Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands"One of the wisest and most moving commentaries on war and its impact on human beings that I have ever read." IntroductionThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's online introduction to Anne Frank states, "Anne Frank was one of the hundreds of thousands of Jewish children who died in the Holocaust." In that sense, she is not unique; however, through the very ordinary act of writing a diary, through her youthful wisdom and budding literary talent, Anne remains today an extraordinary "symbol for the lost promise of the children who died in the Holocaust." This lesson invites you to supplement your students' reading of The Diary of a Young Girl by connecting the diary to the study of history and to honor the legacy of Anne Frank, the writer, as she inspires your students to use writing to deepen their insights into their own experiences and the experiences of others. Learning ObjectivesAfter completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
Guiding Question:What were the historical circumstances that led the Frank family to go into hiding? Preparing to Teach this Lesson
Suggested ActivitiesLesson 1: Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands Lesson 1: Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands 1 Review with the class the territorial changes that were forced on Germany after World War I as shown in the map German Territorial Losses: Versailles Treaty 1919, available through the EDSITEment resource U.S. Holocaust Museum. 2 Provide each student with a map of pre-WWII Europe such as the map of Europe 1933, available from the U.S. Holocaust Museum website. Students should record the month and date of each country's defeat by Germany. Germany's occupation of European countries can be seen in a map of Europe in 1942, and a timeline of occupation provided in the second paragraph of the brief essay, World War II in Europe, both available from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website. Through this activity, students should come to see the rapidity and extensiveness of Germany's wartime expansion. For more details about Germany's military victories and defeats, consult World War II in Europe: Key Dates and the brief article "German Wartime Expansion." 3 As Germany took control of any particular country, it implemented policies relating to governance and racial ideology. Those policies differed somewhat from country to country. Divide students into groups and assign each an article about one country; from the information in the article (and any other appropriate sources chosen), students should compose a news article that adheres to the facts about the events that transpired. Students may elaborate as desired as long as they do not stray from what is truly possible. Remind the class about the Reporter's Formula (Who? What? When? Where? and Why?); they should address these questions early in the article, as well as provide a headline and byline. Put the articles together to create a news account of German wartime expansion. Student groups can use the following articles, available through the EDSITEment-reviewed U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website, for their research: Based on the information from each group, students will fill in a chart, World War II in Europe, summarizing the information. 4 Read with the class the article "Netherlands," available from the EDSITEment-reviewed U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website. In what ways did what happened to the Netherlands resemble and/or differ from what happened in the countries on the chart? 5 Lastly, students should review a map tracing Anne Frank's movements through Europe, available through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website. What can students deduce about her various movements? In what ways do they relate to Germany's situation at the time? Extending the Lesson1 Students interested in learning more about The Holocaust can explore The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students: "Organized by theme, this site uses text, historical photographs, maps, images of artifacts, and audio clips to provide an overview of the Holocaust. It is the first step in a growing resource for middle and secondary level students and teachers, with content that reflects the history as it is presented in the Museum's Permanent Exhibition, The Holocaust." 2 Students can read authentic stories of some Dutch citizens in Netherlands Stories, from U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Included are four brief videotaped accounts of eyewitnesses. 3 Students can read and react to a contemporary diary written by a young woman in a war torn part of the world through Zlata's Diary, by Zlata Filipovic. (Viking Press, 1997. Grade levels: 6-12.) 4 Students can use the resources of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to research "Blacks During the Holocaust," including learning about Joseph Nassy: ". . . a black expatriate artist of Jewish descent. Nassy was living in Belgium when World War II began, and was one of about 2,000 civilians holding American passports who were confined in German internment camps during the war." The site also includes examples of works by Nassy. 5 Students can use the resources of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to research the 1936 Olympics and read Witness to History: John Woodruff, African-American Gold Medal Winner, 1936.6 The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum also provides information about contemporary incidents of potential genocide through Alerting the National Conscience to Threats of Genocide Today. 7 Have students read (or read to them from) Tales from the Secret Annex by Anne Frank (Doubleday Books: 1983. Grade levels 9-12.). 8 Students who want to learn more about Anne Frank can view some photos of the rowhouse and the attic in which Anne spent two years confined with her family and four other people , available from the website Anne Frank House, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. As one recent visitor to the house described it: "Amsterdam rowhouses are very tall, very narrow, with incredibly steep staircases. You walk up the steep narrow stairs, go through the secret doorway behind the bookcase, then all of a sudden there's this surprisingly large space.… From the windows of the Anne Frank House… you can look out and see the windows of other houses and of the street and canal below; for us this was a picaresque detail, but for Anne and her family it presented an incredible danger, as their eventual betrayal by a Dutch neighbor attests." Some editions of the diary include a sketch that Anne herself made of the rooms in the house. 9 Teaching about the Holocaust: A Resource Book for Educators (available for free download at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Outreach Page for Teachers) contains an extensive, annotated bibliography of readings for middle school students wanting to know more about World War II in Europe and/or the Holocaust. Selected EDSITEment Websites
|