Introduction
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, we studied the impact of a society on race relations in the 1930s in the United States. Our next novel focuses on a similar issue, in a different geographical location. Like the United States, Germany has had a complex history of racial segregation and persecution which famously culminated in what we now know as the Holocaust. In Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night, an account is told of life in Germany during this difficult time and the personal story of a family who indures these difficult circumstances. In order to better understand the motivations and memories of the characters, you will be completing research into the lives of those living in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s.
Task
Your mission is to develop a thorough understanding of The Holocaust to better your understanding of our upcoming literary study. You will use the internet to explore various topics on life during this time presented through videos, photos, and informational texts. You will gather information on these topics by answering several guided questions. Each question must be thoroughly answered in your own words and it must include a citation of where you located the answer. You may also take notes on any interesting facts and stories you find during the research process. Using this information, you will utilize your narrative writing skills to develop a short fictional memoir of your own, detailing your experience as a Jewish teenager before, during, or after the Holocaust. Your memoir must be based on true information that you learned about life during this time, including information about your character's family, job, age, looks, childhood, personal thoughts, feelings, fears, etc.
Process
You will be exploring the web sites that I have selected on various subjects surrounding the Holocaust. You will gather background information about what life was like during this time in Germany. You should complete the guided questions on the Holocaust to aid your understanding of the topic and also takes notes on any interesting facts/findings you discover during your research.
Stage 1 - Background Information
These sites are important because they will provide basic information about the topic as a whole. The sections include informational articles, videos, timelines, and personal accounts; examine each text carefully for maximum understanding. Everyone should explore these sites before writing your fictional memoir.
Antisemitism: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005175
1. What is antisemitism and where did the name come from?
2. What are pograms?
3. When the Nazis rose to power, how was antisemitism reflected in the government's decisions regarding German citizens?
4. If you were a Jewish person living during this time, how would the attitude of antisemitism have effected your life?
Nurembourg Laws: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/nurlawtoc.html
1. When were the Nurembourg Laws adopted?
2. Why were these laws important to Jewish citizens living in Germany at this time?
3. If you were a German citizen living during this time, how could the Nurembourg Laws have effected you negatively?
Children During the Holocaust: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005142
1. In what way were children persecuted during the Holocaust?
2. What determined a child's survival during the Holocaust?
3. What was life like for children who lived in ghettos?
4 What other non-Jewish groups were targeted at this time?
5. What is the name of the rescue effort from 1938-1940 that saved thousands of children in Germany from persecution? How did this rescue effort work?
Warsaw Ghetto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIBKlVJCffQ
1. What was life like for these survivors in the Warsaw ghetto?
2. As a child, what types of horrors did the residents witness?
3. What were the conditions in the ghettos like?
3. What emotions do you beleive these children experienced while living in these conditions?
Personal Accounts: http://remember.org/witness
1. Choose at least one account from a survivor of the Holocaust. Summarize what the survivor's experience by including information about his/her childhood, lost loved ones, conflicts, triumphs, fears, etc.
2. Choose at least one account from a bystander of the Holocaust. Summarize what the bystander reported seeing in the ghettos and camps of the Holocaust, as well as the bystander's personal feelings about these particular incidences.
3. Choose at least one account from a liberator during the Holocaust. Summarize what the liberator reported seeing in the ghettos and camps of the HOlocaust, as well as the liberator's personal feelings about these particular memories.
Stage 2 - Write a Memoir
1. Visit the following site for information and guidance about how to write a memoir.
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/How-to-Write-Your-Memoir-by-Abigail-Thomas/1
2. Visit the following site and read one example of a real memoir.
3. Now that you are more familiar with the format of the memoir, begin drafting your own memoir from the point of view of a child living in Germany at the start of the Holocaust. Be sure to include information gained through your research to make the memoir resemble realistic historical fiction.
For advice on how to write in a child's voice visit the following site:
Stage 3- Peer Evaluation
Before submitting a final product, you will submit your draft to another classmate. You will receive a classmates product as well. Each class member will proofread another student's memoir and make suggestions about the accuracy of the historical facts, the emotions of the characters, and other narrative writing elements that we have discussed in class. All students should submit constructive criticism to your classmates in order to help them develop an engaging final product.
Evaluation
You have now learned about different subjects regarding the Holocaust. Now you will complete a finalized draft of a memoir written from the point of view of a child living in Germany during the Holocaust. Your final draft must be 6-8 pages long and include factual inspiration from the research you completed during your background research. Accounts should also include descriptive language, dialogue, and a clear beginning, middle, and end.
For an additional extension activity, you may create a draft of your memoir in the form of an interview about your experiences as a child during the Holocaust (similar to the interveiw you watched during your research). We can film these interveiws useing the equipment in the Broadcasting Communications classroom and submit the final projects to the school website for public viewing.
You will choose one of these final products (either the memoir or the interview) to present to the class through a veiwing or a reading of your story.
The following rubric will be used to determine your final grade:
| Criteria | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Accuracy of historical background | Memoir utilizes extensive historical knowledge to create realistic historical fiction. | Memoir utilizes historical knowledge to create realistic historical fiction. | Memoir utilizes some historical knowledge to create realistic historical fiction. | Author does not utilize historical knoweledge to create realistic historical fiction. |
| Structure -Eventsbefore |
Author clearly “shows” attitudes and feelings numerous times through the thoughts, action and dialogue of the characters. | Author’s attitudes and feelings before are evident & occur numerous times through the thoughts and actions of the character. | Direct statements indicate the author’s feelings and attitudes and/or some events are not necessarily significant. | Memoir includes irrelevant events that cause the reader confusion in trying to determine thebefore feelings and attitudes. |
| Structure - Events after | The memoir clearly “shows” how the learning changed the author’s life. | Although word choice does not always “show”, it is clear to the reader how the learning changed the author’s life. | Change is evident; but is “told” to the reader through direct statements. | Memoir includes irrelevant events that cause confusion when noticing the change in the author’s life. |
| Style & Technique | Author consistently “shows” the significance of the events through engaging details, compelling language, and a balance of action, thoughts, and dialogue. | Author sometimes “shows” the significance of the events through details, compelling language, and a balance of action, thoughts, and dialogue. | Author “tells” the significance of the events through direct statements. | No effort is made to reveal the significance of the events to the reader. |
| Format | Memoir is neatly done and published in an appropriate and attractive format and could be used as a model for others. | Memoir is neatly done and published in an appropriate format. | Format of memoirmay or may not be appropriate. Memoir may or may not be neat. | Format of memoir is not appropriate and piece is not published neatly. |
| Conventions | Memoir is error-free. | Memoir contains minimal mistakes that do not interfere with meaning. | Numerous minor errors often makememoir difficult to read. | Many errors in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation often interfere with meaning. |
Conclusion
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, we studied the impact of a society on race relations in the 1930s in the United States. Now that we know more about Germany during this same time period, we can see that racial segregation has impacted more than our history; it is and continues to be a worldwide issue. Our next novel focuses Germany which has had a complex history of racial segregation and persecution. Hopefully through your research and synthesis of information regarding the Holocaust you have gained a better understanding of the motivations and memories of people who endured these injustices in Germany during the Holocaust. This information and understanding will be invaluable in understanding the characters we will read about in our new novel: Night by Elie Wiesel. I can't wait to get started!!!