English Language Arts Lesson Plans

Summary and Rationale: 

The purpose of this lesson is to engage students with a complex and difficult text about the Holocaust. Through a scaffolded discussion protocol, students will interact with one another to analyze the text. They will demonstrate their understanding of the text in the seminar style discussion as well as in a formal essay.

Summary and Rationale: 

In this lesson, students rotate through stations to develop their understanding of essential Holocaust-related topics (e.g., anti-Semitism, ghettos, concentration camps, the history of Jewish culture in Kentucky). The purposes of this 2-3 day lesson are to allow students in English language arts classrooms to build knowledge before the reading of a larger text about the Holocaust (E.g. Night, The Diary of Anne Frank) and to practice previously taught literacy strategies with a variety of print and non-print texts. 

Subject: English Language Arts

Suggested Grade Levels: 10th-12th

Time Required: 

• 2-3 days of instruction, depending on class size and pacing 

Addressed Kentucky Standard: 

• RI. 11-12.1: Cite relevant and thorough textual evidence to support analysis from the text as well as inferences drawn from the text
• RI.11-12.9: Analyze documents of historical and literary significance, including how they address related themes and concepts.
• C.11.12.7: Compose routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a variety of tasks, purposes and audiences.

Materials

• Download the Building Background Knowledge Lesson Plan
• Hyperdoc with all materials