The Holocaust: Voices of Victims and Survivors

Unit Description

In Unit 2, students analyze a model literary analysis, an expository essay that compares and contrasts the structures and themes of a poem and a novel to prepare students to write their own literary analysis. Students then closely read a new poem, "Often a Minute" by Magdalena Klein, in order to write their own essay comparing the structure and theme of this poem to their anchor text, Maus I. Students spend two days planning their essay and two days drafting and revising their essay based on peer feedback. For their mid-unit assessment, students answer selected and constructed response questions to compare and contrast a new poem's structure and theme with that of Maus I.

In the second half of Unit 2, students read excerpts from memoirs written by victims and survivors of the Holocaust to analyze development of theme and write summaries. They will also participate in mini lessons and practice verb conjugation, voice, and mood. This work prepares students for the end of unit assessment. At the end of Unit 2, students answer selected and constructed response questions about verb conjugation, voice, and mood.

Preparation and Materials

Ensure that families are aware of the sensitive content of the texts read in this unit, and prepare students who may be affected by this content in advance.

The following materials are introduced in this unit and referenced throughout both the module and the school year:

Habits of Character/Social-Emotional Learning Focus

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on "habits of character" and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

In this unit, students continue to focus on the working to become ethical people habits of character as they build empathy and compassion for the individuals and groups who experience terrible oppression during the Holocaust. These are incredibly emotional texts that may evoke strong responses, and students will need to practice respect for the emotions of both others and themselves. Students build empathy and compassion as they show respect and care for students who may feel connected to or impacted by issues presented within the text. Students practice respect and empathy when they discuss this complex topic with their peers. Students also practice working to become effective learners as they analyze and write a new type of literary analysis, which may be more challenging than essays they have encountered previously.

Texts


Maus I

by Art Spiegelman

one per student