Introduction
This is a unit lesson exploring the Holocaust through the novel, The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne. Teaching the Holocaust introduces students to the dangers of prejudice and promotes tolerance and compassion. Furthermore Holocaust education gives students an opportunity to understand their own feelings toward issues such as peer pressure, stereotyping, bullying, and discrimination. The character of Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas reflects this effectively and this novel is the main focus of our study.
Introduction
This month you are reading The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, but do you understand everything that is going on in the novel? Are you completely familiar with the time and place in which this story happened? We're going to use the Web to delve more deeply into the book and get a better handle on it!
Task
The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas takes place during World War II, and the main setting of the book is the Aushwitz concentration camp.
Today we are going to research the many types of holding camps the Nazis used, who the prisoners were, and the conditions of the camp. Once your research is completed you will write 3-5 paragraph story about a Holocaust prisoner from one of the camps you research through the WebQuest. The name of the camp should NOT be included in the story. By use of description and historical information, I should be able to tell which camp is being discussed. Names of countries can be used. Please include a title page with creative title, the due date and your name. Please include my rubric with your paper. Include a Works Cited page to show where you received your information and understanding of the character.
Process
Begin by looking over some of the sites below:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005144
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005263
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005474
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005475
Once you have finished your initial research. I will break you into three groups to discuss three different types of camps the Nazis used (Concentration, Labor, and Extermination). Use the following links to access information on your camps:
For Concentration Camps:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005214
For Labor Camps:
For Extermination Camps:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005145
Choose a particular camp which you have now researched and answer the following question (Use these questions to help you write your 3-5 paragraphs):
- Location of the camp:
- When was the camp established:
- What was the purpose of the camp:
- Conditions of the camp:
- Various prisoners (ethnicity, race, affiliations,etc.) at the camp:
- Reasons for imprisonment:
- Number of deaths:
- Date of liberation
Evaluation
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Student Research |
The paragraphs' references on the Work Cited page are inconsistent with details in the story in four or more different sections. |
The paragraphs' references on the Work Cited page are inconsistent with details in the story in 2-3 different sections. |
The paragraphs' references on the Work Cited page are inconsistent with details in the story in at least one section. |
The paragraphs' references on the Work Cited page are consistent with details in the story. |
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|
Character's Camp is known to reader |
Reader cannot determine which camp the character is imprisoned in and its seems details are not consistent with research |
Reader cannot determine which camp the character is imprisoned in, however,details about the character are consistent with the research of the WebQuest |
Reader is able to determine what type of camp the character is imprisoned into, but is unable to determine the exact location |
Reader is able to determine the exact camp the character is imprisoned |
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|
Developed Plot |
There is no plot within the story |
The plot is not consistent with the research |
Plot is consistent with research, but lacks motivating drama |
Plot is consistent with research and has motivating drama which keeps the attention of the reader |
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Grammar and Spelling |
13-15 spelling or grammar errors within the paper |
9-12 spelling or grammar errors within the paper |
5-8 spelling or grammar errors within the paper |
0-3 spelling or grammar errors within the paper
|
Conclusion
Reflect upon your thoughts and feelings which came up as you researched concentration camps for your story. What were some of your reactions to the camps?
So that I may better understand your experience answer these three questions individually and on a separate sheet of paper:
What did you like about the project?
What did it remind you of?
What were you confused about?
The Holocaust was the persecution and murder of nearly six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The tragedy of the Holocaust still affects us today, as we think about the increasing violence in Darfur which we will be studying in the coming month.
Credits
Permissions
We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use and modify this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. The modified WebQuest may be shared only under the same conditions. See the Creative Commons Attribution • Non-Commercial• Share-Alike license for details.