journals will use the Paint program or other art software).b. Create a PowerPoint presentation about your “adopted” brother or sister. Use photos and from the Internet or create your own using Paint.
c. Make a cloth or paper quilt square to symbolize and commemorate your Holocaust “brother or sister.” Or design it on the computer and print it out.
2. Complete an activity:
Children of the Holocaust, The Survivors Speak—The Anti-Defamation League,
Internet reading lesson plan and online activity:
http://www.adl.org/children_holocaust/children_main.htmlChildren of the Holocaust WebQuest—North Carolina Dept. of Ed., Collaborative project using Simon Wiesenthal Center and Univ. of South Florida site on rescuers of the Holocaust, plus links
http://www.iss.k12.nc.us/schools/wms/asholocaust.htmTrackStar Children of the Holocaust lesson plan/list of sites—hprtec.org, includes a few questions to answer about each site and other activities,
http://trackstar.hprtec.org/main/display.php3?track_id=42632. Read and respond:
Train Children of the Holocaust, The Kindertransport Story—Midwest Communications, Inc., brief informational essay about children who escaped the Holocaust via immigration by train
http://flock.mwci.net/~edsdanzig/train.htmlChildren of the Holocaust, An Online History Project—Angelfire, Lycos Network, Informational, persuasive essay w/thumbnail photos
http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/holocaustproject/Resources:
The above web sites plus the following:
An Internet Hotlist on Children & the Holocaust—PacBell.com Filamentality site,
List of 23 great links, including some of the above
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listchildrensh2.htmlBooks: See this site for many suggested children’s Holocaust books from amazon.com, bn.com, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, grouped according to age range of reader.
http://www.tfn.net/holocaust/biblio.htmlSoftware: Two CD-ROMs are offered at socialstudies.com- Lest We Forget: A History of the Holocaust and RETURN TO LIFE: The Story of the Holocaust Survivors. Both are listed for grade 9 and up, but may contain portions suitable for younger students. For a description, see http://www.educationplanetstore.com/store/World_History/The_Holocaust/software
Patricia R. Parrish
pparrish@gaggle.net
National Board Certified teacher, Early Adolescence/English Language Arts; 8th grade ELA teacher, Sumrall Attendance Center, Sumrall, MS; adjunct English faculty, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS; Exemplary/TeachNett teacher/consultant/technology trainer, MS Dept. of Education; online exchange coordinator, the Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College, VT