Lesson Plan

You are part of a student team designing a small museum exhibit for classmates who are about to read The Diary of Anne Frank. Your visitors need to understand why Anne Frank and seven other people hid in Amsterdam, what daily life in the Secret Annex was like, and how Anne’s writing survived.

Essential question: What does the Secret Annex reveal about fear, resilience, and the importance of preserving someone’s testimony?

You will investigate historical sources, discuss your findings, and create an exhibit that teaches visitors through accurate facts and clear explanations. Treat the people in this history with respect. Do not invent diary entries or pretend to speak as Anne.

Working with a partner or group of three, create a three-panel museum exhibit on paper, in a document, or in slides.

• Panel 1 — Why hide? Explain why the Frank family went into hiding and identify the historical circumstances.
• Panel 2 — A day inside. Explain at least two routines or restrictions of life in the Annex and how they affected the people there.
• Panel 3 — A story survives. Explain how Anne’s writing was preserved and what her diary helps us understand.

Each panel must have a heading, 70–110 words in your own words, at least one specific fact from a linked source, and a source credit.

Add an 80–120 word curator’s note that answers the essential question. Make a claim, use facts from at least two different sources, and explain how those facts support your claim.

Step 1: Prepare. Read the task together. Assign roles: historical context researcher, daily life researcher, and evidence editor. If you work with one partner, share the editor role. Everyone should help write and check facts.

Step 2: Investigate. Explore at least two rooms in the Secret Annex and read the sources below. Open each link in a new tab:

• Anne Frank House, “The Secret Annex”: https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/secret-annex/
• Anne Frank House, “A Typical Day in the Secret Annex”: https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/typical-day-secret-annex/
• Anne Frank House, “The Main Characters”: https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/main-characters/
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Anne Frank Biography”: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/anne-frank-biography
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Anne Frank: Diary”: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/anne-frank-diary

If the interactive Annex tour will not load, read the room pages linked from the Annex website.

Step 3: Keep an evidence notebook. For each useful detail, record: fact → source page title → what the fact helps explain. Find evidence about (1) why the family hid, (2) daily life, and (3) Anne’s diary or the helpers. Paraphrase instead of copying.

Step 4: Discuss. Compare what you learned from Anne’s personal account with what the museum and historical sources explain. What can one person’s diary reveal? What questions require another source?

Step 5: Build the exhibit. Write your three panels and curator’s note. Credit the source beside each panel by giving its page title and website. Check that your note uses two different sources.

Step 6: Review and revise. Exchange exhibits with another group. Ask: Can a visitor understand each panel? Are the facts accurate and traceable to sources? Does the curator’s note explain its evidence? Make at least one revision based on the feedback.

Step 7: Share. During a gallery walk, leave another group one evidence-based observation and one thoughtful question.

Your exhibit is worth 20 points. Each category is worth 0–4 points.

1. Historical accuracy — 4 points: The three panels explain the history accurately and avoid unsupported guesses.
2. Evidence and source credits — 4 points: Each panel includes a specific fact and a clear source credit. The curator’s note uses at least two different sources.
3. Reasoning — 4 points: The curator’s note makes a clear claim and explains how two facts support it.
4. Organization and clarity — 4 points: The exhibit has three labeled panels and a curator’s note. The writing is clear and follows the length guidelines.
5. Collaboration and revision — 4 points: Group members contribute, consider peer feedback, and make a meaningful revision

Anne’s diary gives us one young person’s perspective on life in hiding. The other sources help us understand the people, place, and historical circumstances around her writing. Together, these sources can tell us more than any one source alone.

Exit reflection: What did a second source help you understand that Anne’s diary or a single room in the Annex could not? Answer in two sentences and name the source you used.

Historical information and student research links:

• Anne Frank House. “The Secret Annex.” https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/secret-annex/
• Anne Frank House. “A Typical Day in the Secret Annex.” https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/typical-day-secret-annex/
• Anne Frank House. “The Main Characters.” https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/main-characters/
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Anne Frank Biography.” https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/anne-frank-biography
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Anne Frank: Diary.” https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/anne-frank-diary

Grade and subject: Seventh-grade English language arts, during or before a unit on The Diary of Anne Frank.

Time: Approximately two to three class periods.

Learning goals: Students will gather and cite relevant evidence from informational sources, connect historical context to a literary work, explain how different sources contribute to understanding, and collaborate to produce a clear written exhibit.

Materials: Student devices or printed copies of the linked sources; paper, slides, or a document for the exhibit.

Before students begin: Introduce the historical setting and model one evidence-notebook entry using fact → source → meaning. Explain that the WebQuest examines real people persecuted because they were Jewish; students should use documented facts and respectful language.

During research: Circulate to help students distinguish a source’s facts from their own interpretations. Check that every group records page titles and that all members contribute.

After research: Give groups time for peer feedback, revision, and a gallery walk. Use the 20-point evaluation criteria to assess the finished exhibits. Students who need support can receive a partially completed evidence organizer or read the sources with a partner.