Teaching the Holocaustusing Night by Elie Wiesel

Brynn Beavers

FRMS 7331

Multiple Text Assignment

June 25, 2008

Table of ContentsResource 1: Web Quest

SummaryUse in the Classroom

Resource 2: Art from the HolocaustSummaryUse in the Classroom

Resource 3: Children’s Book of Poems and DrawingsSummaryUse in the Classroom

Resource 4:SummaryUse in the Classroom

Conclusion

Resource 1: Web QuestSummary: A web quest is an inquiry-based

teaching tool in which students use the internet to perform a task. The web quest that will be used as a resource to teaching the book Night is from the website www.webquest.org . This site provides a collection of web quests on a variety of concepts.

In the Web quest, Remembering the Holocaust with Hyperlinked Poetry , students are given the task of writing poems using imagery for the National Holocaust Museum to ensure that young people of today do not forget the genocide that occurred.

After students write their poems, they will hyperlink photos show the imagery from the book Night. Before students can complete their poems they must complete several days of lessons on what imagery is and picking imagery out from examples of poems as well.

Students also use the rubric that will be used to grade their final projects to grade poems written by survivors of the Holocaust. This allows for students to be familiar with the rubric that their poem will be graded on and allow them to read poetry from survivors of the Holocaust.

Use of Resource 1 in the classroom

Resource 2: Art from the Holocaust

Summary: There are different types of art associated with the Holocaust; art in response to the genocide, art created from the prisoners in concentration camps and art sanctioned by the Nazis. I have selected examples of each of these types for students to study. Students can compare and contrast the examples of art and find the differences and similarities in the pieces. Students will also discuss the purposes for the different pieces as well.

Example 1: Painting s and Drawings of Life in the Camps

http://www.remember.org/komski/index.html I chose this site because they depict what life was like in Auschwitz.

It also tells the artist, Jan Komski’s story, providing students with yet another view of a survivor of the Holocaust.

Example 2: Art in response to the Holocausthttp://

fcit.usf.edu/HOLOCAUST/RESOURCE/GALLERY/DACB.HTM Memorial to the survivors at Dachau concentration camp

Example 3: Art sponsored by the Nazis.http://www.thirdreichruins.com/kunsthaus5a.htm

Statues from the “Official Sculptor” of the Third Reich, Josef Thorakhttp://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/sturm28.htm

Propaganda art

Use of Resource 2 in the classroom

Resource 3: Picture Book …I never saw another butterfly…

Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp 1942-1944

Summary: The ghetto of Terezin was an unusual concentration camp. It’s sole purpose was to cover up the Nazi’s genocide of the Jews. The camp was the site of the Red Cross Inspection in 1944 and was often called “Fuhrer’s Gift to the Jews.” The inhabitants of this “model camp” were comprised mostly of artists and intellectuals. This led to an unusual blend of culture alongside the starvation and disease found commonly in Jewish ghettos. This picture book is a record of the 100 out of 15,000 children whom survived Terezin from 1942-1944. It is comprised of prose, poems and illustrations. The children that survived the ghetto of Terezin left behind a legacy that children for years to come will learn from. These poems, selections of prose, and pictures tell the story of what it was like to live as a child during the Holocaust. Students learning about the Holocaust will see the struggle through younger eyes and in a different type of prose. Volavkova, H. (1993). I Never Saw Another Butterfly. New York: Schocken Books, Inc.

 

Excerpt from the book

Use of Resource 3 in the classroom: There are several activities that could be used along with the book to help

students gain a better understanding of the genocide that occurred during the Holocaust. One example below is from the Houston Holocaust Museum which sponsors the Butterfly Project to honor the 1.5 million children that died in the Holocaust.

Activity: Teacher begins the lesson by reading the poem “Butterfly” aloud to the class.

Students may then read the poem together using chorale reading. Teacher will lead a class discussion about the poem questioning students about

their reaction/feelings to the poem. Teacher will introduce students to the book, …I never saw a butterfly…;

explaining the authors, historical significance and purpose for the book being written.

Assign one poem to each student. Students should read the poem silently and write a reading response describing their feelings about their poem. Students will then discuss their poems with a neighbor using Think-Pair-Share.

After students have begun to feel comfortable with their poem, they will use art materials to create a butterfly that represents the author of their poem. The butterflies will be displayed around the room.

As students continue their study of the Holocaust, the butterflies will remain displayed throughout the room. At the end of the unit, the student will be told the fate of the author of their poem. If their author did not survive their butterfly is removed. The result will be very few butterflies remaining around the room.

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Resource 4: Online field trip through the National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

Summary: The National Holocaust museum provides a collection of materials that provide an in-depth look at the Holocaust. There are a variety of media examples that can be used in the classroom to teach students about the Holocaust. There are also many resources about Elie Wiesel and the site that will provide students with a greater insight of the work he has accomplished since being liberated from the concentration camp.

PicturesPictures of Elie Wiesel at Auschwitz and after liberationPhotos from Auschwitz album donated to Yad Vashem by Lili Jacob

VideosEncountering Auschwitz (click on link)Auschwitz through the lens of the SSRemember the Children: Daniel’s Story

Provides an online look of the exhibit in the museum

Remarks:Elie Wiesel’s remarks regarding genocide in the Sudan.Elie Wiesel’s remarks at the dedication of the National Holocaust

Museum.

Interview:Memory and Witness with Elie Wiesel

Use of Resource 4 in the classroom

The resources that I have chosen to teach the Holocaust in conjunction with the book Night are meant to show the students the impact the Holocaust had on people all over Europe. Having a variety of resources allows students to gain a greater understanding of a concept. The resources also allow for students with different learning modalities to better understand due to the different types of media.

Conclusion