Content Learning Objectives & Standards
Students will be able to build understanding of the Holocaust's history through reading literature.
Students will be able to comprehend & identify central idea & supporting details in informational reading.
Students will be able to analyze how informational texts are organized/structured differently for their purpose.
Students will be able to craft an informational essay using supporting evidence.
ELAGSE8RI1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
ELAGSE8RI2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
ELAGSE8RI5: Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.
ELAGSE8W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
ELAGSE8W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
ELAGSE8W7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
3a. Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
3b. Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
3d. Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
The Surviving & Resisting the Holocaust WebQuest was created for 8th grade students who have already had extensive practice with paragraph writing. This includes constructing introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. This WebQuest directly proceeds instruction on argumentative writing and for this WebQuest, students are simply transitioning from arguing about evidence to incorporating it in their writing to state a fact. It is anticipated that this WebQuest will take 5-8 instructional hours to be completed by students.
To fully implement this WebQuest, students should have access to a personal internet-accessible device that can play videos and audio. It is suggested that students and devices be 1:1 for this WebQuest. Students should be provided with a copy of the Survivors & Resisters Video Graphic Organizer as well as the Essay Organizer Outline. The Video Graphic Organizer can be provided digitally through Google Classroom or printed out for students to write on, but it is suggested that the Essay Organizer Outline be provided digitally to prevent students from losing it and to simplify the essay writing and editing process. The How-To Writing Handout is linked in the "Process" tab for students to reference, but can also be printed out and provided to students as a hard copy. Students should be monitored throughout the WebQuest and it is suggested that for best learning outcomes, the teacher should informally check-in with students during the informational essay writing process and provide guidance as necessary.
The Surviving & Resisting the Holocaust WebQuest was deigned for ALL learners, but the following modifications/differentiation could be implemented depending on the learning context:
Support
Minimize the number of videos for students to watch from 6 to 4
Assign students to work with a partner and have them collaboratively write the informational essay
Introduce the WebQuest in a whole-class setting, discussing what a survivor and resister are as a group before watching all videos together. The teacher can gradually allow students to transition to individual learning as students read the articles independently.
Elevate
Instead of an essay, change the final product to a presentation to incorporate Speaking & Listening standards
Have students take the writing process a step further and have them format their Essay Organizer Outline into a formal essay, including a heading and citations
Allow students to research and write about another survivor or resister not included in this WebQuest