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World War II Book Club

Overview:

Students will read and discuss two texts from a selection of World War ll nonfiction and historical fiction novels. Students will analyze the themes within the texts and write an expository piece comparing and contrasting the themes within the text pair.

This study may run 4 to 5 weeks. Ideally, this literature unit should be integrated with a social studies unit on World War ll.

Enduring Understandings/ Essential Question

  1. World War II is believed to be the most transformational war in history. .
  2. There were several factors that led up to World War II, but the most well known was the attempt by Hitler to created a superior race.
  3. The outcome of World War II has played a large role in the life we live today.
  4. Man’s humanity to others was greatly challenged during World War II.
  5. History is a series of connected events shaped by multiple cause-effect relationships, tying past to present.
    • Why is World War II believed to be the most transitional war in history?
    • What liberties were on the line in World War II?
    • How does the past affect our lives today?
    • Why does the relevance of the illustrations, Four Freedoms by Norman Rockwell, span history?
Grade
9-12
Theme
Four Freedoms
Length
This unit may take 4 to 5 weeks. Ideally, this literature unit should be integrated with a Social Studies unit on World War II.
Discipline
Social Studies; Language Arts: Reading; Language Arts: Reading History; Language Arts: Writing
Vocabulary
Holocaust; Adolph Hitler; Jews; Christians; Poland; Kristallnacht; Refugees; Ghettos; Internment; Nazi; Axis; Allies; Concentration camp; Third Reich; Red Cross; Human rights

Objectives:

  1. Students will understand the significance of the Four Freedoms identified by President Roosevelt in his speech in January 1942 in light of the events during World War II.
  2. Students will read from a collection of fiction and nonfiction texts related to World War II which focus on all aspects of World War II.
  3. Students will understand the significance of the events before, during and following World War II.
  4. Students will participate in book talks and group discussions, sharing supported thoughts and insights from their reading.
  5. Students will develop an understanding of what was at stake for the world at large during World War II through literary texts, nonfiction texts, informational videos and movies.

Background:

World War II began in 1939. Germany was was politically and economically unstable. This made it easy for Adolph Hitler and the National Socialist party to take control. Signing a treaty with Italy and Japan, they sought world domination. The first act was to invade Poland. This was the beginning of World War II. The United States was not involved in the beginning of the war. Many Americans believed that the war was Europe's problem. However, President Franklin Roosevelt believed that the United States would eventually need to play a role. In January 1941, he made his speech to Congress. In his speech, President Roosevelt named the Four Freedoms which he stated are the rights of everyone in the world. After the speech, he questioned whether the citizens of the United States truly understood the Four Freedoms that he had named. He asked the art world to help illustrate the Freedoms. Many artists created artwork in the form of paintings as well as sculptures to reflect the meaning of these freedoms. On December 7, 1941, America was pulled into the war when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, destroying a fleet of ships that had been readied in the event they were needed.

Norman Rockwell thought a lot about these ideals. In 1943, his completed Four Freedom illustrations were published in the Saturday Evening Post along with a related essay. His Illustrations became the cornerstone of the Four Freedoms. They continue to represent the meaning of these freedoms today.

Materials:

Multimedia Resources

Freedom of Worship

Freedom of Speech

Freedom from Want

Freedom from Fear

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms

Norman Rockwell Museum

Womanpower: The Fight for the Four Freedoms

Norman Rockwell Museum

A Brief Overview of World War II

World War II in 7 Minutes

Classroom Supplies:

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history

  • The Last Flight of Petr Ginz

Available for free through Amazon Prime

(https://www.amazon.com/Last-Flight-Petr-Ginz/dp/B010D2BTWW)

  • The Book Thief

Available through Amazon videos

  • Teacher Resources:

Activities:

  • Students should have had opportunity to view and discuss Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms illustrations.
  • Initiating activity: Give individual or groups of students a set of World War II vocabulary cards. Have them cut them apart and sort them in as many groups as necessary to show connections between the words. Pull students together to share and discuss their responses before they lose interest. They will have another opportunity to continue to work on this activity throughout the unit of study. Have students share word groupings. Accept all responses. Misinformation will be corrected as study progresses.
  • Shared experience: View and discuss one of the following films; The Last Flight of Petr Ginz or The Book Thief or select one of the books to read aloud and discuss as a class.
  • Book Baskets: Depending on the number of students in the class, create 2 or 3 baskets of books related to World War II. If possible, it is suggested that there be at least two copies of as many books as possible. Having multiple copies, provides opportunities for students to meet and have deeper discussions of a specific text as they are reading. Discussions will also be focused on understandings from the collection as well.
  • While students are reading, encourage them use post-it notes to stop and jot important information about characters, settings, and events, questions, surprises, emotional moments, text sections, words and/or phrases that are confusing or give important insights, etc. These notes should be kept in text until not needed for partner or book talks. When students have finished work with the book, notes should be placed on labeled pages in Reading notebooks as references throughout study. Double journal entries and other reading notebook strategies can also be encouraged.
  • Partner talk/Book talks: Talks should be scheduled to give students reading the same text opportunity to discuss and reflect on texts and learnings about World War II and the historic implications. These talks may be scheduled by students or designated days can be established for students to meet and discuss readings. Students should give text evidence supporting ideas/ thoughts discussed. A general reflection in their notebooks following their talks may be required, if desired.
  • Class discussions: Scheduled discussions offering students opportunity to pull together thoughts and understandings gleaned from the various texts being read. Review of vocabulary words should be on-going. Students should be able to give evidence supporting the organization of words and names.
  • Write a literary essay comparing and contrasting how the texts approach a common theme found in the text pair.
  • Exit task: Completion of the World War II reading guide serves as the final task.
  • Optional: There are additional videos available on YouTube focusing on World War II. Some are listed above. Access to these videos at the discretion of the teacher can be made to students individually or as a group.

Assessment:

  • Are students prepared for and participate in book discussions?
  • Are students justifying responses with relevant text support?
  • Are students able to identify individuals who impacted and were impacted by World War II and explain?
  • Are students able to identify and explain events that were important during World War II?
  • Are students able to make significant connections to World War II and its impact on our lives today

Standards

This curriculum meets the standards listed below. Look for more details on these standards please visit: ELA and Math Standards, Social Studies Standards, Visual Arts Standards.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10

By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.5
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.6
Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.10

By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.6
Evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.8
Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9
Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7
Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8
Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claims.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.9
Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.2
Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.2
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
D1.1.9-12.
Explain how a question reflects an enduring issue in the field.
D1.2.9-12.
Explain points of agreement and disagreement experts have about interpretations and applications of disciplinary concepts and ideas associated with a compelling question.
D1.3.9-12.
Explain points of agreement and disagreement experts have about interpretations and applications of disciplinary concepts and ideas associated with a supporting question.
D1.4.9-12.
Explain how supporting questions contribute to an inquiry and how, through engaging source work, new compelling and supporting questions emerge.
D2.Civ.10.9-12.
Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights, and human rights.
D2.Civ.11.9-12.
Evaluate multiple procedures for making governmental decisions at the local, state, national, and international levels in terms of the civic purposes achieved.
D2.Civ.12.9-12.
Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.
D2.Civ.13.9-12.
Evaluate public policies in terms of intended and unintended outcomes, and related consequences.
D2.Civ.14.9-12.
Analyze historical, contemporary, and emerging means of changing societies, promoting the common good, and protecting rights.
D2.Civ.7.9-12
Apply civic virtues and democratic principles when working with others.
D2.Civ.8.9-12.
Evaluate social and political systems in different contexts, times, and places, that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles.
D2.Geo.6.9-12.
Evaluate the impact of human settlement activities on the environmental and cultural characteristics of specific places and regions.
D2.His.1.9-12.
Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
D2.His.15.9-12.
Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.
D2.His.4.9-12.
Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
D2.His.5.9-12.
Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people's perspectives.
D2.His.6.9-12.
Analyze the ways in which the perspectives of those writing history shaped the history that they produced.
D3.1.9-12.
Gather relevant information from multiple sources representing a wide range of views while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.
D3.2.9-12.
Evaluate the credibility of a source by examining how experts value the source.
D3.3.9-12.
Identify evidence that draws information directly and substantively from multiple sources to detect inconsistencies in evidence in order to revise or strengthen claims.
D3.4.9-12.
Develop claims and counterclaims attending to precision, significance, and knowledge conveyed through the claim while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both.
D4.5.9-12.
Critique the use of the reasoning, sequencing, and supporting details of explanations.