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Courage in Chaos
Subject Area:
Language Arts
Grade Level(s):
6-7
Duration of Activity:
2-3 weeks, (one 55 minute class period per day)
Description of Activity:
Students will study the quality of courage found among both survivors and rescuers during the Holocaust of World War II. Students will reflect on their own courage as they decide if they would make a stand to protect persecuted people with different beliefs than themselves. This study will be based on the novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowery.
Objectives:
- Students will read and discuss the historical fiction novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowery.
- Students will interview survivors of the Holocaust or their family members.
- Students will create a poem choosing from the topics: Pride is…, Courage is…, Honor is…, Prejudice…, or Bravery is….
- Students will use the provided Courage in Chaos PowerPoint presentation to research and work various activities related to the novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowery.
- Students will use the World Wide Web to research and present real survivor and rescuer stories from the Holocaust.
Materials/Equipment:
- Computers with Internet access
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowery
- Courage in Crisis Microsoft PowerPoint presentation [downloadable file]
- Handout 1: Thesis Instructions
- Handout 2: Outline Instructions
- Handout 3: Example Outline Page
- Handout 4: Bibliography Instructions
- Handout 5: Title Page Instructions
- Handout 6: Presentation Instructions
- Handout 7: Research Paper Rubric
- Handout 8: Presentation Rubric
- Handout 9: Number the Stars—Courage in Chaos Presentation [6 slides per page]
- Handout 10: Web Site Instructions
Prerequisites (skills or background needed):
- Basic knowledge of how to conduct research on the World Wide Web
- Basic knowledge of how to create Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
Procedure
Teacher Component:
- Vary the manner in which the novel is read to meet different students’ learning styles. Examples:
- Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)—The students read silently.
- Popcorn Reading—Students take turns reading. One reads as much as he/she wants and then chooses another student to read and so on.
- Literature Circles—Groups read and discuss the novel together.
- Stop and discuss the courage of the characters throughout the reading of the novel.
- Have students create three questions to ask one another in a whole-group discussion. Encourage everyone to ask and answer each other’s questions.
- Contact local or nearby synagogues. The rabbi will find survivors or family members of survivors for meetings at the synagogue.
- Discuss the way certain characteristics are represented in the novel or historical characters to get an understanding of the poem topics. (Pride is…)
- Assign various slides from the Courage in Chaos PowerPoint presentation for groups to research and work each day throughout the novel study. Handout 9: Number the Stars—Courage in Chaos Presentation can be given to the students for this assignment.
- Provide the Handouts 1-5 to guide students in writing research papers. Components include: title page, thesis statement, outline, body, and bibliography.
- Place the Web site URLs into a folder on in your Web browser’s bookmarks or favorites list.
- Use Handout 10: Web Site Instructions and explain the procedures for students to follow at each site.
Student Activities:
- Read the novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowery.
- Create three questions about the novel or topics related to the novel to ask in a student-led, whole-class discussion. Questions should be open ended. Example – What would you do if you could possibly save your best friend’s life by risking yours and your family’s lives?
- Listen attentively to the guest speaker’s own story of being a Holocaust survivor or the story of his/her family member.
- Ask open-ended questions of interest of the survivor or his/her family members.
- Take notes during the interview.
- Review notes after the Holocaust survivor interview, adding any details that can be recalled to use in the research paper.
- Write a poem based on the knowledge gained from the novel and interviews about one of the following topics: Pride is…, Courage is…, Honor is…, Prejudice is…, or Bravery is… Example – Annemarie realizes that there are other sources of pride besides possessions and achievements upon seeing the Rosens in their worn clothes before their escape to Sweden. Use word-processing software to create the poems using appropriate fonts and clipart.
- Groups will work through the Courage in Chaos PowerPoint slide activities as the teacher assigns. Activities include:
- Write a research paper using the links provided and notes from personal interviews. The paper will include: title page, thesis statement, outline, body, and bibliography.
Holocaust: the World Must Remember, That It May Never Happen Again/
http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/EMS/History_Pages/Holocaust/Holocaust.html.
Click on "The Camps" or other choices of interest.
Holocaust Web Sites / http://www.socialstudies.com/c/@M.mYiX3zPrdH2/Pages/holoweb.html?af@ssss.
Click on "U. S. Holocaust Museum. Click on "History." Click on "Learning Center." View the "Role of the U.S. in the Holocaust" as well as other choices.
- Use word processing software to write a poem that reveals the method the Danes used to rescue the Jews living in that country.
- Create a map of the area discussed in the novel. Microsoft Paint or other paint/draw software could be used to create this map.
- Plan to escape to Sweden with only a few concealed items.
- Create substitutes for common items as if they were no longer available.
- Use word-processing software to write a friendly letter to the rabbi of a local synagogue telling him the things you learned about the Jewish faith or asking him questions about the faith.
- Write a friendly letter to the holocaust survivor telling him or her things learned during his/her visit to class or asking questions about life during the war. Be sure to use the friendly letter format. Include heading, salutation, body, closing and signature. The letter can be created using word-processing software and mailed or sent via e-mail.
- Respond to photographs of the Holocaust of World War II found in the presentation.
- Read various survivor stories to use in the research paper from Forgotten Holocaust / http://www.holocaustforgotten.com.
- Choose three stories to read and write a reflective response from The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous / http://www.jfr.org/main.html. From these three stories choose one rescuer to personify. Speak in 1st person and tell the rescuer’s story to the class using proper presentation skills that are listed on Handout 6: Presentation Instructions.
- From Holocaust Rescuers and Survivors / http://teacher.scholastic.com/frank/stories.htm read the rescuer, Ellen Neilson’s story. This rescuer helped Jews escape from Denmark, which is the setting of the novel Number the Stars. Then choose one of the other rescuer stories to read from the site. Click "Write a Story of Courage" and use this page as a guide for writing why the rescuer should be considered courageous.
Accommodations:
- Students reading below grade level could read The Big Lie by Isabella Leitner.
- Students will be paired with peers willing and capable of helping them complete the technology component of the lesson plan.
- Students will be allowed to work on their assignments additionally during study hall or free time.
Extension Activities:
- Read another historical fiction novel based on the Holocaust of WWII. Possible choices:
The Big Lie by Isabella Leitner
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
The Journey Back by Johanna Reiss.
Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust by Milton Melzer
To Fight in Silence by Era-Lis Wuorio
Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
- Create a Web page at a site such as Homestead.com / http://www.homestead.com. Write poems or songs from the point of view of the children of the concentration camps. Keep a journal/diary, writing as if you were a Jew in the concentration camps or one who has survived. Keep a Journal/diary, writing as if you were a protector/rescuer of the Jews during the Holocaust. Make sure to get permission for any work posted to your site, or keep the Web page strictly local and only access it in the classroom.
- Search the World Wide Web for photos from the Holocaust. Write a reaction to the feelings they bring to you.
- Clip newspaper articles or gather information from the World Wide Web depicting stories of courage to add to a bulletin board. There is a Web site called Newspaper Links.com / http://www.newspaperlinks.com/voyager.cfm where worldwide newspapers can be found.
- Write short exerts from courageous acts they see at school or from acts on local, state, or national news.
- Choose small parts of the novel to dramatize for the class.
- Research the World Wide Web about the Jewish faith, customs, holidays, and foods.
- Research the World Wide Web about Denmark’s people, culture, food, resources, climate, and products.
- Discuss the memorial for Righteous Gentiles in Jerusalem, which consists of over 700 trees honoring Christians who hid and protected Jews during WWII. Design a monument that would be worthy to be placed at this site.
- Use Steven Spielburg’s CD and video entitled Survivors, Testimonies of the Holocaust. The video ISBN is 0-7806-1192-6. The telephone number for buying the CD is 1-800-542-4240. Other Holocaust materials are available from this number as well.
Integration:
- Language Arts
- Technology
- Drama
- Literature
- Poetry
- History
- Geography
- Art
Assessments:
- Observe and keep a list of student participation during discussions. Each student should ask at least 1 question and answer at least one question. Simply place a check mark beside the students names when they ask questions and when they answer questions.
- Check notes after interviews to see if the main information is written.
- Check for understanding of the word on which the poem is based. Students should have creative freedom to choose and use their own style.
- Courage in Chaos PowerPoint activities should be assessed for creativity, participation, and completion.
- The research paper will be checked using the rubric contained in Handout 7: Research Paper Rubric.
- The presentation rubric contained in Handout 8: Presentation Rubric will be used to judge personified characters.
- Stories of courage should be checked for emotional input as well as questions answered from the on-line story guide.
- Reflective responses should be checked for completion and story content.
URLs:
Curriculum Frameworks
Mississippi:
Sixth Grade & Seventh Grade
- Communicate for a variety of purposes through forms of writing using processes of reading, writing, listening, and viewing for an expanding audience.
- Speak coherently in order to express ideas and opinions for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- Complete projects and tasks in an organized and coherent manner.
- Read, listen, and view multimedia sources to select and use information for a variety of purposes.
- Develop self-monitoring skills to work independently and cooperatively.
- Participate cooperatively while engaging in small group activities to analyze and interpret information, to make decisions, to solve problems, and to produce a given product.
- Discover the history and inherent beauty of cultural expression in language and literature.
- Read and use print and non-print media to experience the rhythm, energy, and pictorial qualities of language.
- Read independently with fluency and meaning using a variety of strategies.
- Read, analyze, and respond in written and oral language or other art forms to increasingly challenging literature and other resources.
- Demonstrate continuous progress toward control of grammar, mechanics, and usage of Standard English in oral and written communications.
- Acquire and use vocabulary, spelling concepts, and sentence structure for specific situations, purposes, and audiences.
- Use language to record observations, to clarify thoughts, to synthesize information, to analyze and evaluate language, etc., in order to facilitate continuous learning.
- Construct meaning by applying personal experiences, and by reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing.
National Educational Technology Standards (NETS):
- Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations to support learning and research.
- Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum.
- Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using telecommunications and collaborative tools to investigate curriculum-related problems, issues, and information, and to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
- Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems.
- Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and bias of electronic information sources concerning real-world problems.
TerraNova:
Reading/Language Arts
01 Oral Comprehension (Level 10, 11)
Demonstrate both literal and interpretive understanding of passages that are read aloud.
Use writing or other means to respond to literal and interpretive questions about passages that are read aloud.
02 Basic Understanding (Level 10-21/22)
Demonstrate understanding of the literal meaning of a passage through identifying stated information, indicating sequence of events, and defining grade-level vocabulary.
Write responses to questions requiring literal information from passages and documents.
03 Analyze Text (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate comprehension by drawing conclusions; inferring relationships such as cause and effect; and identifying theme and story elements such as plot, climax, character, and setting.
Write responses that show an understanding of the text that goes beyond surface meaning.
04 Evaluate and Extend Meaning (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate critical understanding by making predictions; distinguishing between fact and opinion, and reality and fantasy; transferring ideas to other situations; and judging author purpose, point of view, and effectiveness.
Write responses that make connections between texts based on common themes and concepts; evaluate author’s purpose and effectiveness; and extend meaning to other contexts.
05 Identify Reading Strategies (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate awareness of techniques that enhance comprehension, such as using existing knowledge, summarizing content, comparing information across texts, using graphics and text structure, and formulating questions that deepen understanding.
Write responses that interpret and extend the use of information from documents and forms, and that demonstrate knowledge and use of strategies.
08 Writing Strategies (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate knowledge of information sources, outlines, and other pre-writing techniques.
Demonstrate an understanding of the use of topic sentences, concluding sentences, connective and transitional words and phrases, supporting statements, sequencing ideas, and relevant information in writing expository prose.
Social Studies
26 Geographic Perspectives (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and process skills related to the study of the world’s people, places, and environments, and their interactions over time.
Construct answers, use geographic tools, and cerate solutions or products using inquiry skills and knowledge related to geographic perspectives.
27 Historical and Cultural Perspectives (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and process skills related to the study of time, continuity, and societal change throughout history.
Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and process skills related to the study of the contributions, influences, and interactions of various cultures.
Construct answers and create solutions or products using inquiry skills and knowledge related to historical and cultural perspectives.
Link and Feedback to Author(s):
Michelle Byrd, New Hope Middle School, Columbus, MS
Michelle.Byrd@lowndes.k12.ms.us
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