Theme+Study+for+Historical+Fiction+and+Biography

Theme Study for Historical Fiction and Biography
Click the **Edit** button (far right side of screen) and paste your content in the space below. Make sure to **Save** changes before exiting. Marcia Bernard Theme Study The Holocaust There is no more painful episode in the world’s history than the Holocaust—the systematic killing of Jews under Hitler’s Nazi regime. While it easy to become wrapped up in the sheer horror and the immensity of the suffering of this historic time, there are several underlying themes that are of great value to study. For our younger students, the themes of prejudice, cultural identity, emigration, bravery and morality are important to consider and could become the basis for a social studies unit on World War II. Rather than focus on the magnitude of the killing, through the use of books we are able to personalize the Holocaust and hear stories of the individuals—their stories of family loyalty, cultural identity, perseverance, determination and survival.

There is an outstanding collection of literature written about the Holocaust spanning picture storybooks, historical fiction, biographies and informational books. Through these books we are able to gain a view into the stories of those who lived through the Holocaust. Over 50,000 books on the topic have been written in the past 60 years, thus giving us a abroad foundation to base our study.

I’m targeting grade 6 for this theme study, but this could also be used with grades 7 and 8. Standard 9: Making Connections //9.4 Relate a literary work to information about its setting//. Standard 11: Theme 1//1.3 Apply knowledge of the concept that theme refers to the main idea and meaning of a selection, whether it is implied or stated.// Standard 12: Fiction //12.3 I////dentify and analyze the elements of setting, characterization, and plot (including coflict.)// Standard 13: Nonfiction //13.17// //Identify and analyze main ideas, supporting ideas, and supporting details.// Strand 8: Appreciating Literature //8.15 Incorporate critical and creative thinking skills to evaluate literary elements and conventions. 8.17 Identify and read from a variety of genres. e.g. historical, realistic, fantasy, fiction, folklore, poetry, drama, biography, short stories, science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction, humor,etc.//
 * MA English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks**
 * MSLA Recommended Standards for PreK-12 Information Literacy Skill**s


 * Objective**: Students will read from a variety of resources on the Holocuast. They will identify a major theme (i.e. friendship) in each book read.


 * Culminating Activity**: Students will create a Voicethread for each book they read. They will provide a brief synopsis and identfy the major themes of the book. They will share this with their classmates and teachers.

Books to use in the study will include:

In this selection, students begin to see the geographical breadth of the Holocaust: France, Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany. This can be applied to the MA Curriculum Framework’s 6th grade focus on Word Geography.
 * Picture storybooks**

A common theme shown in these picture books is the friendship between Jew and Gentile. Children paid no heed to religious differences, they only cared and worried about their friends. The commonality of the children, regardless of their religion or family circumstances, enforces the theme of friendship.

//The Butterfly// by Patricia Polocco A French family hides a Jewish family to help them escape to freedom, told through the eyes of a young French girl. //The Cats in Krasinski Square// by Karen Hesse Young Jewish girls escaped the ghetto and with their resistance friends worked to smuggle food into those still detained. //Erika’s Story// by Ruth Zander Zee A beautifully illustrated haunting story of a baby thrown from a death train and the family that raised her. //The Feather-Bed Journey// by Paula Kurzband Feder A grandmother shares stories from her childhood in Poland during World War II with her granddaughter. //Star of Fear, Star of Hope// by Jo Hoestlandt Young Helen is concerned about her friend, a Jew who disappears one night, during the German occupation of Paris. //Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story// by Amy Littlesugar A young Belgium boy is a friend with Max, a Jewish boy whose family flees the German invasion

Using biographies in a social studies unit is a truly powerful way to connect children to the past. They allow children to “Catch up to the past and to experience the sadness and great joy of other people’s lives” (Norton 691). Knowing that these stories are real carries a great weight with children.
 * Biographies**

//Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl// This is the gold standard of Holocaust literature. Anne Frank’s diary gave us the unsentimental, detailed description of a girl moving into young adulthood, who is faced with hate and yet has hope. //Hana’s Suitcase: a true story// by Karen Levine The discovery of a suitcase leads a Japanese Holocaust museum to research the Czech girl whom it belonged to. //No Pretty Pictures// by Anita Lobel The children’s book illustrator tells her story of growing up during World War II as a Polish Jew. This book is graphic and unsettling, but will bring the reader closer in understanding how someone could survive in these conditions. //Who was Anne Frank?// by Anne Abramson The story of Anne’s life in the secret annex, her hopes and dreams in a book accessible for middle readers.

Combining the stories of Holocaust victims and survivors with primary documents such as photos and letters is another way for children to learn about the Holocaust. These books are very readable yet provide solid facts for children to construct their views.
 * Informational Books**

//Ten Thousand Children: true stories told by children who escaped the Holocaust on the Kindertransport// by Anne Fox The true account of children who escaped Nazi Germany for England via the Kindertransport. It includes photos of the survivors and of documents. This book is important because it not only shows the unconditional love of the parents as they place their children on the trains, but also the kindness of the English people who were willing to house the children and take them into their families. (A key point is made in the book that will surprise students: America was not willing to accept any of these children.) //Six Million Paper Clips: the making of a children’s Holocaust memorial// by Peter Schroeder A Tennessee school collects paper clips to represent he victims of the Holocaust, which lead them to create a memorial as they gain a greater understanding of the event. //We Remember the Holocaust// by David Adler A collection of personal accounts of survivors of the Holocaust.

There is a substantial collection of top-quality fiction that incorporates the Holocaust. The authors in these examples have created the important balance between accuracy and a story that engages and appeals to children. While sad, they are not overly sentimental. The characters from Yolen’s Hannah Stern to Lowry’s Annemarie Johansen to Roy’s Syvia are inspirational, brave and most importantly, believable.
 * Historical Fiction**

//The Devil’s Arithmetic// by Jane Yolen A Jewish girl time-travels back to Nazi occupied Poland during the Holocaust. This is historical fiction at its best. //Milkweed// by Jerry Spinelli A Jewish orphan survives in the Warsaw Ghetto. //Number the Stars// by Lois Lowry Danish Annemarie and her family shelter their Jewish friends’ daughter Ellen from the Nazis. //Torn Thread// by Anne Isaacs A Polish girl survives in a Czech labor camp, in a book that details the conditions of the detained and the true will to survive. //Yellow Star// by Jennifer Roy Told in poetic prose, this story of a ten-year old Jewish girl and her family’s struggle in the Lodz ghetto.

Using this collection of books, through both independent and guided reading, students will be able to see underlying themes in their study of the Holocaust. They are stories of prejudice and racism and the hatred that can dwell in man. But they will also find survival stories that show us personal strength under unthinkable conditions. Friendship stories of people reaching out to those in need. People risking their own lives to save another’s. They are stories of hope. Through this darkest time, we are still able to see the bright lights of human compassion, bravery and survival.

Works Cited Norton, Donna E. //Through the Eyes of a Child.//5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 1995.