Number the Stars: The
Holocaust
A WebQuest for 5th Grade
(6–Week Thematic Unit)
Designed by
Regina S. Linck
rsustaeta@aol.com
Introduction | Tasks | Resources| Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits |
Introduction
Welcome
to the Nazi world of Lois Lowry novel Number
the Stars! You are living during World War II (1939-1945). The systematic murder of 6 million Jews – the Holocaust.
It is a dark scar across the face of human history. You will learn its lessons.
This WebQuest will take you back in time to learn what your life is like as a
young Jewish person growing up during wartime. You will be able to ensure that
a Holocaust will never happen again and that the world will be a safe place for
each person -- regardless of his or her nationality, religion, or ethnicity.
Using what you learn, you will write three letters address to persons living in
2003, make or draw an artistic representation depicting the life around you,
generate a timeline based on the events that occurred during the Holocaust,
create a bar chart that represents the number of victims, and be able to seek
your ancestors using the database provided.
Tasks
Task 1
You
are going to begin by researching the resources listed below to learn about
your life during the Holocaust. Using the information you learn, you will write
three letters to persons living in 2003. Each letter will focus on the
following three aspects of your life:
- In your first letter, describe your home,
where you come from, and the neighborhood you live in. Include lots of
details such as specific and interesting information so that the reader of
your letter can visualize your environment.
- In your second letter, describe what’s
going on in the world around you. Your emotions and insights about
what’s happening in the nation politically, socially, and
economically? How is your life affected by being a Jew? Tell about
interesting and meaningful facts that depict things that had never
happened before in recorded history.
- In your third letter, you are going to write
to an Iraqi your personal insights about the effects of war and how you
can best help that person cope with the aftermath.
Task 2
After your three letters,
you are going to make a creative work of art (a diorama, sketch, or drawing) that
illustrates the message you’ve gathered from the information you’ve
researched.
Task 3
Using the information
provided in a website, you are going to generate a timeline of the events that
occurred during the Holocaust (1933-1945).
Task 4
Using the information
provided in a website, you are going to draw a chart using a bar graph, and be
able to accurately determine which region/country has the most casualties and
which one has the least.
Task 5
With the database
provided, you are going to search for your ancestors of the same surname or
town of your origin. (Hint: make sure you choose a Jewish name or a town where
Jewish lived).
Resources
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. When German
troops begin to “relocate” Denmark
Dvorson, Alexa. The Hitler Youth:
Marching Toward
Madness. Describes how many young Germans were drawn into the Nazi
movement and how Germany
The
Holocaust This site tells briefly
about the history of the Holocaust. Once you are in this site, click on holocaust in the left hand side of the screen.
Scroll down with your mouse and left click under the title Children
of the Holocaust. Once
you are in this site, click the title The Holocaust on the left hand side of the
screen. This site
will give you ideas and accounts you can use to write your letters.
Find People of the Holocaust This site will help you find an
appropriate name you may use as the
“character” that you will become when you write your letters.
Chronology Events that occurred during the Holocaust
years (1933-1945). If you are unable to go directly to the chronology
website, try using (http://www.adl.org/). After clicking on the title The Holocaust, scroll down and click the title
Chronology on
the left hand side of the screen. You will use this site to create your timeline.
Glossary Terms to get you acquainted with the terminology
used during the Holocaust. This site is also found in the same address as the
previous one (http://www.adl.org/). Once you click on the title The Holocaust, scroll down and click on the
left hand side of the screen the title Holocaust Glossary. Helpful terms you
may use in your writing project.
Photo Gallery This site shows photographs of Holocaust
survivors and historical events during the period. Please click the mouse on
the word photographs to display a list of photos for you to get acquainted with real life
events of the time.
Auschwitz Photographs of the Nazi concentration camp
during WWII. This site will help you visualize and learn about the life you are
living in.
Birkenau Photographs of Nazi concentration camp in Poland
Stories of
children's survival Accounts of
the war-time experiences of 3 child survivors: 5-year-old Lili, who was
separated from her family and hidden in a convent; 7-year-old Krystyna, who
lived for 14 months in a sewer, never seeing the light of day; and 14-year-old
Alexander who learned about death on a fateful day in the ghetto. These
survivors speak for their friends and siblings – the one and half million
children who were murdered during the Holocaust. This site will help you to
become familiar and to personalize yourself through the experiences lived by
these children.
Survivor stories You need to hold the mouse over the face of
the survivor to learn more about their life during wartime. These people
recount what was happening in their lives during the Holocaust when they were
children.
Victims
of the Holocaust: an estimation As you scroll down, you will find in
this website the information needed to create your chart. Please include all
the countries and regions provided.
The JewishGen
Family Finder A database of ancestral towns and surnames
currently being researched by Jewish genealogists worldwide. The JGFF connects
people who are searching ancestors of the same surname or town of origin.
OPTIONAL:
Supplementary Reading Six more books about children of the
Holocaust.
Process
The following instructions will
make completion of your task easy!
1. Read Number the Stars and The Hitler Youth: Marching toward Madness to familiarize yourself with the setting of the period you are about to become part of. This preparation will help you as you begin to research life during the Holocaust.
2. You are going to write three letters in the voice of a person living during the Holocaust. Before you begin your research, consider the sex, race, and age of the “character” that you will become as you write these letters. You need to decide on a name for your character (A Jewish name will help). Also decide who you are going to address the first two letters as the third is already being provided for you – an Iraqi.
3. Begin your research by writing the following topics on the top of 5x8 index cards: Home and Neighborhood, Social and Political Events during the Holocaust, Personal Insights.
4.
Begin exploring the resources listed above. You
will find that I have provided for you in each resource the type of information
needed for all your tasks.
5. As you explore the sites, record facts on the appropriate card. To make notetaking more effective, include printing excerpts from sites that you find useful and highlight significant information. The information can then be recorded, in your own words, on your notecards.
6.
When you have
collected information about each of the three topics, you are prepared to begin
the writing process. This process begins with brainstorming and prewriting
followed by the actual drafting of your letters. Remember, you are writing from
a perspective of a person living in that period. You are explaining your
life to a person living in 2003. Your letters should include enough detail and
description of your life and the events taking place for your reader to gain a
good sense of what your life is like.
7.
When you have
drafts of all three letters, you will share your letters with the teacher. Upon
approval, you will have time to revise, edit, and enter them into a word
processing program. You have 2 weeks
to complete your writing project!
8.
You will work
with a partner to create your artistic project to present to class. One project
required per couple. You have 1 week
to complete your art project!
9.
You are going
to create a timeline in one page, using font 12, and typed in a word processing
program. Choose the dates and events you consider most important and it must be
written in your own words. You have 1
week to complete your social studies project!
10.
You will make
your chart as accurate as possible, you need to use the graph paper provided. You have 1 week to complete your math
project!
11.
Using the family
name or town chosen, you are required to find your ancestors in the database
and document the information. You
have 1 week to complete your science
project!
12.
You will be
required to turn in your three letters, notecards, all writing drafts, notes,
highlighted copies of your research, one-page timeline, chart, and the information of your family ancestors.
These materials should be presented in an organized, labeled folder.
13.
REMEMBER: As your teacher, I’m your facilitator as
well. Any questions or doubts you may have, please do not hesitate to ask for
suggestions.
Evaluation
This WebQuest will be evaluated
according to the following criteria:
1.
Do you
have three complete, revised, edited and typed letters? (10
pts.).
2.
Is
each letter focused on the subjects described in the task section of
this WebQuest? Do your letters accurately describe facts and events about the
period you are taking part of - the Holocaust? (20 pts.).
3.
Has
each letter been written using the writing process? (Brainstorming, Prewriting,
Drafting, Response, Revision, Editing). Do your letters show improvement from
first draft to final copy? (10 pts.).
4.
Does
your artistic presentation clearly illustrates/depicts the information you have
gathered? (10 pts.).
5.
Does
your timeline accurately depict significant events of the period? (10 pts.).
6.
Is
your chart accurately representing the number of casualties per region/country?
(20 pts.).
7.
Were
you able to find your relatives in the database and if so, is the information
clearly stated? (10 pts.).
8.
Is the
presentation of your folder containing your letters, notecards, drafts,
timeline, chart, and family ancestry information neat and professional? (10 pts.).
A maximum of 100 points can be accomplished if
specified criterion is thoroughly followed.
When you complete this WebQuest, you will be able to understand the setting of Number the Stars and The Hitler Youth: Marching Toward Madness. As you read these two books, you will have a greater understanding of the personal, social, and political issues which are dealt with in the stories. You will also be able to examine the Holocaust at a historic and world level. You will visualize the lessons learned from the Holocaust and apply them to your own life. You will become more interested in literature that portrays realistic life experiences and appreciate the works of author Lois Lowry.
Credits & References
The
format used is based on a template from The WebQuest Page . Thanks to Jill Clark and Jan Hedberg for providing ideas in developing this
WebQuest.
