Melea Weece

5th Grade

Milkweed Unit

Overview of the Unit

This is a three week unit where students read historical fiction and informational texts about the Holocaust, such as Milkweed. They compare and contrast settings, characters, or events within texts and analyze multiple accounts of the Holocaust, noting similarities and differences. To develop a personal connection with the Holocaust, students become the victim by doing a mock interview and developing recordings of poetry/music or stories while expressing their feelings about it. The end resulting activity is to write a narrative within the correct historical context, that includes real or imagined experiences or events, descriptive details, and clear even sequences.

Integration of the Standards

RL5.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in a text.

RI.5.6: Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

W.5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

SL.5.2: Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

SL.5.5: Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Resources

Books:

Spinelli, Jerry., (2005). Milkweed. Scholastic.

Bachrach, Susan D., (1994). Tell them we remember: The story of the holocaust. Location: Little, Brown Brown Books for Young Readers

Serraillier, Ian., (1999). Escape from warsaw. Scholastic.

Kerr, Judith., (2009). When hitler stole pink rabbit. London, England: Puffin

Verhoeven, Rian., (1995). Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary. Scholastic

Nazi perspectives on the Holocaust:

Hans frank on the jews.(1941). Retrieved from:

Himmler on “evacuation of the jews”. (1943). Retrieved from:

Himmler orders completion of the final solution. (1942). Retrieved from:

Other Websites:

The Nazi terror begins – id card/oral history. Retrieved from:

Oral Histories from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)

The holocaust: A learning site for students. Retrieved from:

Holocaust Music Choices from USHMM

Holocaust Timeline. Retrieved from:

- holocaust timeline

Activities

  • Go to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum online. Select one oral history and listen to the recording. While listening, record the following in your journal:
  • Name of Person
  • Date of Birth
  • Where they were from
  • What they did
  • Things they saw
  • Summarize the persons, story.
  • After completing your summarization, go to your partner and perform a mock interview. You will be the victim from the Holocaust and your partner will ask you questions and become a recorder of information. Once finished, you will switch roles and do another mock interview. (SL.5.2)
  • Go to the UCHMM website and choose one of the two music options from the Holocaust. The options are Your Kitten Is Hungry or Our Town Is Burning. Take a recording device with you. Before clicking the preferred song you would like to listen to, turn your recorder on, tell the title of the song and express your feelings about the title of the song you are choosing. Then click the song you want to listen to. While listening and reading along, talk about the following points.
  • How does the music and sound make you feel?
  • Does it sound happy and joyful or sad? Explain why you think so.
  • Does the song give any hope?
  • Since the song is now over what are your overall thoughts?
  • What do you think it would be like to be a Jew in a camp or during the Holocaust?
  • Does the song help portray the feelings of the time during the Holocaust?
  • Once finished with your audio recording of the song, go back to your desk and draw a picture about the song or how it made you feel and write a Cinquain poem about the Holocaust. (SL.5.5)
  • Example of a cinquian poem: Subject = fast food

Fast food – Line one = two syllables that is the subject

quick, unhealthy – Line two = four syllables describing the subject

driving through, deep frying – Line three = six syllables showing action

so good, yet upsets my stomach – Line four – eight syllables expressing a feeling or an observation about the subject.

nasty – Line five = two syllables describing or renaming the subject.

Students can bend the guidelines if needed. The message is more important than the formula.

  • Using the book Milkweed that has been read and discussed in class, compare and contrast two or more characters in the story. In your journal, put the title of the book at the top and underneath the title record the names of the characters you wish to compare and contrast. Back up each point (comparison and contrast) with specific details within the text, Milkweed. Once finished with your information and details, choose one character and develop a comparison poem. You can compare one thing to another. Here is an example of a comparison poem. (RL.5.3)

Homework is a migraine headache

when you don’t have time.

It isn’t painful,

just work that needs to be finished.

  • Research and analyze different accounts and points of view over the Holocaust. You can use books that you have read on the subject as well. Feel free to research on the provided websites. When analyzing the differences between point of view and so forth, look at the similarities and differences between the different sources. When gathering information, record the following information in your journal. (RI.5.6)
  • The source of your information; website or book or audio (Where you got your point of view)
  • What is the point of view?
  • What is the point of view over?
  • Once finished gathering all of your research, create a ven-diagram or table with similarities and differences between the different points of view.
  • Students will work together in groups of 4 or 5 in developing a screen play by summarizing a text from the correct historical context. Students will portray the text by acting out a scene they develop to the best of their ability. All scene scripts must be appropriate, respectful, and have a time limit of five minutes. Students can also make props for their scene and each individual must have a speaking part. Once finished, each group will perform their final project in front of their peers. (SL.5.2) The following guidelines must be met:
  • Introduction
  • Smooth transition into speaking parts
  • Each member of the group must have a part
  • Good conclusion
  • Has correct historical context

Assessment

This will be a two day assessment.

Day 1:Students will journal about the Nazi perspective and the perspective of the victims in the Holocaust. While journaling students will note important similarities and differences (also among the characters). Then students will choose a point of view that they choose to represent and explain why.Students will add drawings or other visual displays to stories to clarify their ideas, thoughts, or feelings.

Day 2: Students will write a historical narrative set during the Holocaust. Develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. You can use previous research and music and poetry to help with your story. Before writing your rough draft, feel free to collaborate with classmates for ideas. Editing and revising of papers will take place within the classroom and the final paper will be typed and printed off for publication in the hallways.

Rubric for Day One:

Acceptable / Proficient / Exemplary
Topic / Student stayed on topic but swayed from it occassionaly. / Student remained on the topic the entire time. / Student remained on topic the entire time and had a title.
Paragraphs / The student only wrote one paragraph. / The student wrote two paragraphs. / The student had three or more paragraphs.
Similiarities/Differences / Student only gave three similarities and differences. / Student gave three similarities and three differences in well thought out sentences / Student gave four similarities and four differences in complete and well thought out sentences.
Point of View explanation / Students gave their personal point of view but don’t mention if it is the Nazi perspective or the victim’s perspective. Students also give a short explanation why they chose it. / Students gave their personal point of view and mention if their view is the Nazi perspective or the victim’s. Students give a brief explanation why they chose it. / Students gave their personal point of view and mention if their view is the Nazi perspective or the victim’s. Students give a two to three sentence explanation why they chose the view.
Drawing or visual display / Students drawing or visual display connects with the story but doesn’t express their feelings. / Student’s drawing or visual display connects with their journal and somewhat conveys their feelings. / Student’s drawing or visual display connects with their journal and clarifies their feelings, thoughts, or ideas.

Rubric for Day Two:

Not - Acceptable / Acceptable / Proficient
Narrative Topic / Student does not stay on the Holocaust topic and therefor the topic is unrelated to the assignment. / Student writes on the correct topic, the Holocaust but doesn’t completely write a narrative the whole time. / Student writes a historical narrative set during the holocaust.
Experiences / Student only uses personal experiences in the narrative that don’t line up with the historical context. / Student develops real or imagined experiences within their narrative that are realistic for the Holocaust. / Student uses real or imagined experiences and events in their story about the Holocaust.
Sequence / There is no logical sequence in the “narrative”. / The event sequences line up great and make logical sense with two or three minor errors. / The event sequences are clear and make sense. Only one minor error.
Details / Student’s details are few and not descriptive. / Student’s details are descriptive but not all real or imagined experiences have details. / Student’s details are descriptive and all experiences and events are followed with descriptive details.
Evidence of Research / There is no evidence of previous research on the Holocaust. / There is some evidence of previous research on the Holocaust in the student’s writing. / There is clear evidence of previous research on the Holocaust in the student’s writing.