A Pre-Reading Webquest for "Night"

Introduction

     You will soon begin reading the book Night by Elie Wiesel. In preparation for this reading, it is extremely important that you gain the necessary background information in order to understand what Mr. Wiesel is referring to. This book is very disturbing as Mr. Wiesel shares his experiences in a Nazi Concentration Camp during World War II.  Throughout the book, you will read about his horrific journey through the evil and terrible process a young Jew in Hitler’s way often suffered. 

     Mr. Wiesel has taken it upon himself to “bear witness” and share his testimony with the world in hopes to prevent such terrible genocide in the future.  He has left his written word so that the world may never forget… “When we are forgotten, we cease to exist.”

Task

Your community is contemplating building its own museum dedicated to remembering victims of execution all over the world.  Your class has been put in charge of accumulating information regarding the history of the Holocaust and how it has affected our world today.  Among your class, you will be divided into pairs of two, each group will then be asked to research aspects of the Holocaust.  You should assign roles and research to each person in your group. Once your group members have researched your group’s topic on the approved sites, they should answer the questions following on the topic.  It is important that each person do their individual research for the first task and then compile the information as a group as the second task.  This information will then be used to create a PowerPoint presentation in which your group will present your findings to the class. 

Process

1)  Divide research up among yourselves and begin researching to find answers to your topic related questions!

2)  Use the information your group members researched to create a power point presentation in order to inform the class about the topics.  I expect you to work together in making the powerpoint and not have one person do all the work.  I will be watching and counting your participation in your final grade.

Topic 1:

What was Kristallnacht (Crystal Night or “The Night of Broken Glass)?                                                                               

          Questions:

  1.  When did Kristallnacht happen and what was Kristallnacht?
  2.  What was the supposed spark that initiated this violence?
  3.  What was the role of police on this night                                                                  
  4.  What is a “pogrom?”
  5.  After Kristallnacht, what happened to many Jews?
  6.  Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.

Sites to search:

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005201

https://www.ushmm.org/educators/lesson-plans/organizing-the-history/resources/teacher-resource/morning-after-kristallnacht

https://www.ushmm.org/collections/bibliography/kristallnacht

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUiEBQ2ga4U

 

 

Topic 2: 

How did Hitler gain power and begin Nazi Rule?

 Questions:

  1.  How and when did Hitler gain power and what was the Third Reich?
  2.  Who were the SS?
  3.  What was “Nazi Propaganda” and how was it used?
  4.  What is Euthanasia?
  5.  What is “Anti-Semitism?”
  6.  Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.

Sites to search:

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007669

http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4442915&ct=5851643

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-of-the-nazi-euthanasia-t-4-program

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005141

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005175

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007424

 

Topic 3:

What was life like in a Concentration Camp? 

Questions:

  1.  What are some of the things that happened to the prisoners when they first got to the camps?
  2.  What was “Selection?”
  3.  What was the difference between death camps and labor camps?
  4.  What happened to the personal items people brought with them?
  5.  What were a crematorium and a gas chamber?
  6.  Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.

Sites to search:

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007734

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007714

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007732

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005145

http://www.jewishgen.org/ForgottenCamps/Camps/TreblinkaEng.html

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005144

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005131

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007066

 

Topic 4: 

Did anyone try to save the Jews?

Questions:

  1.  How did some people try to rescue Jews?
  2.  What was the “Resistance” movement?
  3.  How were some children hidden?
  4.  What happened during uprisings in camps?
  5.  What happened during uprisings in the ghettos?
  6.  Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.

Sites to search:

http://www2.humboldt.edu/rescuers/index.html

http://www.rongreene.com/Sug.html

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005185

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005213

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006126

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/hidden-children-of-the-holocasut

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005407

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005142

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007738

 

Topic 5:

What was a “ghetto?”

Questions:

  1.  How was a ghetto formed?
  2.  What kind of things did they have in a ghetto?
  3. Who was in charge of a ghetto?  How did they run it?
  4.   How did the Nazi’s keep the Jews in the Ghetto?
  5.  What happened after Jews left the ghettos?
  6.  Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.

Sites to search:

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005059

http://www.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%206286.pdf

http://www.aish.com/ho/o/48959726.html

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007708

http://www.rossel.net/Holocaust07.htm

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005413

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007716

 

Topic 6: 

What was the “Final Solution?” 

Questions:

  1.  What was the “Final Solution?”
  2.  Who were implementers of the “Final Solution?”
  3.  How was the “Final Solution” supposed to be carried out?
  4.  How many Jewish lives were lost as a result of “The Final Solution” and the Holocaust?
  5.  Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.

Sites to search:

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005151

http://www.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205851.pdf

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007328

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/estimated-number-of-jews-killed-in-the-final-solution

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/himmler-orders-completion-of-the-final-solution

https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007710

 

Other Links that may be helpful in all topics:

Timeline/History

http://remember.org/educate/mtimeline.html

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/history.html

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/holocaust.htm

Vocabulary

http://remember.org/educate/vocabulary.html

Pictures

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/phototoc.html

Other information:

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/

A suvivor's story

http://www.cheme.cornell.edu/cheme/people/profile/moreinfo/dlk15-leobach.cfm

Focuses mostly on German Experiments on Children by the infamous Dr. Mengele.

http://www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org/index.php?sid=21

Evaluation

You will be assessed based on 2 different criteria:

1)    Web Quest:

¨      Answers to questions will be graded 

¨      Ability to work on computer and research

¨      Ability to work with a partner and share responsibility

 

 2)   PowerPoint Rubric:

 

______      Colorful/ easy to see/ easy to read (10 pts)

 

______      Graphics used appropriately  (10 pts)

 

______      10 + slides (10 pts)

 

______      Spelling  (10 pts)

 

______      Space/ graphic organizers/presentation

 neat and orderly   (10 pts)

 

______      Main points highlighted, not just

 paragraphs to read  (10 pts)

 

 ______      Appropriately illustrates research includes a works cited page and information is accurate (40 pts)

 

___/100     Total for PowerPoint Presentation

Conclusion

Hopefully after your research you will have found some of the events leading up to and defining the Holocaust and can be prepared to share this information with the rest of the world. Unfortunately no matter how many facts or how much research we do, we cannot possibly begin to imagine the terrifying events many of the survivors faced.  Keep in mind as we begin reading the book Night, all of the information you have researched and use it to help you attempt to imagine the world that shaped Elie Weisel’s childhood.

Credits

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

          http://www.ushmm.org 

Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors

          http://www.candles-museum.com/

Museum of Tolerance Multimedia Learning Center (Simon Wiesenthal Center)

          http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/

Jewish Virtual Library

          http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/phototoc.html 

Moretta, Theresa. Teaching the Holocaust. 1997.

          http://remember.org/educate/moretta.html 

Yad Vashem

          http://www.yadvashem.org/

To Save a Life: The Stories of Holocaust Rescuers

          http://www.humboldt.edu/~rescuers/index.html

Chelle Lofton

          http://loftonenglish.pbworks.com/w/page/36540341/Pre-Reading%20for%20Night%20by%20Elie%20Wiesel

 

Teacher Page

This WebQuest was created on August 28, 2017 by Julie A. Batson.