Unit Title: The Holocaust and Informative Writing
Required Text: Boyne, John. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. Oxford: David Fickling,
2006. Print.
School: Northwest Middle School
CMT: Dana Carroll
Grade: 6
Unit Plan
Part A: Rationale
Northwest Middle School has a policy that every English Language Arts class
must implement 20 minutes of independent reading into the class daily. Administrators
state that when students read everyday, then as a result their fluency should improve
greatly. For the duration of this unit, students will complete their independent reading at
the beginning of each class period. During this time, students will be able to read any
piece of reading material of their choice. Every two weeks, I will provide time for
students to go to the library to borrow new reading material.
The purpose of this unit is to inform students of the causes and events of the
Holocaust during World War II. During this unit students will read the novel “The Boy
in the Stripped Pajamas” by John Boyne. Students will gain insight as to the role
prejudice and discrimination played in the Holocaust. This unit is beneficial to my group
of students because it will teach students what happens in instances of extreme bullying.
This unit follows the unit on bullying and will continue to teach students positive
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character traits by allowing them to connect emotionally to those affected in the
Holocaust.
In addition to the Holocaust, students will learn the art of Informative Writing.
Students will take a look at different pieces of informative texts to help mold skills that
are specific to informative writing. In addition to informative texts, students will watch a
variety of documentaries and interviews to further show techniques of informing an
audience. Through miniature informative writing activities students will practice
informative writing before completing their final unit essay. The final writing piece for
this segment will be a published biography of a known figure of the Holocaust. Students
will complete the entire writing process upon turning in the essay at the end of the unit.
Per lecture of Dr. sj Miller, this unit encourages learning through the transactional
learning theory. A majority of my students have some prior knowledge of the Holocaust,
however, this unit is designed to interrupt ideas of the Holocaust, challenges and
emotions, and encourage critical thinking.
Part B: Unit Goals and Objectives
Unit Essential Questions:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
What was the Holocaust?
What was a result of the Holocaust?
What types of Holocausts do we see today?
What have we learned from the Holocaust?
What is discrimination and prejudice?
Unit Goals:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Students will gain technological knowledge of research.
Students will gain an emotional understanding of WWII and the Holocaust.
Students will analyze informative text
Students will relate historical fiction to events in history.
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Unit Objectives:
Reading:
i.
Students will analyze a major event in history by reading both narrative and
informative texts.
ii.
Students will analyze words and phrases as it presented in text.
iii.
Students will analyze text by drawing personal connections and connections
to other forms of media.
Writing:
i.
Students will write and analyze informative text.
ii.
Students will write a biography.
iii.
Students will write objectively versus subjectively.
Unit Standards:
Common Core State Standards
Reading:
RL. Provide a summary of a text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RL.6.9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres in terms of their
approaches to similar themes and topics.
RI. 6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced,
illustrated, and elaborated in a text.
RI.6.9 Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another.
Writing:
W.6.2. Write informative/explanatory text to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to
interact and collaborate with others.
W.6.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused
questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.6.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the
credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding
plagiarism.
W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
Speaking & Listening:
SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues,
building on other’s ideas and expressing their own clearly.
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SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats, and explain how
it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
Language:
L.6.6 Acquire and use accurately grade appropriate general academic and domainspecific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word
or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Part C. Plans
Lesson 1
One hour and twenty minutes.
Materials:
Student Materials:
Independent Reading Material
Paper and construction paper for foldable
Spirals
Teacher Materials:
Takis
Small Candies
Extra Credit Tokens
Procedure:
1. Independent Reading (20 minutes)
 Students engage in silent sustained reading for 20 minutes. Students are
allowed to read any piece of reading material, i.e. books, magazines,
newspapers.
2. Hook (15 minutes)
 Students will exit the room. Prior to students coming in to the class, I will
place posters in the room that say either “March through May,” “June
through August,” “September through November” and “December through
February”. Students will reenter the room and stand next to the sign in
which the month of their birthday lies.
 I will tell students that they are divided up amongst their birthdays with the
four different seasons. I will continue to discuss that my favorite season is
spring, which consists of months the months March through May. Because
spring is my favorite season, those students who have birthdays in the spring
will receive a small bag of Taki’s, and a token that grants them 30 points of
extra credit. Because the fall is my second favorite season, those students
born in the fall will receive a small Dum-Dum sucker. I will continue to
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

discuss why I do not like summer or winter. Since I do not like summer or
winter, those students will receive nothing.
Everyone will have a seat.
All students born in the winter and summer will receive a small piece of
candy.
3. Prejudice Discussion/Lecture (30 minutes)
 Students will be introduced to the words prejudice and discrimination. I will
tell them of a time when I was discriminated against because of one’s
prejudice. Students will be encouraged to share personal stories of stories
they have observed that deals with prejudice or discrimination.
4. Vocabulary Foldable (15 minutes)
 Students will receive copy paper and construction paper to create a new
foldable.
 Students will add the word “prejudice” and “discrimination” into their
Holocaust Vocabulary Foldable. Together, the class and I will determine a
definition of the words and discrimination and students will write it in their
foldable.
 Students will draw a picture that depicts both words.
5. Reflection (10 minutes)
 Students will reflect upon their experiences with prejudice in a Quick Write
activity in the “Writer’s Response” section of their spirals. Students will use
a sentence stem that I provided to start their writing.
 As a class, students will discuss how this activity makes them feel. Students
will understand that they had no control over when their birthday is;
therefore the prejudice they experienced was unjust. Students must
appropriately use both prejudice and discrimination in their writing and
circle when they are used.
Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
 Those students who initially get candy will be upset. However, because
they are sixth graders, I will make sure that all students receive candy once
the “Hook” activity has been completed.
 In the event that particular students showcase disruptive behavior, I will first
redirect behavior. If the problem does not improve, I will separate the
student from the rest of the class and call their parent at the end of the day to
inform them of their child’s behavior.
Technology
 A document camera and projector will be needed for me to project the
sentences stems on the board.
Adaptations
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
Students will be provided explicit sentence stems that they will use to start
their reflection. I will also provide extra stems to make sure all students
appropriate use the words prejudice and discrimination.
Assessment
 For this specific lesson I will check for understanding by reading the
Reflections of each student and monitoring whom understood prejudice and
discrimination.
Lesson 2
One hour and twenty minutes.
Materials:
Student Materials:
Independent Reading Material
“Remember the Children: David’s Story”
KWL charts
Spirals
Teacher Materials:
Large KWL Chart
Copy of “Remember the Children: David’s Story”
The book, “Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust” by Eve Bunting.
Procedure:
1. Independent Reading (20 minutes)
 Students engage in silent sustained reading for 20 minutes. Students are
allowed to read any piece of reading material, i.e. books, magazines,
newspapers.
2.
Hook (15 minutes)
Students will sit on the floor on the carpet as I read Terrible Things: An
Allegory of the Holocaust” by Eve Bunting.
 After the story has been read, students and I will discuss the prejudice and
discrimination that were present in the story and the emotions of each of the
characters.
3. Assessing Prior Knowledge (15 minutes)
 Students will be introduced to the word Holocaust. A couple of students
will share out what they know about the word Holocaust.
 Students will add to the K or “Know” section of a KWL chart information
they already know about the Holocaust. As students create their lists, I will
be adding information on a large KWL chart that will be on display at the
front of the room for the course of the unit.

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

All information that students write down I will add to the list regardless of it
is right or wrong. Students will have the opportunity to debate a classmate
for a space on the board; however, I will add all information students give
me.
Independently, students will add to the W or “Want to Know” column of
their KWL chart. In this section students will write what they want to know
as a result of this unit.
4. Video (15 minutes)
 Students will watch a short video called “Remember the Children: David’s
Story.” The video is a virtual tour of a Holocaust museum that includes a
voice-over.
 While watching the video students will take notes over the main character,
David, and his life during the Holocaust.
 After watching the video, students will have an opportunity to compare
notes to a partner.
5. Informative Writing Practice (15 minutes)
 Students will be informed over the purpose of informative writing and it’s
importance.
 In the “Writing Practice” portion of their spirals, students will write a short
paragraph, informing the readers what they saw in the video.
 Students will receive a checklist of items that should be included in their
informative writing.
Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
 The video contains, images that may be gruesome. To avoid excessive
noises while watching the videos, I will provide a disclaimer to the students
in regard to what they will be viewing. Also, by focusing on appealing to
the emotions of students prior to watching the film, students will connect to
the children in the video.

In the event that particular students showcase disruptive behavior, I will first
redirect behavior. If the problem does not improve, I will separate the
student from the rest of the class and call their parent at the end of the day to
inform them of their child’s behavior.
Technology
 A laptop computer and projector will be needed to show the video to the
students. Laptops are issued to all staff members at the beginning of the
school year.
Assessment
 To check for understanding, I will walk around to room to make sure
students are checking off items on their checklist as well as including all the
information in their writing.
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Lesson 3
One hour and twenty minutes.
Materials:
Student Materials:
Independent Reading Material
Copy of “The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas”
Teacher Materials:
Procedure:
1. Independent Reading (20 minutes)
 Students engage in silent sustained reading for 20 minutes. Students are
allowed to read any piece of reading material, i.e. books, magazines,
newspapers.
2. Hook (15 minutes)
 Students will see a picture of families moving and streets full of cars on the
street. Students must write in the “Writer’s Response” section of their
spirals what they see, in an informative fashion.
3. Novel (15 minutes)
 Students will receive a copy of John Boyne’s novel “The Boy in the
Stripped Pajamas.”
 Students will follow along as the teacher reads the first chapter of the novel.
 While reading, students are sitting on their chairs facing the back of the
classroom with their feet in their chairs and their books in their laps.
4. Dialectical Journal (15 minutes)
 For novel comprehension, I write one thought provoking quote on the board
for students to respond to.
 Students must add the quote in the “Dialectical Journal” of the spirals.
 Responses must be at least three sentences long.
 I will call on several different students to hear their responses.
5. Informative Writing Essay (15 minutes)
 Students will receive the handout of the requirements of their Informative
Writing Essay that will be a biography of a famous person of the Holocaust
 Students will receive a very brief synopsis of each person
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Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
 While students are sitting on their chairs, I will have a clear view of all of
the students in the class. Having a view of my students while reading aloud
allows me to correct any inappropriate behavior before it escalates.

In the event that particular students showcase disruptive behavior, I will first
redirect behavior. If the problem does not improve, I will separate the
student from the rest of the class and call their parent at the end of the day to
inform them of their child’s behavior.
Technology
 Technology is not needed on this particular day.
Assessment
 To check for understanding I will call on students to see how they have
responded to the quotes in the dialectical journal. Hearing the responses
will allow me to determine if I need to recap the chapter with students.
Accommodations
 To accommodate students in this lesson, I will offer sentence stems for
students to respond to the quotes. Offering sentences stems will assist
students in the response process.
Lesson 4
One hour and twenty minutes
Materials:
Student Materials:
Independent Reading Material
Copy of “The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas”
Spirals
Laptop
Internet Access
Edmodo Account
Teacher Materials:
Internet Access
Edmodo Account
Procedure:
1. Independent Reading (20 minutes)
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
Students engage in silent sustained reading for 20 minutes. Students are
allowed to read any piece of reading material, i.e. books, magazines,
newspapers.
2. Novel (20 minutes)
 With a partner students will, read chapter two and three of “The Boy in the
Stripped Pajamas”.
 While reading students must locate two thought provoking quotes within the
text and respond to them in the “Dialectical Journal” portion of their spirals
3. Holocaust Scavenger Hunt (30 minutes)
 Students will practice basic skill of conducting research by using the
Internet and search engines. Students will logon to their Edmodo accounts
using the classroom IPads. Students will work with a partner to answer
questions on the document that I uploaded on Edmodo called “Holocaust
Scavenger Hunt. Students must search the Internet with a partner to find the
answers. All questions and statements are centered on the Holocaust. I will
model how to research the information by answering the first three questions
for and with students.
4. Informative Writing Practice (20 minutes)
Students must take six answers that they found and write a brief informative
piece over the information they found in the Scavenger Hunt. Students can
choose any six items, however, they are must be included in their writing.
5. Review
If time permits, students and teacher will check each of the correct answers in
a game like fashion. Two pairs will get together and form a team. Together,
students will come to a consensus on the correct answer to each question.
Groups will receive a point for each correct answer.
Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
 To avoid students being off task during the use of computers,
I will give students a speech about classroom rules and procedures related to
technology use. Students as well as their parents will be required to give a
sign a contract stating they understand these rules and procedures prior to
touching any piece of technology.
 While using computers, students must position their computers directly in
front of them. If I am standing in the back of the classroom, I will be able to
monitor the work of each student. Having view of all students allows me to
monitor if students are appropriately using the technology.

In the event that particular students showcase disruptive behavior, I will first
redirect behavior. If the problem does not improve, I will separate the
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student from the rest of the class and call their parent at the end of the day to
inform them of their child’s behavior.
Technology
 For the Scavenger Hunt, students will need laptops. On every floor there is
a cart of laptop computers. I will reserve the cart for this particular day.
Students will also need to be fully registered on Edmodo.com. Students
who have been in the class for the entire year, have an account. Any new
students will need to register for an account on Edmodo.
Assessment
 To check for understanding I will conduct a teacher walk through. As I
walk through the class, I will monitor the work and comprehension of each
student while they are conducting the scavenger hunt.
Accommodations
 To accommodate students in this lesson, I will allow the special education
students to pick 10 of the 15 questions on the Scavenger Hunt to find the
answers to online. As always, I will provide direct assistance to any
students who may need one on one with the assignment.
Lesson 5
One hour and twenty minutes.
Materials:
Student Materials:
Independent Reading Material
Copy of “The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas”
Spirals
Laptop
Internet Access
Research Catcher Graphic Organizer
Teacher Materials:
Internet Access
Procedure:
1. Independent Reading (20 minutes)
 Students engage in silent sustained reading for 20 minutes. Students are
allowed to read any piece of reading material, i.e. books, magazines,
newspapers.
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2. Novel (20 minutes)
 With a partner students will, read chapter four and five of “The Boy in the
Stripped Pajamas”.
 While reading students must locate two thought provoking quotes within the
text and respond to them in the “Dialectical Journal” portion of their spirals
3. Research (40 minutes)
 Students will be given a research catcher graphic organizer. On this
particular graphic organizer all students will take notes on the birthplace,
birthday, gender, and the family of the person in which they are writing a
biography.
 Students will be given two different web sites where this information can be
found.
 I will model two things: 1) How search for the information 2) How to
summarize the information in the text and put it in my own words.
 Students will work independently.
 This research will serve as the information that will be used in their
Informative Writing Essay.
Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
 To avoid students being off task during the use of computers,
I will give students a speech about classroom rules and procedures related to
technology use. Students as well as their parents will be required to give a
sign a contract stating they understand these rules and procedures prior to
touching any piece of technology.
 While using computers, students must position their computers directly in
front of them. If I am standing in the back of the classroom, I will be able to
monitor the work of each student. Having view of all students allows me to
monitor if students are appropriately using the technology.
 In the event that particular students showcase disruptive behavior, I will first
redirect behavior. If the problem does not improve, I will separate the
student from the rest of the class and call their parent at the end of the day to
inform them of their child’s behavior.
Technology
 For the research process, students will need laptops. On every floor there is
a cart of laptop computers. I will reserve the cart for this particular day.
The teacher will need a laptop with a dongle connector to project my
computer screen onto the projector white screen.
Assessment
 To check for understanding I will conduct a teacher walk through. As I
walk through the class, I will monitor the work and comprehension of each
student while they are conducting their research. Also, at the end of the
class I will ask students to hold up four fingers if they found all four pieces
of the criteria we looked for today, three fingers if they found three, two
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fingers if they found two, and one finger if they only found one piece of the
research. This assessment will allow me to see who may need direct help
and/or who may need more time.
Accommodations
 For students who require accommodations, instead of the Research Catcher,
students will receive a cloze notes handout for their particular person
(Richardson & Raymond 157). This handout will contain sentences with
blanks, in which students must fill in with the appropriate information.
Lesson 6
One hour and twenty minutes.
Materials:
Student Materials:
Independent Reading Material
Spirals
Internet Access
Square-Circle-Triangle Graphic Organizer
Teacher Materials:
Internet Access
Link ready for the Elie Wiesel interview
Procedure:
4. Independent Reading (20 minutes)
 Students engage in silent sustained reading for 20 minutes. Students are
allowed to read any piece of reading material, i.e. books, magazines,
newspapers.
5. Elie Wiesel Interview (30 minutes)
 Students will watch the first half of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Eli
Wiesel.
 While Watching the video students will complete a Square-Circle-Triangle
graphic organizer. In the Square students will write ideas they hear that they
agree with. In the Circle students will writes ideas they hear that are circling
in their mind and they are not clear. Finally, in the Triangle, students will
write ideas they heard that they find interesting.
 After watching the first half of the interview, there will be a brief discussion
of what we just viewed.
Informative Writing (30 minutes)
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


For my Students I will model taking the information that we found during
the first part of our research and drafting it into a paragraph. This paragraph
will serve as the first draft of the first paragraph of our Informative Writing
Essay.
In the “Informative Writing” section of their spirals, students will
consolidate their research into a paragraph.
Specifics of this writing is listed below and will written on the board:
o Skip lines
o Include Proper Heading
o Five to Seven sentences long
o Include the persons name, birthday, birthplace, and family members.
Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
 While watching the movie students will be engaged in an activity. The
purpose of this written activity is not only to help students comprehend the
film, but to also keep students focused.

In the event that particular students showcase disruptive behavior, I will first
redirect behavior. If the problem does not improve, I will separate the
student from the rest of the class and call their parent at the end of the day to
inform them of their child’s behavior.
Technology
 Students will watch Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Elie Wiesel from
Oprah’s website.
Assessment
 To check for understanding I will conduct a teacher walk through. As I
walk through the class, I will monitor the work and comprehension of each
student while they are writing the first paragraph of their essay.
Accommodations
 To accommodate students in this lesson, I will offer sentence stems for
students to write their first paragraph. Offering sentences stems will assist
students in the writing process.
Lesson 7
One hour and twenty minutes.
Materials:
Student Materials:
Independent Reading Material
Copy of “The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas”
Spirals
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Laptop
Internet Access
Research Catcher Graphic Organizer
Teacher Materials:
Internet Access
Procedure:
6. Independent Reading (20 minutes)
 Students engage in silent sustained reading for 20 minutes. Students are
allowed to read any piece of reading material, i.e. books, magazines,
newspapers.
7. Novel (20 minutes)
 With a partner students will, read chapter six and seven of “The Boy in the
Stripped Pajamas.”
 While reading students must locate two thought provoking quotes within the
text and respond to them in the “Dialectical Journal” portion of their spirals
8. Research (40 minutes)
 Students will be given a research catcher graphic organizer. On this
particular graphic organizer all students will take notes on the conflicts or
struggles in which their person is known. Students must find four different
parts of information.
 Students will be given two different web sites where this information can be
found.
 I will model two things: 1) How search for the information 2) How to
summarize the information in the text and put it in my own words.
 Students will work independently.
 This research will serve as the information that will be used in their
Informative Writing Essay.
Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
 To avoid students being off task during the use of computers,
I will give students a speech about classroom rules and procedures related to
technology use. Students as well as their parents will be required to give a
sign a contract stating they understand these rules and procedures prior to
touching any piece of technology.
 While using computers, students must position their computers directly in
front of them. If I am standing in the back of the classroom, I will be able to
monitor the work of each student. Having view of all students allows me to
monitor if students are appropriately using the technology.
 In the event that particular students showcase disruptive behavior, I will first
redirect behavior. If the problem does not improve, I will separate the
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student from the rest of the class and call their parent at the end of the day to
inform them of their child’s behavior.
Technology
 For the research process, students will need laptops. On every floor there is
a cart of laptop computers. I will reserve the cart for this particular day.
The teacher will need a laptop with a dongle connector to project my
computer screen onto the projector white screen.
Assessment
 To check for understanding I will conduct a teacher walk through. As I
walk through the class, I will monitor the work and comprehension of each
student while they are conducting their research. Also, at the end of the
class I will ask students to hold up four fingers if they found all four pieces
of the criteria we looked for today, three fingers if they found three, two
fingers if they found two, and one finger if they only found one piece of the
research. This assessment will allow me to see who may need direct help
and/or who may need more time.
Accommodations
 For students who require accommodations, instead of the Research Catcher,
students will receive a cloze notes handout for their particular person
(Richardson & Raymond 157). This handout will contain sentences with
blanks, in which students must fill in with the appropriate information.
Part D. Review
The seven lessons in this unit only represent the first seven to eight days of
lessons within this unit. This unit will take one month to complete. Throughout the rest
of the unit students will continue finding research for the Informative Essay as well as
pulling the information from that research to finish writing their paper. Once the paper is
finish students will embark upon the writing process. Students will watch the second half
the Oprah Winfrey interview with Elie Wiesel in two weeks. Also, once “The Boy in the
Stripped Pajamas” has been completed, students will watch the movie and compare and
contrast the two different forms.
MLA Citation
This unit consisted of ideas and lessons taken from the following work,
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Richardson, Judy S., and Raymond F. Morgan. Reading to Learn in the Content Areas.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. 1990. Print.
Part E. Rubric for Assessments
Category
3
Exemplary
2
Average
1
Needs Improvement
Written
Reflections of
prejudice and
discrimination
Reflection contains
proper use of the words
“prejudice and
discrimination.”
Response was detailed
and thoughtful.
Reflection contains
appropriate use of only
one of the words
“prejudice and
discrimination.” Response
contained general
descriptors.
Reflection contains
incorrect use of the words “
prejudice and
discrimination.” Response
contained no descriptors.
Teacher WalkThrough
Student is deeply
engaged in the activity.
Student makes
connection to the newly
learned content into their
activity.
Student is fairly engaged
in the activity. Student
makes appropriate
connection to the newly
learned content into their
activity.
Student is not engaged in
the activity. Student needs
encouragement or
assistance to begin
assignment.
Oral Responses
Student was willing to
share thoughts and made
clear connection to the
content.
Student was uneasy to
share thoughts, however
did so in an appropriate
fashion. Some
connections are confusing
but student made an
honest effort.
Student refused to share
thoughts. No connections
could be observed.
Finger
Assessment
Student held up four
fingers. They completed
all of the research in the
designated amount of
time. They do not need
additional time.
Student held up three
fingers. They completed
three of the required
components of the day.
Student will need minimal
time to complete
assignment.
Student held up two or one
fingers. Student completed
two or one component of
the required research of the
day. In addition to more
time, student will need
assistance.