Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________ English: _____
Night Closing Activity
What are our responsibilities as witnesses?
LEARNING GOALS
Know:
 Key Themes and Vocabulary: responsibility, accountability, choiceless choices, conduct,
condone, dehumanization, delusion/illusion, faith (crisis of), fathers and sons, identity,
inhumanity, indifference, intolerance, survival, universe of obligation, we vs. they
Understand:
 Those who conduct and/or condone inhumane acts are responsible for them
 It is necessary to show intolerance for acts of inhumanity
Do:
Notes and Class Activities:
 Define the above key thematic vocabulary in your notes
 Evaluate the responsibility of certain persons or groups of persons associated with the
Holocaust by completing the class hand-out (“Who Is Responsible for this
Inhumanity?”) and discussing your thoughts in groups.
Final Projects
 Identify examples of dehumanization, responsibility and accountability in Night and in
real life.
 Design a way to communicate your findings and conclusions as they apply to life in the
concentration camps or in present day.
 Teach and explain what responsibilities individuals have as witnesses.
FINAL PROJECT OPTIONS
Choose one of the following activities:
A. In Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night, there are countless examples of when prisoners are
dehumanized by both the Nazis and those who kept silent. Using the novel, identify
examples of dehumanization (both conducted and condoned). State who is responsible
for each example and how they were or should be held accountable. Once you have
gathered all of your information, prepare and present a poster that charts or diagrams
what you have found. Make sure your work is logical, organized, and easy to read. You
may add visual aids to help guide readers and show connections.
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________ English: _____
P. Imagine that you have been appointed the president of student council. In this position,
it is your job to create a safe and humane school. Using your new perspectives and
understandings of dehumanization, responsibility, and accountability, identify real-life
examples of dehumanization/inhumane acts that occur in schools. Label who is
responsible for these acts and develop a list of rules, expectations, procedures and
consequences that appropriately hold those who are guilty accountable for their actions.
Assemble this information in a student handbook to present to the class.
C. The terms dehumanization, responsibility, and accountability serve as main ideas in
Night and Elie Wiesel’s mission to teach people about the Holocaust. Using your
understanding of these terms, the novel, and the Holocaust, create a single work of
abstract art to help us think about their meanings and messages in a new way. Then
write a descriptive plaque (like in a museum) that explains the thematic, symbolic, and
visual meaning of the work. Parts of your piece will need to represent examples of
dehumanization, responsibility, and accountability. Be prepared to present and explain
your work of art to the class. Know that for in-class workshop days, you will need to
bring your work and art materials to class.
TIMELINE OF DATES
Date
Assignment/Class Activity
Mon. 11/14
Introduce project
Wed. 11/16
Reading notes due
Project plan due
Wed. 11/16 through
Tues. 11/22
Conference with Mrs. Conahan to explain project, show drafts, etc.
Mon. 11/28 and
Tues. 11/29
Practice Oral Presentations
Wed. 11/30 through
Fri. 12/02
Final Oral Presentations