Introduction
World War II was a devestating war from 1939 - 1945 that lead to over 60 million deaths, many through the persecution of Jews. During this war, Denmark's citizens came together to try and save their Jewish neighbours, friends, and family in their country. Through smuggling and hiding, the people of Denmark were able to help many people espcape.
In our novel study, Number the Stars, we read about Annemarie and how she tried to help her friend Ellen and Ellen's family escape. During this WebQuest, you will further discover what it would have been like to have been alive during World War II.
Task
The Nazis have just invaded Denmark! Your life has now been completely flipped upside down. The Nazis are convinced that they are superior, that they should take charge, and that they should eliminate the Jews. You want to let people know what is really happening, but the Nazis are watching your every move. They have been monitoring what is said in the newspapers to keep their actions a secret. There has been word of the Resistance and a secret newspaper going around. Could this be a way to spread the word and help those in need? What will you do?
Process
Each member in your group is to choose one of the following people during World War II in Denmark and research what it would be like to be that person:
- A fisherman who smuggles Jews out of the country
- A member of the resistance
- A Jewish citizen
- The king of Denmark
First, write a journal entry describing your role as the person you chose and what it is like to live during the war. You may want to include some other things they have been experiencing at this time.
Once you and your group members are finished with your entries, work together to create your own secret newspaper to spread the word about what the Nazis are really doing and what the Danish Resistance is doing to counteract and protect the Jews. When your newspaper is complete, present it do the rest of the class.
The resources below as well as the novel Number the Stars are great starting points for your work, but you may want to do additional research. The journal entry, newspaper and presentation will be graded according to the rubric in the evaluation section of this WebQuest.
Resources:
Information about the country of Denmark during WWII
Information about the country of Denmark during WWII
Information about the King of Denmark
Information on the King and Fishermen
Information on the Danish Resistance
Evaluation
Your marks will be graded from a 0-10 point scale. Your group work mark will be based off of our newspaper and presentation. Your individual mark will be based off of your joural entry and participation.
You have a total of 40 possible points for this assignment.
| Needs Work (0 points) |
Good (5 points) |
Excellent (10 points) |
|
|
Journal Entry |
Journal has signs of little to no outside research of character and does not fully display the view of the character during WWII. | Journal shows signs of some outside research of character and briefly displays the view of the character during WWII. | Journal shows signs of adequate outside reasearch of character and goes into detail about the view of the character during WWII. |
| Newspaper | Includes little to no journal entries, and the front page picture and title is not accurate to the research. | Includes some journal entries, and the front page picture and title is somewhat accurate to the research. | Includes all journal entries, and the front page picture and title is entirely accurate to the research. |
| Presentation | Students showed little to no knowledge of character roles or research. Did not speak loud or make eye contact. | Students showed partial knowledge of character roles or research. Volume was adequate and minimal eye contact was made. | Students showed maximum knowledge of character roles or research. Volume was loud and clear, and eye contact was made. |
| Participation | Student had little to no participation with research and group members. Student was distracted, off task and did not work well with group members. | Student participated with research and group members. Student was on task and made an effort to work with group members. | Student excelled in participation of research and with group members. Student was fully engaged and made a strong effort to work with group members. |
Conclusion
Great work! You have successfully completed your mission! You were able to express your role in Denmark during the war, and inform people of what is going on. Because of your successful distribution of knowledge, the people of Denmark were able to work together to save the Jews.
Credits
"Christian X (king of Denmark)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/115062/Christian-X>.
"Danish Resistance during the Holocaust www.HolocaustResearchProject.org." Danish Resistance during the Holocaust www.HolocaustResearchProject.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. <http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/revolt/danishresistance.html>.
"Denmark during World War II." - Meet the Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. <http://kids.denmark.dk/denmarkKids152.htm>.
"DENMARK - LIVING WITH THE ENEMY." A Force More Powerful. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. <http://www.aforcemorepowerful.org/films/afmp/stories/denmark.php>.
"Rescue of the Danish Jews." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_of_the_Danish_Jews>.