English II10 to 14 November

10 November

Warm Up: Writing About IndifferenceEssential Question: How do representations of history and historical fiction relate a culture’s values?Today’s Agenda:• Historical Background Readings for the Holocaust• The Book Thief

• Wednesday’s Agenda:• The Book Thief

Kristallnacht’s Warning: The High Cost of Indifference

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite offaith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.” ~ Elie Wiesel

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all the apathy of human beings.” ~ Helen Keller‐

“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” ~Albert Einstein

“I’m sure, in this particular situation, that some of the people standing there disapproved of what the Nazis did, but their disapproval was only silence – and silence is what did the harm.” ~ Kurt Messerschmidt

Elie Wiesel, Albert Einstein, and Kurt Messerschmidt survived the Holocaust. Helen Keller was safe in America during the Holocaust, but suffered the burning of her books at the hands of the Nazis. Each thought deeply about why the Holocaust happened and each arrived at similar conclusions. It was the corrosive power of indifference. As the quotations above indicate, indifference has the power to dissolve the bonds that bind people together in human society. It opens the door to all of the crimes that come to mind when we think of the Holocaust. After all, most Germans were not members of the Nazi Party. Surely, at least some of these millions of people realized that the persecution of Jews and other victims was morally wrong. Why didn’t more people resist the crimes of the Nazis while it was still possible to do so? Where does such indifference come from? Does it come from poor upbringing and a lack of humane values? Is it the product of fear? Is it as simple as the absence of empathy? In any case, we need to find out the answer to these questions so that we don’t let indifference do the same damage in our times as it did during the Holocaust.

Choose one of the quotations above and write about how it helps to explain why the Holocaust happened. Use specific examples from the Holocaust to support your answer.

NameDateEnglish IIIndifference

Discussion Questions for The Book Thief1. Discuss the theme of the individual vs. society, and how characters either conform to or rebel against societal expectations.

2. How does the film explore the idea of family? How is family defined at the beginning of the film vs. the end?

3. Which character is most affected by the war, and how?

4. Is there an antagonist in the film? If so, who?

5. Discuss the meaning of the book Max writes for Liesel, “The Word Shaker,” and if the story comes true.

11 November – Veteran’s Day

12 November

• Warm Up: Subjects/Verbs• Essential Question: What was Jewish life like before the Holocaust?• Today’s Agenda:• Night Introduction• Elie Wiesel interview • Begin Reading Night – Chapters 1 & 2

• Tomorrow’s Agenda• Continue Reading Night – Chapters 3 & 4• Quiz Chapters 1 & 2

Warm Up Identify the subject and verb in each sentence

1. The album with the original cast is now available in most stores.2. Senator Billings will propose the new law.3. The fourth Thursday in November is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day.4. The skydiver landed safely.5. Youngsters sometimes jump from those high rocks.6. Dignitaries from all over the world attended the reception.7. The children’s elaborate skyscraper collapsed.8. Ghosts are popular Halloween characters.9. Several students from Europe are staying with local families.10. The mysterious figure in black vanished.

Jewish Life Before the HolocaustBased on the pictures below, please write a paragraph about what Jewish life in Europe was like before the horror of the Holocaust.

13 November

• Warm Up: Identifying Parts of Speech• Essential Question: What does Weisel’s statement “I shall never forget

mean?• Today’s Agenda:• Holocaust Webquest• Continue Reading Night – Chapters 3 & 4• Quiz Chapters 1 & 2

• Tomorrow’s Agenda• Continue Reading Night – Chapters 5 & 6• Quiz Chapters 3 & 4

Warm Up – Identifying Parts of Speech1. A young old girl from California gave the best dramatic speech.2. A muddy dog of unknown breed ran away with Bernard’s lunch.3. Her friends at school helped her get a job.4. The weary commuters were angry about the delay.5. The freshman with the most unusual hat won the contest.

Parts of Speech:Noun (n) Verb (v) Pronoun (pro) Adjective (adj) Adverb (adv) Conjunction (Conj) Interjection (Int) Preposition (prep)DIRECTIONS:

Rewrite each sentenceOn the line above each word identify the part of speech of each word

14 November

• Warm Up: Writing Prompt #15• Essential Question: What type of relationship exists between Elie and

his father?• Today’s Agenda:• Continue Reading Night • Notebook Quiz• Reading Response Questions

• Monday’s Agenda• Continue Reading Night

Writing Prompt #15

• In chapter 3 on page 34, Elie speaks of everything he sees around him, using the words, “Never Shall I Forget.” • Write your own poem titled, “Never Shall I Forget…” and have them

follow the same format as on page 34. Pick a very memorable moment or event in your life to focus on, and apply the 5 senses and concrete details to each line. The poem doesn’t necessarily have to be a painful experience as Elie’s was.