My lesson on the children of the Holocaust for Memorial Library Summer Seminar

1. The
Children
of the
Holocaust

2. Notes on the Lesson
• This section of the lesson is a small part of the entire unit
entitled, Children of the Holocaust.
• Since I teach 6th graders, I will have already introduced
the Holocaust to them, had several class discussions, and
given book talks for the books selected for the literature
circles they will be participating in.
• My students will have already been taught how to close
read and annotate a text (Article of the Week.)

3. We Were Children Just
Like You
By Yaffa Eliach

4. • Read the poem silently first. As you read and
annotate, think about which lines/verses make
you feel sad, uncomfortable, or hopeful. Make
note of these.
• Next, I will read the poem aloud.
• We will then read it chorally.

5. • You will be given three sticky notes. On
your sticky notes, write:
• One line/verse that made you feel
sad in the poem (sticky #1)
• One that made you feel
uncomfortable (sticky #2)
• One that made you feel hopeful
(sticky #3)
• Discuss with your elbow partner what you
wrote on your sticky notes.

6. Gallery Walk/Share Out
• Place the appropriate sticky note on the parts
of the wall that are labeled, sad,
uncomfortable, and hopeful.
• Share out – I will choose 3 partnerships to
share what they posted and discussed. Be
sure to explain why these lines/verses made
you feel these emotions. **You will tell us
what your partner shared with you.**

7. Reading Response
• In what ways were the children of the
Holocaust just like you? In what ways were
they different?
• You may use a t-chart to help guide your
thinking.
• Use evidence from the poem to support your
response.

8. Close Viewing
• After viewing, you will write for a few minutes
about your thoughts and reactions.
• What stands out to you? What are some things
in the video that were left out? What did you
NOT see or hear?
• What ranges of human behavior did you see
evidenced in this film?
• We will then participate in a Mix-Freeze-Pair-Share.

9. Remember the Children:
Daniel’s Story
http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/mus
eum-exhibitions/remember-the-children-daniels-
story/video

10. Mix-Freeze-Pair-Share
• When the music begins, you will stand, take
your reading response and move around the
room, mixing with your classmates.
• When the music stops, you will freeze and
partner with the classmate closest to you.
• You will discuss your reading response with
your new partner.

11. Exit Ticket
You will select one sentence from either your
response to the poem or your response to the
video. We will “Whip Around” and share our
sentences.