Pre-Book Thief Mini-Lesson By: Erica Almerico Purpose/Rationale: Students should have learned about the events that occurred during the Holocaust prior to this course. But, it is expected that several students may not have had access to the information that I expect them to know; therefore, this lesson will introduce students to the Holocaust in a quick way so that they may read The Book Thief with an understanding of the events occurring during the setting of the novel. After this lesson, students should have a basic understanding of the Holocaust and should be prepared to read The Book Thief without confusion. Common Core Standards: This lesson plan will be taught to a general 8 th grade English class. RL.8.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text RL.8.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6 8 text complexity band independently and proficiently Objectives: Students will be able to Define the Holocaust Discuss the events that occurred during the Holocaust and apply their knowledge to evaluate an image from the time period Materials: - Projector - Projection screen - Computer with internet and PowerPoint - Pen and paper - Handout about the Holocaust (see appendix) Anticipatory Set: Before class starts, the teacher will open an image of a Nazi propaganda poster from the time of the Holocaust. While this image is on the board, the teacher will hand out the attached Holocaust Cheat Sheet for students to take notes on and study. The teacher will also introduce what the image is on the board for students to be able to discuss later in class. Procedure: Time Students Will Teacher Will 2 minutes Listen to the instructor and begin to take Display an image of a Nazi propaganda notes cartoon and begin to discuss the events
of the Holocaust while handing out the cheat sheet to students 8 minutes Take notes Lecture about the events and history of the Holocaust 3 minutes Break into groups of five Introduce activity Students will discuss the meaning behind the poster that was displayed during the Anticipatory Set that remained on the board throughout the lecture 10 minutes Discuss the meaning behind the poster Ensure that students remain on task and write down the observations of the group on one sheet of paper that includes the name of each group member to be turned in 2 minutes Pass papers to the front of the room Collect paper and introduce homework assignment Summary/Closure: After completing this lesson, students should be able to read Markus Zusak s novel, The Book Thief, with a general understanding of the time that the novel is set in. Should the assessment at the end of the lesson demonstrate that some students do not comprehend, these students will be asked to write a one page research paper using valid resources such as JSTOR and GaleGroup about the Holocaust. Assessment: The notes of the students group discussion will be used to assess the information retained from this lesson. Homework/Follow-up assignment: Following this lesson, students should have a basic understanding of the Holocaust and what it was like to live during that time. After today s class students will go home and find a YouTube video that is related to the Holocaust. Students will watch the video and write half of a page, double spaced discussing what they saw in the video. Students will email the link to the video that was watched to the teacher so that he or she can be sure the students completed the assignment correctly. Students will also read the first 10 pages of The Book Thief, to be discussed in class tomorrow. Attachments: Attached to this lesson plan are the cheat sheet that will be handed out to students for the lecture and an image of the Nazi Propaganda poster that I chose for students to evaluate during class.
Accommodations/Adaptations: If any students are sensitive to the topic of the Holocaust, I would choose a different book for them to read entirely that also involved persecution. But, for this lesson, I would hand them several political comics from World War II that did not relate to the Holocaust, for the student to write a one paragraph response to what they think the comic is referring to. The Nazi propaganda image that is to be evaluated by the students can be changed to the liking of the teacher planning to use this lesson plan. Students with attention disorders like ADD or ADHD should be carefully watched during the group discussion period. The instructor should make sure that these students are staying on task during discussion and not straying from the purpose of the assignment. Students that are noticeably shy should also be encouraged by the teacher during group discussion to participate. It is important that all group members participate equally in the discussion. Citation: Rosenberg, J. The Holocaust. About.com: 20 th Century History. Retrieved from http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/tp/holocaust.htm Zusak, M. (2006). The Book Thief. Australia: Picador. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/images/nazi_propaganda_kladderadatsch.jpg Appendix: 1. Holocaust Cheat Sheet 2. Images of Nazi Propaganda
The Holocaust Cheat-Sheet 1933: Beginning of the Holocaust, when Adolf Hitler came to rule in Germany 1945: End of the Holocaust, when the Nazis were defeated by the Allied powers What was it? - The persecution and planned slaughter of the Jewish people - Others targeted: gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah s Witnesses, disabled, whoever resisted 11 million were killed during the Holocaust, 6 million were Jews, 1.1 million were children Ghettos- Jews were forced by Nazis out of their homes into shared apartments with other families in neighborhoods called ghettos Concentration and extermination camps- prisoners were forced to complete hard physical labor for little to no rations, medical experiments were conducted on prisoners against their will, many were tortured and died During the persecution, Jews were marched through the streets of Germany to be beaten, tortured, and exterminated in front of many onlookers Gestapo official secret police of the Nazis who would be ordered to invade homes to remove and Jews that were hidden along with the people protecting them Arian race Hitler s ideal human with fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes