CSL 570
Evan LaGreca, Stephanie Rekowitz, Brianne Marshall
Grade Level 10
Content Area: Global History II
Overview – In this unit, we will be examining the Holocaust from a large variety of
perspectives. Our essential question for this unit is How can Truth be Perceived
Differently? We will accomplish answering this question by analyzing a variety of
Primary and Secondary Sources, and to identify how each text highlights different
perspectives and aspects of the Holocaust.
Reading Strategies – The first reading strategies that will be utilized during this Unit
include Reciprocal Teaching Charts. Students will analyze Elie Weasel’s Nobel Peace
Prize Speech by identifying the point of view, perspective, intended audience,
purpose, and the key points of the Primary Source. Students will assume the role of
either summarizer, predictor, questioner, or clarifier. Another reading strategy will
be inferencing, which will be taught to the students through a secondary source
Cartoon. Next, Students will you use the reading strategy Jigsaw to read primary
sources including propaganda, diary entries, article, and a poem with multiple
perspectives. This Reading Strategy will to allow them to collaboratively work and
learn with their peers while being presented with different historical perspectives
and formats. Students will annotate, summarize, and discuss the text with their
groups. Lastly, the Reading Strategy Close Reading will be done on the Nuremburg
Trials to allow students to further analyze and understand the complexities of the
text beyond on a literal understanding.
Writing Strategies – The first writing strategy that will be used in this unit is an
Anticipation Guide. The anticipation guide will prepare students to anticipate what
we are going to be talking about during the unit, to activate and assess prior
knowledge, and to get them ready for the lesson. In the strategy Reciprocal Teaching
Charts, students will write down questions from the text, summaries, things that
need to be clarified, and predictions that will be discussed with the group. The next
strategy utilized will be annotating and inferencing. Students will annotate the texts
in which they are reading to help make deeper connections and inferences, and then
use these connections to write what the text is inferencing. The next writing
strategy is summarizing. Students will be asked to summarize key points of primary
sources and to identify and explain the different perspectives and point of views of
the text. Students will also use a Jigsaw to answer questions that will require
students to make broad connections through different historical sources. Lastly, a
RAFT will be used as a summative assessment of the unit to allow students to write
and consider a variety of different roles, audiences, topics, and formats, and to
answer the essential question.
4-5 Lessons
Unit Plan: 10th Grade
EQ: How can truth be perceived differently?
Day 1 Survivor: An anticipation guide and Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Peace Prize Speech, a
reciprocal teaching reading strategy for a formative assessment
Day 2 Generational: Cartoon and model inferencing then use inferencing to analyze
Maus I
Day 3 Hiding/prisoner/resistance/Nazi Germany: Jigsaw for compare and contrast
multiple perspectives using, Diary of Anne Frank (life in hiding), poem (life in
concentration camp), Nazi Propaganda (Nazi Germany), and article (resistance).
Day 4 Nazi/Hitler perspective: Close reading of Nuremberg Trials, an assessment
using the understanding of the text in their own words using the vocabulary words
Day 5 Students: RAFT Summative assessment, writing piece
Vocabulary:
Political Extremism, Humility, Transcends, “The kingdom of night”, Ghetto,
Deportation, Auschwitz, Aryan, Concentration Camp, Propaganda, Justify, Gas
Chambers, Final Solution, Nazi, Holocaust, Nuremberg Laws, Anti-semitism, Jewish,
Genocide, Gallows
Content Area Concepts:
Jewish Life Before the Holocaust
2. Anti-semitism
3. Germany and the Rise of Nazism
4. 1933-1939: “The Limited Solution” - Persecution and the Racial State
5. 1939-1941: “The Situational Solutions” - Ghettos and Einsatzgruppen
6. 1941-1945: The Final Solution
7. Jewish Responses to the Holocaust
8. Non-Jewish Responses to the Holocaust
9. Liberation and Aftermath
Literacy Strategies for Critical Thinking:
Anticipation Guide – Activate Prior Knowledge and provide background information
Reciprocal Teaching Charts – Requires students to assume a role while reading and
to address different aspects of a text
Cooperative Learning and Inquiry Based Learning – Critical thinking will be
promoted through working in groups to learn from their peers perspectives and
analyze primary sources themselves to come up with their own interpretations and
answers
Differentiation – Students will compare and contrast photographs, speeches, diaries,
cartoons, trials, and articles to critically think about multiple perspectives and a
multitude of different formats
Inferencing – Students will learn how to read beyond literal meaning of texts and
make bigger connections by connecting the text with their own background
knowledge.
Jigsaw – Students will work in groups to analyze primary sources and make large
connections between sources
Close Reading – Students will analyze the various complexities of text and go far
beyond literal interpretations as they understand all aspects of the text.
RAFT- Students will write from different Roles. Audiences, Formats, and Topics
about the multiple perspectives of the Holocaust
Brianne Marshall
Grade Level: 10
Group Size: 25
Content Area: Social Studies
Specific Lesson
Day One- Introduction to the Holocaust through Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Peace Prize
Speech
Learning Objectives
1. Students will be able to discuss the key points that are made in the speech.
2. Students will be able to explain why perspective/point of view is important
when learning about history.
3. Students will be able to determine the meaning of words and phrases,
including political and social, that appear in the text.
Common Core Learning Standards
RLH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary
source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the
course of the text.
This standard will be reinforced through the reading and reciprocal teaching of the
speech. Students will discuss the key concepts of the speech and Wiesel’s memory of the
Holocaust. They will also identify the call to action and how more other injustices are
addressed in the speech. Students will use the central idea to elaborate on the different
perspectives of the characters or subjects in the text.
RLH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of
history/social studies.
This standard will be reinforced through the reading and discussion of the speech.
Students will use the reciprocal teaching strategy to determine the meanings of words
and phrases such as humility, the kingdom of night, deportation, and anti-Semitism.
Day One Vocabulary
Political Extremism
Humility
Transcends
Presumptuous
“The kingdom of night”
Ghetto
Deportation
Cattle car
Persecuted
Abhorrent
Apartheid
Anti-Semitism
Plight
Dissident
Rationale
This lesson is designed for 10th grade social studies students after they have
completed a unit on WWII and read the memoir, Night, in eighth grade. Students will
be focusing on the different perspectives of the Holocaust and the many points of
view from which history can be told.
Materials
 A copy of Elie Wiesel’s 1986 Nobel Peace Prize speech
 An anticipation guide
 A reciprocal teaching worksheet
 An audio recording of Wiesel’s speech
Development/Procedures
Introduction: In order to hook students for the lesson, students will first complete a
6-question anticipation guide. It will ask them to agree/disagree with the following
statements:
1. 11 Thousand people were killed in the Holocaust.
2. No person is naturally better than any other person.
3. Hitler had supporters.
4. I would risk my life for the people that I love.
5. Prejudice leads to violence.
6. History cannot be perceived in multiple ways.
Instructional Strategies
1. Teacher will post the teacher-organized groups on the board.
2. Students will move into their groups.
3. Teacher will distribute a copy of Elie Wiesel’s speech, a reciprocal teaching
chart, and four guiding questions to each student.
4. Teacher will briefly introduce Elie Wiesel and remind students that they read
his memoir, Night, in eighth grade.
5. Groups will decide which member will assume 1 of the following roles:
predictor, questioner, clarifier, or summarizer.
6. Teacher will remind students of the responsibilities of each role and address
any questions regarding what is expected of them. Teacher will model.
7. The groups will then decide how they would like to read the speech
(independently, as a group, or listen to the recording).
8. Once they have read the speech, students will complete the portion of the
chart that coincides with their role.
9. As a group, they will discuss the speech and complete the chart as each
member shares what they observed, questioned, clarified, or predicted.
10. During the group work, the teacher will check-in with each group to address
any questions, misconceptions, or give positive reinforcement for exceptional
work.
Adaptations
To differentiate the lesson, students will choose the reciprocal teaching role that
best suits them. They will also have the chance to read the speech either
independently, with a partner, in their small groups, or listen to the audio version.
Closure
1. Once students have completed their reciprocal teaching chart, we will
discuss the speech as a class and hear from each of the groups. Teacher will
verbally check for understanding.
2. Teacher will collect the charts to ensure that each student contributed to the
reciprocal teaching activity. It will also assess whether the students
understood the speech and central ideas.
Assessment
Short-term: Teacher must use evidence from the discussion and from the reciprocal
teaching chart/activity to ensure that students have met the learning objectives. The
teacher must hear dialogue that sounds similar to this:
Questioner: “Who is the little boy that the speaker is referring to?”
Predictor: “I think this speech will be about something brave that he did.”
Clarifier: “I didn’t understand what the kingdom of night was, so I had to read
ahead to figure out that it must mean death because lives were sacrificed.”
Summarizer: “This speech was about Elie’s experience in the Holocaust. He shares
his perspective by using the little boy and himself as an adult. He explains that even
though he lost his childhood, he can, just like any person can, make a difference. He
concludes the speech by explaining that it is imperative that people are aware of the
injustices and strive to save others from suffering a similar fate.”
Long-Term: On the fifth day of the unit, students will complete a writing project
that asks them to write from one of the perspectives that they have studied. At that
time, students’ work will be assessed to see that they accurately and effectively
communicate their understanding of the Holocaust and the various perspectives
that have communicated the same event throughout history.
References
1. Wiesel, Elie. (1986). The Nobel Acceptance Speech Delivered by Elie Wiesel
in Oslo on December 10, 1986. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/
eliewiesel/nobel/
2. Video Player. The Nobel Acceptance Speech- Elie Wiesel. Retrieved from
http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=2028
Name of Student: Stephanie Rekowicz
Grade Level(s)___10th____ Group Size ______Content Area__Social Studies_____
Specific Lesson: Day Two- Inferencing of Maus by Art Spiegelman.
Learning Objective: Students will be able to draw inferences based on an excerpt
from the graphic novel, Maus. These inferences will be related to information
regarding the deportation of Jews to ghettos. An informational text on the fate of
Jewish people who were forced from these ghettos will be analyzed to develop
background knowledge.
CCLS: State the number(s) and identify the specific standard(s), explain how the
students’ lesson/activity will address the skill inherent to the standard(s).
1) RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
The first standard for Reading Informational Texts for grades 9-10 requires
students to cite textual evidence to support their analysis of said text. By writing a
summary at the end of the activity, students will be able to bring textual evidence
from the primary document into their summary while also displaying their
individual understanding of the document through using their own words.
2) W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
Students will write an explanation as to why they believe their inferences to be
valid. They will be examining the topic of deportation from ghettos during the
Holocaust through two different mediums: a graphic novel and an informational
text.
3) WHST.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Students must organize their writing properly in order to keep coherent. Writing
must follow basic rules of grammar in order to be accepted by the teacher. By
keeping writing clear and coherent, student ideas will be made readily
understandable.
Rationale: The purpose in teaching the lesson is to have students make inferences
from an excerpt from a graphic novel. The inferences will be bolstered by
background knowledge gained through the reading of an informational text. Along
with this information, students will use their understanding of the Holocaust to
make their inferences.
Materials:
-Deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto, Retrieve from
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005413
-Computer
-Smart Board
- Spiegelman, A. (1986). Maus: A survivor's tale. New York: Pantheon Books.
Development/Procedures:
Introduction: Students will be asked to explain what inferencing is, and how one
goes about it. As inferencing had been taught in an earlier unit, students should be
familiar with this term. By asking students to recall the technique, the educator is
activating prior knowledge.
Instructional Strategies:
 After completing the introductory activity, students will be distributed an
informational text: Deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto. They will quietly
read the material to themselves while annotating. A brief discussion on
ghettos and where those deported from the ghettos would wind up will
follow.

An excerpt from Maus will be shown on the Smart Board to the
students. They will be given the chance to infer where the children in the
panel are being taken to from the ghetto in which they live. They will use
their prior knowledge of the Holocaust, particularly of ghettos and
concentration camps, in order to develop a solid inference.
Adaptations: Any students with vision difficulties can be given materials with
enlarged font to aid in reading. Those students with IEPs will receive additional
scaffolding in the form of a graphic organizer to help them organize their thoughts
and observations.
Closure: To provide closure to the lessons, students will write an explanation to
their inference. They will discuss the validity of their inference while using
examples from both forms of text. These inferences will be shared before the class.
Assessment:
Short-term: The inferencing assignment will allow students to display their
observational skills as well as to exhibit their knowledge of the Holocaust. As
inferencing would already have been taught to the class, students would be
displaying their understanding of the reading technique.
Long-term: To ensure that inferencing is a skill fully understood by the class,
another inferencing assignment could be introduced in a future unit. The
knowledge gained concerning the Holocaust will aid students in the completion of
the unit and the summative assignment.
Brianne Marshall
Grade Level: 10
Group Size: 25
Content Area: Social Studies
Specific Lesson
Day Three- Comparing Perspectives through Various Texts
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will be able to accurately summarize the text(s), both written and
orally.
2. Students will be able to orally communicate the central ideas of the text.
3. Students will be able to compare and contrast points of view and how they
contribute to the overall understanding of the Holocaust.
Common Core Learning Standards
RLH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary
source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the
course of the text.
This standard will be reinforced through the reading and sharing of various texts.
Students will discuss the key concepts of a particular text(s) and how they are
developed throughout the piece of writing. Students will be responsible for providing a
written and oral summary of the text.
RLH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of
history/social studies.
This standard will be reinforced through the reading and discussion of the speech.
Students will use the reciprocal teaching strategy to determine the meanings of words
and phrases such as, humility, the kingdom of night, deportation, and anti-Semitism.
RLH.9-10.6 Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat
the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in
their respective accounts.
Students will collaborate and discuss how the authors’ perspectives of the Holocaust
are the same and/or different. They will identify which details are emphasized and
propose reasons for why the author chose to focus on those particular details. The
“Jigsaw Glue” activity will address this standard.
Day Three Vocabulary
Propaganda
SS/ Gestapo
Auxiliaries
Underground
Revisionist
ZZW
Liquidate
Infiltrated
Raids
Synagogue
Anti-Semitism
Gallow Ropes
Rationale
This lesson is designed to give students insight to the different obstacles and
experiences of people during the Holocaust. The Jigsaw activity gives students a
chance to see various perspectives and text forms, while learning from and
interacting with their peers. The teacher would use different text structures to
reinforce the idea that history can be retold and expressed from various points of
view. It also prepares students for their R.A.F.T. writing by demonstrating the many
ways that authors use a variety of formats to express the same point in history.
Materials
 “Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” article from the United Holocaust Memorial
Museum
 Diary excerpts from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
 Nazi propaganda
 “Terezin” poem by Michael Flack
 Guiding questions that correspond with the text
 Jigsaw graphic organizer
 Computer and projector to tour an interactive map
 A timer
Development/Procedures
Introduction: As a whole class, the students will explore the interactive map.
Students will be asked to share their initial reactions to each picture, information,
and explore the reasons for why they feel that way. The teacher will guide them in a
brief discussion and give them the opportunity to make text-to-self connections.
Instructional Strategies
1. Teacher will distribute all of the materials and post the teams on the board.
2. Students will break into their Jigsaw teams.
3. Students will read the assigned text, annotate, and write a brief summary in
the area that is provided.
4. Once each member of the team has finished, they will work together to
answer the guiding questions to establish the central ideas and key points.
5. Students will then break into their mixed groups.
Adaptations
To differentiate this lesson, the teacher will group the students purposefully. The
text set is diverse to meet students’ needs. Students will explore the text that best
suits their strengths while still challenging them to think critically. For example,
visual learners will focus on the propaganda document; strong readers will focus on
the “Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” article or Anne’s diary; struggling readers will focus
on the poem.
Closure
1. They will use their notes and annotation to report the information from their
team’s text to their new group. They will give an oral summary of the text
and explain why the author’s/character’s/creator’s point of view or
perspective is a crucial component in understanding the text.
2. Once every person has shared their different texts, they will have to answer
the “Jigsaw Glue” questions that will tie all of the texts together.
a. Compare how these authors or artists perceive the same point in
history. What details and concepts are emphasized in each?
3. The groups will post their answers to the Jigsaw Glue question on the board.
4. As a class, we will discuss the big takeaways of the lesson.
Assessment
Short-term: During the Jigsaw, the teacher will actively assess students by
checking-in with each group. The teacher will pose questions to each group and ask
members to elaborate or clarify when necessary. The teacher will collect the Jigsaw
materials to assess what each team/group discussed.
Long-Term: On the fifth day of the unit, students will complete a R.A.F.T. writing
project that asks them to write from one of the perspectives that they have studied.
At that time, students’ work will be assessed to see that they accurately and
effectively communicate their understanding of the Holocaust and the various
perspectives that have communicated the same event throughout history.
References
1. Barker,C. (2012 December 18).10 Disturbing Pieces of Nazi Education
Propaganda. Retrieved from http://www.master-of-education.org/
10-disturbing-pieces-of-nazi-education-propaganda/
2. Cult/The Blacks. (2012 December 07). Jews are Only Niggers Turned Inside
Out. Retrieved from http://laroucheplanet.info/pmwiki/pmwiki.php
?n=Cult.TheBlacks
3. Flack, M. (1944). Terezin. Retrieved from http://hmd.org.uk/resources
/poetry/terezin-michael-flack-1944
4. Frank, A. (1947) Extracts From the Diary of Anne Frank. In Anne Frank: The
Diary of a Young Girl . Retrived from http://alphahistory.com
/holocaust/ anne-frank-diary-1942-44
5. Interactive Map of Auschwitz. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk
/history/interactive/animations/auschwitz_map/index_embed.shtml
6. Museum of Horrors- Number 44. Retrieved from http://www.palestine
posterproject.org/ poster/museum-of-horrors-number-44
7. Nazi Propaganda. (n.d.). In Holocaust Encyclopedia online. Retrieved from
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005202
8. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2011) Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Retrieved from http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php
9. Visualizing Otherness II. Retrieved from http://www.chgs.umn.edu/
histories/ otherness/otherness2.html
Team A: Propaganda
Jigsaw Guiding Questions
1. Who or what audience was the text intended for?
2. What are the key points of the text? How are the emphasized throughout?
3. What words or phrases are you unfamiliar with?
Team B: “Terezin”
Jigsaw Glue
Team C:
Team
Ghetto Uprising” Diary of a Young
Compare how these authors or artists
perceive the same point in history.
What details and concepts are emphasized in each?
D: Anne Frank: The “Warsaw
Girl
“The German Student Fights for the Führer & the People” “Build Youth Hostels and Homes” “The Jewish nose is bent. It looks like the number six…”
"Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and
makes them ripe for the victory of this idea." Adolf Hitler wrote these words in his book Mein Kampf (1926), in which he first advocated the
use of propaganda to spread the ideals of National Socialism—among them racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Bolshevism. – ushmm.org
Guiding Questions for Propaganda in Education
1. Why do you think governments would use propaganda in schools?
2. How strongly do you think propaganda influenced students’ perspectives on Hitler and Nazi Germany?
3. Do you think people students could recognize propaganda?
http://www.master-of-education.org/author/cbarker/
"Jews are only Niggers turned inside out."
“Punish them!”
Guiding Questions for Propaganda in the Public
1. How is this propaganda different from the ones used in schools?
2. How strongly do you think anti-sematic propaganda influenced the people?
3. What is the overall message that is being conveyed in all three examples?
“Museum of Horrors”
Excerpts from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
July 9th 1942: “Here’s a description of the building… A wooden staircase leads from the downstairs
hallway to the third floor. At the top of the stairs is a landing, with doors on either side. The door on the
left takes you up to the spice storage area, attic and loft in the front part of the house. A typically Dutch,
very steep, ankle-twisting flight of stairs also runs from the front part of the house to another door
opening onto the street. The door to the right of the landing leads to the Secret Annex at the back of the
house. No one would ever suspect there were so many rooms behind that plain gray door. There’s just one
small step in front of the door, and then you’re inside. Straight ahead of you is a steep flight of stairs. To
the left is a narrow hallway opening onto a room that serves as the Frank family’s living room and
bedroom. Next door is a smaller room, the bedroom and study of the two young ladies of the family. To
the right of the stairs is a windowless washroom with a sink. The door in the corner leads to the toilet and
another one to Margot’s and my room… Now I’ve introduced you to the whole of our lovely Annex!”
October 9th 1942: “Today I have nothing but dismal and depressing news to report. Our many Jewish
friends and acquaintances are being taken away in droves. The Gestapo is treating them very roughly
and transporting them in cattle cars to Westerbork, the big camp in Drenthe to which they’re sending all
the Jews. Miep told us about someone who’d managed to escape from there. It must be terrible in
Westerbork. The people get almost nothing to eat, much less to drink, as water is available only one hour
a day, and there’s only one toilet and sink for several thousand people. Men and women sleep in the same
room, and women and children often have their heads shaved. Escape is almost impossible; many people
look Jewish, and they’re branded by their shorn heads. If it’s that bad in Holland, what must it be like in
those faraway and uncivilized places where the Germans are sending them? We assume that most of them
are beingurdered. The English radio says they’re being gassed. Perhaps that’s the quickest way to die. I
feel terrible. Miep’s accounts of these horrors are so heartrending… Fine specimens of humanity, those
Germans, and to think I’m actually one of them! No, that’s not true, Hitler took away our nationality
long ago. And besides, there are no greater enemies on earth than the Germans and Jews.”
May 18th 1943: “All college students are being asked to sign an official statement to the effect that they
‘sympathize with the Germans and approve of the New Order.” Eighty percent have decided to obey the
dictates of their conscience, but the penalty will be severe. Any student refusing to sign will be sent to a
German labor camp.”
February 3rd 1944: “I’ve reached the point where I hardly care whether I live or die. The world will keep
on turning without me, and I can’t do anything to change events anyway. I’ll just let matters take their
course and concentrate on studying and hope that everything will be all right in the end.”
July 15th 1944: “It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on foundation of chaos, suffering and
death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that,
one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow
feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility
will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I’ll
be able to realize them.”
TEREZIN
That bit of filth in dirty walls,
And all around barbed wire,
And thirty-thousand souls who sleep
Who once will wake
And once will see
Their own blood spilled.
I was once a little child,
Three years ago.
That child who longed for other worlds.
But now I am no more a child
For I have learned to hate.
I am a grown-up person now,
I have known fear.
Bloody words and a dead day then,
That's something different than boogie men!
But anyway, I still believe I only sleep today,
That I'll wake up, a child again,
and start to laugh and play.
I'll go back to childhood sweet like a briar rose,
Like a bell which wakes us from a dream,
Like a mother with an ailing child
Loves him with aching woman's love.
How tragic then, is youth which lives
With enemies, with gallows ropes,
How tragic, then, for children on your lap
To say: this for the good, that for the bad.
Somewhere, far away out there, childhood sweetly sleeps,
Along that path among the trees,
There o'er that house
Which was once my pride and joy.
There my mother gave me birth into this world
So I could weep...
In the flame of candles by my bed, I sleep
And once perhaps I'll understand
That I was such a little thing,
As little as this song.
These thirty-thousand souls who sleep
Among the trees will wake,
Open an eye
And because they see
A lot
They'll fall asleep again...
--Michael Flack, 1944, a teenager
Name of Student: Stephanie Rekowicz
Grade Level(s)___10th____ Group Size______Content Area__Social Studies_____
Specific Lesson: Day Four- Close Reading of a primary document concerning the
Nuremburg Trials.
Learning Objective: Students will be able to identify the perspective of a Nazi on trial. By
performing a Close Reading, students will identify key terms in order to create a brief
summary of the primary document in their own words.
CCLS: State the number(s) and identify the specific standard(s), explain how the students’
lesson/activity will address the skill inherent to the standard(s).
1) RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
The first standard for Reading Informational Texts for grades 9-10 requires students to cite
textual evidence to support their analysis of said text. By writing a summary at the end of
the activity, students will be able to bring textual evidence from the primary document into
their summary while also displaying their individual understanding of the document
through using their own words.
2) W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,
concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content.
By creating a summary of the primary document after the completion of the Close Reading,
students will be able to convey their ideas and observations through writing. Proper
writing conventions will be followed in order to ensure that student writing is organize and
coherent.
3) WHST.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Students must organize their writing properly in order to keep coherent. Writing must
follow basic rules of grammar in order to be accepted by the teacher. By keeping writing
clear and coherent, student ideas will be made readily understandable.
Rationale: The purpose in teaching the lesson is to promote discussion and awareness of
the aftermath of war. By introducing the cartoon, students will be shown that the scars of
war do not fade but instead linger in history. The purpose of the Close Reading of the
testimony of Rudolf Hoess will provide an opportunity for students to analyze the
perspective of a Nazi soldier on trial. Students will need to have knowledge of the
Holocaust as well as the heinous crimes of the Nazis to complete this activity.
Materials:
-Miller, W. (2006, June 11). Non sequitur.
-Computer
-Smart Board
-Testimony of Rudolf Hoess, Commandant of Auschwitz. (1946, April 15). Retrieved from
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/hoesstest.html
Development/Procedures:
Introduction: Students will be shown a Non Sequitor cartoon concerning the
Holocaust. They are to analyze the cartoon and infer what the author’s purpose is in having
the elderly man tell the child that he keeps his concentration camp tattoo as a reminder for
younger generations.
Instructional Strategies:
 After completing the introductory activity, students will briefly discuss what they
know of the Nuremburg Trials.
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They will then discuss, as a class, whether or not individual soldiers should be held
accountable for war crimes. For example: Is a solider simply following orders, or
are they to be pronounced guilty in the murders of thousands?
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A primary source containing the testimony of Rudolf Hoess, a commandant at
Auschwitz, will be read by students. They will perform a close reading of his
testimony while keeping in mind the perspective of Hoess. The first few lines of text
will be modeled before the class by the teacher.
Adaptations: Any students with vision difficulties can be given materials with enlarged
font to aid in reading. Those students with IEPs will receive additional scaffolding in the
form of a graphic organizer to help them organize their thoughts and observations.
Closure: To provide closure to the lessons, students will complete a brief summary of
Hoess’ point of view in regard to his war crimes. For example: Does he believe himself to
be held accountable for following higher orders? The summary will be written by students
using their own words and observations.
Assessment:
Short-term: The accurate completion of the summary of the primary document will display
student comprehension of the assignment. The correct perspective and supporting details,
taken from the primary document, must be included in the summary. By circulating the
room the educator may also assess student comprehension of the activity.
Long-term: To enact long-term assessment, another Close Reading activity will be
administered in a later unit. Less scaffolding will be provided to the students as they have,
by this point, already successfully completed a Close Reading.
Evan LaGreca
Grade Level: 10
Group Size: 25
Content Area: Social Studies
Specific Lesson
A summative assessment on the Holocaust unit will be given to the students. The students
will have to demonstrate their knowledge on the unit by answering the essential question
through different Roles, Audiences, Formats, and Topics, through a RAFT writing task.
Learning Objectives:
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Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge about the holocaust by
completing a RAFT assignment
Students will be able to answer the essential question through different Roles,
Audiences, Formats, and Topics.
Students will be able to display what they have learned creatively, and in unique
formats
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and
information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.A
Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important
connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures,
tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.E
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot
lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Rationale: The reason I am teaching this lesson is that it will provide a summative
assessment of the unit in which we taught, and it will also help students develop the
literacy and writing skills to write and display information in different Roles, Audiences,
Formats, and Topics. This lesson is tied to the curriculum because it will be an assessment
that will summarize the different perspectives and historical information that the students
have learned about the Holocaust. In order to complete this lesson, students will need to
know the experiences of Elli Weasely, the struggle of the survival of the Jewish population
against Hitler and the Nazis. Students will have to be aware of the Concentration camps,
Anne Frank, and the living conditions. The students will used the newly acquired skill of
writing a R.A.F.T by being able to master the different aspects of writing by writing in
different roles, audiences, formats, and topics.
Materials:
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RAFT Powerpoint
Computer
RAFT template
Smartboard
www.bitstrip.com
Camera/Photographs
Pens
www.Glogster.com
RAFT Guide
Chart Paper
Development/Procedures
To get the students hooked into the lesson, I will begin by saying, “We have spent the past
couple of lessons learning about the horror, the cruelty, and atrocities of the holocaust and
learned about different perspectives and people’s experiences in it. Now, we are going to
take the experiences we have learned and put OURSELVES directly into the holocaust!
We talked a lot about the Holocaust, but how do you think it would feel like to BE in the
holocaust?
Describe what you think it would be like in the concentration camp?
What do you think it would be like to be a Nazi during the Holocaust?
How can writing in different roles, for different audiences, and for different topics effect
our writing? What does it require us to do?
Instructional Procedures
Before having the students conduct the RAFT I will first teach and model the activity for
them.
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First, I will show the students a short powerpoint on R.A.F.T to explain what it is,
why it is used, and how to use it.
Next, I will Explain to my students the various perspectives writers must consider
when completing any writing assignment. Examples of different roles, audiences,
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formats, and topics can be found in a list of Picture Book RAFTs by Doug
Fisher and Nancy Frey.
Then I will Discuss with my students the essential question of the unit, and as a class
select the RAFT we want to write about based on this topic. Students will help pick
the role, audience, format, and topic to write about.
Then I will have a class think-aloud to come up with ideas about the holocaust that
we will create as a group. I will Model on the smartboard, computer, or chart paper
how I would write in response to the prompt while allowing student input and
creativity
Then I will give students a sample prompt. Role - You are a Nazi Prison Guard.
Audience – Parents Format – Persuasive Letter Topic – You are about to go on the
Nuremburg Trial. Justify your actions to your mother, and explain to her why you
should not be held responsible for your crimes and justify why you did these
actions. Students will react to the prompt in small groups of 2.
Next, I will Choose a few students to read their RAFT aloud. Once done, I will have a
class discussion about how each student created their own version of the RAFT
while using the same role, audience, format, and topic.
I will then present students with their Summative Assessment of the unit, a RAFT
Writing assignment. I will provide students with a variety of different prompts to
choose from, and give them a rubric as well.
Students will then be given time responding to the required prompts which may
take more than 1 class period.
RAFT Assignment
Role
Audience
Anne
Frank
The
World
Nazi
Jewish
Prisoner
Hitler
Jury/Judge of
Trial
To America
People of
Germany
Format
Diary Entries
Speech/Script of
Dialogue/Video
renactment
Poem
Nazi
Propaganda/Glogster
Topic
Explain what life was like
for you during the
Holocaust, and what you
had to do to stay alive. Make
3 different entries that
show how you feel about
the Holocaust, different
events that happened, and
your emotions during this
time
Explain to the court why
you should be innocent.
What made you make the
decisions that you did, and
why did you do it? How do
you feel about it now, and
why should you not be
charged for your actions?
What is life like in the
Concentration camps?
Describe what it looks like,
what if feels like, and the
daily struggles that you
have to face
Persuade the people of
Germany that they should
support your actions in the
Holocaust. Use videos,
photos, and other features
to help emphasize your
points.
Adaptations: For students with special needs, I will present a variety of RAFT prompts
that can differ in complexity, be more geared towards major concepts and not abstract
ideas, require an easier format that is more familiar to the students with special needs, and
requires less preparation.
Closure – Students will share their RAFTS with the class and reflecting upon how it was
historically significant to what we have talked about. I will end the unit by grading this
assessment, and then handing the students and exit ticket for them to answer. This exit
ticket will ask the students the essential question in which we started the unit with, and see
if they can accurately answer it based on the unit that we have just covered.
Assessment : Short Term – I will use the RAFTS given at the end of the lesson to determine
whether the learning objectives has been met, and I will grade and give feedback on every
RAFT to continue to improve upon these students skills.
Long Term – As students continue to learn the theme of history and truth in other units,
students will continue to be asked to make across curriculum and time period connections
to this theme and compare and contrast the connections that can be made in other units.
RAFT EXAMPLE
Name: Evan LaGreca
My role is: Nazi soldier who works at a concentration camp
My audience is: his wife
My format is: letter
The topic is: How did I get involved in the genocide of the Jewish people?
My Dearest Anna, I am writing to you from a place that I wish I was not at. I have
been ordered to be here under the Fuhrer.
I will not disclose the location for fear of the enemy getting a hold of this letter. But I
can tell you that we are in a remote part of Germany away from any city or town. Our
barracks are sufficient. We have ample food and supplies. But I cannot say that for the
others that are here.
Almost on a daily basis, we have train cars coming through our camp. These train
cars are not loaded with supplies, but with passengers. These passengers are Jewish people
taken from their homes in Poland. When the train stops and the doors are opened, the Jews
stumble out on top of each other since they have been packed in so tightly. They are herded
like cattle toward a big building. As they go toward the building men are separated from
women, which results in families being separated. There is a lot of crying and reaching for
each other, but the butts of our guns are used to usher families apart from each other.
Once they enter the building, they are forced to strip in front of each other and stand
and shiver. Then, one by one, their heads are shaved. After their hair is gone, they are
brought to a man who brands a number onto their arms. This is painful to watch as no
antiseptic is used for pain or for infection.
Then each Jew is given a uniform, a striped shirt and pants. They are then sent to
find out what job they will need to do on a daily basis. There is no talking and no facial
expression from these Jews. If there is, we are under orders to shoot them on the spot. If a
Jew is too weak or sick to work, we send them to another building. This building is
connected to smokestacks. All that I know is that once a Jew is sent into that building, they
never come back. The smokestacks have been busy these last few weeks, and there is word
that they may become even busier.
My dearest Anna, please pray for me and for forgiveness for what I am doing. I do
not want to be here but fear for my life if I were to leave.
All of my love, Evan