“Because children are the makers of the future, I want to inspire them to live full and productive lives and work for a brand new way of life where human beings do not nurture hatred and destroy other human beings.”

 

The Nature of the Students

            I. Demographics:

            My field placement is at Longfellow School; located at 139 Ocean Terrace in Bridgeport, which is a traditional/regular type of school that serves a population of about 500 pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students in the city’s West End. The student –teacher ratio is 1:14 and the teacher demographic is 54% male and 46% female. The entire student population supports a 96% eligibility for free lunch for this diverse student body that is comprised of the following ethnicities:  44% Hispanic, 52 % black, and 3% White, and 1 % unknown.

            II. School Performance on Standardized Tests:

Longfellow Elementary School is part of the Bridgeport school district, which has

been identified as “In Need of Improvement,” for the 2006-07 School Year, as per NCLB legislation and Connecticut’s k-12 accountability system, due to the student performance on the Connecticut Mastery Test, Fourth Generation. Longfellow School scored even lower that the district percentages in reading, math, and writing.  For example, the Bridgeport Grade 3 percentage of students meeting state goal in the reading portion of the CMT was 22.7 versus 54.4 for the state, but Longfellow students scored a 2.7.

            III.School Resources:

            Longfellow school benefits from a plethora of academic resources that include the following:

• Library and library science curriculum and staff
• Computer lab and computer science curriculum and staff
• Family center and staff
• Guidance/school counselor
• Two social workers
• One school psychologist
• One fulltime nurse
• Home-school coordinator
• After school programs
• Free tutoring mandated by No Child Left Behind legislation
• Title I funding

Rationale:

            The study of the Holocaust in grade 5 will provide students with a clear understanding of World War II and the systematic genocide of 6,000,000 people, most of them Jewish. The most important reason for exposing students to these historically significant and tragic events is to promote high order thinking and empathy relative to the human pain and suffering that can result when people believe the lies of misguided leaders, discriminate against others, and allow atrocities to happen due to apathy and silence.

 Predominantly, the thinking should include issues of social justice and personal tragedy and triumph. This means that students will be expected to read or hear personal accounts in order to understand the “who” of the events and their respective cultures. The “what” of the Holocaust will be revealed, but not overly simplified, by the teacher. Student expository research will result in a timeline that will produce a visual account of the “when” of events. A “mapping” project that requires students to locate, name, and color Germany, Hungary, and Poland will provide a frame of reference for the “where” of the Holocaust. Ultimately, the complexities of this heinous watershed event in history will be deconstructed by students and ready to analyze and synthesize. The students will reflect, discuss, read, write, and process the information and hopefully emerge from the Holocaust unit enlightened about war and the consequences of prejudice and intolerance.         

As citizens of a “culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world”

(NCSS, 1992, syllabus), students must realize that they need to be “doers” that fight

against injustice and not “bystanders,” that allow other people to be persecuted.

Unit Goals:

            Knowledge Area:

·         The unit will develop knowledge of world history

·         The unit will develop knowledge of World War II and The

Holocaust

            Beliefs/Values Area:

·         The unit will encourage students to understand the nature of

conflicts among groups of people.

·         The unit will enable students to recognize the rights of all people in

a pluralistic society

            Skills Area:

·         The unit will teach students how to acquire and process information.

Lesson Plan # 1

Overview: The idea of lesson number one is to introduce the topic of “The Holocaust” to Grade 5 students.  Students will understand the concept of historical causation. Students will develop the historical skill of contextualizing.

Content Standards:

•  Historical Thinking: 1.d Students will interpret data in historical maps
• Historical Thinking: 1.g Students will analyze data in order to see persons and events in their historical context, understand causal factors and appreciate change over time

 Learner Background: This lesson is an introduction to a unit study of The Holocaust, a watershed historical event. Little to no prior knowledge is presumed.

Student Learning Objectives:

• The students will acquire background information about the Holocaust.
• The students will be able to identify and color 3 countries involved with World War II.

Assessment:  Student responses during discussion will be noted. Student maps will be checked to see if Germany, Poland, and Hungary have been correctly located.

Materials:

• A large map of Europe
• A map of Western Europe for each student
• Colored pencils

Learning Activities: The instructional grouping encompasses the entire class at the beginning of the social studies discussion. Then, students work together in small groups to locate countries on the large map of Europe and proceed to use colored pencils to fill in their own individual maps of Western Europe.

            Initiation:

·         When the students enter the classroom, the world map will be exhibited.

·         Explain to students that I want them to think of one good reason why anybody would want to start a war.

·         This is an Essential question- to be pursued through the lesson.

·          Explain that we are beginning a unit on The Holocaust and why it is important to ask this question.

·         Explain further that an understanding of the causes of World War II is relevant to our unit on the Holocaust. 

·         Everyone is encouraged to share quickly and relevant comments are reiterated.

            Lesson Development:

·         After asking students if they know anything about World War II, use the pointer to indicate the geographical location of Germany, Poland, and Hungary

·         Explain that Germany’s leaders wanted to control all of Europe en route to world domination. In addition

·         Instruct students to color their individual maps with the understanding that the German leaders wanted to create their idea of a “perfect” world. For them, this world would be devoid of Jews, dissidents, and people with disabilities, gypsies, and all culturally diverse people.

·         Introduce the issue of racism.

·         Give students handouts regarding Hitler’s views. (Attached)

·         Explain why Poland and Hungary are added to the map: They were invaded by Germany.

·         Explain why the map is entitled: Map of Europe after the Treaty of Versailles (1919) (Attached)

Closure:

·         Ask students what key ideas they gained

Independent Work:

·         Students will read the handouts and ask parents and grandparents about war in general and the Holocaust, specifically.

Individuals Needing Differentiated Instruction:

Implement the following provisions for Maria, who demonstrates difficulty with auditory memory:

·         Repeat important points of the lesson.

·         Tell Maria to pay particular attention to specific points made in the lesson.

·         Visual information supports auditory input.

·         Present information slowly.

·         Stop frequently to clarify important facts.

·         Ask Maria to paraphrase the directions, explanations, and instructions after hearing them.

Implement the following provisions for Michael, who has a visual impairment. He is unable to copy at a close distance:

·         Highlight or underline material.

·         Frame material to be copied.

·         Student will copy small amounts of material at a time.

·         Teacher-made materials to be provided with enlarged print.

Reference: http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu

                 ;        9/14/2007

Lesson Plan #2

Overview: The idea of lesson number two is to introduce the issues of freedom and social justice into the study of  “The Holocaust” for students in grade 5. Students will understand the meanings of these important historical themes and their relationship to the social interaction of conflict and conflict resolution in order to understand how the world came to be the way it is.

Content Standards:

•  Historical Themes: 3.f Students will explain reasons for conflict and the ways conflicts have been resolved
•  Applying History: 4.e Students will describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns.
• Applying History: 4.d Students display empathy for people who have lived in the past.

 Learner Background: This lesson is an extension of the introduction to a unit study of The Holocaust, a watershed historical event. Little to no prior knowledge is presumed.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to discuss as a group and list causes and effects of oppression.
• Students will express their opinions relative to human rights issues via written expression.

Assessment: 

• Student responses on chart paper will be examined. The responses should be indicative of a collective understanding of the causes and effects of oppression. 
• Individual student writing should express opinions relative to human rights issues.

Materials:

• Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
• Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti
• Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting
• The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida
• Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War by Yukio Tsuchiya
• Hiroshima No Pika by Toshi Maruki
• Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
• Heroes by Ken Mochizuki
• The Wall by Ronald Himler
• Chart paper

Learning Activities: The instructional grouping encompasses the entire class at the beginning of the social studies lesson as I read a book and ask questions. Then, students work together in small groups to read other books on the list and return to the whole class to listen to small group presentations. Finally, students write individual reflections.

            Initiation: 

·         Tell the students that I am going to read a story about a group of turtles and that I want them to think about what is happening with them and whether or not it is right.

·         Ask students to try to figure out why Yertle does what he does, why people do what he says, and why the story ends the way it does. 

            Lesson Development:

·         Read the story: Yerdle, the Turtle by Dr. Seuss

·         Ask the following questions:

1.      Who has the power?

2.      What did the one in power do to others?

3.      This is called oppression?

4.      Who fought against the oppression?

5.      What significant event ended the oppression?

6.      What rights do you think all of the turtles should have?

7.      What can be done to make sure that the turtles are not victims of oppression again?

8.      What would you do if you had been one of the turtles?

The responses will be noted under the following headings on chart paper: Who has power? Who was being oppressed and why? What kind of oppression was occurring? What caused the oppression to end?

·         The class is divided into groups of four students.

·         Each group will select a book from the list and answer the questions used to analyze Yertle the Turtle. The students will be given 45 minutes to read and discuss their book. The designated writers for each group will enter the group answers on the chart paper and the speakers for the groups will describe the who, what, when, why, where, and how of their respective books to the rest of the class. Each group will also select a discussion leader to answer questions that they were able to answer.

·         Whole class will compare and contrast their respective books relative to the following questions:

1.      What causes oppression?

2.      What would you feel like if you were oppressed?

3.      What can you do to help others that have their rights taken from them?

4.      Why does denying human rights lead to oppression?

Closure:

·         Ask students to explain the cause and effect relationship between the deprivation of human rights and oppression.

Independent Work: Students will be given one week to write a personal reflection based

on an issue discussed in the lesson and relate it to their own lives.

            Criteria: Must be on a human rights issue observed in the books

            Criteria: Personal opinion and feeling must be expressed in the writing.

            Some ideas:

Write a letter to a friend as if you were the main character in a story.

Write a poem about an issue relative to freedom.

Write a paper about helping one person in an oppressed nation.

Reference: http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu

 9/14/2007

Lesson Plan # 3

Overview: The idea of lesson number three is for students to understand the “when” of the Holocaust.

Content Standards:

•  Applying History: 4.e Students will describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns.
• Applying History: 4.d Students display empathy for people who have lived in the past.

 Learner Background: This lesson presumes that students have completed the reading and mapping activities in Lessons one and two.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Students will research print and online resources.
• Students will create a timeline.
• Students will work in collaborative groups.

Assessment: 

• Students answer questions about the Holocaust. (Attached)

Materials:

• String
• Letters and numbers cut from construction paper
• Images of the Holocaust
• Index cards
• Internet resources, which can be printed for students without Internet access.

Learning Activities: 

Initiation: First, tell the students that they will be working in groups to learn about the events before, during, and after the Holocaust by creating a Timeline in order to show how these events are connected.

             Lesson Development:

1.       Students are arranged in groups

2.       Each group is assigned a time period related to the Holocaust.

3.      Students conduct research on the following periods (See attached: Timeline)

·         Rise of the Nazi Party

·         Nazification

·         Ghettos

·         Camps

·         Resistance

·         Rescue and Liberation

·         Aftermath

The Timeline is created on the bulletin board and the students attach their index cards in the correct order. Students are encouraged to describe each event and explain its significance.

Closure:Students are asked to connect each event to proceeding events on the timeline.

Independent Work: Students will be given one week to think about a topic for a research paper on the Holocaust.

Reference: http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson

Lesson Plan #4

Overview: The idea of lesson number four is for students to put a face to the previous three lessons by meeting and listening to a guest speaker. The focus here is Jewish culture.

Content Standards:

•  Historical Themes: 3.f Students will explain reasons for conflict and the ways conflicts have been resolved
•  Applying History: 4.e Students will describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns.
• Applying History: 4.d Students display empathy for people who have lived in the past.

 Learner Background: This lesson presumes that students have completed the reading and mapping activities in Lessons one and two.  This lesson also expects a working knowledge of the Holocaust language based on the completion of The Holocaust Timeline project in lesson three.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Students will learn about the Jewish culture by listening to a guest speaker who will discuss holidays, religion, and key events.
• Students will recognize and be able to write various vocabulary words to describe one Jewish holiday in their journals.

Assessment: 

• Teacher reads the student social studies journals for evidence of learning and correct vocabulary usage.

Materials:

• 3”x5” cards with vocabulary words and definitions
• Guest speaker: Mr. Lindy
• Journals
• Pens
• Chart paper
• Markers

Learning Activities: 

Initiation: First, tell the students that a guest speaker is coming into the classroom to tell us about the Jewish culture.

1.      Explain to students that certain questions are inappropriate

2.      Remind students to be silent when others are speaking.

3.      Send students for drinks and bathroom to avoid interruptions.

             Lesson Development:

4.       KWL: Tape a KWL (K= What do we know? W= What do we want to know? L= What we learned) chart on the front board. Write student comments to generate questions for the guest speaker. (Appendix C, attached)

5.       Vocabulary: Teach students vocabulary words and definitions. Use 3”x 5” cards with information displayed on bulletin board for reference purposes. (Appendix C, attached)

6.      Guest speaker: Guest speaker (Mr. Lindy) talks about the Jewish religion, the Jewish calendar, Jewish holidays, Jewish celebrations, Jewish customs, and Jewish foods. Then, the guest speaker fields questions.

Closure: Students discuss and write about what they have learned on the KWL chart.

Independent Work: Students will be instructed to write about a Jewish holiday using

five vocabulary words learned during the lesson in their journal entries.

Reference: http://teacherlink.ed .usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-literature/Farmer/Jewish.html

 9/14/2007

Lesson Plan # 5

Overview: The idea of lesson number five is for students to identify and empathize with the youngsters that lived during the Holocaust.

Content Standards:

•  Historical Themes: 3.f Students will explain reasons for conflict and the ways conflicts have been resolved
•  Applying History: 4.e Students will describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns.
• Applying History: 4.d Students display empathy for people who have lived in the past.

 Learner Background: This lesson presumes that students have completed the reading, mapping, timeline, and guest speaker activities in Lessons one, two, three, and four.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Students will utilize a variety of reading and writing skills to complete activities related to the reading of a true story of a Hungarian Jewish girl during World War II.
• Students will express their understanding of right and wrong actions based on the characters in the book entitled, The Big Lie by Isabella Leitner, Irving A. Leitner, and Judy Pedersen.

Assessment: 

• Teacher reads the student response journals.
• Note thoughtful comments.
• Provide students with positive feedback and more thought-provoking comments related to acceptable and unacceptable human behaviors and characteristics.
• Return journals the next day.

Materials:

• The Big Lie (paperbacks for each student)
• Response journals (one per student)
• Overhead of response journal questions
• Pens

Learning Activities: 

Initiation: First, tell the students that they will each be given a paperback copy of a true story of the life of a Hungarian Jewish girl and her family during World War II entitled, The Big Lie, by Isabella Leitner, Irving A. Leitner, and Judy Pedersen.

4.      Review the geographic location of Hungary on the world map.

5.      Have a student hand out paperbacks to each student.

             Lesson Development:

7.       Ask students to read silently up to chapter five in the book.

8.       Remind students to think about why the war was started and why the Jews would be taken from their homes and moved into ghettos as a result of social discrimination.

9.      While the students are reading, prepare the response journals.

(Attached: Appendix A)

10.  After students finish reading, hand out response journals and ask students to put their names on their journals.

11.  Put questions relative to the story on the overhead projector and instruct students to answer two of them in their response journals.

(Attached: Appendix B.)

Closure:  Facilitate class discussion regarding the story and student response to the journal entry questions.

Independent Work/Homework: Students will finish answering (in complete sentences) the two journal questions required for class. For extra credit: Answer all four.

Reference: http://teacherlink .ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-literature/GROBERG/Groappen.html

 9/14/2007

Lesson Plan # 6

Overview: Students indicate their empathy by reading self-chosen biographies of children who survived the Holocaust and writing letters to tell them how their respective stories affected them.

Content Standards:

•  Historical Themes: 3.f Students will explain reasons for conflict and the ways conflicts have been resolved
•  Applying History: 4.e Students will describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns.
• Applying History: 4.d Students display empathy for people who have lived in the past.

 Learner Background: This lesson presumes that students have completed the reading, mapping, timeline, and guest speaker activities in Lessons one, two, three, four, and five.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Students will read biographies of choice.
• Students will express their empathy by writing letters to their respective Holocaust survivors of choice.

Assessment: 

• Teacher reads the letters
• Teachers evaluate how closely the contents of the letters correspond to the historical events described in the biographies.

Materials:

·         Children of the Holocaust:

http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm

·         Paper

·         Pen

Learning Activities: 

Initiation:

·         Tell students that they will select a child of the Holocaust to whom they will write a letter.

             Lesson Development:

·         Take students to the school library in order to explore the biographies of Children of the Holocaust.

·         Instruct students to write a letter to that child, telling how the biography affected him or her.

·         Explain to students that they should include specific details about this period in history and about the child’s story.

Closure:  Ask students to share feelings with each other.

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/00-2/1p2015.shtml

 9/14/2007

Evaluation Rubrics:

Timeline

Project Rubric

Reflection:

                 I. Nature of Students:

                 ;        I chose a mapping activity to launch the Holocaust unit, because it was relevant to student understanding of this watershed historical period in history and I know the fifth graders enjoy working with maps. I think that the use of literature and timelines give students a perspective from which to examine historical concepts and themes. Plus, a variety of learning modalities gives diverse students a better chance of learning the most important points of the lessons.

            II. Purpose of Social Studies:

                 ;        In the name of “civic competence,” it is my job to “help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good.” (NCSS, 1992, syllabus) In my view, the study of the history of the world is a good place to start, generally, because students must understand the evolution of society. Specifically, looking back in time to where we have been, however hideously painful, ensures that society will remember the six million people that died during the Holocaust and will never again allow  such a tragic waste of humanity to occur.  E Pluribus Unum.

            III. Planning the Unit:

                 ;        I learned that unit planning involves a great deal of time and effort. Further, the strategies of student engagement require the ability to put myself in the seat of the student. Constructivist pedagogy, as modeled by Prof. Harper, electronic expertise, thorough subject knowledge, mentor feedback, and confidence along with the CT lesson plan format, the objectives, the standards, a lot of energy, a sense of purpose, and a sense of humor are critical ingredients to successful unit planning.

Annotated Bibliography for Students

Bunting, Eve (1989). Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust. Jewish Publishing

Society.

This book teaches students the importance of unity as a survival mechanism for

communities of people.

Himler, Ronald (1992). The Wall. Clarion Books

            This story promotes student empathy for the boy who would rather have his

            grandfather with him than look for his grandfather’s name on The Vietnam

 Memorial.

Innocenti, Roberto (2003). Rose Blanche. Creative Co.

                 ;                  &nbs p;                  &nb sp;                  &n bsp;                  & nbsp;                                       ;                  &nbs p;        This book tells the story of a girl growing up in Germany near a German

                 ;         

concentration camp during World War II. She risked her own life to help the

 prisoners. This story is important because it demonstrates an individual’s ability

 to make a difference in the lives of others.

Leitner, Isabella, The Big Lie (1994). New York, New York: Scholastic Books.

This book provides students with a true-life depiction of a young girl’s experience

as a Hungarian Jew during World War II. It is simple, available in paperback, and appropriate for “English as a second language learners” (ESOL).

Maruki,Toshi, Hiroshima No Pika (1982). Harper Collins.

This book presents the bombing of Hiroshima from a humanistic Japanese perspective.

Mochizuki, Ken, Heroes (1995). Lee Publishing, New York.

            This book gives students a fictional story about prejudice.

Mochizuki, Ken, Baseball Saved Us (1995). Lee and Low Books.

This book promotes the student awareness of the overt racism directed against the Japanese during World War II.

Seuss, Dr. (1986). Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. New York, N.Y.: Random House.

This book provides a schema for a beginning class discussion about the effects of oppression on people. The discussion offers students the opportunity to express

their opinions on human rights issues as part of an introduction into the study of the Holocaust at the elementary school level.

Tsuchiya, Yukio (1997). Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War.

            Houghton Mifflin.

This story depicts a true story of the senseless tragedy of war with a focus on the   World War II bombing of Tokyo.

Uchida, Yoshiko (1996). The Bracelet. Putnam Juvenile.

This is a story of a friendship between two little girls in Califonia that left only heartfelt memories during the 1942 internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

                 ;                  &nbs p;             Annotated Bibliography for Teachers

Holocaust Timeline: The Rise of the Nazi Party, retrieved December 2, 2007 from

            http://feit.usf.edu/holocaust/timeline/nazirise.html< /a>

This website gives an in-depth “snapshot” of the events on the Holocaust