A Brief Summary: Over a five week period, three 8th grade language arts/social studies classes will dive into various teaching tolerance/Holocaust-theme related texts to create and publish an analysis of the dangers of propaganda, peer-pressure, becoming a bystander, and blindly following a leader. This “teaching tolerance” language arts unit is done in conjunction with a social studies unit on the Holocaust, and students will post connections based on personal and global events that relate to their understanding of the text.
Topics/Themes Explored:
- Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
- The Individual vs. Society
- Identity/Identity-loss and Labels
- Bullies, Bystandards, and Up-standers
- Following Others Based on Personal Fear
- The Holocaust/Man's Inhumanity to Man
- Personal Challenges and Triumphs
Novels Explored within Literature Circle Teams:
- The Wave by Todd Strasser
- The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
- Night by Elie Weisel
- Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
- Maus 1 & 2 by Art Spiegelman
- Escaping Into the Night by D. Dina Friedman
- I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
- The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
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A Quick Glance:
- Video Tour
- Big Picture
- Participants
- Inspiration
- Technology
- Stats and Numbers
- Student Surveys
- Teacher Comments
- Mentions and Links
- Quotes
- Advice
- Articles
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