Holocaust Lesson

Day 2

Title of Lesson: "The Big Lie" Response Journal

Objectives:

• Students will utilize a variety of reading and writing skills in completing social studies activities on "The Big Lie."
• Students will express their understanding of right and wrong actions based on the characters in "The Big Lie" through a personal response journal.

Materials Needed:

• "The Big Lie" (one per student)
• Response journals (one per student)
• Overhead of response journal questions
• Markers/colored pencils

Activity:

1. Explain to students that today they will each begin reading "The Big Lie" which is a true story of an Hungarian Jewish girl and her family during the time of World War II. Ask students if they can tell or show you where Hungary is on a map for a quick review. Ask students to read silently up to chapter five in the book. Remind them to think about why the war was started and why the Jews would be taken from their homes and moved into ghettos.

2. Students will read silently.

3. While the students are reading, make sure the response journals are ready for student use (See Appendix A).

4. When students have finished reading, explain that you will be passing out a response journal to them. Tell them a response journal is like a diary where they will write all of their thoughts about questions you have written up that relate directly to their reading.

5. Pass out the response journals and markers. Make sure each student has a journal. Ask them to please write their names on the journals and to take a few minutes to decorate the covers as they wish.

6. While students are working on their covers, put the overhead up of the questions that pertain to the story (See Appendix B). Explain to the students that when they finish their covers, they are to choose two of the four questions they would like to answer. After they have chosen the two, they will write both questions in their response journals, one question per page. They are to use class time effectively and answer both questions in complete sentences. If they do not finish in class, it is considered homework and will be due the next day in class.

Evaluation: Read students response journals and note all comments that are well thought through. Provide students with positive feedback and more thought-provoking comments related to acceptable and unacceptable human behaviors and characteristics. The journals should be returned to them the next day.