8th Grade Literacy

Monday Day 1

The Diary of Anne Frank Curriculum Unit: 4 weeks

Tuesday Day 2 Background knowledge on Holocaust. Groups present research from HW. Elements of literature: dramatic irony, setting. Annotating a photograph (photograph of boy in Warsaw Ghetto). Wednesday Day 3 Whole class read: Act One Scene 1 Virtual tour of The Secret Thursday Day 4 Introduction to Readers Theatre. Read selected excerpt(s) from Scene 2. Whole class reads Would You Like a Star, Too?, Ida Vos Class discussion. Friday Day 5 Writing assignment: Write a letter to yourself from Anne Frank, describing what it was like to wear a yellow star. HW: read Act Two Scene 3, first half. Track with Post-it Note questions: 1) Why did you choose this passage? 2) What does it mean? 3) What does it tell you about the characters? Day 10 Whole class reads NYT article by Dominique Browning, Burning the Diaries, September 30, 2011 Writing assignment: Keeping a journal. Students describe their own practices/attitudes towards keeping a journal. Class discussion: journals, blogs, Facebook, Instagram.

Background knowledge on Holocaust: What do you know about the Holocaust? Introduction to literature circles. Literature circles write a question about the Holocaust. HW: research the answer to your groups question. Day 6 Reading check on HW Students share their Post-It Note questions with their literature circles. Yellow star activity: Students underline most powerful line in their letters from Anne Frank and write it in the center of a yellow star. Stars are posted on the board. HW: Finish Scene 3. Track a character using Post-It

Annex

Students take notes on setting. HW: Read Act One Scene 2

Day 7 Literature circles: Picture book activity: Students analyze a World War II /Holocaust picture book and prepare a book talk. In class: Read Scene 4 Readers Theatre (literature circles alternate reading in class throughout the unit).

Day 8 Literature Circles: Picture book activity and book talks. In class: What makes a good discussion question? HW: Read Scene 5 Come up with one discussion question.

Day 9 In class: Read Scene 5 Readers Theatre. Class discussion based on students discussion questions from their HW.

Notes (Choose a character, and track what you learn about that character in tonights reading. List three different things, with textual evidence).

Day 11 Read Ida Finks The Key

Day 12 Literature circles work together to illustrate The Key Game. Introduce research essay. In detail, outline due Monday.

Day 13 In class reading: Readers Theatre, Act Two Scene 1. Defining, locating dramatic irony (students fill out tchart w/ expectation vs. reality in Act One, continue filling out in Act Two) Introduction to group tracking theme, literature circle roles. Literature circles read silently, tracking for assigned theme. HW: Bring in topic for research essay

Day 14 Literature circle analysis in roles: Refugee Blues, W.H. Auden. Whole class read aloud, literature circles analyze through self-assigned roles. HW: Outline for essay due Monday

Day 15 Annotating visual images: Refugee, 1939, Felix Nussbaum photograph

Game

Text rendering. Class discussion.

Jews waiting in line at a travel agency, Berlin 1939,

Whole-class annotating activity. Class discussion. Literature circles hand in compiled notes on Refugee Blues analysis. HW: Read Scene 2, Post-It Notes on group theme.

Day 16 Read Scene 3, Readers Theatre (literature circles still alternating). In class writing journal activity: Are there moments of irony in your life? If there were an audience watching the play of your life, what would be a moment of dramatic irony? *Note that youre able to answer this question in retrospect.

Day 17 Literature circles presenting their tracking notes/discussion questions. Class discussion. HW: First draft of research essay due Thursday.

Day 18 Readers Theatre: Act Two, Scenes 4-5 (finish the play). Literature circles lead class discussions. Students hand in compiled literature circle notes, including individual tracking of dramatic irony t-charts.

Day 19 Peer review of research essay.

Day 20 Watch clip of Emma Thompson speech Anne Franks Would-Haves Writing assignment: what do you think was Annes most important wouldhave? What can YOU do? Leave a virtual leaf on Anne Frank Tree. HW: Final draft research essay due Monday.

HW: read Act Two, Scene 3 Compile literature circle role notes. Day 21 Day 22 Students write their personal would-haves on Post-It Notes, anonymously. Students post these on a trifold, gallery walk. Students select a Post-It that stands out to them, and describe why they believe its important. Students creatively transfer this would-have to a leaf, post on the class bulletin board. Students begin watching, analyzing Paper Clips. Class discussion on value of memorials, agency of middle school students.

Day 23 Students continue watching, analyzing Paper Clips. Class discussion on famous memorials, notes on movie quotes and decisions.

Day 24 In literature circles, students read NYT blog, Teens in the Times, about teenagers effecting change in the world. Students choose one teenager to profile. In their groups, they begin researching that teenager.

Day 25 Literature circles continue Teens in the Times project, creating a creative social media profile for that teenager. Groups present their information to the rest of the class. Class discussion on the changes these teens are making in the world, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.