ANNE FRANK

AND

THE HOLOCAUST

Introduction

· You have been working as a news reporter for the last five years doing the same old things everyday. But today your life is about to change and you are going to embark on a journey you never thought possible. You have been given the opportunity to go back in time. You will pack your bags and be ready to be seated in one of the newest technology devices. Yes, you guessed it, it’s a time machine. I am sure now you are very curious to learn where you will be going. Your will time machine be taking you back to Germany during the time of the Holocaust. So get your bags packed and be ready for an opportunity of a lifetime.

Task

·As a reporter your job will be to investigate and learn about what Germany was like during this time period. Luckily, you have some connections and will have the opportunity to meet Anne Frank and her family on your exploration!! Here you will be able to find out what life was like for these innocent Jewish people in hiding. You want your work to really relate to these individuals and what life was like for them so learn as much as you can from them.  

Process

· Step 1: Before learning about what Germany was like during this time you will first prepare a K-W-L chart. Here you will write the things that you already know about Germany during this time period and then you will write down the different things that you would like to find out in your research. After you are all finished you will then write down the different things that you learned from your experience.

Step 2: During your research you will also be writing diary entries as if you were Anne Frank. It’s very important that you learn about her experiences before you write your entries. You will need to write two entries about what life was like while in the secret annex and you will also need to have two entries that express what life was like in the concentration camps. Each entry must have a quote from Anne Frank.

Step 3: Since you will be doing a good deal of research on Anne Frank and her experiences you will also be working in a group of about four people to create a poster size drawing of the floor plan of the secret annex. Together as a group you will need to create the drawing and then do a presentation on your floor plan and why you chose it to look that way.

Step 4: Since your job is to be a reporter in the 1940’s you will also be responsible to write an article about what life was like for Jewish families in hiding. Remember you were able to meet Anne Frank so use this information. Your article should include pictures (we have learnt how to copy and paste from the internet) and quotes from different individuals. Remember you’re a reporter so you must be detailed in your article. Make your readers want to read your story. This is a time to reflect on the things that you wrote you learnt on you K-W-L chart.

Resources

·      For information about Anne Frank’s diary:

http://sg.geocities.com/raiha_evelyn/annediary.html

·      For general information use these websites:

http://www.annefrank.nl/ned/default2.html

·      For information about the concentration camps and the holocaust:

http://www.cybrary.org/holocaust.htm

Evaluation

·      Students will be evaluated by how complete their K-W-L chart is and is they use what they learnt in their newspaper article.

·      Students will also be graded on their drawing and presentation of the secret annex. Students must have reasoning for why they created the secret annex they did.

·      Students will also be evaluated on the four diary entries they completed. The content of these entries is very important. The entries must show that the students have researched the life of Anne Frank and they must also have quotes.

·      Students will also be graded on their final project which is the newspaper article. Here students must show everything they learned. They need to tie together all they have done.

Conclusion

·    I hope that you have a lot of fun on your journey through this very important time in history. This is an opportunity to explore and learn so much about the world and its history. There is a lot to learn so be sure to keep your eyes wide open. This is your most exciting job yet and I know you will do great!!!!!!!!!

'How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.'

Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, 1952