The Butterfly
By: Amanda Burleson
An integrated literature
based unit about the
Holocaust
Language Chart
Read the three following books and complete the chart
to compare and contrast the books.
Book Title/
Author
Genre
Characters
Setting
What
obstacles
did the
characters
face?
What did
the
characters
accomplish?
The
Butterfly by
Patricia
Polacco
The Cats of
Krasinski
Square by
Karen Hesse
Star of Fear,
Star of Hope
by Jo
Hoestlandt
Back
•Discussion Director
•Word Wizard
•Artful Artist
•Passage Picker
•Travel Tracer
•Character Sketcher
Back
Patricia Polacco
•Write a friendly letter to Patricia Polacco
•Go to the Patricia Polacco Website
Submit a form to get a copy of The
Butterfly postcard.
Take The Butterfly quiz.
Patricia Polacco Website
Back
Artful Artist
Your job is to draw a picture
that illustrates what you
liked best about the story.
Create your picture with the materials provided by your teacher.
After finishing your picture, write about your drawing. Include in
your response:
-WHO or WHAT is your picture about?
-WHERE does your picture take place?
-WHEN in the story is your picture represented?
-WHY did you draw it?
-Did the picture make you think, wonder, or make any connections?
Plan for sharing:
-Show your picture to the group and let them guess how it fits in the
story.
-Let your group discuss your picture before you share what you
wrote.
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Discussion Director
Your job is to write down questions that your group can talk
about. It is your job to help lead the discussion.
Examples:
setting
inference/conclusion
narrator
cause/effect
character relationships
main idea
mood
sequence
figurative language
fact/opinion
compare/contrast
prediction
problem/solution
Begin questions with words like:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
Tell
Describe
Discussion Director Example
From The Butterfly
Compare
Figurative Language
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Example Questions for Discussion
Director
Page 1 paragraph 1 “The moon was so radiant, it seemed almost festive.”
Reason Chosen: Descriptive
What kind of feelings or connections do you have to this selection?
Page 7 paragraph 1 “Their heels clicked like gunshots along the
cobblestone path.”
Reason Chosen: Figurative Language/Simile
How does this selection make you feel?
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Word Wizard
Your job is to help the others in your group
better understand some of the vocabulary
and words that the author uses in the story.
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Write down the word.
Copy the sentence from the book in which the word appears.
Write down the page and paragraph where the word appears.
Look up the word in the dictionary.
Using your context clues from the sentence and the dictionary definition, write the
definition in your own words.
Write down the correct part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
Write down a question and answer about the word that will help you teach the word to your
group.
After you have finished the above steps make your Wizard Card. Use an index card, and on
one side be sure to include your word in large print, and the page and paragraph number, and
the definition. On the other side of your card should be the word and a picture illustrating
the word.
Example Word Wizard Card
Vocabulary from The Butterfly
French words to know from The Butterfly
Working With Words
Etymologies
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Word Wizard Card Example
Page 3 Paragraph 2
yellow jacket
Noun-a bee of the wasp family with a strong
sting and black and yellow stripes.
hornet
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Character
Traits/Proof
Character Sketcher
Problem
Characters to sketch from
The Butterfly
Character Goal
Solution/Possible
Solution
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Choose a character from The
Butterfly to Sketch
-Monique
-Marcel Solliliage
-Denise
-Monsieur Mark
-Monsieur Lendormy
-Servine
-Pe`re Voulliard
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Passage Picker
Your job is to locate a few special selections of the text that your group would like to hear
read aloud. The purpose is to help your group members remember some interesting,
powerful, funny, puzzling, or important sections of the text.
You should select passages or paragraphs worth hearing and then jot down plans for how they
can be shared. You may read the passages aloud yourself, ask someone else to read them, or
have your group members read them silently.
Possible reasons for picking a passage:
Important
Confusing
Surprising
Funny/Amusing
Informative
Descriptive
Frightening/Scary
Persuasive
Math
Entertaining
Intriguing
Scientific
Well Written
Informative
Conversational
Controversial
Dialect
Interesting
Historical
Mysterious
Fantasy
Moral
Step-By-Step
Theme
Illustration and how it relates to passage
Confusing
Plan for Sharing:
-Pick the passage you would like to share
-Write down the page and paragraph number of the passage.
-Write down the reason your chose this passage and EXPLAIN WHY!
-Ask a question about the chosen passage and give an answer.
-Write down the author’s purpose: To describe, To Entertain, To Persuade, To Inform
Passage Picker Example from The Butterfly
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Passage Picker Example
Page 13 paragraph 2
“Sevrine pulled up the door, and they both climbed down a very narrow set of
stairs into a part of the cellar that Monique didn’t even know existed. The walls
were scraped clean, and there was a small table with a tiny tray and supper
dishes on it. Monique could see another small room with cots. It looked like
people were sleeping on them.”
Reason Chosen: descriptive and frightening
I chose this passage because the author creates a picture of the hiding place and it
makes me feel scared for Sevrine.
Where is the hiding place located in the house? Above or Below Ground? How do
you know?
The hiding place is located below the house because the author says that they
climbed down the stairs and into the cellar.
Author’s Purpose: To Inform and Describe
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Travel Tracer
Your job is to trace characters as they move from scene to scene. Help everyone in
your group understand where things are happening and how the setting may have
changed.
Steps for Sharing:
-Track carefully where the action takes place during today’s reading.
-Describe each setting in detail.
-Write down the page and paragraph where
the setting changes.
-You may want to create a map to help
your group members understand where
events happened in the story.
Places to trace from The Butterfly
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Locate these places in Europe
-France
-Choisi-le Roi
-Paris
-Melun
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Word
Page number?
Copy the sentence
from the book in
which the word
appears
What part of speech
is the word? What do
you think the word
means?
Look up the word in
the dictionary. Using
the dictionary
definition and
everything you know
about the word, write
the definition of the
word.
What does this word
add to the meaning of
the story? Think
about the characters,
plot, setting, theme,
etc.
The moon was so
radiant, it almost
seemed festive.
Adjective
Give out or reflect
light. Shining or
Gleaming
This word helps
describe the setting
for the story and
shows the contrast
between the festive
setting and the
events in France at
this time.
Paragraph number?
Example
Radiant
Bright Shining
Page 1
Paragraph 1
Word 2
pointless
Word 3
rendezvous
Word 4
lurched
Word 5
refuge
Word 6
Choose your own word
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Look up the meaning of the following French words from The Butterfly by
clicking on the dictionary.
Monsieur
ma petite
shwein
cherie
vite
papillon
sacre
regarde
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Teachers click on a butterfly to find
wonderful symmetry and butterfly
activities.
Back Home
A Map of France
Back Holocaust Home
Germany Takes Over Europe
Find out about the Resistance, Germany, Jews, and the Holocaust
of WWII.
Click here then click on the maps on the next page.
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/maps
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Math Activities
Symmetry website which includes great interactive games to help
children become familiar with the concept of symmetry.
Symmetry Website
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Holocaust Vocabulary
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Resistance
Genocide
Deported
Jews
Star of David
Germany
WWII
Allies
Concentration Camps
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Famous People
Charles Reynaud
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Winston Churchill
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Adolph Hitler
Charles De Gualle
Other Links
Click Here!
http://www.col-ed.org/cur/sci/sci61.txt
Teacher Activity
Butterfly Kit for your students
http://www.ushmm.org/
The Holocaust Museum
http://www.annefrank.com/af_life/story_intro.htm
Anne Frank scrapbook
http://www.annefrank.com/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/frank/index.htm
Websites about Anne Frank
http://www.museumoftolerance.com/site/pp.asp?c=arLPK7PILqF&b=249685
Children of the holocaust
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/timeline.html
Holocaust timeline
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Home
Charles De Gaulle
French general and first president of the Fifth
Republic (1958–69), born in Lille, N France. He fought
in World War 1, he wanted to make the French Army
more modern. With the fall of France (Jun 1940), he
left to go to England to raise the standard of the
‘Free French’, and entered Paris in the vanguard of
one of the earliest liberation forces (Aug 1944). He
became head of the provisional government, then
withdrew to the political sidelines. After WWII,
Charles De Gaulle became the leader of France during
the Kennedy Administration in the 1960’s .
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