2. Night, Finish Chapter 1 – We finished chapter 1 of Night, from pp.14-22.
3. Schindler’s List, Liquidation – The clip depicts the liquidation of the Krakow ghetto. IMPORTANT NOTE: This clip contains graphic violence. As an educator and teacher of the Holocaust, it is imperative that students fully grasp the horrific nature of the inherent evil of man towards fellow man as well as how the Nazis, as a matter of course, callously murder without compunction in the most banal way possible.
4. Finish Chapter 1 Guide – Students finished the chapter guide and will be reviewing this prior to our first chapter quiz NEXT CLASS!
2. Night, Chapter 1 (pp.5-14) – We continued reading Elie Wiesel’s Nightup to p. 14 when Chlomo (Elie’s father) gets word that the ghetto is to be liquidated and everyone is to be put on transports.
3. Schindler’s List Clip – The clip depicts the ghettoization of the Jews of Krakow, Poland; Jews are forced into ghettos, leaving behind their homes to crowd into living quarters with others who share the same fate, whereas those homes left behind are given to leading Nazi party officials and top Reich businessmen.
4. Night, Chapter 1 Chapter Guide – Students work in pairs on the chapter guide to question 10 only.
2. Tell and Teach: The Night Historical Study Guide (continued) – I trio’d or quartered students up and gave each student their own historical study guide that paradoxically details in only a general way, as best as I could assemble, the ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’ of the rise of Nazi Germany and its policy of genocide. I assigned groups certain portions of the packet to read with their corresponding questions to be answered on the backside of each section. Each group put their answers on the ELMO and “taught” the class the section of the packet. Other students recorded their responses in the respective section in their own packets. WE TOOK THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND QUIZ ON THIS DATE!!! STUDY THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN YOUR PACKET!!!!
3. Difference & the ‘Other’ – We watched the opening minute of Schindler’s List (1993) of the Shabbat ceremony (Shabbat or Shabbos being the Jewish day of rest, the seventh day of the week, Saturday) and students answered two questions on a half-sheet handout, one regarding the ceremony, the other regarding any questions about the subject matter.
2. Teacher Show and Tell – I shared some books on the Holocaust by bringing them in and circulating them, showing them: The Third Reich Trilogy by Richard J. Evans, The Destruction of the European Jewsby Raul Hilberg, Nuremberg by Joseph Persico, Hitler’s Willing Executioners by Daniel Goldhagen, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I also shared my own personal celluloid photos of the Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich from my travels there in the summer of 2001.
3. The Mindset – We watched a clip from the TNT production Nuremberg, based on the above book by Joseph Persico, starring Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Brian Cox, et al. The clip we viewed was the depiction of Chief Prosecutor Bob Jackson (Baldwin) cross-examining Rudolph Hoess, the commandant of Auschwitz. Students were to answer the question: describe this man’s mindset. What about it seemed “off” or strange or incredulous about it? NOTE: Fast forward to 3:11 of the clip to get right to the testimony of Hoess, although others’ testimony might also help you with your answer.
Clip:
3. Tell and Teach: The Night Historical Study Guide – I trio’d or quartered students up and gave each student their own historical study guide that paradoxically details in only a general way, as best as I could assemble, the ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’ of the rise of Nazi Germany and its policy of genocide. I assigned groups certain portions of the packet to read with their corresponding questions to be answered on the backside of each section. Each group put their answers on the ELMO and “taught” the class the section of the packet. Other students recorded their responses in the respective section in their own packets.
2. I distributed this handout for a ‘quick write’ on “why we fight” and answered the first question with students having to fill that section out completely with details of what they think. We shared our responses.
3. Students then watched an excerpt from an episode of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, episode entitled “Why We Fight.”
4. Students then completed the bottom section of the handout, fully completing the section with what they think. We shared our responses.
2. Advertising Teaser – Students were asked to take out a sheet of paper, put their name and today’s date on it, number 1 through 6 skipping a space and answered the questions regarding the Abercrombie & Fitch ad. Students shared responses.
3. Propaganda Gallery – Around the room were various examples (11 of them) of World War II propaganda posters, from both Axis and Allies. Students were given a handout to interpret the messages of 6 of the posters (the six highlighted in these brackets were especially crafted for this blog). Students shared interpretations with the class.
4. Essential Question Discussion – Students watch this excerpt from the Nazi Propaganda Film, Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) (1940) and answer the following question: given today’s exercises and given the nature of this film, try to answer how a mass citizenry like the German people could let the Holocaust proceed? Students answered and responses were written on the dry board.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This lesson begins our Holocaust unit on the memoir, Night, by the late Elie Wiesel. We will be encountering disturbing images, footage, and personal testimony throughout the unit.
2. Behind Enemy Lines – Students received a handout for which they will be writing their responses to the exercise. To help give students a historical context, I played an excerpt from the HBO series,. “Band of Brothers” (Day of Days ) of the Normandy invasion parachute drop. Students were quartered into groups and each group given a packet. Groups opened their respective packets and discovered photos inside detailing visuals of concentration camps. Students read the instructions of what to do with these photos, which they turned into a two-paragraph personal narrative “report.” Students shared what they reported to the class.
3. US Army Camp Footage – For the reflection section on the backside of the handout, I played an excerpt from the TNT Network production of Nuremberg (2000), starring Alec Baldwin. In order to see this footage embedded within the film, click ahead to 1:22.24. Following the conclusion of the clip when the justices wordlessly adjourn for the day, students reflected upon and responded to what they watched in any way they want. Students shared responses. Students handed in the handout. PLEASE NOTE: This excerpt is ACTUAL US ARMY FOOTAGE upon liberating the camps and can be VERY DISTURBING.
2. King Arthur Assessment – Students could choose a partner and work on this open assessment of the Old English/Arthur unit, using each other, returned handouts, even the Internet. Students handed this in at the end of the block.
English II...With Mr. Hartz 