Week of October 1

I am more excited than I care to admit about talking about The Book Thief on Monday. We will also have a Maus discussion this week, so make sure that book is complete. This week is a little bit  questionable because we have a possible skype-date on Tuesday, so things could move a day ahead.

Monday, 10/1
The Book Thief Seminar

Tuesday, 10/2
Possible Skype
if not,
Maus discussion

Wednesday, 10/3
Introduction to Ghettos
Lodz Ghetto notes
Poetry
Book Thief projects due
Salvaged Pages assigned

Thursday, 10/4
Chaim Rumkowski
Journal 4-homework

Friday, 10/5
Ghettos
"To the Little Polish Boy"
Salvaged Pages discussion

Response to "Swing Kids"

We talked for a bit in class about "Swing Kids" and your reaction to it. If you would like to, use this as an opportunity to comment on the movie. What were the most striking images from the film? How did your emotional reactions change as you watched? What are all the things you can think of that the film seems to be about? Did this film remind you of other stories you have read or movies you have seen? What role did propaganda play in this film?

Upcoming Long-Term Assignments

Got a few things coming up and I just wanted to put the list on here so that you would have a reminder. 1. Honors ONLY: Metamorphosis needs to be read by 10/12. I will give you an assignment over this work at that time. 2. Book Thief due Friday, 9/28.

Week of September 24

This week is going to be a little bit of an easier week for us, both work-wise and content-wise. To say that I am excited about getting to The Book Thief on Friday is a HUGE understatement. I cannot WAIT to discuss it with you and I ADORE the activities we will undertake with that book. :)

Monday, 9/24
Reading Day for Maus

Tuesday, 9/25
Group presentations

Wednesday, 9/26
"Swing Kids"

Thursday, 9/27
"Swing Kids"

Friday, 9/28
THE BOOK THIEF!!!!

Some other extras...

Hitler's Time Magazine Man of the Year cover

A recent article I read on Holocaust education

Any thoughts on either of these?

Book Burnings

In 1821, Heinrich Heine wrote, "Where one burns books, one will, in the end, burn people." Consider what Heine meant by this statement. In your opinion, what is the danger of burning books? How, if at all, does burning books jeopardize human life?
[Note: Somewhat ironically, Heine was a noted German author who converted to Christianity from Judaism in the nineteenth century. According to the Nuremberg Laws, Heine would have been considered a Jew; therefore, his books were also burned and forbidden.]

Here is a link to some of the books/authors as well.

Week of September 17

Last Friday was a real downer. I know that, and I am sorry that we started our weekend on that note. However, as I said to you in the beginning of the semester, this is a study of some pretty horrific events and there are going to many days that are real downers. It should be. It should upset you and make you feel bad and make you want to see a world where teenagers don't have to die because of who they are. I struggle sometimes with the heaviness of all of this because I know that you are young and that some of this material is beyond what you might be emotionally ready to handle. So I try to present it in a way that eases you into it. But then we have a day like Friday, and it all seems like more than we are ready for. I want you to understand, though, that even though it is a study of tragic events, there were so many bright spots and shining examples of the best of humanity, even in the midst of the worst of humanity. We will get to stories of rescue and resistance (not always physical) and liberation that will hopefully inspire us to be better people. We just have to learn about a lot of the evil in order to get to the good. So stick with me, brace yourselves, and keep that eagerness to learn more that I saw evidenced on Thursday. I LOVED that day, when there were more hands up to ask questions and get more information than I could even call on. This week is the real beginning of the downward fall for Germany and the Jews. Kristallnacht was that turning point. Keep asking the questions, putting yourselves in the shoes of the people we are reading and talking about...

Monday, 9/17
Kristallnacht jigsaw

Tuesday, 9/18
Kristallnacht
Primary/secondary sources activity
Homework: Journal entry

Wednesday, 9/19
Library for research

Thursday, 9/20
Library for research

Friday, 9/21
Reading day (Maus)

Propaganda

We studied a lot of different examples of Nazi propaganda in class today. I am posting a few examples on here, but not all. Which of the anti-Semitic examples of Nazi propaganda did you feel was the most "effective" for the Nazi idealogy? Which ones struck you the most?

Week of September

I have enjoyed our conversations thus far this semester. I do hope that more of you will engage more often, but hopefully that will come.

Monday, 9/10
propaganda
Homework: Bring in a piece of propaganda

Tuesday, 9/11
Finish propaganda
Read Salvaged Pages (Chpt 1 due Thurs)
Homework: Journal entry #1

Wednesday, 9/12
Discussion
Weimar Republic
Nazi Germany's Anti-Jewish policy
Homework: Journal response #2
Finish Salvaged Pages chpt 1

Thursday, 9/13
Salvaged Pages discussion

Friday, 9/14
Watch "I'm Still Here"

Today, We Danced.

Yesterday, we listened. Tomorrow, we will talk. But today... Today, we danced.

Jewish History from Someone Who is Not Me

It was so exciting today to hear from Lee University Professor Doug Murray! It's classes like today's that remind me how much I LOVE to get to be the one who sits and listens, absorbing information that is new to me. So much of today's presentation was new information for me and I LOVE to be the student! It was a joy and I couldn't believe how perfectly the entire presentation ties in with the rest of our semester. My favorite part was his question, after discussion the captivity in Egypt, when he asked, "What could this story mean to a Jew in Europe during Hitler's rise to power?" We had a few answers given in class... anyone have any more you want to offer on the blog?