Week of 9/1 (Off MONDAY!!!)

It was a great week this past week! We will start propaganda and such this week and it's a fascinating study.

Monday, 9/1
OFF!

Tuesday, 9/2
Judaism activity
Memorial Planning

Wednesday, 9/3
Propaganda, E and R

Thursday, 9/4
Propaganda
Assign Salvaged Pages

Friday, 9/5
SUB
Watch "I'm Still Here"

Jewish Life Pre-WWII Day 2

Carryover from Friday:
Assignment #1 Photo Research
Look up each town from your two photographs. You need to write a well-researched paragraph for each in which you will note the following:
How large was the town/city's Jewish population and how long had Jews been living there?
What was the Jewish life/culture in that town/city like prior to the Nazi invasion?
Where is or was that town/city located?
When and how did the town/city come under Nazi rule?
What was the fate of this particular town's/city's Jews during the Holocaust? What about the country?
You need to complete your research and write your two paragraphs about the towns your photos originated from. In addition, try and locate the towns on the map I will give you.

Assignment #2- Photo Response:
You brought a photograph from your own collection that in some way matches one of your researched photographs. Please write an organized, well thought out response in paragraph form that addresses the following questions. Don't just answer the questions, but rather use them to help you form a personal reflection paragraph.
In examining your researched photos, identify evidence that suggests that life was normal for Jews prior to the Nazis.
What did you discover as you looked through your own family's photos in comparison to those you had researched? Which photo of your family did you choose that relates and why?
How do the photos show the similarities between you, your family, or your community to those in European Jewish life prior to WWII?
What conclusions can you draw from this activity? What is your emotional response to this?

Assignment #3- Living On and Biography
Click on the Living On link that can be found here and select a Survivor, Refugee, or Hidden Child to research. Come tell me which person you have selected because each student will need to select a different member of Living On. Read the biography for that person and look at artifacts, etc. If there is a video available, watch it. Complete a rough timeline for the life of the person you have chosen. You will then complete another researched paragraph about the town where the Living On person you have chosen lived during the Holocaust.


All of this information is due in class tomorrow.

Week of 8/25

We will dig into the study of Judaism this week, as well as presenting some research on pre-WWII European towns.

Monday, 8/25
Research towns, etc

Tuesday, 8/26
Share photos and research

Wednesday, 8/27
"An Image Before My Eyes"

Thursday, 8/28
Judaism activity/discussion
OR
speaker

Friday, 8/29
Judaism activity/discussion
OR
speaker

Jewish Life Pre WWII

In order to better understand what Jewish cultural and communal life was like in Europe prior to WWII, you will be finding photographs from that time period and analyzing them, as well as researching the town(s) where the photos were taken. Follow the assigments below in order, working at your own pace.

Sidenote: Spend a few minutes looking around the Holocaust Museum website. That link is here.

Assignment #1 Photo Collection
Think of two words that symbolize "everyday life". Ex: shopping, school, family time, sports, etc. Go to the USHMM Photo archives collection and type your word into the search engine. Don't pick the very first picture you find. Instead, browse the pictures. Spend some time looking at what is available and thinking about them. Your photo cannot be dated AFTER Nazi occupation, which varied by country. Below is a list of Nazi occupation dates:
Austria March 1938
Poland Sept 1939
Czech March 1939
Denmark 1944 but not really
Norway April 1940
Holland May 1940
Belgium, Luxembourg, France June 1940
Transylvania 1940
Greece April 1941
Yugoslavia April 1941
Russia June 1941
Hungary 1944
Slovakia, Romania 1940
Italy-->Albania April 1939
Sov Union -->Poland 1939
Sov U --> Finland 1940
Sov U --> Romania June 1940

The link to the archives is here.

Once you have found a photo for each key word that you really like, right click on it, copy it, and paste it into a word doc. Also copy and paste ONLY the date and locale (no other info like captions). Print it.

Photo requirements are that it must have people in it, cannot be what is classified as a portrait, and must be prior to German occupation.

Assignment #2 Photo Analysis
Use the worksheet provided to answer questions about ONE of the photos.

Assignment #3 Photo Research
Look up each town from your two photographs. You need to write a well-researched paragraph for each in which you will note the following:
How large was the town/city's Jewish population and how long had Jews been living there?
What was the Jewish life/culture in that town/city like prior to the Nazi invasion?
Where is or was that town/city located?
When and how did the town/city come under Nazi rule?
What was the fate of this particular town's/city's Jews during the Holocaust? What about the country?

Week of 8/18

Absolutely awesome first full week! I really really enjoyed all of our discussions. I think you are a excellent group of students.

Monday, 8/18
Unit 1 test

Tuesday, 8/19
Elements of Drama
Intro to "Fiddler"

Wednesday, 8/20
"Fiddler on the Roof"

Thursday, 8/21
Finish "Fiddler", discussion

Friday, 8/22
Research photos
(Pre WWII Jewish life)

Who We Are-- Breaking Stereotypes

After spending some time thinking about how we characterize ourselves and what we identify with and as (some of mine were learner/thinker, working mom), we came up with ways in which we were sometimes stereotyped because of those characteristics but that aren't consistent with who we are. Below is a pretty powerful list from this year's group. We did it in Quaker Read form, so it was a neat experience to sit in silence and hear these sentences spoken by different voices.

I am a skateboarder, but I am not lazy.
I am black, but I am not ghetto.
I am a friend, but I am not a therapist.
I am a kind person, but I am not an everlasting fuse.
I am a shy person, but I am not antisocial.
I am really awkward, but I am not remotely shy.
I am Mexican, but I am not illegal.
I am a member of the hip-hop culture, but I am not a keeper of the beliefs and ideas.
I am Catholic, but I am not a statue worshiper.
I am a gamer, but I am not a lazy person.
I am a Northerner, but I am not pushy, rude, self-centered.
I am a CrossFitter, but I am not a cocky person.
I am a hippie, but I am not a pot head.
I am outgoing, but I am not loud.
I am shy, but I am not awkward.
I am a Southern bell, but I am not a hillbilly.
I am a Christian, but I am not judgmental.
I am a sensitive person, but I am not a cry baby.
I am compassionate, but I am not weak.
I am open-minded, but I am not naive.
I am funny, but I am not mean.
I am a shopper, but I am not materialistic.
I am an athlete, but I am not a dumb jock.


To be clear, the point was not to list stereotypes or even to identify them, but for them to think of stereotypes that they personally have confronted associated with their own identifying traits.

Week 1!

I should have said this Friday, but our discussion in class really made me excited about the coming semester. You all were active, involved, perceptive, intelligent, and respectful. I am so looking forward to getting to know you better and learning about such an important topic with you...

Monday, 8/11
Stereotyping

Tuesday, 8/12
GATTACA

Wednesday, 8/13
GATTACA

Thursday, 8/14
Racism

Friday, 8/15
Holocaust/Shoah, anti-Semitism, genocide

*Unit 1 test is Monday!!!