WORLD WAR 2Christian Young

EDC 4489/27/2012Grade 7

In Boris, Nadia and Boris have to risk their lives for food and dig for potatoes in dangerous territory. What does this reveal about their characters and their situation?

In Boris, the author describes the city during the war as a “witch’s cauldron of explosion’s and flames…” What are some other figurative expressions you might use to describe a time of war and conflict?

Throughout this selection, Boris is a character who is portrayed as having many emotions and feelings. Do you think his emotions are justified and why? Would you feel the same way?

Guiding Questions

Offline Resources

Haar, Jaap Ter. Boris. Ed. Jim Baldwin. Bright Glory. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 300-23. Print.

Boris is a 130 page novel set in Leningrad during 1942-23 when it lay under siege by the German Army. It explains the life of a 12- year -old boy named Boris who faces the life-and-death realities of war and looks forward to when all men can end the fighting and embrace each other as brothers. This selection is relevant to World War 2 because it gives the students an idea of what those dreadful days were like and how hard human-survival really was. This novel is appropriate for 7th grade but may be a struggle for some students due to this story being a translation of the original.Quantitative analysis: Flesch Kincaid reading level: 7.1; This text should be easily understood by 12-13 year olds. Qualitative analysis:Purpose: This text thoroughly explains the lives the people who lived during World War 2 had and how difficult it was to survive. Structure: The author made it easier to read because they included vocabulary at the bottom. Conventionality and Clarity: A “Responding to Boris” was included at the end so students would be more clear about the novel and could better understand it. It may be difficult for some students because it is a translation of the original.Knowledge demands: You may need to be knowledgeable of World War 2 but at the beginning, they include an excerpt on how the Soviet City of Leningrad was besieged by the German Army.

Online resources

BBC Archive: WWII: The Soviet Union Joins the Allies | Reporting

the uneasy alliance made with Stalin's Russia

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/ussr/6704.shtml

Lane, Mary. "In Honour of Russia:Mary Lane." Interview. Video blog post. BBC. N.p., 08 Nov. 1943. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/ussr/6704.shtml>.

Mary Lane, who is a former resident of Moscow during the war, describes her experiences and her personal account of life at the outbreak of war. This is 4 minute and 27 second report of the life during World War 2, when the Soviet Union joins the Allies.

Quantitative analysis: Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 6; This should be easily understood by 11-

12 year olds. Qualitative analysis: Purpose: This is one of the first documents to describe the hatred the Russians had for the

Germans and describe how hard it was to survive during the outbreak of war. Structure: This is included, in order the subjects of communism, diplomacy, Moscow, Russia and

the Soviet Republic, and World War 2. Clarity: It may be hard for people to understand because Mary Lane is German but what she

describes is clear. Knowledge demands: Students need to be knowledgeable about what happened during World

War 2 and the Soviet Union.

Art and Daily Life In World War 2

15 inch Gun Turret, HMS Repulse, 1942 by Barnett Freedman, Imperial War Museum, 292cm x 201cm, oil on canvas ©

Freedman, Barnett. 1942. 1942. Imperial War Museum. BCC. Web. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/wars_conflict/art/art_daily_life_gal_02.shtml.

This painting that was created by Freedman was made to explore the relationship between technology and operator in the warfare. It is appropriate for teaching about World War 2 because the war effort was dependant on the supply of food across the Atlantic and my lesson is on the survival during this War. Quantitative Analysis: Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 7This should be understood by 12-13 year oldsQualitative Analysis:Purpose: This painting is used to describe the impact of technology during World War 2 and to explain how the war effort was dependant on materials across the Atlantic. The German U Boat fleet became the focus during 1942.Structure: This painting does not necessarily have structure.Clarity: Students will easily be able to tell what is happening in this photo because the painter makes it clear that the workers are in a ship and that there were dangerous working conditions.Knowledge demands: WW2

Military Records

Heller, Jonathan. "Pictures of World War 2." National Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/photos/>.

This website includes many photos from the National Archives and Records Administration that were taken and created by American Military photographers that depicted every activity of War. This is appropriate for a World War 2 lesson because the students will be able to look at these photos and get a better feel for how much of a struggle life really was during 1940’s.Quantitative analysis: Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 5; This should be understood by 10 year olds.Qualitative Analysis:Purpose:The purpose of this website is to provide photos that are listed by subject and campaign and to depict every aspect of the war. Structure: The website lists all the photos by their subjectClarity: This is very easy to understand because the photos contain captions and the photographers, artists, locations, and dates are also included.Knowledge demands: World War 2

World War 2 Magazine

Citino, Robert M. "United Nations: The Axis Allies." Worl War 2 Magazine n.d.: n. pag. HistoryNetshop.com. Web. http://www.historynetshop.com/901wr1.html?source=hn-block

>.

World War 2 Magazine is a magazine that includes revealing and vivid writing from famous historians and journalists. This article that I will use that is titled “ United Nations: The Axis Allies” will help the students to understand different viewpoints of the Germans during World War 2. Quantitative analysis:Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 8; This should be easily understood by 13-14 year olds.Qualitative analysis:Purpose: The purpose of this article is to convey the excitement of this famous battle and to provide a mix of stories about incidents during the war.Structure: First, this selection talks about the World War 2. then, it talks about the Post-war Era.Clarity: Provides lively stories so it would interest students and does not include too difficult of words. Knowledge demands: It explains what happens during the World so none.

British Broadcasting World War 2:The war ends

"Primary History-World War 2: The War Ends." BBC. N.p., 2012. Web. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/the_war_ends/>.

The BBC website is a history website that educates people of all ages on thousands of different topics. They use many ways to do so including videos, blogs, articles, reports, etc. The selection from this website titled “ Primary History-World War 2: The War Ends” will help the students gain more knowledge about the War because of the activities that are included and the fun facts that are provided. Quantitative Analysis: Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 6 ;This should easily be understood by 11-12 year olds.Qualitative Analysis: Purpose: The purpose of this website is to education people on certain aspects of World War 2 like growing up in wartime, daily life, food and shopping, when the war ends, etc. Also, to explore timelines of the war and there are also teacher resources for teaching lessons about this subject.Structure: This website is structured so that it is extremely easy to understand. There is a timeline at the top, areas to explore in the middle, and games to play on the side. Clarity: It is very easy to read and the website is designed to look appealing to young kids. There are pictures all over the page and they are cartoon characters. Knowledge demands: There are really none because it takes you step by step through the war and explains every aspect.

Movie: Stalingrad(1995)

Stalingrad. Dir. Joseph Vilsmajer. 1995. DVD.

This movie is Joseph Vilsmajer’s epic depiction of the battle between Russia and Germany at Stalingrad which is what is explained in the novel Boris. The movie, Stalingrad focuses mainly on the German side and taking in every horrific detail. This is one of the most realistic depictions of World War 2 but it is also the most unpleasant. It is important for the students to understand how horrid the war really was. QualitativeAnalysis: Purpose: The purpose of this movie is to give a realistic depiction of World War 2 and to treat this conflict with open-eyes. While other director’s have tried to turn the story into a heroic tale, Vilsmajer decided not to sugar-coat anything.Structure: This movie is very hard-edged and lacks emotive dimension Clarity: This film has subtitles which makes it a little bit easier to understand. Knowledge Demands: WW2

"World War II: Before the War." The Atlantic. N.p., 19 June 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. <http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/06/world-war-ii-before-the-war/100089/>.

This website was created to give readers background knowledge of World War 2 and the events that led up to it. The years leading up to war between the Axis and Allied powers were horrible times for people. This website just gives a glimpse through pictures of the events in order. It begins with Adolph Hitler, who played a huge role in World War 2. I would use this website to educate students on what happened before the War. Quantitative Analysis: Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 7; This should be easily understood by 12-12 year olds. Qualitative Analysis:Purpose: The purpose of this website is to provide readers with pictures to show them how horrid life during the War was and to make them more knowledgeable about the events leading up to the War.Structure: At the top of the page, there is background information about the War. After the information, the only thing left is 45 photos.Clarity: It is clear because of the captions underneath the photos to explain exactly what they were and what year they were taken.Knowledge Demands: WW2

Video:Jack Yusen http://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/jack-yusen

Jack Yusen. History.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2012. <http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/videos#jack-yusen>.

This is a film clip about a man, Jack Yusen, who was raised in Queens, New York and was a Navy Seaman that was enlisted in 1943. His ship sunk of the coast of Philippines in 12944 but he managed to survive and tells us about it. This was interesting because it is always better to hear someone’s actual experiences than read about it. This would provide my students with entertainment and help them to become interested in the topic.

Qualitative Analysis: Purpose: The purpose of this clip is to share an actual experience of the War and to explain to viewers how

horrid his time was. Structure: There really wasn’t any structure because it is a video but he explained in depth what had

happened to him. Clarity: This video is clear because it is coming from Jack Yusen’s mouth and he does a great job at

explaining his experience during that time. Knowledge Demands: You may need to know a little about the War and what was going on before and

after the War.

World War II - Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft I A collection of stories, photos, art and information on Stalag Luft I

Smith, Mary, and Barbara Freer. "World War 2-Prisoners of War-Stalag Luft 1." Stalag Luft. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.merkki.com/>.

This website was in remembrance of James Richard Williams, who was the father of the two authors and flew in the Navy during World War 2. This website is basically a collection of stories, art, information, and photos on World War 2. It contains a lot of information about the subject and gives overviews at the bottom for those students that may struggle with understanding. Quantitative Analysis: Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 6;This should easily be understood by 12-13 year olds. Qualitative Analysis: Purpose: The purpose of this website is to share stories and photos of World War 2 that have been collected over the years. The daughters of James Richard Williams created a website in their father’s remembrance. Structure: At the top, the two daughter’s share a story about her father in World War 2. They also provide photos of him. At the bottom, there are overviews of what could be found on the site. On the side, there are several links to different parts of the website. Clarity: It is very easy to understand because the daughters make it interesting and share stories of their father’s experiences. Knowledge Demands: WW2