Multi-Text Study



Multi-Text Study

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RE 4030

Beth Gaster

Fall 2008

Milkweed

By Jerry Spinelli

Ten Amazing People and How They Changed the World

By Maura D. Shaw

Why I Chose to Have My Students Read Milkweed:

Milkweed, written by Jerry Spinelli, is set in Warsaw, Poland and begins in the year 1939. Spinelli follows the history of the Nazi Holocaust through the character of a young orphan boy. I chose this book for two main reasons. First, I chose this book because of its setting and storyline in World War II Poland, primarily the Warsaw ghetto. The setting of the book fits nicely with the 6th grade Social Studies curriculum that focuses on Europe. Spinelli provides the heart breaking story of the Holocaust through the eyes of a young child while providing appropriate content without being too graphic.

Secondly, I chose this book because of the many themes that are represented within it. Spinelli does a wonderful job of addressing ideas such as identity, survival, friendship, family, innocence, and maturity. The main character, Misha, lives each of the themes from the beginning of the novel throughout. One of my favorite themes of the book is identity. It is especially important for this age group. As the book progresses Misha’s identity changes several times and for several reasons; just as the students’ identities while not by name, as in Misha’s case, will change several times over the next few years. By seeing the changes that occur in Misha, I think that it could help them be more aware of the changes within themselves. The other themes in the book are also important for students at this age to connect with.

As a supplementary text, I chose the book Ten Amazing People and How They Changed The World. Within this book there is a brief biography of Janusz Korczak. Spinelli uses Korczak in Milkweed, he is also a real person who lived in the Warsaw ghetto and ran an orphanage there. I felt like it was important for the students to see some goodness in the midst of all of the horrible things that were happening at that time. Doctor Korczak’s story was a good way to bring some light to the darkness that overshadows the story.

The accompanying activities will serve to get the students engaged in the reading and to gain greater knowledge and insight into the author’s purpose for writing the book. Many of the activities also help the students to develop vocabulary knowledge as well as understand literary elements such as setting, plot, and author’s craft (simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, etc.)

I hope that after reading this book, my student will have a better understanding of this time in history and can connect it with the things that they will learn in their social studies class.

Texts:

Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. New York: Laurel Leaf, 2003.

Reading Level: 5th grade

Shaw, Maura D. Ten Amazing People and How They Changed the World. Woodstock, Vermont: Sky Light Paths Publishing, 2002.

Reading Level: 3rd grade

North Carolina Standard Course of Study

6th Grade Language Arts

| | |

| |Activities |

|North Carolina Standards | |

| | |

|1.01 Narrate an expressive account (e.g. fictional of |Students write their own versions of stories from the text, rewrite|

|autobiographical) which: |a story from a different perspective, and predict the significance |

|Tells a story or establishes the significances of an event or |of characters in the story. |

|events | |

| | |

|1.02 Explore expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or |Throughout the book, students are continuously questioned about the|

|viewed by: |happenings of the story. Students are also asked to write about |

|Monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard |their feelings on the reading several times throughout the unit. |

|and/or viewed | |

|Making connections between works, self and related topics | |

| | |

| |When learning about Janusz Korczak, the students will study an |

|2.01 Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or |informational text with a brief biography, timeline, and artistic |

|viewed by: |representations. By studying this book they will discover the |

|Determining the importance and accuracy of information |impact Janusz Korczak had on the Warsaw ghetto and connect the |

|Making connections between works, self and related |information they learn about Korczak to his character in Milkweed. |

|topics/information | |

| | |

|5.01 Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a |Milkweed was a teacher selected book that will help the students |

|meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by: |improve fluency, comprehension, and insight through reading a book |

|Reading literature and other materials selected by the teacher |that is on their reading level and having teacher supported |

|Discussing literature in teacher-student conferences and small |activities to connect with. Literature circle roles are provided as|

|group discussions |a discussion tool for the students to use to increase their |

|Taking an active role in whole class seminars |comprehension and understanding of the book. After completing the |

|Discussing and analyzing the effects on text of such literary |internet workshop, there will be a class seminar in which they |

|devices as figurative language, dialogue, flash back and sarcasm |discuss the connections between their research and the reading. The|

|Interpreting text by explaining elements such as plot, theme, point|students will specifically study author’s craft and figurative |

|of view, characterization, mood, and style |language through an exploration of simile, metaphor, |

| |personification and onomatopoeia. By completing the comic strip |

|Recognizing underlying messages in order to identify themes with |activity, the students will study the elements of the story and the|

|and across works |significance of understanding those elements as well as how they |

| |affect the story. |

|Exploring relationships between and among characters, ideas, |This book is loaded with underlying themes that will be pointed out|

|concepts, and/or experiences |through the activities that will be completed. |

| |The characters in this book create strong bonds and tell the story |

| |of true events through their interactions with one another. |

| |Students will be able to discuss the relationships and ideas |

| |throughout the unit and within several activities such as the point|

| |of view writing activity. |

| | |

|5.02 Study the characteristics of literary genres (fiction, |This book is set in WWII Poland at a time when the Nazis have |

|nonfiction, drama, and poetry) through: |established a ghetto in Poland. The problems that the characters |

|Exploring what impact literary elements have on the meaning of the |face are direct results of the setting that they are placed in. |

|text such as influence of setting or the problem and its resolution|This historical fiction book accurately portrays the events of the |

| |Holocaust while engaging young readers in the story of a young boy |

| |who is on a quest to find himself. |

| | |

|6.01 Demonstrate an understanding of conventional written and |The vocabulary activities within this unit help the students to |

|spoken expression by: |expand their knowledge of words to better understand the reading as|

|Extending vocabulary knowledge by learning and using new words |well their vocabulary knowledge in general. |

| | |

|6.02 Identify and edit errors in spoken and written English by: |When writing the Cinquain poems the students were given the |

|Producing final drafts that demonstrate accurate spelling and the |opportunity to proofread their work before creating a final draft. |

|correct use of punctuation and capitalization | |

Additional Texts

Reference List:

Propp, Vera W. When the Soldiers Were Gone. New York: Scholastic, 1999.

• This book is the story of a young Jewish boy who lives with a family of Christian farmers and believes he is there son. After the war is over, the boy learns his true identity and that his real parents are Jewish. The book follows his transition into his birth family. This book would give the students insight into another aspect of the war as well as give them another opportunity to explore the theme of identity.

Orlev, Uri. The Island on Bird Street. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981.

• This book is the translation of a true story of the survival of a young Jewish boy in the Warsaw ghetto. In this book, the students would be able to see a true story that takes place in the same setting as Milkweed.

Glatshteyn, Yanker. Emil and Karl. New York: Square Fish, 2006.

• This book is based around the story of two friends, one Jewish, one not, before the beginning of World War II. The book allows readers to see what life was like in the pre war period and the issues that people faced in the beginning of the war. This book would give the students and opportunity to see what the world was like before Nazi power, and would connect to the story of friendship in Milkweed.

…I Never Saw Another Butterfly…:Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp 1942-1944. New York: McGraw Hill Book Company

• This book is a compilation of poems and drawings that were written and drawn by children within the concentration camp. This would give the students a look at what happened after Jews were shipped out of the ghettos. It would also help them connect to the children that were in the concentration camps by reading their words of sorrow, fear, and hope.

Bunting, Eve. Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

• This book is an allegory of the Holocaust. It would help to answer the question “Why didn’t anyone help the Jews?”

Schroeder, Peter W. and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand. Six Million Paper Clips: The Making of a Children’s Holocaust Memorial. Minneapolis: Kar-Ben Publishing, 2004.

• This book is written about a Tennessee school’s efforts to establish a Holocaust memorial at their school. It would help students to see the importance of remembering the Holocaust and those who lost their lives.

Adler, David A. Child of the Warsaw Ghetto. New York: Holiday House, 1995.

• This book is the story of a boy born in Warsaw Poland. After the deaths of his parents he was placed in the orphanage ran by Janusz Korczak. By reading this story, students would be able to connect to Doctor Korczak more.

Hesse, Jaren. The Cats in Kransinski Square. New York: Scholastic Press, 2004.

• This book is the story of a girl’s plan to help the people of the Warsaw ghetto escape their fate at the concentration camps by using the stray cats to distract the dogs at the train stations so that the people can run away. This book would help students to see the efforts of the people to escape the Nazi terror.

Hoestlandt, Jo. Star of Fear, Star of Hope. New York: Walker and Company, 1993.

• This book is the story of two young girls who are best friends, one Jewish, one not. At the beginning of the Holocaust the Jewish girl is required to wear an armband with the Star of David on it. The story is from the perspective of the other girl who regrets her final words to her friend as she lives to go warn her family of the approaching Germans. “You’re not my friend anymore.” This book would allow students to see the effects of the Holocaust in areas other than Warsaw, because of its setting in France. It would also allow them to see, once again, the importance of friendship.

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

• This book once again follows the theme of friendship during the Holocaust. This book, set in Denmark, would allow students to see the effects of the Holocaust in yet another area of Europe and to see how non-Jews tried to help.

Teacher Resources:

Totten, Samuel. Holocaust Education: Issues and Approaches. Boston: A Pearson Education Company, 2002.

Meinbach, Anita Meyer and Miriam Klein Kassenoff. Memories of the Night: Studies of the Holocaust.

Rozakis, Laurie; PhD. “Milkweed: Teacher’s Guide.” Illinois: Permabound, 2006.

Echoes and Reflections: A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust. Dana and Yassie Hollander. New York, 2005.

“The Nazi Holocaust: Documentary Photo Aids.” Florida, Documentary Photo Aids Inc.

Janusz Korczak Communication Center.

Milweed Classroom Activities. war-2/26421.html?wtIAC=lm0104%252Cemail-h

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.

Each of the book selected to supplement the multi text study will help to expand the students understanding of the Holocaust as well as to help them comprehend that the Holocaust was not only real but that it also expanded over several countries in Europe. These readings will help the students to see that children of all ages were affected by the horrific things that happened and that Jews and non-Jews were affected as well. These books will also help them to further explore themes that are presented in Milkweed. Having these books available will also broaden their reading option son the topic in case they so not connect with Milkweed.

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