MISD Thematic Units to Teach Michigan’s ELA GLCEs—Unit 8.2 Appendix Revised
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry—Theme: Who you are depends on perspective.
1a.
1b1-3.
1c.
2a.
2b1-5.
Disposition, Theme, and Essential Question(s) [Lesson 1, 2]
The Holocaust Questionnaire [Lesson 1]
Quick Write Procedure [Lesson 1]
Unit 8.2 Unit Focus Questions[Lesson 2]
“A Short History of Nearly Everything,” Informational Text/Bookmark, Two Column Notes, and
Getting the Most from Discussions and Presentations [Lesson 2]
2c1-6. Close and Critical Reading Explanation, Close and Critical Student Sheet, Model, Rubric, Think
Aloud Strategy, and Strategies That Work [Lesson 2]
2d.
Genre: Historical Fiction [Lesson 2]
2e.
Genre: Historical Fiction Student Bookmark [Lesson 2]
2f.
The Devil’s Arithmetic Story Elements Part I [Lesson 2]
2g.
The Devil’s Arithmetic Story Elements Answer Key [Lesson 2]
2h.
Character Silhouette [Lesson 2, 11]
2i.
Vocabulary in Context Strategy [Lesson 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]
2j
The Passover Night – A basic information guide about Passover [Lesson 2]
2k.
A Portrait Poem [Lesson 2]
2l.
Old Man Poem [Lesson 2]
3a1-3. Reflective Inquiry – Close and Critical Reading Chapter 4 – pages 22-31 [Lesson 3]
3b1-3. Grammar Research and Inquiry Grammar Lesson Plan and Participial Worksheet [Lesson 3]
4a1-4. Ellipses [Lesson 4]
4b.
Focus Question #1 [Lesson 4]
4c1-2. Focus Question Rubric and Directions [Lesson 4]
5a.
The Devil’s Arithmetic Story Elements Part II [Lesson 5]
5b.
Character Description Matching [Lesson 5]
5c.
Family Traditions Poster [Lesson 5]
5d.
Poster Project: My Family Tradition Rubric [Lesson 5]
5e1-2. Infinitives [Lesson 5]
6a1-2. Context Clues [Lesson 6]
6b1-2. The History of the Holocaust [Lesson 6]
6c1-2. Highlight directions for The History of the Holocaust [Lesson 6]
7-8a1-4.Reader’s Theater for The Devil’s Arithmetic [Lesson 7-8]
7-8b. Quick Write #2 [Lesson 7-8]
9a.
Simile and Metaphor—Shame by Vivian Gilbert Zabel [Lesson 9]
9b1-2. Metaphor Activity [Lesson 9]
10.
“SKIN (Sara Beth)” recorded by Rascal Flatts [Lesson 10]
11.
Focus Question #2 [Lesson 11]
12a1-3. Reflective Inquiry – Close and Critical Read Chapter 14 – pp. 112-121 [Lesson 12]
12b1-3.“Why Genocide Matters” by: Nicholas Kristof Highlighted Reading [Lesson 12]
13a. “Obama remembers the Holocaust” by: Foon Rhee [Lesson 13]
13b1-2.Talking to the Text Procedure and Rubric
15.
Focus Question #3 [Lesson 15]
16a1-4. History of Darfur [Lesson 16]
16b. Venn Diagram [Lesson 16]
16c.
Persuasive Writing Organizer [Lesson 16]
16d1-4.ACT Persuasive Rubrics [Lesson 16]
17.
Enrichment Activities [Lesson 17]
17a.
Children of the Holocaust [Enrichment]
17b1-3. Novel/Movie Comparison [Enrichment]
17c.
KWL Family Tree [Enrichment]
17d.
Introduce Poetry: Haiku and Quatrain [Enrichment]
17e.
Poetry task [Enrichment]
17f.
“A Genetics Primer” by: National Institutes of Health [Enrichment]
17g1-3. “Elemental Composition of the Human Body” [Enrichment]
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
1
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Disposition, Theme, and Unit Focus Questions
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry
Theme: Who you are depends on your perspective.
Grade Level Essential Questions:
 How do I learn to learn?
 How do I discover new knowledge?
 How do I pursue a problem to the solution?
 How do I apply my learning?
 How do I see all situations in a bigger context?
 How do I respond to new situations or individuals different from
myself?
Unit Focus Questions:
1. What elements do you need to succeed (e.g. good home, loving parents,
stable environment, and praise to build self-esteem)?
2. What are some vital physical components and emotional components in
your life?
3. When you are pulled from your comfort zone, how do you react? (e.g.
house, neighborhood, school)
4. How do negative situations in your life affect your future?
Appendix #1a
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
2
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Name___________________________
The Holocaust
Questionnaire
Directions: Imagine yourself under the following conditions. Then, using a pen or pencil, answer
the questions asked by checking either A or B, or filling in the blank for C.
1.
Let’s suppose that your existing democratic government is suddenly overtaken by a new
dictatorship-type of government. The new government in control decides that from now on
the right to speak and worship freely is forbidden. Should you choose not to obey the new
regulations, you will be severely punished, jailed, or put to death.
How would you respond to such harsh regulations?
____(A) I would obey the new regulations just a the new government decreed.
____(B) I would not obey them despite the risks involved.
____(C) I would do the following:__________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2.
Heavily armed soldiers have arrived and completely encircled your house.
Everyone is ordered to get out of the house and told to congregate on the street. Afterwards
an order is given to start marching toward the railroad station. On the way to the station,
you notice that your other neighbors of the same religious faith are also ordered to march to
the railroad station, while the neighbors and friends that are of a different religious faith are
left safely behind at their homes without any harm being brought upon them.
While the neighbors that are left safely behind do not wish that any harm come upon you or
your family, they make no attempt to help or protest to the authorities regarding the forced
deportations.
What should your neighbors have done?
____(A) My neighbors had no moral obligation to protest or help me.
____(B) My neighbors should have protested and offered help.
____(C) They should have done the following:_________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Appendix #1b1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
3
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
3.
You, your family, and other people of the same religious faith as yours are ordered to get
into a totally enclosed, cattle-type freight train. The guards close and lock the doors.
You are given no food or water nor told of the journey’s destination. After several days of
traveling, the train comes to a stop. Armed soldiers unlock and open the doors and you are
ordered off the train. Without any warning you are forcibly separated from your family
and place with an adult group. You see armed soldiers beating other children who resisted
being separated from their parents. You cannot understand why they are so brutal, but you
have no time to think about it because your main concern now is how you are going to
survive this horrible ordeal.
Seeing what is happening, would you attempt to complain to the authorities about the harsh
treatments and risk being punished for it, or would you just remain silent and do what they
tell you to do?
____(A) I would complain about the harsh treatments , even at risk of being punished
for it.
____(B) I would do what I was told to do for fear of being punished.
____(C) I would do the following: _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4.
You are placed in a work group where you march about eight miles to work, work all day
building air raid shelters, and then march eight miles back to camp. There are two guards
with sub-machine guns for every work group of 12 people. The guards shoot people who
pass out from exhaustion.
What would you do if you found yourself in this situation?
____(A) I would try to escape while I was away from the camp.
____(B) I would try to hold out hoping for the end of the war and release.
____(C) I would do the following:_____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Appendix #1b2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
4
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
5.
After over fourteen months of imprisonment, you are finally liberated and have
returned home. Upon arrival, you find out that you are the only one from your family
who survived the horrors in captivity. All others have perished in the death camps.
What actions would you take?
____(A) I would do everything possible to bring the murderers to justice.
____(B) I would take justice into my own hands.
____(C) I would attempt to make a new beginning.
____(D) I would attempt to end my life.
____(E) I would do the following:_____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6.
Years later, many books and articles are written stating that ordeals such as you went
through in the camps really did not happen.
How would you respond and react to that?
____(A) I would remain silent.
____(B) I would counteract that by telling what I had seen and experienced.
____(C) I would do the following:____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Appendix #1b3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
5
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Quick Write Procedure
What is it?
Quick writes are most often used to develop fluency. In quick writes, students write
rapidly and without stopping in response to literature and for other types of impromptu
writing. Quick writes, provide students with a means of quickly representing their
thinking. Rather than being concerned with correct spelling, punctuation, and word
usage, the student is more interested in simply responding to the prompt in a personal
way. Students reflect on what they know about a topic, ramble on paper, generate
words and ideas, and make connections among the ideas. Young children often do
quick writes in which they draw pictures and add labels. Some students do a mixture of
writing and drawing.
Students do quick writes for a variety of purposes:
 Learning logs:
Immediately following a particular lesson, engaging activity, or discussion,
pause and allow students to reflect in their learning logs or journals. Share
responses.
 Constructed response to literature:
--to activate prior knowledge
--to reflect on a theme of a story and how it relates to them personally
--to describe a favorite character
 Reflections on new learning:
--students write an explanation of what something means
--to define or explain a word on the word wall
How to do a quick write
1. The teacher selects a purpose for the students. This prompt should be tied to a
content area and elicit a personal response from the student.
2. After listening to the prompt, the student is instructed to write a response by jotting
down whatever comes to mind. The time limit should be no longer than 5-10
minutes in length. When students are first doing quick writes, start with 2 minutes of
writing and increase the time gradually. Students write until instructed to stop. They
are allowed to only finish their thought when “time” is called.
3. Quick writes may be used several times in a day. They may provide a “nugget” for a
more extended piece of writing.
4. When it is time to share, students read their writing to a small group of four or five
students. Volunteers could also share with the whole group.
Appendix #1c
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
6
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Unit 8.2 – Unit Focus Questions
1. What elements do you need to succeed (e.g. good home, loving parents, stable environment,
and praise to build self-esteem)?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. What are some vital physical components and emotional components in your life?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. When you are pulled from your comfort zone (e.g. house, neighborhood, school), how do you
react?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. How do negative situations in your life affect your future?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Appendix #2a
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
7
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
A Short History of Nearly Everything
By Bill Bryson (ISBN 0-7679-0818-X)
Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting
here wasn’t easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize.
To begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to
assemble in an intricate and intriguingly obliging manner to create you. It’s an
arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will
only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will
uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, cooperative efforts necessary to keep
you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally
underappreciated state known as existence.
Why atoms take this trouble is a bit of a puzzle. Being you is not a gratifying
experience at the atomic level. For all their devoted attention, your atoms don’t actually
care about you-indeed, don’t even know that you are there. They don’t even know that
they are there. They are mindless particles, after all, and not even themselves alive. (It
is a slightly arresting notion that if you were to pick yourself apart with tweezers, one
atom at a time, you would produce a mound of fine atomic dust, none of which had even
been alive but all of which had once been you.) Yet somehow for the period of your
existence they will answer to a single overarching impulse: to keep you you.
The bad news is that atoms are fickle and their time of devotion is fleetingfleeting indeed. Even a long human life adds up to only about 650,000 hours. And
when that modest milestone flashes past, or at some other point thereabouts, for reasons
unknown your atoms will shut you down, silently disassemble, and go off to other
things. And that’s it for you.
Still, you may rejoice that it happens at all. Generally speaking in the universe it
doesn’t, so far as we can tell. This is decidedly odd because the atoms that so liberally
and congenially flock together to form living things on Earth are exactly the same atoms
that decline to do it elsewhere. Whatever else it may be, at the level of chemistry, life is
curiously mundane: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, a little calcium, a dash of
sulfur, a light dusting of other very ordinary elements-nothing you wouldn’t find in any
ordinary drugstore-and that’s all you need. The only thing special about the atoms that
make you is that they make you. That is of course the miracle of life.
Appendix #2b1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
8
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Genre: Informational Text
Informational text gives factual information on a specific topic or event.
Definition:
 Informational text is “..designed primarily to explain, argue or describe rather than to
entertain.” (from Harris, et al. The Literacy Dictionary, IRA, 1995)
 “The main function of expository text is to present the reader information about theories,
predictions, persons, facts, dates, specifications, generalizations, limitations, and conclusions.”
(Michael F. Graves and Wayne H. Slater. “Research on Expository Text: Implications for
Teachers” in Children’s Comprehension of Text, K. Denise Muth, editor, IRA, 1989.)
Purpose:
 To acquire information
 To satisfy curiosity
 To understand our world more fully
 To understand new concepts and expand vocabulary
 To make connections to our lives and learning
 To write good nonfiction
 To have fun
(from Stephanie Harvey. Nonfiction Matters, Stenhouse, 1998)
Form and Features:
Informational text uses a number of forms of organization including:
 Sequence of events
 Description by categories
 Process description
 Comparison/contrast
 Problem and solution
 Cause and effect
Informational text…
 gives information,
 gives necessary explanations to understand the information,
 shows what is and is not important, and
 often uses narrative(story) elements to make it interesting.
(from Barbara Reed and Elaine Weber. Expository Text: What Is A Teacher To Do? ABC Publishing, 1990.)
Informational text may have some or all of the following features:
 Table of contents and Index
 Photographs and realistic, accurate illustrations
 Captions to describe photographs, illustrations, etc.
 Maps and diagrams
 Glossary (words with definitions)
 Footnotes
 Bibliographies
Appendix #2b2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
9
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Informational Text Bookmark
Informational Text Bookmark
Informational Text Bookmark
Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event
Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event
Gives facts or information on a specific topic or event
Name:
Name:
Name:
Title:
Title:
Title:
List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre
characteristics you find as you read.
List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre
characteristics you find as you read.
List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre
characteristics you find as you read.
Gives information/facts.
Gives information/facts.
Gives information/facts.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect,
compare/contrast, position/support, etc.
Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect,
compare/contrast, position/support, etc.
Organized by sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect,
compare/contrast, position/support, etc.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions,
maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc.
Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions,
maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc.
Features include: index/contents, photographs/captions,
maps/diagrams, glossary, bibliography, etc.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.
p.
Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.
Appendix #2b3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
10
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.
TWO-COLUMN NOTES
Text:
Date:
EVIDENCE
INTERPRETATION
What I read in the text
Questions I have…
Appendix #2b4
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
11
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Getting the Most From Discussions and Presentations
Group Discussion Guidelines
How to get the most out of
listening…
 Be attentive and civil.
 Monitor message for clarity and
understanding.
 Gain the floor politely.
 Pose appropriate questions.
 Ask relevant questions.
 Tolerate lack of consensus.
 Provide verbal and nonverbal
feedback.
 Notice cues such as change of
pace and emphasis that indicate
a new point is about to be
made.
 Take notes to organize essential
information.
How to be a good team member…
 Fulfill roles and
responsibilities.
What to do in discussions…
 Pose questions.
 Listen to others.
 Pose relevant questions.
 Contribute ideas.
 Give and follow instructions.
 Reflect on and revise initial
responses.
 Acknowledge and build on
ideas of others.
 Offer dissent courteously.
Appendix #2b5
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
12
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
What is Close and Critical Reading?
Close and critical reading is the ability to comprehend information, analyze how it is
presented, determine the purpose and perspective of the author, establish what it means,
and apply it to your life.
Dr. Elaine Weber
The following four questions are used to move students from comprehending the
information to the final application to their own lives. These four steps or modes of
analysis are reflected in four types of reading and discussion:




What a text says – restatement
What a text does – description
What a text means – interpretation
What does the text mean to me (So what?) – application
You can distinguish each mode of analysis by the subject matter of the discussion:

What a text says – restatement – talks about the same topic as the original
(summary or restatement)

What a text does – description – discusses aspects of the discussion itself
(choices of content, language, and structure)

What a text means – interpretation — analyzes the text and asserts a meaning for
the text as a whole
(putting the message in a larger context and determine theme)

So what does it mean to me – application of the text to my life
(finding the relevance of the bigger meaning/theme to my life)
The Tools of Critical Reading: analysis and inference.
1. What to look for (analysis) - involves recognizing those aspects of a discussion
that control the meaning
2. How to think about what you find (inference) - involves the processes of inference,
the interpretation of data from within the text.
Appendix #2c1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
13
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
8.2 Close and Critical Reading—“A Short History of Nearly Everything”—Student
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry— Theme: Who you are depends on your perspective
What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the excerpt from “A Short History of Nearly
Everything” at the literal level.)
How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose?
(What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?)
What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?)
So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and/or in the lives of others?
Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or to the lives of
others?
Appendix #2c2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
14
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
8.2 Close and Critical Reading—“A Short History of Nearly Everything”—Teacher
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry—Theme: Who you are depends on your perspective.
What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the excerpt from “A Short History of Nearly
Everything” at the literal level.) The author/speaker is delighted that the person can make it. He
realizes it was difficult to make it and probably more difficult than the person realizes. Trillions of atoms
must connect in just the right way to create a person. However, these atoms do not have any investment
in the person. In fact, they are mindless particles. If a person were to pick himself/herself apart one atom
at a time, he/she would produce a pile of atomic dust. The person’s atoms will work together to keep the
person alive. However, ultimately the atoms will shut down and go on “to other things.” Yet, there is
reason to rejoice as only on Earth do atoms join together in such a way as to create life.
How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her purpose?
(What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?) First the title promises humor: “A Short
History of Nearly Everything.” The words “short” and “history” are incongruent, and the words “of
Nearly Everything” only further expand the absurdity. The genre is a speech or at least the format of a
speech. The author’s lead is a traditional welcome, but given the topic it is tongue-in-cheek humor. Note
the introduction in the first paragraph: “Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted you could make
it.” The author’s words have two layers of meaning. The author is glad for the audience making it to the
speech, but he is also glad that the audience was able to make it to existence. The organization of the
speech is a thesis with proof. The thesis: “Getting here wasn’t easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a
little tougher than you realize.” The proof is the rest of the speech. In the second paragraph of the
speech, the author switches from first person to second person. The author’s tone is familiar, and he
creates a mood of humor. He uses description to convey the miracle or accidental creation of “you.” For
example, “trillions of drifting atoms” were able to create “an arrangement so specialized and particular
that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once.” The author’s word choice is specific and
emphasizes the “puzzle” of existence. The impersonal and accidental creation of “you” is emphasized
through the author’s words: “For all their devoted attention, your atoms don’t actually care about youindeed, don’t even know that you are there. They don’t even know that they are there.” The author
provides the reader with visual images that make his point: “…if you were to pick yourself apart with
tweezers, one atom at a time, you would produce a mound of fine atomic dust….” The author uses
parentheses to make conversational side notes to the reader/audience: (we hope). The author’s constant
use of “you” smacks of instruction and lecture.
What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?)
Who you are depends on your perspective.
So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and/or in the lives of others?
Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or to the lives of
other? Answers will vary but might resemble the following. I have always thought this way about
cooking but have never thought about it in terms of human life. It is amazing that you mix egg, flour,
butter, etc. then bake the ingredients which result in a cake. Two people can use the same ingredients and
create different results. There is a spark to creation that cannot completely be described by science.
However, given the miracle of each of us and the uniqueness of each human being, one cannot help but
wonder about those lost to the gas chambers of the Holocaust. Perhaps those that walked through the
gates of Auschwitz contained a Nobel Peace Winner, the scientist who would have cured cancer, or the
woman who would have given birth to the first female president of the United States of America. We will
never know, because they will never again exist. So, to extend the concept, one could say that humanity is
more than its members. When we hurt one of us, we hurt all of us.
Appendix #2c3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
15
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
MISD ELA Unit Assessment: Close and Critical Reading Rubric (R.CS.07.01, W.PR.07.01-05)
3 (meets assignment)
2 (partially meets)
1 (minimally meets)
Answer is accurate,
Answer is accurate, significant, and
Answer is inaccurate or a
significant, and relevant
relevant but has few details to support or misinterpretation with little or no
with many details and
explain the answer.
relevance to text or question.
examples.
Attempts at organization are partially
Ideas and content are not developed
Details support point.
successful.
with details or appear random.
Word choice and
Word choice and errors in conventions
Word choice and errors in
conventions support
do not distract from meaning.
conventions may distract from
meaning.
meaning.
Answer is relevant with
Answer is relevant but has few details to Answer contains misinterpretation
How does it say it? In
support or explain the answer.
and has little or no relevance to text,
other words, how does the many details and
examples.
Attempts at organization are partially
question, or genre.
author develop the text to
Details support point.
successful.
Ideas and content are developed with
convey his/her purpose?
Word choice and
Word choice and errors in conventions
few or no details.
(What are the genre,
conventions support
do not distract from meaning.
Word choice and errors in
format, organization,
meaning.
conventions may distract from
features, etc.?)R.NT.07.02,
R.NT.07.04, R.IT.07.01,
meaning.
Questions
What does the text say?
(Briefly summarize the
story.)
R.CM.07.02
Score
__/3
__/3
R.IT.07.02, R.IT.07.03
What does the text mean?
(What theme/concept is
the author trying to get
across?) R.NT.07.04,
R.IT.07.01, R.CM.07.03
So what? (What does the
message/theme/concept
mean in your life and/or in
the lives of others? Why is
it worth sharing/telling?
What significance does it
have to your life and/or to
the lives of others?)
R.CM.07.01, R.CM.07.03
Answer is relevant with
many details and
examples.
Details support point.
Word choice and
conventions support
meaning.
Answer is relevant and/or
insightful with many
details and examples.
Details support point.
Word choice and
conventions support
meaning.
Adapted from MISD Thematic Literature Units, 2007
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
16
Answer is relevant but has few details to
support or explain the answer.
Attempts at organization are partially
successful.
Word choice and errors in conventions
do not distract from meaning.
Answer is relevant but has few details to
support or explain the answer.
Attempts at organization are partially
successful.
Word choice and errors in conventions
do not distract from meaning.
Answer contains misinterpretation
and little or no relevance to text or
question or is a retelling or summary.
Ideas are not developed with details.
Word choice and errors in
conventions may distract from
meaning.
Answer contains misinterpretation
and has little or no relevance to text
or question. Answer appears random
or inappropriate.
Ideas and content are not developed
with details.
Word choice and errors in
conventions may distract from
meaning.
Appendix #2c4
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
__/3
__/3
Total
__/12
Think Aloud Procedure
Making Thinking Public
The Literacy Dictionary (Harris and Hodges, 1995, IRA) defines a think aloud as “1. oral
verbalization, 2. in literacy instruction - a metacognitive technique or strategy in which the
teacher verbalizes aloud while reading a selection orally, thus modeling the process of
comprehension (Davey, 1983).”
Put another way, a think aloud is making thinking public. A teacher models what an
expert would be thinking as s/he were reading, visualizing, listening; or preparing to write,
speak or visually represent. The goal of thinking aloud is to graphically show students
what they might do to understand what they are reading, viewing or listening to, as well as,
plan for writing or speaking.
Following is an example of a think aloud for figuring out the meaning of an unfamiliar
word in context:
“It’s important while we read to be able to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
When I come to a word I don’t know the meaning of, I read the words and sentences
around that word to try to figure out what the word might mean.
The other day I was reading this great mystery, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I read
the following paragraph with lots of challenging words:
‘Sam Westing was not murdered, but one of his heirs was guilty – guilty of some offense
against a relentless man. And that heir was in danger. From his grave Westing would
stalk his enemy and through his heirs he would wreak his revenge.’
It was a paragraph about Sam Westing who had just died and left a challenge behind to
find his killer(s). I knew most of the words. I knew ‘relentless’ meant that Sam Westing
never gave up until he got what he wanted. I knew that ‘stalk his enemy’ meant that even
after death, Sam Westing would somehow go after and find his enemy. But I wasn’t sure
what ‘wreak his revenge’ meant. I knew that revenge meant Sam Westing would get even
with his enemy, so I figured that “wreak” must be a stronger way to say, ‘get his revenge.’
I’ve heard the word ‘wreak’ before, and now I’ll keep it in my mind and may be able to
use it in writing sometime. I will know it when I see it in print”.
Appendix #2c5
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
17
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Strategies that Work







Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey and Ann Goudvis
asking questions
visualizing
determining importance
synthesizing
inferring
making connections
repairing comprehension
 Asking questions means stopping while reading to ask questions like, ‘What is the author’s purpose
or theme for this selection?’ or ‘Why did the author include that information or that event?’
 Visualizing means to make pictures in your mind about what’s going on in the selection so you can
understand the selection better.
 Determining importance is asking what is most important in a selection as opposed to the details.
 Synthesizing means combining new ideas from what I have read with what I already know to learn
something that will help me understand a selection or my own life better.
 Inferring means ‘reading between the lines’ or filling in ideas and meaning that the author leaves
out. It is using what you know to figure out what the author does not come right out and tell you.
 Making connections means putting things together from what I know, other stories I have read
and/or what I have experienced and know about the world, to help me understand what I read better
 Repairing comprehension means to use strategies to make sense when comprehension is interrupted.
You might say something like the following: ‘As good/expert readers read, they monitor their
comprehension; they repair their comprehension when it breaks down. Being aware of this
monitoring/repairing and knowing and using strategies, helps readers to better understand and
remember what they read. Expert readers use some or all of the following strategies when reading is
not making sense:

slow down—adjust reading rate,

stop and think—make connections to own knowledge and experience, to related text(s)
and/or to the larger world,

reread—try to find the thread of meaning,

continue reading—look for cues and/or use context clues,

retell or summarize—think through or briefly write what has been discovered so far in
reading,

reflect in writing—make comments about what reader feels about what he/she has learned
so far,

visualize—see in one’s mind what is happening or described in the text,

ask questions of the author—then predict answers and read to confirm,

use text patterns or text resources, and/or

consult another student or the teacher.
Appendix #2c6
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
18
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction
History is the study of change over time. Historical fiction brings history to life by placing appealing
characters in accurately described historical settings. Historical fiction is realistic fiction set in a time
remote enough from the present to be considered history. Although the story is imaginary, it is within
the realm of possibility that such events could have occurred. In these stories, historical facts blend
with imaginary characters and plot (Lynch-Brown, 1999). The historical fiction genre uses imaginative
and figurative language to entice students into historical explorations. Students are exposed to a study
of history on an emotional and cognitive level through the interaction of character, drama, and facts of
the past. According to Nilsen and Donelson (2001), “As with any literary form, there are standards for
judging historical novels. They should be historically accurate and steeped in the sense of time and
place. We should recognize totems and taboos, food, clothing, vocations, leisure activities, customs,
smells, religions, literature, and all that goes into making one time and one place unique from another.”
Historical novels allow us the courage needed to face conflict as they identify with characters dealing
with conflict in a historical period. from www.coe.ufl.edu/faculty/pace/english_ed/genre%202/historical.pdf
Definition:
 A narrative (story) of past events and characters, partly historical but largely imaginative. (from
Harris, et al. The Literacy Dictionary, IRA, 1995)
Purpose:
 To entertain
 To involve the reader in the lives of historically realistic characters and real events from
history.
Form and Features:
 Opens with the background information needed to understand the story and introduces
characters in a setting, conflict, problem or goal.
 The middle of a piece of historical fiction (realistic fiction) develops the plot including the
story’s events, the characters reactions to these events, and the roadblocks the characters
encounter. The plot builds to a climax (the point at which the conflict reaches its greatest
height and the crisis or turning point occurs).
 Historical fiction ends with a resolution to the conflict or problem or a conclusion.
 Plot: the sequence of events usually set in motion by a problem that begins the action or causes
the conflict that is realistic for that period in history (from Cornett, C. Integrating Literature and
the Arts Through the Curriculum, Simon and Schuster, 1999.)
 Conflict, the tension that exists between the forces in the character’s life, is important in
historical fiction and can be in four forms:
- Person – against – self
- Person – against – person
- Person – against – nature
- Person – against – society
 Historical fiction is realistic fiction; so, the characters must seem like real people, the actions of
the characters must seem real and the setting must also be realistic and historically accurate.
 Features of historical fiction:
- setting is a specific time and place in history,
- real events are mixed with fictional events,
- historical characters are mixed with fictional characters, and
- the dialogue shows character’s perspectives, moves the plot along, and shows what
people knew and thought about at that time in history.
Appendix #2d
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
19
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Historical Fiction Bookmark
Historical Fiction Bookmark
Historical Fiction Bookmark
Based on historical fact with details from the author’s
mind or imagination
Name:
Based on historical fact with details from the author’s
mind or imagination
Name:
Based on historical fact with details from the author’s
mind or imagination
Name:
Title:
Title:
Title:
List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre
characteristics you find as you read.
List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre
characteristics you find as you read.
List the page number and a brief reminder of the genre
characteristics you find as you read.
Based on fact with details from author’s imagination
Based on fact with details from author’s imagination
Based on fact with details from author’s imagination
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
Set in a historical period
Set in a historical period
Set in a historical period
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
Real characters and events are mixed with fictional
characters and events.
Real characters and events are mixed with fictional
characters and events.
Real characters and events are mixed with fictional
characters and events.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
p.
Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.
Appendix #2e
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
20
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Copyright 2005, MacombISD All Rights Reserved.
Name:_________________________Period#:_____________________
The Devil’s Arithmetic
Story Elements
Time Period/Place
Time Period/Place
Time Period/Place
Characters
Characters
Setting
Problem
Events
Appendix #2f
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
21
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Name:_________________________Period#:_____________________
The Devil’s Arithmetic
Story Elements
Time Period/Place Time Period/Place
Time Period/Place
April, New Rochelle, NY,
present time
Characters
Hannah
Hannah’s Mother
Grandpa Will
Grandma Belle
Aunt Eve
Hannah’s Father
Aunt Rose
Setting
New Rochelle, NY
Bronx
Problem
Hannah vs. Family
Traditions
GPA Will vs. Nazis
Hannah vs. idea of family
Events
Passover Seder
Appendix #2g
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
22
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Character Silhouette
Appendix #2h
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
23
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Vocabulary in Context Strategy
Learning vocabulary in context is much more powerful and effective. Students
understand the words better, will remember them, and will more often recognize
the word and its meaning when next encountered. This is a simple vocabulary
strategy that only involves dictionary work as a last resort.
Procedures:
 Assign or let students choose partners.
 Display the vocabulary words with page numbers.
 Tell students in partners to:
1. find each listed word,
2. read the sentences (context) around the word, then try to figure out
what the word means,
3. check their definitions with the dictionary (if necessary), and
4. jot down their “working definition” in their own words, and
5. also write down why this word is important to the selection.
Encourage students to begin to keep a personal dictionary of new words that
they might use in conversation and in writing.
Appendix #2i
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
24
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
The Passover Seder Night - A Basic Information Guide About Passover by Dorit Sasson
Passover celebrates the journey of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, probably in the 1200s B.C.E. The
story of Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is told in the Bible in Chapter 12 of the Book of Exodus. It begins
with the death of Joseph and the rise of a new Egyptian Pharaoh, which brings in an era of slavery for the
Israelites.
The celebration of Passover begins after sundown on the 14th day of Nissan, the first month of the Jewish
year. The central activity of the Pesach celebration is the telling of the story of the Exodus (long journey
from captivity in Egypt) to future generations. Jewish families gather in their homes at a ceremonial feast
called the Seder, which means 'order' in Hebrew. At the Seder, Jews read the story of the journey of the
Israelites from a significant book known as the Haggadah. The Haggadah not only tells the story of
Passover, but also gives procedures for conducting the seder. There are also special foods, which symbolize
the journey from Egypt which have their place on the Passover seder plate and are referred to in the
Haggadah.
Passover Symbols
There are special symbols on the Passover Seder plate. Each symbol has special significance to the theme
of religious freedom for the Jewish people.
 Matzah - otherwise known as unleavened bread. According to the Bible, when the Israelites fled
from religious persecution, they did not have time to let their bread rise. They made flat, unleavened
bread instead. Therefore, Jews eat matzot. (plural form for matzah).
 Horseradish - This food underscores the bitterness of the Jewish experience.
 Haroset (Hebrew) - A combination of chopped nuts and apples (called Haroset in Hebrew)
symbolizes the building mortar used by the Hebrew slaves in their forced labor.
 Karpas - a vegetable, usually parsley, is dipped in salt water and eaten. The vegetable symbolizes
the beginnings of the Jews; the green 'Parsley' represents the fields of Goshen while the salt water
symbolizes the tears due to the years in bondage.
 Maror - or bitter herbs. Sometimes romaine lettuce is used but most Jews use raw horseradish to
symbolize the bitterness of slavery. The maror is dipped in charoset for building the hope for
sweeter times for the Jewish people.
Special Passover Traditions
 Hiding the Afikoman - Children love searching a piece of matzah that is hidden. Different families
have different traditions relating to the Afikoman. Some families give a special gift like money.
 A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Passover. This begins with the
youngest person asking The Four Questions. The Four Questions are also known as Mah Nishtanah
(Why is it different?), which are the first words of the Four Questions, and is often sung.
Preparing for Passover
Passover is a very difficult and enormous holiday to prepare for. Jews are not allowed to keep wheat, rye,
barley, oats and spelt, which are typically used for bread making - otherwise known as 'chametz'. Chametz
is sold to non-Jews. There should be no crumbs in the house. All areas that have contact with food must be
cleaned from top to bottom. Observant Jews start cleaning their houses a few weeks before Passover. Pots
and pans are literally disinfected.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Passover-Sedar-Night---A-Basic-Information-Guide-About Passover&id=2135026
Appendix #2j
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
A Portrait Poem
from Art Belliveau
Poetry deals with the emotions, just as music. An autobiographical poem is personal—it reveals something
about the person writing the poem. It does not have to rhyme. Below is a simple plan to write your own
autobiographical poem. Just follow the steps and—before you know it—it’s done.
Format
I am (first and last name)
Son/Daughter of (I've also used brother/sister of...)
Sibling of…
Who needs ..
Who loves ..
Who sees ..
Who hates ..
Who fears ..
Who dreams of..
Resident of …
(last name)
For example, our main character Hannah’s poem would be written this way.
I am Hannah.
Daughter of mom and dad (no proper nouns were provided).
Sibling of Aaron.
Who needs to fit in my social world and to find meaning in my family’s heritage.
Who loves Aaron, Rosemarie, and my family.
Who sees a five digit number on my Grandpa Will’s arm.
Who hates family traditions, “not being normal”, remembering, and car rides.
Who fears being embarrassed by my Grandfather’s anger.
Who dreams of following the norm and getting my braces off.
Resident of New Rochelle, New York.
Stern
Appendix #2k
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
26
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Old Man by Ricardo Sanchez
old man
with brown skin
talking of past
when being shephard
in utah, nevada, colorado and new mexico
was life lived freely;
old man,
grandfather,
wise with time
running rivulets on face,
deep, rich furrows,
each one a legacy,
deep, rich memories
of life . . .
"you are indio,
among other things,"
he would tell me
during nights spent
so long ago
amidst familial gatherings
in albuquerque . . .
old man, loved and respected,
he would speak sometimes
of pueblos,
san juan, santa clara,
and even santo domingo,
and his family, he would say,
came from there:
some of our blood was here,
he would say,
before the coming of coronado,
other of our blood
came with los españoles
and the mixture
was rich,
though often painful . . .
old man,
who knew earth
by its awesome aromas
and who felt
the heated sweetness
of chile verde
by his supple touch,
gone into dust is your body
with its stoic look and resolution,
but your reality, old man, lives on
in a mindsoul touched by you . . .
Appendix #2l
Old Man . . .
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
27
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
8.2 Close and Critical Reading—The Devil’s Arithmetic, Chapter 4 —Student
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry— Theme: Who you are depends on your perspective.
What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the Chapter 4 from The Devil’s Arithmetic at the
literal level.)
How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her
purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?)
What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?)
So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and/or in the lives of others?
Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or to the lives of
others?)
Appendix #3a1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
28
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
8.2 Close and Critical Reading—The Devil’s Arithmetic, Chapter 4 —Teacher
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry— Theme: Who you are depends on your perspective.
What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the chapter at the literal level.) Hannah opens a door
and sees a man walking toward the house. She asks her grandfather how he created this image, and
when she turns around to hear his answer the house has changed. Hannah is being spoken to in
Yiddish by a woman named Gitl. The man walking toward the house is named Shmuel. She discovers
they consider themselves her aunt and uncle, as her parents died due to illness. Yet, she clearly
remembers her past and her friends. So, at first Hannah thinks it is a trick, but then she begins to think
she is in a dream. Gitl and Shmuel live together, though Shmule is getting married the next day to a
woman named Fayge. Gitl and Shmuel call Hannah by the name of Chaya. Hannah remembers that
Chaya is her Hebrew name. She is named after her Aunt Eva’s dead friend. Gitl had the opportunity to
marry the butcher, but she turned him down as he just wanted someone to raise his children. Shmuel
teases Gitl that she is waiting for a man she knows in America to write and send for her. However,
Gitl intends to live and die in the shetel as her parents did. They eat dinner together and Gitl puts
Hannah to bed. Gitl reminds Hannah that they are family.
How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her
purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?) The genre is historical fiction;
it is a chapter from a novel. The story is told from the point of Hannah, the protagonist of the story.
The author appears to be using a time shift in this chapter. For example, Hannah is asking her
grandfather a question, but when she turns around the room is transformed: “Behind her the elegant
meal, with its many plates, goblets, glasses, and silverware, was gone. Instead there was a polished
table on which a single wooden bowl sat between two ornate silver candlesticks.” Hannah appears to
have time traveled to the past, as the man called Shmuel speaks of possessing “two fine workhorses.”
In contrast, Hannah’s world is filled with “earphones” and “braces.” The door appears to be the portal:
“Hannah looked out the door again, as if it could offer her some clue. Since she’d opened one door
and entered this daydream, perhaps going through another would bring her home again.” The author
uses italics three different ways. First, Hannah’s internal dialogue is italicized: “It must be the wine,
Hannah thought. It’s giving me daydreams.” Second, the italics are used for foreign (Yiddish) words:
“A goy zugt a vertl meant ‘As the peasant says….’” Third, italics are used to emphasize words: “For
the more they talked, the more she realized they were not talking in English.” Quotation marks are
used for dialogue; the three characters (Hannah, Shmuel, and Gitl) all have dialogue in the chapter.
The author starts a new paragraph each time a new character speaks. The conflict in this chapter
appears to be man against self, in other words, Hannah versus herself. The setting appears to be
somewhere in Europe given the Yiddish and the country setting, and the working farm suggests that it
is prior to the motorization of farm equipment. The author uses foreshadowing: “Chaya. But that’s my
Hebrew name, Hannah thought. The one I was given to honor Aunt Eva’s dead friend. Weird.” Also,
Gitl’s words give the reader a sense of foreshadowing: “‘I will live and die in the shtetl, as did our
parents and as did their parents before them. That is how it should be.’” The author reveals the traits
of the characters through their dialogue and actions. For example, Shmuel teases his sister Gitl and
winks at Hannah when he does tease her. Shmuel and Gitl both use the same metaphor. Shmuel’s
exact words are “All butchers are monsters to someone who refuses meat….” It is an interesting
metaphor to use twice. It may also be an example of foreshadowing.
Appendix #3a2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
29
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?)
Humanity is shaped by the past and humanity shapes the future.
So what? (What does the message/ theme/ concept mean in your life and /or in the lives of
others? Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and or to the
lives of others?) My daughter’s middle name is Marie. Her middle name was the same middle name
as my great-aunt. I wanted to have Mid (my great-aunt) live on after her death. Yet, it was not just the
name that made Mid live on through my daughter. It was the stories that went with the name, and the
little sayings: “Pretty is as pretty does.” Mid is part of my daughter. Recently, my first grandchild
was born. Her middle name is the same as mine. The story continues. I am part of the past, the
present, and the future.
Appendix #3a3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Notes on Grammar Instruction
Writing Next: What does not work… (Graham, Steve, and Dolores Perin. Writing Next: Effective Strategies to
Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools. A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. New York:
Carnegie Corporation. 2007.)
“Grammar instruction in the studies reviewed involved the explicit and systematic teaching of the parts
of speech and the structure of sentences. The meta-analysis found an effect for this type of instruction
for students across a full range of ability, but surprisingly, this effect was negative….Such findings
raise serious questions about some educators’ enthusiasm for traditional grammar instruction as a focus
of writing instruction for adolescents (p. 21).”
Writing Next: What does work…
“. . . a recent study (Fearn and Farnam 2005) found that teaching students to focus on function and
practical application of grammar within the context of writing (versus teaching grammar as an
independent activity) produced strong and positive effects on students’ writing. Overall, the findings
on grammar instruction suggest that, although teaching grammar is important, alternative procedures,
such as sentence combining, are more effective than traditional approaches for improving the quality
of students’ writing (p. 21).”
Jeff Anderson, Inquiry Grammar: http://www.writeguy.net/teachers.htm
Editing instruction became an editing process. Just as writing process brought joy and clarity to my
students’ writing, I knew an editing process had begun. All I had to see was all the good writing we
shared in literature ripple through their words. When students encountered more and more beautiful
text, this joy, this beauty ended up in their writing. And I knew. My students were writing under the
influence—of literature, of powerful, effective, beautiful writing. Editing instruction starts with
students observing how powerful texts work. What are the writers doing? What can we learn from
their effectiveness-and, more often than not, their correctness? This way of editing is inquiry based,
open-ended, and bound by meaning. Basic Inquiry Questions:
What do you notice?
What else?
How does it sound when we read it?
What would change if we removed this or that?
Which do you prefer? Why?
After studying brain research and learning theory, here are some basic tenets that build effective
instruction. (Caine et. Al. 2004, Vygotsky 1986, Piaget and Inhelder 2000, Johnston 2004)
 Pay attention to the affective dimension of learning.
 Provide opportunities for social interaction.
 Post, examine, and celebrate powerful models and visuals.
 Focus on patterns that connect rather than rules that correct.
Start instruction by examining sentences (chunks of meaning).
But how do we find true sentences, sentences worthy of such focus? Read attentively, looking for
sentences that address patterns or concepts you want students to walk away with. Choose literature
that:




connects to students’ worlds—their interests, humor or problems.
shows a clear pattern that is easy to observe, imitate, or break down.
models writers’ craft and effective writing – powerful verbs, sensory detail or voice.
you feel passionate about and enjoy, your enthusiasm is contagious.
Appendix #3b1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
An Inquiry Grammar Lesson Plan
 Find a short piece of mentor text that illustrates the concept you
wish to teach. A phrase, a sentence, a paragraph will do.
 Have students discuss what they notice about the mentor text—e.g.,
“There sure are a lot of clauses in this sentence.” NOTICINGCALKINS
 See if they can give the observed phenomenon a name. If not,
supply it. This is your teachable moment. NAMING-CALKINS
 Ask the question, “What does this structure do for the piece?”
Makes it clearer, more interesting etc. CREATING THEORIESCALKINS
 With the teacher, look at several other examples from the text at
hand.
 Have the students find their own example from the text.
 Have the students write their own original phrase, sentence,
paragraph utilizing the structure from the lesson.
 Make sure the student writes a sentence phrase or paragraph from
the text into their writer’s notebook. Also have them put their
original demonstration of the structure in their writer’s notebook.
Appendix #3b2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
32
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
PARTICIPLE WORKSHEET
from http://www.shanemcconnell.com/embedsyntaxwkshts/wkshtparticipial.doc
The ability to handle a participial phrase gracefully, especially at the beginning or conclusion of a
sentence, shows confidence and sophistication, and lends prose a supple quality.
Remembering that an introductory participle or participial phrase MUST be followed by its subject,
combine the following sets of sentences into one sentence, subordinating one into a participle or a
participial phrase, either opening or concluding:
She was grotesquely tired. She vowed never to work all night again.
Grotesquely tired, she vowed never to work all night again. [present participle]
He had lived in Johannesburg for ten years. He knew all about smog.
He knew all about smog, having lived in Johannesburg for ten years. [past participle]
Combine the following pairs of sentences into one by using an introductory participial phrase.
1. He finished his work early. He turned on the television.
2. She was running hard to the rhythm of a rock tune she couldn’t get out of her head.
She ran a half-mile past the finish line.
3. The sun had set. She put on a sweater.
4. He choreographed his own dance. He performed to an old blues song.
5. She was experienced at handling pressure. She continued to concentrate on her work.
6. He was a talented runner. He had a good chance at making the Olympic team.
7. She thought he was South African. She asked what town he was from.
8. She was born and brought up in Babanango. She knows the area well.
9. He used to drive a cab in New York. He encountered a broad range of humanity.
10. She appears sedate and demure. But she actually loves to party, especially in the
summer.
Appendix #3b3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Grammar Girl here.
Today's topic is ellipsis.
Too many people to name have written in asking me about ellipses--those little dot-dot-dots that you
see a lot in e-mail messages. Here's an example:
Mitra from Michigan asked, “When is it appropriate to use '...' in writing? People use it all the time,
and it seems like a way to make your writing more informal and conversational, as if you were
pausing. Can you also use [the dot-dot-dot] for formal writing?”
The answer is that you can use ellipses in formal writing in other ways, and you can use them as
Mitra described in his e-mail, but you shouldn't overdo it.
The Omission Ellipsis
The most common and formal use of ellipses is to indicate an omission. If you're quoting someone and
you want to shorten the quote, you use ellipses to show where you've dropped words or sentences.
Here's a quote from the book Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens: “I cannot help it; reason has
nothing to do with it; I love her against reason.”
Now far be it from me to edit Dickens, but if I were a journalist under a tight word limit looking at that
quote, I'd be tempted to shorten it to this: “I cannot help it . . . I love her against reason.” That middle
part—“reason has nothing to do with it”—seems redundant, and taking it out doesn't change the
meaning. Dot-dot-dot and it's gone, which saves me seven words. Clearly, literature and journalism are
not the same thing.
Integrity is essential when using ellipses in this way. It's fine to use an ellipsis to tighten up a long
quote by omitting unnecessary words, but it's important that you don't change the meaning. It's wrong
to omit words to misrepresent what someone has said. For example, here's a quote I grabbed from a
Bloomberg story about the movie sequels Pirates of the Caribbean, Spider-Man 3, and Shrek the
Third.
“You're certainly seeing these three sequels opening big and then dropping big,'' Pandya said. ``The
movies are not as good as the previous ones, so people are not liking them as much, and then there's
the competition.''
Apparently, Pandya doesn't think the movies are doing very well, but it would be easy to use ellipses
and omissions to make the quote sound as if he loved these movies. Here's the revised quote:
“You're certainly seeing these three sequels opening big,'' Pandya said. ``The movies are . . . good . . .
people are . . . liking them.''
(I paused where I put in an ellipsis.) See? Chop off the qualifier at the end of the first sentence about
sales dropping after the first week, use ellipses to turn “not good” into “good,” and you've got a
completely different quote. Of course, that is an obvious and egregious example; you would never do
that, but be careful not to introduce more subtle changes in meaning when you use ellipses (and when
you are editing quotes in general).
Appendix #4a1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
34
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
The E-mail Ellipsis
Now, on to the other use of ellipses—the use that you frequently see in e-mail where the ellipsis is
used to indicate a pause or a break in the writer's train of thought. I read a lot of complaints in e-mail
groups and a lot of speculation about what these ellipses mean. However, speculation isn't necessary
because a number of style guides note that ellipses can be used to indicate a pause or falter in dialog,
the passage of time, an unfinished list, or that a speaker has trailed off in the middle of a
sentence or left something unsaid (1, 2, 3, 4). For example, The Chicago Manual of Style states,
“Ellipsis points suggest faltering or fragmented speech accompanied by confusion, insecurity, distress,
or uncertainty.” The manual contrasts ellipses and dashes, which it states should be reserved for more
confident and decisive pauses.
So, it is allowable to use ellipses to indicate pauses or breaks in the writer's train of thought as you see
so frequently done in e-mail, especially where a break is meant to feel uncertain. Nevertheless (and this
is a BIG nevertheless) most people who use ellipses in e-mail overdo it—a lot.
You should not replace all normal punctuation with ellipses. You should not allow the sweet lure of
ellipses to muddle your ability to write a complete sentence. To quote the book Grammar for
Dummies, “Using ellipses in this way can get annoying really fast.” As regular listeners will know, I
like the book Punctuate it Right, and the author has this to say about writers who use ellipses to imply
that they have more to say: “It is doubtful that they have anything in mind, and the device seems a
rather cheap one.” So, use ellipses in these ways if you must, but use them sparingly, and know that
although it's grammatically correct, it's considered by some to be annoying and cheap.
Finally, there are some other special circumstances where ellipses seem to be allowed.
The Comic Strip Ellipsis
I wouldn't consider this formal writing, but comic strip writers have been known to use ellipses instead
of periods. I'm speculating here, but it seems as if the ellipses are being used as a way to draw you into
the next frame—as if they are saying, “Keep going; there's more to come.” For example, Charles
Schulz always used ellipses instead of periods at the end of sentences in Peanuts.
The Gossip and Show Business Column Ellipsis
Next, I was surprised to see that The Associated Press Stylebook allows the use of ellipses for what
they call “special effects”: The stylebook states, “Ellipses also may be used to separate individual
items within a paragraph of show business gossip or similar material.”
Some famous newspaper writers have used ellipses instead of periods to separate their rambling
thoughts. Larry King heartily used ellipses in his USA Today column, as did Herb Caen in his San
Francisco Chronicle column. In fact, Herb Caen is reported to have coined the phrase “three-dot
journalism” to describe such writing, and he was so beloved in San Francisco that when he died the
city named a street after him—and included an ellipsis in the name: Herb Caen Way . . . (5). There's a
picture of the sign at the Grammar Girl web site.
Appendix #4a2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
35
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
I found myself wondering which came first, the columnists using ellipses or the AP rule allowing the
style. I haven't found the answer, but I suspect the rule is a response to the columnists--essentially AP
saying, “Fine, do it your way, but only in gossip or show business columns.” I hope some journalism
professor or AP editor out there will know the answer. If so, please post a comment on the blog.
Formatting Ellipses
So, now that you know how to use ellipses, you need to know how to make them. An ellipsis consists
of exactly three dots called ellipsis points—never two dots, never four dots—just three dots.
Most style guides call for a space between the dots. Typesetters and page designers use something
called a thin space or a non-breaking space that prevents the ellipsis points from getting spread over
two lines in a document (6). Also, many fonts have an ellipsis symbol that you can insert, but for
everyday purposes, it's fine to use regular spaces between the ellipsis points. Type period-spaceperiod-space-period (7).
Also, there should always be a space on each side of an ellipsis. the ellipsis is usually standing in for a
word or sentence, so just imagine that it's a word itself, and then it's easy to remember to put a space on
each side.
If you're omitting something that comes after a complete sentence, meaning that your ellipsis has to
follow a period, put the period at the end of the sentence just like you normally would, then type a
space, and then type or insert your ellipsis. Again, you're treating the ellipsis as if it were a word. This
will result in four dots in a row with spaces in between each dot, but this is not a four-dot ellipsis—
there's no such thing. It is a period followed by a regular three-dot ellipsis.
Oddly, you don't treat an ellipsis as a word if it comes at the end of a sentence that requires terminal
punctuation like a period, question mark, or exclamation point. In that case you still put a space on
each side of the ellipsis (8). For example, if your original sentence is “Aardvark is coming home on
Thursday!” and you wanted to make it shorter, you would write it like this: “Aardvark is coming
home . . . !”
Fortunately, most style guides don't call for an ellipsis when you omit something at the end of a quote,
so you don't have to deal with it too often. (Putting an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote is also
usually not necessary, but again it is a matter of style.)
That's all.
My e-mail address is feedback@quickanddirtytips.com, and my voice-mail line is 206-338-GIRL.
Thanks for listening.
Appendix #4a3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
36
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
References
1. Shaw, H. Punctuate It Right. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1993, p. 105.
2. The Chicago Manual of Style. Fourteenth Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993, p.
368.
3. Goldstein, N. ed. The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Reading: Perseus Books, 1998,
p. 272.
4. Woods, G. English Grammar for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, 2001, p. 331.
5. Ellar, J. “Herb Caen Gets His Way.” SFGate.com. June 14, 1996. (accessed May 26, 2007).
6. Walsh, B. Lapsing Into a Comma. Chicago: Contemporary Books., 2004, p. 82.
7. Straus, J. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. Ninth Edition. Mill Valley: Jane Straus,
2006, p. 31.
8. Lutz, G. and Stevenson, D. Grammar Desk Reference. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 2005, p.
268.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx
This podcast is sponsored by GoToMyPC. http://gotomypc.com/podcast
Appendix #4a4
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
37
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Focus Question #1
Hannah is frustrated with her situation. At the end of the chapter, Hannah
thinks to herself, “Argument was useless.” What does she mean?
Answer Plan:
1. Restate the question.
2. Give details from the chapter that show why Hannah is frustrated.
3. End by telling why Hannah was thinking that it was not worth it to
argue.
Possible Answer:
[1]Hannah has become frustrated with her situation. [2] She has traveled
into another time, and no one believes who she really is and where she is
really from. No matter how many times she tells them that she is from New
Rochelle, they do not get it straight because they know she is from Lublin.
They think she is still sick. Gitl and Shmuel don’t know about things from
Hannah’s time like television, and they seem to be humoring her or kidding
with her. Hannah was just getting nowhere in convincing Gitl and Shumuel
that she is from another time, so she decides to be quiet and not argue. She
even surprises herself by helping in the kitchen. [3]Hannah decides it’s not
worth arguing, as it has not been a successful strategy, and her vastly
different background seems too far beyond their comprehension.
Appendix #4b
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
38
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Macomb ELA Genre Units: Focus Question Rubric
3 (complete)
2 (partial)
1 (minimal)
Traits:
Content
 Answers the question.
 Uses relevant details from
text to support the answer.
 Stays on topic.
Develops a relevant answer with
many details and examples.
Develops a relevant answer but
has few details to support or
explain the answer.
Answers the question with
misinterpretation.
Develops little or no relevance to
the text or the question.
Does not develop or connect ideas
and content.
Organization
 Restates the question
(beginning).
 Provides details in support
(middle).
 Concludes (end).
Restates the question in his/her
own words.
Provides details that support
points.
Writes a response in a logical
sequence that makes connections.
Restates the question in the
answer.
Retells events in a somewhat
disconnected structure.
Answers either “yes,” “no,” or “I
agree” without reference to the
question.
Writes a response that lacks
sequence.
Style/Voice
 Uses quotes to support.
 Concludes with prediction
of characters’ feelings,
opinions, etc.
Uses precise words.
Uses quotations effectively.
Develops a conclusion that
engages the reader.
Uses a basic vocabulary.
May use quotations, but reference
is unclear.
Develops a partially successful
conclusion.
Uses a limited vocabulary.
Does not use quotations.
Develops a conclusion that is
ineffective or does not exist.
Conventions/Presentation
 Writes neatly.
 Uses proper conventions
Presentation makes the writing
inviting.
Shows control over conventions.
Writing is readable.
Includes errors in conventions that
do not distract from meaning.
Writing may not be legible.
Includes errors in conventions that
distract from meaning.
Appendix #4c1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
©Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
39
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Focus Question Directions
Students need to be explicitly taught to answer response to literature (open-ended,
constructed response) questions. Explicit teaching involves modeling (To: showing),
practice (With: guiding), and independence (By: independence). The following are
suggestions for moving students from guided practice to independence:
 Teacher uses Answer Plan and Possible Answer to model answering Focus
Questions. (for 1 or 2 Focus Questions on the basis of student understanding)
 Students work with partners using the Answer Plan, write a shared answer then
consult the Possible Answer and revise answer to Focus Question. (for 4+ Focus
Questions)
 Students work with partners building an Answer Plan, write a shared answer,
consult the Possible Answer and revise. (for 2+ Focus Questions)
 Students work individually to build Answer Plan and answer question. (Option:
Students could consult the Answer Plan and the Possible Answer to score their
own or other’s papers.)

Have students answer Focus Questions in discussion form. After students have
had a brief discussion, have them individually answer Focus Questions using the
Answer Plan.
Appendix #4c2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
40
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Name:_________________________
Period#:________________________
The Devil’s Arithmetic
Story Elements
Time
Period/Place
Time Period/Place
Time Period/Place
April, New Rochelle, NY, present
time
Characters
Hannah
Hannah’s Mother
Grandpa Will
Grandma Belle
Aunt Eve
Hannah’s Father
Aunt Rose
Setting
New Rochelle, NY
Bronx
Problem
Hannah vs. Family
Traditions
GPA Will vs. Nazis
Hannah vs. idea of family
Events
Passover Seder
Hannah becomes Chaya
Gitl
Shmuel
Yitchak
Fayge
Rachel
Shirfe
Esther
Yente
Shtetl
Appendix #5a
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
41
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Character Descriptions
Matching
Hannah
Gitl
Shmuel
Yitchak
Fayge
Yente
Esther
Shirfe
Rachel
_____ Young girl whom Chaya meets. Quiet, pale freckled and has eyelashes.
_____ Shmuel’s fiancé
_____ Chaya’s aunt. Very strict. Runs the household.
_____ Chaya’s uncle, Gitle’s brother. Fun-loving, kind, gruff, hard-working.
_____ The outspoken girl whom Chaya meets. Quiet, pale freckled and has
eyelashes.
_____ The village butcher who is widowed with two children. Big, gruff, hardworking
_____ Main character that is transported back in time.
_____ Young girl whom Chaya meets. Plump with rosy cheeks.
_____ Young girl whom Chaya meets. Pretty face with a sharp chin and nose,
yellowish complexion.
Appendix #5b
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
42
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Family Traditions Poster
My Family Traditions
Information Collection Sheet
From http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=7000
What is my family tradition and who began the tradition?
When did the tradition begin?
Where did the tradition begin?
How has the tradition been passed down?
How will I present my tradition to the class?
Where did I find my information?
Appendix #5c
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
43
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Poster Project: My Family Tradition
Teacher Name: _______________
Student Name: ___________________
CATEGORY
4
3
2
1
Content
Includes all
required details.
Provides excellent
visual samples.
Includes
essential details.
Visual samples
are good.
Mechanics
No misspellings or Three or fewer
grammatical
misspellings
errors.
and/or
mechanical
errors.
Four misspellings
and/or
grammatical
errors.
More than 4 errors
in spelling or
grammar.
Attractiveness
Makes excellent
use of font, color,
graphics, effects,
etc. to enhance the
presentation.
Makes good use
of font, color,
graphics, effects,
etc. to enhance
the presentation.
Makes use of font,
color, graphics,
effects, etc. but
occasionally these
detract from the
presentation
content.
Use of font, color,
graphics, effects
etc. but these often
distract from the
presentation
content.
Oral
Presentation
Interesting, wellrehearsed with
smooth delivery
that holds
audience attention.
Relatively
interesting,
rehearsed with a
fairly smooth
delivery that
usually holds
audience
attention.
Delivery not
smooth, but able
to hold audience
attention most of
the time.
Delivery not
smooth and
audience attention
lost.
Includes essential Content is minimal
details but there
OR there are
are
several errors.
1-2 details left out.
Date Created: 6/19/03
Copyright. © 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 ALTec, the University of Kansas
Appendix #5d
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
44
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Grammar Girl here.
Today, I'm gonna get crazy. I said that if people wrote reviews at iTunes, I would split
infinitives, and you wrote a lot of reviews. So, to say thank you, I'm going to
purposefully split as many infinitives as I can!
My secret, though, is that splitting infinitives actually isn't such a wild and woolly
endeavor. I know it might come as a surprise, but Grammar Girl isn't actually that
adventurous. So although you've probably heard that it's bad to split infinities, it just
isn't true. You could even call it a grammar myth.
To understand, we first have to clearly define the word infinitive. Wikipedia defines
infinitive as the unmarked form of a verb, but you really need examples to understand
what that means. In English, there are two kinds of infinitives: full infinitives and bare
infinitives. Bare infinitives are the kind of verbs you usually see in a dictionary, such as
 go
 make
 run
 define
 split
On the other hand, full infinitives are made up of two words, usually putting the word to
in front of the bare verb. For example:
 to go
 to make
 to run
 to define
 to split
The logic behind the 19th-century rule about not splitting infinitives rests on comparing
English to Latin, because in Latin there is no two-word form of the infinitive. They don't
have to deal with full verbs versus bare verbs. Therefore, it's impossible to split
infinitives in Latin. For some reason, many grammarians in the 19th century got the
notion that because it is impossible to split infinitives in Latin, it shouldn't be done in
English either.
Appendix #5e1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
45
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
But notions change over time, and today almost everyone agrees that it is OK to split
infinitives, especially when you would have to change the meaning of the sentence or go
through writing gymnastics to avoid the split. English isn't Latin after all.
So here's an example of a sentence with a split infinitive:
EXAMPLE: Steve decided to quickly remove Amy's cats.
In this case, the word quickly splits the infinitive to remove: to quickly remove.
If you try to just unsplit the verb, you actually change the meaning. For example, you
might try to say:
EXAMPLE: Steve decided quickly to remove Amy's cats.
Now, instead of saying that Steve removed Amy's cats quickly (zip zip) while she
stepped out for a minute, you're saying that he made the decision to remove the cats
quickly.
You could rewrite the sentence without the split infinitive to make the same point. For
example:
EXAMPLE: Steve decided to grab Amy's cats and set them free before she got back
from the corner market.
But that isn't really necessary. The bottom line is that you can usually avoid splitting
infinitives if you want to, but there's no reason to go out of your way to avoid it, and
certainly don't let anyone tell you that it's forbidden.
And here's a bonus bit: If you want to remember what a split infinitive is, just remember
what might be the most famous example: Star Trek's “to boldly go where no man has
gone before.” To boldly go, is a split infinitive.
That's all. As always, this is Grammar Girl, striving to be your friendly guide in the
writing world. You'll find a transcript of this podcast at www.quickanddirtytips.com. In
this transcript split infinitives are in italics. If you'd like to call in with a question or
comment the number is 206-338-GIRL.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/split-infinitives.aspx
Appendix #5e2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
46
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Practice Context Clues
Read each sentence below and write down the closest meaning type of context clue (contrast/antonym,
restatement/synonym, example or general knowledge) that helps you define the meaning of the word.
1. Joan loves to buy exotic foods: vegetables and herbs from China, spices from India, olives from
Greece, and cheeses from France.
expensive
seasonings
from other
places
rare
2. Emotionally disturbed people may be troubled by morbid thoughts. For instance, they may often
think about suicide or murder.
disturbing
dealing with death
psychologically ill
scary
3. At first, the surgery seemed to be successful. But several hours later, the patient’s condition began
to deteriorate, and it continued to worsen over the next few days.
stabilize
surprise
everyone
decay or
decline
change
4. In Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits who
changed him into a generous man.
cheapskate
single and elderly
unhappy
wealthy
5. Raul is an indulgent father. For instance, he lets his daughter stay up as late as she likes and he
never insists that she does her homework.
lazy and
caring
stupid and kind strict and mean lenient and tolerant
6. Languages evolve over time, as you can see if you open a page of The Canterbury Tales, written
about six hundred years ago by the English poet Chaucer. It is barely recognizable as English today.
develop
age
increase complexity
regress
7. The decision Veronica made to study instead of going out for pizza with her friends was prudent.
She got an A on the exam, while her friends all got D’s.
anti-social
careful and
wise
selfish
calculating
Appendix #6a1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
47
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
8. Whenever something bad happens to Jane, she ways it’s the fault of destiny. But I prefer to take
charge of my own life rather than simply blaming fate.
bad luck
evil caused by
someone
poor planning
event that happens
regardless
9. My father died when I was a baby, but Mom told me so many stories about him that I feel I knew
him well. For example, one anecdote was about how he cried with joy when I was born.
medicine or
cure
biographical account
example
joke
10. Ivan is a wonderful piano player. But Jerri is more versatile; she sings, acts, paints and writes
poetry, and also plays the piano.
talented
show off
superior skills many abilities
11. This third grade was full of precocious children. One child had learned to read at two and another
could do algebra at age 6.
backward
active
ahead
pretty
12. I expected truthfulness from a doctor; I was shocked by his mendacity.
duplicity
meanness
candidness
knowledge
13. When my grandfather meets someone with that much knowledge in a field, he finds that their
erudition frightens him and he is inclined to withdraw.
rudeness
scholarliness
illiteracy
age
14. When going to an office party you should show your best decorum, for example, dress your best,
drink and eat moderately, and be sure to thank the host before you leave.
civility
decorations
party moves
rudeness
15. We thought that the mother would be very distraught at hearing of her husband's accident;
however, she took the news quite calmly.
tranquil
angry
disgusted
anxious
16. It is refreshing to see students so excited, so zealous in doing their homework.
zany
dedicated
indifferent
jealous
http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/~steuben/practice_context_clues.htm
Appendix #6a2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
48
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
The History of the Holocaust
The Holocaust refers to the state-sponsored persecution and annihilation of an estimated six million
European Jews by Adolph Hitler and the Nazi regime during World War II. The word holocaust comes
from the Greek word holokauston, which means "that which is completely burnt." The persecution of
the Jews in Germany began with the Nazi rise to power in 1933. Nazi ideology proclaimed that Aryans
(Germans) were racially superior and that the Jews were a plague on the people of Germany. Although
the Nazis targeted other groups such as Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, homosexuals, communists,
social democrats, Jehovah's Witnesses, trade unionists and some people of Slavic origins such as Poles
and Russians, no group was more severely affected than the Jews.
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the Jewish population in Europe totaled more than nine
million people, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Germany had a Jewish
population of around 650,000, however, as the Nazi Empire grew, the number of Jews under Nazi
control rose dramatically. By 1944, at the height of Nazi control over Europe, more than 7 million
Jews fell under Nazi tyranny. By 1945, nearly two out of three European Jews had been murdered by
the implementation of Hitler's "final solution to the Jewish question."
The Holocaust began in earnest in the late hours of November 9, 1938. On this night, Nazi led mobs
destroyed Jewish businesses and burned synagogues in several German cities. "The Night of Broken
Glass" was reported by the Nazi government as retaliation against the Jewish community for the
murder of a German embassy attaché in Paris by a young Polish-German Jew.
Appendix #6b1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
49
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
In reality, the murder simply gave the Nazis the opening they needed to begin their outright repression
of the Jews on a mass scale, although the Nazi persecution of German Jews had begun as far back as
1933, with a boycott decreed by Hitler. By early 1939, the Nazis had implemented the use of
concentration camps to imprison Jews and other groups targeted by the Nazis. An order from Reinhard
Heydrich implied that these camps should be close to railroads for the future implementation of the
"final solution". By the time World War II began, the Nazis and their collaborators had created these
camps as well as ghettos, transit camps and forced labor camps. In 1940, the Nazis opened the first,
and most infamous, death camp at Auschwitz in occupied Poland. This would be followed by the
opening of death camps at Madjanek and Chelmno in 1941. By the end of World War II, the Nazis had
six dedicated death camps.
However, the murder of Jews and people of other groups were not limited to those in death camps.
Beginning in 1941, the SS Einsatzgruppen, mobile killing units, were sent in behind the advancing
German army to exterminate Jews in the Soviet Union and other occupied territories. These groups
were responsible for the deaths of more than one million people in occupied territory. During the final
months of the war, SS guards began forcing concentration camp inmates into death marches to prevent
their liberation by advancing Allied forces.
The Soviet army liberated the concentration camp at Madjanek on July 24, 1944, and Auschwitz six
months later. By the time of the German surrender on May 7, 1945, the Nazis had murdered more than
6 million Jews, along with millions of (Roma) Gypsies, Slavs, homosexuals, political dissidents,
disabled and members of other religious and political groups, making the Holocaust the single largest
atrocity in the history of man. Although the 20th century saw many instances of genocide, none
reached even one-fifth of the number of deaths caused by the Nazi death machine.
The Holocaust was an event like no other in human history that led not only to the development of the
State of Israel, but to an international pledge to punish those who commit genocide. It created the legal
precedent for the trial of government officials for "crimes against humanity," led to increased
protections for refugees and brought more attention to the cause of international human rights. The
Holocaust shaped the world we live in today in many ways and will undoubtedly continue to influence
our world in the future.
http://www.holocaustarchive.com/History.aspx
Appendix #6b2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
50
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Highlighted Reading for Middle and High School
By Elaine Weber
Purpose:
Engage students in print
Develop fluent scanning
Highlight most important information
Prepare text for substantive conversation
Materials:
A copy of the text
A highlighter pen
Planning:
1. Select an article or piece of text that is accessible to all the students.
2. Identify the vocabulary that needs to be taught in advance.
3. Determine a context for the information that could frame it for the students’ prior
knowledge.
4. Consider what kind of discussion you want to come out of the reading of the text.
5. Select the appropriate information to be highlighted based on the goal for the
discussion.
6. Map out the text paragraph by paragraph with prompts to highlight the
information.
Procedure:
 Build the context for the reading by activating prior knowledge.
 When you come to the vocabulary words in the highlighting process, give
definition, have students say the word 5 times and continue highlighting process.
 As you read the prompts or questions you prepared for each paragraph, have the
students scan through the text, highlighting the answers. (Like finding Waldo)
 Have students go back to the text with partners to determine the meaning from
context or from their prior knowledge. Have students share their results. Use the
definitions for your reference as students share their results.
Summary Activities:
 Three-sentence pyramid summary
 Determine Importance: (1) Circle the most important word or phrase in the text.
(2) Underline the most important things written about this word or phrase, and
(3) Write a summary statement. Write two to three supporting sentences.
 One-syllable-word summary: Working in a group of three or four students
develop a summary of the article using only one-syllable words.
Appendix #6c1
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Highlighted Reading—Teacher Suggestions
“The History of the Holocaust”
Vocabulary: As you read, point out the following words the following vocabulary words
and develop meaning:
Genesis - the coming into being of something; the origin
Simultaneously - happening, existing, or done at the same time
Stifle - to interrupt or cut off
Tempered - having a specified temper or disposition.
Incestuous - resembling incest as by excessive intimacy
Serendipity - the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident
Ambiguity - doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation
Highlight the following: Have students highlight with you as you read aloud at a medium to fast
pace. Use the following directions to move the students through the text.
1st Paragraph
Holocaust comes from a Greek word meaning what?
Nazi ideology
Other targeted groups
2nd paragraph
Jewish population number in 1933
Number of Jews murdered by Nazis by 1945
3rd paragraph
What was the “Night of Broken Glass”?
Beginning of Nazi persecution
Importance of the order by Reinhard Heydrich
“Final Solution” death camps
4th paragraph
Role of the SS Einsatzgruppen
SS Einsatzgruppen responsible for how many deaths?
Death marches during final months of the war
5th paragraph
Liberation of the camps
Other groups murdered by Nazis
What made the Holocaust the single largest atrocity?
6th paragraph
Holocaust led to what two things?
What legal precedent was created?
Effect on the cause of international human rights?
Appendix #6c2
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Reader’s Theater for The Devil’s Arithmetic
Chapter 9, (pp. 65-73)
By Jane Yolen
Narrator:
Schmuel:
(gently)
Hannah:
(in a whisper)
Schmuel
Yitzchak:
Another man:
(arguing)
Still another man:
Shmuel:
(soft but grim)
Narrator:
Fayge:
(plaintively)
Shmuel:
Fayge:
(shocked)
Shmuel:
(adamantly)
Hannah:
(voice rising)
Gitl:
(sharply)
Narrator:
Fayge:
The villagers gathered uneasily within the half-circle of soldiers and
waited to be let into the shul. There was hardly any talking, but
Yitzchak’s young son, Reuven, began to whimper. To quiet him,
Yitzchak lifted the boy onto his shoulders. Rabbi Boruch, Shmuel, and
another man Hannah did not know conferred hastily with the Nazi chief,
the one with all the medals. They spoke in swift, hurried bursts of
words that Hannah could not distinguish, but she could see Shmuel’s
fists clenching and unclenching behind his back. They were a violent
punctuation to all those undistinguishable sentences, as if Shmuel
wanted to shake his fist in the Nazi’s face but didn’t dare. At last the
argument was done and Shmuel came over to them.
They insist that we go with them in those trucks.
No!
Their argument is persuasive. They say all Jews are being resettled. It
is government policy.
I heard that too--Government policy. They have been settling villages
closer to the big cities. I thought out here they would leave us alone.
What does a goyish government have to do with us?
A kick in the face and a hand in the pocket.
Wait, wait, remember those guns.
Fayge moved silently into the protection of his arms.
What about our wedding?
We will be married, Fayge. Your father will marry us. Maybe not here,
in your shul. Maybe not even under a wedding canopy.
Not under a canopy?
We will be married, in God’s sight. I promise you that nothing will
keep us apart.
The Nazis will, they’ll take you from here and put you in a
concentration camp. Then they’ll put you in gas ovens and kill you.
Chaya! The soldiers will hear.
Turning in Shmuel’s arms, Fayge stared at Hannah, her beautiful face
sharp, her eyes nearly all pupil.
How can you talk like that? Your words will fly up to heaven and call
down the Angel of Death, Lilith’s bridegroom, with his poisoned sword.
Appendix #7-8a1
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Gitl:
Rachel:
Hannah:
(corrected)
Rachel:
Hannah:
Narrator:
Gitl:
Fayge:
Gitl:
(smiled)
Fayge:
(looked around)
Shmuel:
(in a flat voice)
Hannah:
(cried)
Shmuel:
Narrator:
Reb Boruch:
(loudly)
Yitzchak:
Rabbi:
Nazi colonel:
(smoothly)
Appendix #7-8a2
Nonsense! You talk like one of the old women in the village—angels
and poisoned swords. Why not flying chariots and the finger of the
Lord? Chaya does no such thing. How could she? She is only a child,
as you are no longer. She is a child with too much imagination and
stories filling her head. She has just been recalled by a miracle from the
doors of death. Shame, shame, Fayge, to make her into some kind of
monster.
Tante Gitl, I think I know what Chaya is talking about. She told us a
story this morning. About two children named, yes, Hansel and Gitl.
Gretel
Yes, Gretel. And there is a witch who shoves little boys into ovens and
eats them. A fairy tale.
The gas ovens I mean are no fairy tale.
Gitl raised her chin, squinted her eyes and, ignoring Hannah.
See, my almost sister-in-law, the child was just reciting a story. And
surely we have more important things to worry about than bobbe
meinses, tall tales.
And what could be more important than such a curse, my sister Gitl?
Are your mother and grandmother not important? Where are they? Why
have they not come out to greet us?
Gitl, you are right. Where are they? And where is Tante Sarah and
Tante Devorah and, all the rest, where are they?
The colonel informed us that they have been sent for resettlement
already. We will meet them there.
You can’t believe that!
What else can we believe? Gas ovens? Lilith’s bridegroom? Poisoned
swords? The Angel of Death?
Just then Reb Boruch cleared his throat loudly and all the little knots of
people who had been talking fell silent.
My friends, my neighbors, my children, it seems we have no choice in
this matter. The government has decreed that we are to be relocated for
the duration of this war. This war in which we Jews take no parts. So it
is with governments. My wife, my mother, my sister—and all of
yours—those who were waiting here in Viosk for our return from the
forest, those who were getting ready for the wedding, they have been
sent ahead. They have taken with them what clothing and household
goods we shall need in the resettlement camp.
But what of our clothes and our goods, those of us who are not from
Viosk?
We will share what we have. For are we not all neighbors and friends?
Are we not all brothers and sisters in God’s eye? Are we not…
All will be taken care of. You will want for nothing.
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Voice:
Nazi colonel:
(smiling)
Badchan:
(murmured)
Narrator:
Rabbi:
(raising his hands)
Badchan:
Narrator:
Man:
(called out)
Rabbi:
Badchan:
Narrator:
Gitl:
(whispered)
Narrator:
Rabbi:
We wanted for nothing except to be left alone here in Viosk.
In this matter, we will make the ruling. When you get to your new
homes, anyone who wants to work will be treated humanely. The tailor
will sew, the shoemaker will have his last. And you will be happy you
have followed the government’s orders.
The snake smiles but it shows no teeth.
Hannah wondered if anyone else heard him.
The colonel has assured me that some of his soldiers will remain
billeted here to guard our stores and houses and schools from harm
while we are gone. At my request, the soldiers will pay special attention
to the shul to make sure the peasants do not desecrate it.
Better the fox to guard the hens and the wolves to guard the sheep.
This time he was heard, and there were murmurs in the crowd.
But Reb Boruch, why would they billet soldiers here if they are needed
elsewhere for the war?
Am I a general to answer such questions? Am I the head of state? I
only know that they have promised me this, so this I believe. They say
the war is almost over, and we will not be gone from Viosk for long.
How long is eternity?
Hannah tried to speak again, but this time Gitl’s hand covered her entire
mouth.
Be still, child. Whatever your objections, be still. This is not one of
your stories that ends happy-ever-after. There are not imaginary bullets
in those guns. Listen to the rabbi. He is right to calm us. If we go
quietly, no harm will come.
Suddenly remembering the pictures on television, the ones that made
her grandfather so crazy, Hannah shook her head. But she shook it
silently, as Gitl commanded. She wanted to cry. She knew she’d feel
better if she could. But no tears came. Drawing a deep breath, she
heard the rabbi begin to pray aloud.
“Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheynu, Adonai echod. Hear, O Israel the
Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Appendix #7-8a3
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Narrator:
Gitl:
Narrator:
The others joined in. Even Hannah. They climbed into the trucks in
family groups, reluctant to be parted. Since Shmuel would not let
go of Fayge’s hand despite the rabbi’s fierce stare, the rabbi was
forced to climb into the truck with them, standing next to Hannah.
Yitzchak handed his children up to Gitl one at a time, and she kept
her arms tight around the little girl, Tzipporah. There were finally
so many villagers packed into each truck, there was no room to sit
down. So they stood, the children up on the men’s shoulders. They
looked like holidayers off on a trip. But they felt to Hannah, all
crushed together, like cattle going to be slaughtered for the market.
The trucks barreled down the long, winding road, their passengers
silenced by the dust deviling up and by the heat. After a bit, to keep
the children in her truck from crying, Gitl began to sing. First she
tried a lullaby called “Yankele” to quiet them, then several
children’s songs. But as the truck continued without a stop, carrying
them farther and farther from Viosk, onto roads most of them had
never see, she broke into a song that, for all its wailing minor notes
and the lalala chorus, sounded angry. Hannah tried to make out the
words above the noise of the truck. They were about someone
called a chaper, a snatcher or kidnapper, who dragged men off to the
army.
Sir, give me a piece of bread,
Look at me, so pale and dead.
It hardly seemed a song to calm the children. But first Shmuel, then
Yitzchak, then several of the other men in their truck joined in,
singing at the top of their voices. The children on their perches
clapped in rhythm. At last, even Fayge and her father began to sing.
Hannah listened to the growing chorus in wonder, as the song leaped
from truck to truck down the long road. Didn’t they know? Didn’t
they guess? Didn’t they care? She kept remembering more and
more, bits and pieces of her classroom discussions about the
Holocaust. About the death camps and the crematoria. About the
brutal Nazis and the six million dead Jews. Was knowing—or not
knowing—more frightening? She couldn’t decide. A strange awful
taste rose in her mouth, more bitter even than the Seder’s bitter
herbs. And they were for remembering. She fought the taste down.
She would not, she could not be sick. Not here. Not now. She
opened her mouth to catch a breath of air, and found herself singing.
The sound of her own voice drowned out the steady drone of the
tires on the endless, twisting road.
Appendix #7-8a4
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Quick Write #2
If you were Hannah (Chaya), what would you do with the information
that you remember from history? What would you do to convince those
around you what was happening and that you were telling the truth?
Student Answer:
Appendix #7-8b
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Simile and Metaphor
Shame
by Vivian Gilbert Zabel
I stand nude before the world,
My faults and shortcomings
Exposed for all to see.
Like a tacky, tattered blanket,
A cloud of despair smothers me.
Layers of gray with streaks
Of blinding black press me
To the ground, a broken statue,
Tarnished by relentless rain
And worn by whimpering wind.
I cannot lift my head to watch
In case others turn from me,
Disdain displayed in their eyes.
Shame turns confidence into
Disgust for myself, burning
Like a fire without warmth,
Only a chill leaving no comfort.
How can anyone love me
When I remain disgraced in life
By being who and what I am?
The preceding poem has two similes and one metaphor. The one simile states that a cloud of
despair, like a tacky, tattered blanket, smothers the narrator. The other says that disgust burns
like a fire without warmth. The metaphor compares the narrator to a broken statue. All help
strengthen the emotion in the poem, enhancing the feeling of shame. Alliteration is also used:
tacky, tattered; blinding black; relentless rain; worn, whimpering, wind; disdain displayed.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Emotion-in-Poetry:-Using-Metaphor-and-Simile&id=115598
DIRECTIONS: Make up at least three of your own similes, and write a short paragraph using
three of your similes.
Appendix #9a
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Practicing with Metaphors
(from http://www.edhelper.com/language/Similes_and_Metaphors801.html )
1. Mel has such great taste in furniture that I'm sure his home is beautiful.
The metaphor great taste:
Mel works in a furniture store.
Mel eats furniture.
Mel knows how to pick out nice furniture.
2. Mike drives too fast and is a road hog.
The metaphor road hog:
Mike drives all over the road.
Mike eats too much in his car.
Mike doesn't like to drive.
3. Jeffrey is an ox.
The metaphor is an ox.:
Jeffrey is deaf.
Jeffrey is weak.
Jeffrey is strong.
4. Walter is a real couch potato.
The metaphor couch potato:
Walter is always busy with some activity.
Walter is lazy.
Walter likes to go outside and play.
5. Jeff is a volcano after hearing his brother borrowed his car without permission.
The metaphor Jeff is a volcano:
Jeff is angry.
Jeff lives in Hawaii.
Jeff has a triangle head.
6. Lori is the apple of her father's eye.
The metaphor Lori is the apple:
Lori is loved by her father.
Lori's father is mad at her.
Lori has an apple tree in her yard.
Appendix #9b1
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7. Marcy was feeling blue after her dog was hit by a car.
The metaphor :
Marcy didn't like cars.
Marcy was sad.
Marcy wore blue pants.
8. John is a giant in his class, towering a foot over his classmates.
The metaphor John is a giant:
John is short.
John is from a fairy tale.
John is tall.
9. Will is a couch potato, so I'm surprised that he gets anything done.
The metaphor couch potato:
Will bakes potatoes.
Will is lazy.
Will is energetic.
10. Joshua's brother is a rug rat.
The metaphor rug rat:
Joshua's brother looks like a rat.
Joshua's brother fell on the rug.
Joshua's brother is a little boy.
Appendix #9b2
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
This song is called "SKIN (SARA BETH)" and it was recorded by Rascal Flatts.
Sara Beth is scared to death
To hear what the doctor will say
She hasn't been well
Since the day that she fell
And the bruise, it just won't go away
So she sits and she waits
With her mother and dad
And flips through an old magazine
Til the nurse with the smile
Stands at the door
And says, "will you please come with me?"
Cause it would be a mistake
For someone to take
A girl with no hair to the Prom
For just this morning
Right there on her pillow
Was the cruelest of any surprise
And she cried when she gathered it all in her
hands
The proof that she couldn't deny
And Sara Beth closes her eyes....
Sara Beth is scared to death
Cause the doctor just told her the news
"Between the red cells and white
Something's not right
But we're gonna take care of you
Six chances in ten it won't come back again
With the therapy we're gonna try
It's just been approved,
It's the strongest there is
And I think we caught it in time"
And Sara Beth closes her eyes....
She dreams she's dancing
Around and around
Without any cares
And her very first love
Is holding her close
And a soft wind is blowing her hair
She dreams she's dancing
Around and around
Without any cares
And her very first love
Was holding her close
And a soft wind is blowing her hair
It's quarter to seven
That boy's at the door
And her daddy ushers him in
And when he takes off his cap,
They all start to cry
'Cause this morning where his hair had been
Softly she touches just skin
And they go dancing
Around and around
Without any cares
And her very first true love
Is holding her close
And for a moment
She isn't scared.
Sara Beth is scared to death
As she sits, holding her mom
What does your hair mean to you? Why do humans have such a connection to our hair? How do
you express yourself with your personal appearance?
__________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________
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Appendix #10
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Focus Question #2
In Chapter 14, we are introduced to an important character, Rivka.
Citing examples from the text, discuss some of the crucial "lessons"
Rivka shares with the girls, and explain why she is important to Hannah
(Chaya).
Answer Plan:
1. Restate the question
2. From the text, cite examples of important lessons/information that
Rivka shares with Hannah.
3. Explain why you believe Rivka is an important character in the novel.
Possible Answer:
(1) In Chapter 14, readers have been introduced to an important character,
Rivka. (2) Rivka has been in the camp for a year and shares important
information and lessons with Hannah, Esther, and Shifre. Rivka tells the
girls about the Angel of Death and the “brutal arithmetic”: “It is a brutal
arithmetic. But I-I am alive. You are alive. As long as we breathe, we can
see and hear. As long as we can remember, all those gone before are alive
inside us.” Rivka also told them the “rules”:
 They call each other by their given names, but must remember their
numbers.
 People with lower numbers, have been there longer and can help do
things like “organize” or get shoes.
 You must know when to fight and when not.
 Don’t go near the building with the smokestack.
 Children must hide in the “midden” or garbage dump when the
commandant comes to inspect.
 Do not ask, “Why?”
(3) I think that Rivka is an important character in the novel because she is
helping the girls now, and I predict that she will help them all to survive
longer.
Appendix #11
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
8.2 Close and Critical Reading—The Devil’s Arithmetic, Chapter 14 —Student
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry— Theme: Who you are depends on your perspective.
What does the text say? (Briefly summarize The Devil’s Arithmetic, Chapter 14 at the literal
level.)
How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her
purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?)
What does the text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?)
So what? (What does the message/theme/concept mean in your life and/or in the lives of others?
Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and/or to the lives of
others?)
Appendix #12a1
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
8.2 Close and Critical Reading—The Devil’s Arithmetic, Chapter 14 —Teacher
Disposition: Reflective Inquiry— Theme: Who you are depends on your perspective.
What does the text say? (Briefly summarize the chapter at the literal level.) Rivka teaches
Hannah, Esther, and Shifre the rules of the camp. Rivka tells them to not worry, as it is night and the
choosing is only done during the day. Rivka has been in the camp for a year, though she has lost the
majority of her family. Esther asks Rivka what makes her an expert. Rivka replies that the number
tattooed on her arm makes her an expert, and then she proceeds to say what each symbol stands for in
that tattoo. The lowest number 0 stands for organize. She can organize things. In fact, she has
organized shoes and sweaters for the girls. The first rule is to remember the numbers, though they may
call each other by their names. At this point in the conversation, Esther walks away humming. Rivka
tells the girls to let her go. She tells them that is one of the hard things about surviving, letting people
go. The second rule is not to stand next to someone with a G in their number as Greeks do not
understand Germans and do not survive long. She tells them that if they need medical supplies they go
to Sarah, the Lubliner who used to be a professional singer. Rivka gives them Sarah’s number and
information about her. She tells them about the door to “Lilith’s Cave.” She tells them that children
under the age of fourteen must hide in the garbage dump and that it is the job of the older ones to help
them. She tells them what happens to those with frostbite. She tells them to avoid the hospital, as the
Dark Angel goes there first. Rivka then has Hannah tell what her number means. Hannah gives
meaning to each letter and number. Esther starts explaining her number when Hannah is done. That
night Hannah listens to the cries of the women. Hannah’s dreams are filled with sobs, but she cannot
remember her dream.
How does it say it? In other words, how does the author develop the text to convey his/her
purpose? (What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.?) The genre is historical fiction.
The novel is about the Holocaust. It is apparent that the characters are in a concentration camp: “‘Into
the gas ovens,’ she whispered.” The setting is during World War II in a concentration camp. The
story is told in third person: “She could not remember the dream.” Yet, it is a limited omniscient
narrator, as the reader is only able to see what is happening in Hannah’s head: “Hannah’s dreams were
filled with the sobs, but in the dreams they were cries of joy. She dreamed she was in a schoolyard
where girls in blue dresses and blue pants with brightly colored sweaters hooked arms and laughed,
shutting her out from their group.” The author uses dialogue and actions to reveal the traits of the
characters. For example, the character of Esther appears fragile. Her actions reveal her inability to
cope with the situation: “Esther walked away from them, shaking her head and humming loudly as if to
drown out the sound of Rivka’s voice.” The author uses italics for three reasons. First, to highlight
foreign words: “‘Now my brother Wolfe is left, but he is a Sonderkommando, one of the walking
dead.’” Note that the author incorporates the definition/translation of the foreign word in the same
sentence in which the word is introduced. Thus, the reader through context clues can determine the
meaning. Second, to convey the internal voices in Hannah’s head: “Hannah suddenly heard a
child’s voice, as if from far away, saying, ‘Hannah, look where I hid. . . .’ She couldn’t think
who the child was. Or who Hannah was. Her head hurt with trying to remember.” Third, the
author uses them to emphasize a word: “If you are alive now, this minute, it is enough.” The
author also uses a Biblical allusion or rather Talmudic allusion with the gate named
“Lilith’s Cave, the cave of death’s bride.” In addition there are religious references to “God,”
“Devil,” and “the Angel of Death.” The tattooed numbers on the characters’ arms are a
reoccurring image/motif. They are referred to as the “Devil’s arithmetic,” the title of this text.
Appendix #12a2
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The conflict appears to man against man (Germans against the Jews) or rather Man’s inhumanity
to man. The author uses figurative language. For example, the author uses a simile in the
following sentence: “It was like a waterfall of information, Hannah thought.” The mood and tone
of this chapter appear to be dark, in keeping with the building of suspense. For example, “There was a
black handleless door. Beyond the fence loomed the smokestack. ‘We call that the door to Lilith’s
Cave, the cave of death’s bride. If you go through that door, you do not come out again.’”
What does the Text mean? (What message/theme/concept is the author trying to get across?)
Man’s ability to endure depends on his/her desire to live.
So what? (What does the message/ theme/ concept mean in your life and /or in the lives of
others? Why is it worth sharing/telling? What significance does it have to your life and or to the
lives of others?) I am in awe of those who survived the Holocaust. However, I am in awe as well of
those from the Greatest Generation. My step-father was a freshman at U of M when Pearl Harbor was
attacked. He and the rest of his class signed up the next day to serve in the war. He was in the
architecture program. Only three of his class survived the war. I do not think a day goes by that he
does not remember those men who died so long ago, and I think he feels a certain sense of
responsibility to live his life well in order to honor them. I marvel at his physical, mental, and spiritual
endurance at the age of eighty-seven. Yet, perhaps we are all walking survivors attempting to make
meaning from our experiences and drawing on our resources to transcend the pain.
Appendix #12a3
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Why Genocide Matters by Nicholas D. Kristof.
It’s a fair question.
The number of people killed in Darfur so far is modest in global terms: estimates range from 200,000
to more than 500,000. In contrast, four million people have died since 1998 as a result of the fighting
in Congo, the most lethal conflict since World War II. And malaria annually kills one million to three
million people — meaning that three years’ deaths in Darfur are within the margin of error of the
annual global toll from malaria.
So, yes, you can make an argument that Darfur is simply one of many tragedies and that it would be
more cost-effective to save lives by tackling diarrhea, measles and malaria.
But I don’t buy that argument at all. We have a moral compass within us, and its needle is moved not
only by human suffering but also by human evil. That’s what makes genocide special — not just the
number of deaths but the government policy behind them. And that in turn is why stopping genocide
should be an even higher priority than saving lives from AIDS or malaria.
Even the Holocaust amounted to only 10 percent of World War II casualties and cost far fewer lives
than the AIDS epidemic. But the Holocaust evokes special revulsion because it wasn’t just tragic but
also monstrous, and that’s why we read Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel. Teenage girls still die all the
time, and little boys still starve and lose their parents — but when this arises from genocide, the horror
resonates with all humans.
Or it should. But for whatever reason, Sudan’s decision to kill people on the basis of tribe and skin
color has aroused mostly yawns around the globe. Now Sudan is raising the stakes by starting a new
military offensive in Darfur — and by eliminating witnesses.
The government charged Paul Salopek, an ace Chicago Tribune correspondent, with espionage in an
effort to keep foreign reporters away (on Saturday it released him after a month in prison). And even
African Union peacekeepers may be forced out of Darfur by the end of this month.
Twelve aid workers have been killed since May — more than in the previous three years. These
killings are forcing aid groups to pull back, and the U.N. warns that if the humanitarian operation
collapses, the result will be “hundreds of thousands of deaths.” If all foreign witnesses are pushed out,
the calamity is barely imaginable.
We urgently need U.N. peacekeepers, even over Sudan’s objections. (If Sudan sees them coming, it
will hurriedly consent.) The U.S. should also impose a no-fly zone from Chad and work with France to
keep Chad and the Central African Republic from collapsing into this maelstrom.
President Bush showed an important flash of leadership on Darfur early this year, but lately he has
fallen quiet again. He should appoint a special envoy for Darfur and use his bully pulpit to put
genocide on the international agenda — for starters, by employing his speech to the U.N. General
Assembly this month to remind the world of the children being tossed onto bonfires in Sudan. He
could also announce that the U.S. will choose candidates to support for U.N. secretary general based in
part on their positions on the genocide.
Appendix # 12b1
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Highlighted Reading for Middle and High School
By Elaine Weber
Purpose:
Engage students in print
Develop fluent scanning
Highlight most important information
Prepare text for substantive conversation
Materials:
A copy of the text
A highlighter pen
Planning:
1. Select an article or piece of text that is accessible to all the students.
2. Identify the vocabulary that needs to be taught in advance.
3. Determine a context for the information that could frame it for the students’ prior
knowledge.
4. Consider what kind of discussion you want to come out of the reading of the text.
5. Select the appropriate information to be highlighted based on the goal for the
discussion.
6. Map out the text paragraph by paragraph with prompts to highlight the
information.
Procedure:
 Build the context for the reading by activating prior knowledge.
 When you come to the vocabulary words in the highlighting process, give
definition, have students say the word 5 times and continue highlighting process.
 As you read the prompts or questions you prepared for each paragraph, have the
students scan through the text, highlighting the answers. (Like finding Waldo)
 Have students go back to the text with partners to determine the meaning from
context or from their prior knowledge. Have students share their results. Use the
definitions for your reference as students share their results.
Summary Activities:
 Three-sentence pyramid summary
 Determine Importance: (1) Circle the most important word or phrase in the text.
(2) Underline the most important things written about this word or phrase, and
(3) Write a summary statement. Write two to three supporting sentences.
One-syllable-word summary: Working in a group of three or four students develop a
summary of the article using only one-syllable words.
Appendix #12b2
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Highlighted Reading—Teacher Suggestions
Article: “Why Genocide Matters”
Vocabulary—Before reading, have students highlight the following vocabulary words:
Genesis- The coming into being of something; the origin
Simultaneously- Happening, existing, or done at the same time
Stifle To interrupt or cut off
Tempered - Having a specified temper or disposition.
Incestuous - resembling incest as by excessive intimacy
Serendipity - The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
Ambiguity - Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation:
Highlight the following: Have students highlight with you as you read aloud at a medium to fast
pace. Use the following directions to move the students through the text.
1st paragraph
Number killed in Darfur so far (as of September, 2006)
2nd paragraph
Number killed by malaria each year
3rd paragraph
What makes genocide special?
Why does the Holocaust evoke special revulsion?
4th paragraph
How is Sudan raising the stakes?
5th paragraph
U.N. warnings
6th paragraph
Three things the U.S. can do now to stop the genocide
Then have students return to the vocabulary words they highlighted and work in partnerships to
determine the meaning of each word from context and/or from prior knowledge. Have
partnerships share their results with the whole group.
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Obama remembers the Holocaust
Email|Link|Comments (25) Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor April 23, 2009 05:54 PM
Speaking today at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony in the august Capitol rotunda, President Obama urged
the world not to tolerate the hatred and injustice that can lead to such horror if even good people just stand by.
"We gather today to mourn the loss of so many lives and celebrate those who saved them, honor those who
survived, and contemplate the obligations of the living," he said. "It is the grimmest of ironies that one of the
most savage, barbaric acts of evil in history began in one of the most modernized societies of its time, where so
many markers of human progress became tools of human depravity.
"Science that can heal, used to kill. Education that can enlighten, used to rationalize away basic moral impulses.
The bureaucracy that sustains modern life, used as the machinery of mass death, a ruthless, chillingly efficient
system where many were responsible for the killing, but few got actual blood on their hands."
The president also paid tribute to those who tried to save Jews and others, including five "righteous men and
women" from Poland. "We are awed by your acts of courage and conscience. And your presence today compels
each of us to ask ourselves whether we would have done what you did. We can only hope that the answer is
yes," he said.
And he assailed those who deny the Holocaust happened and further hatred and intolerance.
"Today and every day we have an opportunity as well as an obligation to confront these scourges, to fight the
impulse to turn the channel when we see images that disturb us or wrap ourselves in the false comfort that others
sufferings are not our own," he said.
"Instead we have the opportunity to make a habit of empathy, to recognize ourselves in each other, to commit
ourselves to resisting injustice and intolerance and indifference in whatever forms they may take, whether
confronting those who tell lies about history or doing everything we can to prevent and end atrocities like those
that took place in Rwanda, those taking place in Darfur. That is my commitment as president. I hope that is
yours as well."
The event was sponsored by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, which designated this year's theme as
“Never Again: What You Do Matters.” A video of the ceremony is on its website.
“The notion that the Holocaust was the result of the actions of one man or a handful of leaders is false,” museum
director Sara J. Bloomfield said in a statement. “The ability to carry out the genocide depended upon the
participation of tens of thousands and the acquiescence of millions. This year, as we remember the victims of
Nazi Germany and its collaborators, let us reflect on our own responsibilities in a world of rising antisemitism
and continuing genocide.” While Obama mentioned the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, which the State
Department has called a genocide, advocacy groups called today on Obama to do more to stop the
killing.
Appendix #13a
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Talking To the Text
What is T4? Tending to tough teenagers? Taking time to tango? Teaching turtles time
travel?
 an acronym, one of those alphabetic abbreviations that can confuse but save time
 an RA reading strategy
 based on the process of Thinking Aloud
 thus, it is a metacognitive conversation that makes thinking visible
 an activity through which readers make meaning by considering the words, context,
schema, etc. of a passage
 not done with the mouth, not done with the eyes, it’s a brain function
 asks readers to question, predict, visualize, connect, summarize,and fix up
 a skill that can start tentatively and grow to increase understanding, becoming as
intense as a presidential debate
Steps to T4
First: Model and practice Think Alouds, with the bookmark in your packet, until
students “get” the meaning of question, predict, visualize, connect, summarize,
and fix up
Second: Show the models in this packet to your students. Then model T4 with a short
piece of your content, from a textbook or an article.
Third: Assess student work with the rubric in your packet, on the overhead, Elmo, as a
class, then in pairs. Then introduce the Self-Assessment.
Four: After three T4s, have students select their best effort and staple it with a selfassessment on top of the others, and turn them in to the teacher.
Five: Teacher keeps these in files in a classroom crate. At progress report time they are
checked to see if there is improvement.
Six: Teacher puts the material on a quiz or test to see if the T4s are enhancing
learning. Teacher can give extra credit points for evidence of T4 on tests.
Seven: Repeat, adding skills as students are ready for them.
Appendix #13b1
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Talking To the Text (T4) Rubric
Talking to the text, thinking about your thinking, making the invisible visible, metacognition
You will earn a grade of 1-5 based on how well you critically think about the
text and how well you show that thinking.
Student: ___________________________Text: ____________________
Score
Explanation
0
Did not complete the assignment, made no attempt at
metacognition.
1
Attempted very little talking to the text, difficult to see thought
patterns.
2
Little evidence of interacting with the text, use of one or two
strategies, perhaps only summarizing information, or just circling
the “big words.”
3
Evidence of some interaction with the text, clearly trying to use
strategies such as questioning and connecting, focus on surface or
literal meaning. Struggling to “dig deep.”
4
Reasonable demonstration of thought process. Mature thinking is
obvious. Two or more of these are clear: summarizing main ideas,
questioning, commenting, connecting, predicting.
5
Reflective, thoughtful, insightful interaction with the text. Very
clear and thorough demonstration of most or all of: synthesizing
main ideas, questioning, commenting, connecting (text to
me/text/world), predicting and confirming. T4 comments go
beyond the text; graphic notes aid in thinking.
(Courtesy of Amy Jo Yeokum UCS)
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Several ideas are presented in The Devil’s Arithmetic that could
apply to our lives today. Some of the main concepts include “It
couldn’t happen here, or to me,” “Fighting back,” “Passive
resistance”, “self sacrifice”, and “As long as it doesn’t affect me, I
shouldn’t get involved.”
Focus Question #3
Some people say that history is in the past and doesn’t teach us
anything today. What are some things we could learn from the
historic event portrayed though the characters in these stories?
Explain what importance we should place on learning history and
how history can make a difference to our futures. Use specific
details and examples from The Devil’s Arithmetic to support your
answer.
Writing/Speaking: Either individually or in small groups, plan,
outline, and deliver an informational presentation using precise and
vivid language; organizing logically to prove either that history is in
the past or that we can learn from history (See Focus Question #3.);
applying persuasive non-verbal techniques; making use of rhetorical
strategies to support the purpose of the presentation and to positively
impact the intended audience.
Appendix #15
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Darfur History
Since the eruption of conflict in 2003, Darfur, western Sudan, has been ravage by killings, torture,
destruction and rape since 2003. Despite international outrage and demands around the globe to end
the brutality, the deadly conflict continues. Darfur remains one of the world’s worst human rights and
humanitarian catastrophes.
Civilians have become victims of egregious human rights violations, primarily at the hands of the
government of Sudan and the Janjawid, an allied militia. Together, they have been responsible for
killings, torture, rape, detentions, forceddisplacement, the burning of homes and villages, and the theft
and deliberate destruction of crops and cattle. Rebel groups have also perpetrated killings, rape,
looting, abductions, and other human rights abuses. Today:




300,000 men, women, and children have died
2.6 million have been displaced from their homes and live in camps for refugees or Internally
Displaced Person (IDPs) or wherever they can, in a courtyard, under a tree.
An unknown number of women and girls have been abducted, raped, and abused
A generation of children has reached school-age not knowing a home
The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by the remoteness of the area, restrictions by the Sudanese
government on humanitarian operations, press, and human rights monitors, and rampant insecurity on
the ground. Attacks by armed assailants on aid workers have drastically reduced operations, and
humanitarian aid groups no longer have access to some areas of Darfur. In many areas, roads are under
Appendix #16a1
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
the control of roaming Janjawid militias or factions of armed opposition groups. Government armed
forces, police paramilitaries, Janjawid, and other armed groups, such as bandits, establish checkpoints
where they often extort money. Humanitarian aid convoys are hijacked for the vehicles and supplies
they carry, and the drivers are assaulted or kidnapped, and some have been murdered.
2003
In February 2003, two opposition groups called the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and
Equality Movement (JEM) emerged in Darfur and attacked government troops. The SLA and JEM
stated their attacks were in protest of the government of Sudan’s (GOS) failure to protect local
villagers from attacks by nomadic groups, and economic marginalization of the region. After initial
indications that the GOS was seeking a peaceful solution, it chose instead to resolve the conflict by
force, beginning in March 2003. Since that time the fighting has continued.
2004
In 2003 and 2004, Amnesty International supplied some of the earliest documentation – eyewitness
testimony from the ground – that warned of the impending catastrophe in Darfur.
In July, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) began deployment. Charged with a mandate to
monitor and report, it attempted to provide some measure of security for civilians and aid workers in
Darfur. With a force of less than 7,000 deployed by the end of 2007, for a region the size of France,
AMIS was under-equipped, with too few personnel on the ground and too limited a mandate to provide
security for civilians.
On September 18, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1564, which called for a Commission of
Inquiry on Darfur to assess the conflict.
Chad brokered negotiations in N'Djamena between the Sudanese government and the two rebel groups,
the JEM and the SLA, leading to the April 8 Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement. Other signatories
were Chad and the African Union. The ceasefire was to come into effect on April 11, 2004, but
Janjawid and rebel attacks continued and have since.
2005
In January 2005, the UN Secretary-General's Commission of Inquiry on Darfur issued a welldocumented report that indicated there were some 1.6 million internally displaced persons as a result of
the ongoing violence and more than 200,000 refugees from Darfur in neighboring Chad. The report
asserted that GOS forces and allied militia had committed widespread war crimes and crimes against
humanity, including murder, torture, mass rape, summary executions, and arbitrary detention. The
Appendix #16a2
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Commission also determined that the Janjawid militia operated alongside, or with ground or air
logistical support from, the GOS’s armed forces.
2006
In 2006, the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed between the government of Sudan and one of the
armed groups fighting in Darfur – the Sudan Liberation Army /Minni Minawi faction (SLA/MM).
Only a few other armed factions have signed the peace agreement since. Though most of the peace
agreement has not been implemented, the control of some government posts and areas of Darfur were
handed over to the SLA/MM and to other factions (collectively known as “the signatories”) that
accepted the Darfur Peace Agreement.
On August 31, the UN Security Council approved a resolution to send a new peacekeeping force of
17,300 to the region, but the GOS refused to consent to its implementation.
In November, the UN Secretary-General brokered a compromise for a joint UN-African Union
peacekeeping mission.
2007
The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted two Sudanese men, Ahmed Haroun, Sudan’s Minister
of Humanitarian Affairs, and Ali Kushayb, a Janjawid militia leader, on 51 counts of war crimes and
crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. The government of Sudan refused to cooperate with the
ICC, and despite warrants out for their arrest, both men initially remained free in Sudan.
On July 31, the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1769 authorizing the deployment
of 26,000 peacekeepers and police under a UN-African Union hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
UNAMID deployment began soon after.
On September 25, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1778 authorizing a European Union
mission in eastern Chad and northeastern Central African Republic (EUFOR) supported by a small UN
peacekeeping mission (MINURCAT). EUFOR/MIURCAT deployment has been very slow going.
Widespread violence and insecurity persist throughout the broader conflict region.
2008
On January 1, there was a formal transfer of command from the African Union to UNAMID.
On May 10, Darfur rebels launched an attack on the capital of Khartoum, causing further instability
Appendix #16a3
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
within the region. The government of Sudan continues to carry out aerial and ground attacks with
complete disregard for the protection of civilians.
In July, Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo submitted to the pre-trial chamber of the International
Criminal Court an application for the issuance of an arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omar al
Bashir for 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, saying that he had
“masterminded” massacres in Darfur and that he should stand trial for genocide.
In October, the Sudanese Government announced that it had arrested militia leader Ali Kushayb, who
had previously been charged by the ICC with war crimes and crimes against humanity, stating that it
would conduct its own trials for war crimes suspects.
Through dozens of reports, Amnesty continued to help pressure the international community to
respond to the massive human rights violations in Darfur, especially the perilous conditions for women
and girls who are targeted by soldiers for rape and sexual violence. AI continues to campaign to end
the violence, protect civilians, ensure the unimpeded and safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and hold
perpetrators accountable for massive human rights abuses in Darfur.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations are now focusing on achieving the full
deployment of the UNAMID force, which Sudan continues to obstruct. Less than half of UNAMID is
on the ground, while civilians from Darfur, eastern Chad, and the Central African Republic continue to
suffer ongoing mass displacement, killings, rape, and other egregious human rights violations.
Continued U.S. and international action is essential to ensure a full and speedy UNAMID deployment,
unhindered humanitarian access, and attention to the broader conflict region.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/darfur/darfur-history/page.do?id=1351103#
AFP/Getty Images
Appendix #16a4
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Venn Diagram
The Holocaust
Both
Appendix #16b
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
77
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Darfur
Persuasive Essay Organizer
From http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/media/hh/pdfs/ideaorganizers/persuasive_ideaorg.pdf
Use the organizer below to help you sort out the different viewpoints on your topic. Write your topic in
the middle of the organizer. Complete the sentences on each side of the triangle to show different
viewpoints on your topic.
©2004 TIME For Kids. This page may be photocopied for use with students and teachers.
Name__________________________________
Date___________________________________
The issue or topic is…
One opinion that doesn’t support the
issue…
One opinion in support of the
issue…
My opinion on the issue is…
Appendix #16c
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
ACT SCORING GUIDELINES
Score = 6
Essays within this score range demonstrate effective skill in responding to the task.
The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer
a critical context for discussion. The essay addresses complexity by examining different perspectives on
the issue, or by evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by fully responding to
counter-arguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Most
ideas are fully elaborated. A clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained. The
organization of the essay is clear; the organization may be somewhat predictable or it may grow from the
writer’s purpose. Ideas are logically sequenced. Most transitions reflect the writer’s logic and are usually
integrated into the essay. The introduction and conclusion are effective, clear, and well developed. The
essay shows a good command of language. Sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise.
There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader.
Score = 5
Essays within this score range demonstrate competent skill in responding to the task.
The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer
a broad context for discussion. The essay shows recognition of complexity by partially evaluating the
implications and/or complications of the issue, or by responding to counterarguments to the writer’s
position. Development of ideas is specific and logical. Most ideas are elaborated, with clear movement
between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific issue in the
prompt is maintained. The organization of the essay is clear, although it may be predictable. Ideas are
logically sequenced, although simple and obvious transitions may be used. The introduction and
conclusion are clear and generally well developed. Language is competent. Sentences are somewhat
varied and word choice is sometimes varied and precise. There may be a few errors, but they are rarely
distracting.
Score = 4
Essays within this score range demonstrate adequate skill in responding to the task.
The essay shows an understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer
some context for discussion. The essay may show some recognition of complexity by providing some
response to counter-arguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is adequate, with some
movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific
issue in the prompt is maintained throughout most of the essay. The organization of the essay is apparent
but predictable. Some evidence of logical sequencing of ideas is apparent, although most transitions are
simple and obvious. The introduction and conclusion are clear and somewhat developed. Language is
adequate, with some sentence variety and appropriate word choice. There may be some distracting errors,
but they do not impede understanding.
Appendix #16d1
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Score = 3
Essays within this score range demonstrate some developing skill in responding to the task.
The essay shows some understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue but does not
offer a context for discussion. The essay may acknowledge a counter-argument to the writer’s position,
but its development is brief or unclear. Development of ideas is limited and may be repetitious, with
little, if any, movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on
the general topic is maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. The
organization of the essay is simple. Ideas are logically grouped within parts of the essay, but there is little
or no evidence of logical sequencing of ideas. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious. An
introduction and conclusion are clearly discernible but underdeveloped. Language shows a basic control.
Sentences show a little variety and word choice is appropriate. Errors may be distracting and may
occasionally impede understanding.
Score = 2
Essays within this score range demonstrate inconsistent or weak skill in responding to the task.
The essay shows a weak understanding of the task. The essay may not take a position on the issue, or the
essay may take a position but fail to convey reasons to support that position, or the essay may take a
position but fail to maintain a stance. There is little or no recognition of a counter-argument to the
writer’s position. The essay is thinly developed. If examples are given, they are general and may not be
clearly relevant. The essay may include extensive repetition of the writer’s ideas or of ideas in the
prompt. Focus on the general topic is maintained, but on the specific issue in the prompt may not be
maintained. There is some indication of an organizational structure, and some logical grouping of ideas
within parts of the essay is apparent. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious, and they may be
inappropriate or misleading. An introduction and conclusion are discernible but minimal. Sentence
structure and word choice are usually simple. Errors may be frequently distracting and may sometimes
impede understanding.
Score = 1
Essays within this score range show little or no skill in responding to the task.
The essay shows little or no understanding of the task. If the essay takes a position, it fails to convey
reasons to support that position. The essay is minimally developed. The essay may include excessive
repetition of the writer’s ideas in the prompt. Focus on the general topic is usually maintained, but focus
on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. There is little or no evidence of an
organizational structure or of the logical grouping of ideas. Transitions are rarely used. If present, an
introduction and conclusion are minimal. Sentence structure and word choice are simple. Errors may be
frequently distracting and may significantly impede understanding.
No Score
Blank, Off-Topic, Illegible, Not in English or Void
@ 2006 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved
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© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
ACT Persuasive Rubric – Analytic
Traits
6
5
4
3
2
1
Position and
Understanding
of Task
The essay shows a
clear understanding
of the task. The essay
takes a position on
the issue and may
offer a critical context
for discussion.
The essay shows a
clear understanding
of the task. The essay
takes a position on
the issue and may
offer a broad context
for discussion.
The essay shows an
understanding of the
task. The essay takes
a position on the issue
and may offer some
context for
discussion.
The essay shows
some understanding
of the task. The essay
takes a position on the
issue but does not
offer a context for
discussion.
The essay shows a
weak understanding of
the task. The essay may
not take a position on
the issue, or the essay
may take a position but
fail to convey reasons
to support that position,
or the essay may take a
position but fail to
maintain a stance.
The essay shows
little or no
understanding of the
task. If the essay
takes a position, it
fails to convey
reasons to support
that position.
Complexity
The essay addresses
complexity by
examining different
perspectives on the
issue, or by
evaluating the
implications and/or
complications of the
issue, or by fully
responding to
counter-arguments to
the writer's position.
The essay shows
recognition of
complexity by
partially evaluating
the implications
and/or complications
of the issue, or by
responding to
counter-arguments to
the writer's position.
The essay may show
some recognition of
complexity by
providing some
response to counterarguments to the
writer's position.
The essay may
acknowledge a
counter-argument to
the writer's position,
but its development is
brief or unclear.
There is little or no
recognition of a
counter-argument to
the writer's position.
Focus and
Development
of Ideas
Development of ideas
is ample, specific,
and logical. Most
ideas are fully
elaborated. A clear
focus on the specific
issue in the prompt is
maintained.
Development of ideas
is specific and
logical. Most ideas
are elaborated, with
clear movement
between general
statements and
specific reasons,
examples, and details.
Focus on the specific
issue in the prompt is
maintained.
Development of ideas
is adequate, with
some movement
between general
statements and
specific reasons,
examples, and details.
Focus on the specific
issue in the prompt is
maintained
throughout most of
the essay.
Development of ideas
is limited and may be
repetitious, with little,
if any, movement
between general
statements and
specific reasons,
examples, and details.
Focus on the general
topic is maintained,
but focus on the
specific issue in the
prompt may not be
maintained.
The essay is thinly
developed. If examples
are given, they are
general and may not be
clearly relevant. The
essay may include
extensive repetition of
the writer's ideas or of
ideas in the prompt.
Focus on the general
topic is maintained, but
focus on the specific
issue in the prompt
may not be maintained.
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The essay is
minimally
developed. The
essay may include
excessive repetition
of the writer's ideas
or of ideas in the
prompt. Focus on
the general topic is
usually maintained,
but focus on the
specific issue in the
prompt may not be
maintained.
Organization
The organization of
the essay is clear: the
organization may be
somewhat predictable
or it may grow from
the writer's purpose.
Ideas are logically
sequenced. Most
transitions reflect the
writer's logic and are
usually integrated
into the essay. The
introduction and
conclusion are
effective, clear, and
well developed.
The organization of
the essay is clear,
although it may be
predictable. Ideas are
logically sequenced,
although simple and
obvious transitions
may be used. The
introduction and
conclusion are clear
and generally well
developed.
The organization of
the essay is apparent
but predictable. Some
evidence of logical
sequencing of ideas is
apparent, although
most transitions are
simple and obvious.
The introduction and
conclusion are clear
and somewhat
developed.
The organization of
the essay is simple.
Ideas are logically
grouped within parts
of the essay, but there
is little or no evidence
of logical sequencing
of ideas. Transitions,
if used, are simple
and obvious. An
introduction and
conclusion are clearly
discernible but
underdeveloped.
There is some
indication of an
organizational
structure, and some
logical grouping of
ideas within parts of
the essay is apparent.
Transitions, if used, are
simple and obvious,
and they may be
inappropriate or
misleading. An
introduction and
conclusion are
discernible but
minimal.
There is little or no
evidence of an
organizational
structure or of the
logical grouping of
ideas. Transitions
are rarely used. If
present, an
introduction and
conclusion are
minimal.
Language
The essay shows a
good command of
language. Sentences
are varied and word
choice is varied and
precise. There are
few, if any, errors to
distract the reader.
Language is
competent. Sentences
are somewhat varied
and word choice is
sometimes varied and
precise. There may be
a few errors, but they
are rarely distracting.
Language is adequate,
with some sentence
variety and
appropriate word
choice. There may be
some distracting
errors, but they do not
impede
understanding.
Language shows a
basic control.
Sentences show a
little variety and word
choice is appropriate.
Errors may be
distracting and may
occasionally impede
understanding.
Sentence structure and
word choice are usually
simple. Errors may be
frequently distracting
and may sometimes
impede understanding.
Sentence structure
and word choice are
simple. Errors may
be frequently
distracting and may
significantly impede
understanding.
No Score: Blank, Off-Topic, Illegible, Not in English, or Void
Appendix #16d4
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
82
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Children of the Holocaust – Brief Life History
http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm
After reading the “What is true about this book”, you understand that historical fiction pieces
may have fictional characters. Although the characters in this book were fictional, the victims living in
the concentrations camps were real. Take the opportunity to remember their stories; research one
“real” victim of the Holocaust. Visit http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm for a list of
children’s names.
1. Child’s Name:
_______________________
2. Child’s Birthplace:
_______________________
3. Child’s Birthdate:
_______________________
4. Brief summary of how the Nazis located the family (age of child, who was taken, etc)____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
5. Where was the child taken after being kidnapped? ________________________
6. How was the child’s life ended?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________
Appendix #17a
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
83
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Name_____________________________
Date_____________
Period#___________
“The Devil’s Arithmetic”
Novel/Movie Comparison
When a novel is adapted to a script for use as a movie, many of the details and situation are altered.
The reason to alter the original story line may be due to time constraints and also because of the
inability to capture the original story concept to the screen from the original prose.
Use the table below to record differences from the novel that YOU detect while viewing
the screen adaptation of the “Devil’s Arithmetic”. In the journal portion of this paper
write 1-2 paragraphs each day after viewing the film in class (you may write on the back
of each sheet). Proper grammar and punctuation will be taken into account when you
paper is graded.
Date
Situation/Difference
JOURNAL
Appendix #17b1
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
84
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
DATE
SITUATION/DIFFERENCE
JOURNAL
Appendix #17b2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
85
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
DATE
SITUATION/DIFFERENCE
JOURNAL
Appendix #17b3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
86
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
K-W-L
What I know….
What I want to know…
What I learned….
Appendix #17c
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
87
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Haiku
Most popular definition, but there is more to haiku than meets the eye: Haiku (also called nature or
seasonal haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and
five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Haiku is usually written in the present tense and focuses
on nature (seasons).
Example: (Copyright © Andrea)
Pink cherry blossoms
Cast shimmering reflections
On seas of Japan
Quatrain
A Quatrain is a poem consisting of four lines of verse with a specific rhyming scheme.
A few examples of a quatrain rhyming scheme are as follows:
#1) abab
#2) abba -- envelope rhyme
#3) aabb
#4) aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd -- chain rhyme
Example:
Lord of Deceit (Copyright © 2000 Theresa King)
Trapped within a haze of fear,
The Lord of Lies does appear.
Clouded by so much that’s wrong,
Truth gets twisted by his song.
Turning love and joy to pain,
Hidden by the falling rain.
Tragedy becomes the norm
When hate and fear begin to form.
Hurtful lies tear lives apart
And cause more harm to a heart.
Once the pain and hate begin,
Nothing is the same again.
Once the lie has been revealed,
Secrets are no more concealed.
Then the healing can undo
What he has done unto you.
Once the healing has begun,
Love and happiness have won.
With the truth, you can defeat
The spiteful Lord of Deceit.
Appendix #17d
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
88
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Please create Haiku or Quatrain poetry as a reflection assignment for what you have learned about the
Holocaust. Each poem must have its own main idea – Hitler, concentration camps, Jewish customs,
Nazi, etc.
Example:
My everyday bowlfluid, nutrition, cleansing.
My death camp lifeline.
To my dismay, they took my name
for a number they said was the same.
They etched it in my skin;
how could they create such a sin?
Haiku:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Quatrain:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Appendix #17e
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
89
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
A Genetics Primer
What is DNA?
DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is a molecule that contains all the information to determine who you are
and what you look like.
The chemical compound that makes up DNA was first discovered by Friedrich Miescher in Germany
around 1869. In 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered that DNA is shaped like a ladder
coiled into a “double helix” shape.
The “sides” of the ladder are a linked chain of alternating sugar and phosphate molecules. And the
“rungs” of the ladder are attached to the sugar molecules. Each rung is made up of two chemicals
called bases.
There are four different bases – adenine A, thymine T, guanine G, and cytosine C and they link
together in pairs (A with T, C with G) to form a rung. The order of the bases and rungs creates a kind
of code for the DNA information.
What does DNA do?
You body is made up of many different chemicals. An important group of chemicals is the proteins,
which build your body and help it to function.
Each protein is formed from more than 100 amino acids. There are 20 different types of amino acids
that can be used to make proteins.
The code in the DNA ladder’s rungs is a recipe for building proteins. Tiny particles called ribosomes
follow the DNA recipe to bind amino acids together and build proteins. Up to 1000 rungs might be
needed to hold the recipe for just one protein.
A group of rungs that carries the recipe for one protein is called a gene. When many genes are linked
together in a DNA “ladder”, they form a chromosome.
What is a genetics marker?
A genetic marker is defined as a segment of DNA with an identifiable physical location on a
chromosome and whose inheritance can be followed.
What is genetic testing?
Genetic tests are tests done on blood and other tissues to find genetic disorders. About 900 such tests
are available. People have many reasons for being or not being tested. For many, it is important to
know whether a disease can be prevented or treated in a gene alteration is found. In some cases, there
is no treatment. However, test results might help a person make life decisions, such as career choice,
family planning or health behaviors.
Source: National Institutes of Health; CSIRO Double Helix Science Club
Appendix #17f
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
90
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Elemental Composition of the Human Body
By Ed Uthman, MD, Diplomate, American Board of Pathology
Posted St. Valentine's Day, 2000
The table below gives the amount of each chemical element found in the human body, from most to
least abundant. For each element, there is the amount in mass units in an averge (70-kilogram) person,
the volume of the element, and the length of the side of a cube that would contain that amount of the
pure element. Volumes of solid and liquid elements are based on density at or near room temperature
(where available). For the gaseous elements (oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine, and fluorine), I
chose to use the density of each in the liquid state at the respective boiling point.
Raw data from which this table was made are from Emsley, John, The Elements, 3rd ed., Clarendon
Press, Oxford, 1998. This is a great trove of information, which I highly recommend for anyone
wishing to learn more about the elements.
Element would
Mass of element Volume of
comprise a cube
Element
in a 70-kg person purified element this long
on a side:
oxygen
43 kg
37 L
33.5 cm
carbon
16 kg
7.08 L
19.2 cm
hydrogen
7 kg
98.6 L
46.2 cm
nitrogen
1.8 kg
2.05 L
12.7 cm
calcium
1.0 kg
645 mL
8.64 cm
phosphorus 780 g
429 mL
7.54 cm
potassium 140 g
162 mL
5.46 cm
sulfur
140 g
67.6 mL
4.07 cm
sodium
100 g
103 mL
4.69 cm
chlorine
95 g
63 mL
3.98 cm
magnesium 19 g
10.9 mL
2.22 cm
iron
4.2 g
0.53 mL
8.1 mm
fluorine
2.6 g
1.72 mL
1.20 cm
zinc
2.3 g
0.32 mL
6.9 mm
silicon
1.0 g
0.43 mL
7.5 mm
rubidium
0.68 g
0.44 mL
7.6 mm
strontium
0.32 g
0.13 mL
5.0 mm
bromine
0.26 g
64.2 µL
4.0 mm
lead
0.12 g
10.6 µL
2.2 mm
copper
72 mg
8.04 µL
2.0 mm
aluminum 60 mg
22 µL
2.8 mm
cadmium
50 mg
5.78 µL
1.8 mm
cerium
40 mg
Appendix #17g1
4.85 µL
1.7 mm
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
91
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
barium
22 mg
6.12 µL
1.8 mm
iodine
20 mg
4.06 µL
1.6 mm
tin
20 mg
3.48 µL
1.5 mm
titanium
20 mg
4.41 µL
1.6 mm
boron
18 mg
7.69 µL
2.0 mm
nickel
15 mg
1.69 µL
1.2 mm
selenium
15 mg
3.13 µL
1.5 mm
chromium
14 mg
1.95 µL
1.3 mm
manganese
12 mg
1.61 µL
1.2 mm
arsenic
7 mg
1.21 µL
1.1 mm
lithium
7 mg
13.1 µL
2.4 mm
cesium
6 mg
3.2 µL
1.5 mm
mercury
6 mg
0.44 µL
0.8 mm
germanium
5 mg
0.94 µL
1.0 mm
molybdenum 5 mg
0.49 µL
0.8 mm
cobalt
3 mg
0.34 µL
0.7 mm
antimony
2 mg
0.30 µL
0.7 mm
silver
2 mg
0.19 µL
0.6 mm
niobium
1.5 mg
0.18 µL
0.6 mm
zirconium
1 mg
0.15 µL
0.54 mm
lanthanium
0.8 mg
0.13 µL
0.51 mm
gallium
0.7 mg
0.12 µL
0.49 mm
tellurium
0.7 mg
0.11 µL
0.48 mm
yttrium
0.6 mg
0.13 µL
0.51 mm
bismuth
0.5 mg
51 nL
0.37 mm
thallium
0.5 mg
42 nL
0.35 mm
indium
0.4 mg
55 nL
0.38 mm
gold
0.2 mg
10 nL
0.22 mm
scandium
0.2 mg
67 nL
0.41 mm
tantalum
0.2 mg
12 nL
0.23 mm
vanadium
0.11 mg
18 nL
0.26 mm
thorium
0.1 mg
8.5 nL
0.20 mm
Uranium
0.1 mg
5.3 nL
0.17 mm
samarium
50 µg
6.7 nL
0.19 mm
beryllium
36 µg
20 nL
0.27 mm
tungsten
20 µg
1.0 nL
0.10 mm
Appendix #17g2
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
92
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009
Notes
Oxygen is the most abundant element in the earth's crust and in the body. The body's 43 kilograms of
oxygen is found mostly as a component of water, which makes up 70% of total body weight. Oxygen
is also an integral component of all proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), carbohydrates, and fats.
Rubidium is the most abundant element in the body (0.68 g) that has no known biological role
(silicon, which is slightly more abundant, may or may not have a metabolic function).
Vanadium is the body's least abundant element (0.11 mg) that has a known biologic role, followed by
cobalt (3 mg), the latter being a constituent of vitamin B12.
The last of the body's elements to be discovered was fluorine, by Moissan in 1886.
http://web2.iadfw.net/uthman/elements_of_body.html
Appendix #17g3
MS 8.2 The Devil’s Arithmetic Appendix
93
© Macomb Intermediate School District 2009