Holocaust Literature Semester English Course (Grades 8-10)
In this 18 week semester course, students will explore Holocaust-related literature. Students will explore fiction, nonfiction, and drama texts and will work on vocabulary acquisition, writing, reading comprehension, and text analysis.
Ms. Shannon Johnsen
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What's included
18 pre-recorded lessons
18 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
4+ hours per week. Students will also need to complete reading as homework. Students may need to read up to 4 chapters per week. Most weeks ask students to complete 3 chapters of reading.Assignments
Students will have 1 assignment per day to complete. These assignments most often accompany reading tasks. Assignments are primarily writing. Students are expected to write complete sentences.Projects
After reading "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" and "The Hiding Place," students are asked to complete a project. These projects can be completed in writing or in a recorded video. These projects require students to think deeply about what they have learned and read.Progress Report
Please let me know if you would like progress reports or letter grades for your student. I can also create a certificate of completion if you'd like.Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 10
This self-paced 18-week course is a complete semester of English for 8th through 10th grade students. I chose to focus this course on Holocaust related stories because there are so many excellent pieces of literature focused on this time in history that is essential for future generations to remember. Though the Holocaust was a horrific historical event that can be hard to learn about, it is very important for students to learn what happens when prejudice and -isms become pervasive in society. In this course, students will read three different texts: "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne (fiction), "The Diary of Anne Frank" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (drama), and "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom (nonfiction). While reading these stories, students will write nearly every day about things such as character analysis, author's craft, and supporting claims. Students will also focus heavily on vocabulary acquisition. Each week of this course contains 5 activities (except week 1), so students can treat this as a daily English class. This is a fairly intensive course, where students may be asked to read up to 4 chapters per week. Please see the class syllabus for more information. Most days of this course contain an instructional video. I will explain each assignment and talk through the highlights of the daily reading. I am an energetic and enthusiastic educator, so your learner will feel my excitement about the literature in this course through my instructional videos. Students will interact with me through my frequent instructional videos. This course also includes games, quizzes, and regular writing assignments. Students can expect a response from the teacher within 36 business hours of their message or submission.
Learning Goals
Read varied types of literature related to the Holocaust. (fiction, nonfiction, and drama)Acquire and use new vocabulary words.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created CurriculumStandards
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)18 Lessons
over 18 WeeksLesson 1:
Introduction to the Holocaust
Day 1: Research with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Day 2: Holocaust Article Summary
Day 3: Crash Course European History video
Day 4: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Anticipation Guide and Vocabulary Introduction Lesson 2:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Week 1
Day 5: Read Chapter 1 - Focus on Character Study
Day 6: Read Chapter 2 - Focus on Character Study
Day 7: Opinion Writing
Day 8: Read Chapter 3 - Focus on Historical Context
Day 9: Read Chapter 4 - Focus on Supporting Claims Lesson 3:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Week 2
Day 10: Chapters 1-4 Vocabulary Practice
Day 11: Chapters 1-4 Reading and Vocabulary Quiz
Day 12: Vocabulary Introduction and Read Chapter 5 - Focus on Character Study
Day 13: Read Chapter 6- Focus on Reading Into Words and Actions
Day 14: Read Chapter 7- Focus on Comprehension Lesson 4:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Week 3
Day 15: Read Chapter 8- Focus on Letter Writing
Day 16: 5-8 Vocabulary Practice
Day 17: 5-8 Reading and Vocabulary Quiz
Day 18: 9-12 Vocabulary Introduction and Read Chapter 9- Focus on Making Connections
Day 19: Read Chapter 10- Focus on Comprehension Other Details
Parental Guidance
The Holocaust can be a difficult time in history for students to learn about. Jewish people, along with many other groups such as people with disabilities, people accused of homosexuality, and black people in Germany, were beaten, forced into ghettos, transported to concentration camps, and systematically murdered. The literature in this course includes violence and death, so please Google each book to view summaries and parental guidance.
This course also contains reading related to religion. Characters in all three major pieces of reading for this course are Jewish. Corrie Ten Boom, the author of "The Hiding Place" is a devoutly Christian woman, and she wrote about her faith quite a bit in her novel. This course does not focus on religion, does not support one religion over another, and does not contain any opinions about religion from the teacher.
Corrie Ten Boom was sent to a concentration camp and survived. Her story details the horrific treatment of concentration camp prisoners. At the same time, her story is one of hope, perseverance, and forgiveness.
Students will read three different types of literature in this course. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne is a fictional portrayal of a German and Jewish boy at Auschwitz concentration camp. "The Diary of Anne Frank" is a drama based on Anne Frank's diary, which detailed her and her family's time in hiding during the Holocaust. Corrie Ten Boom's "The Hiding Place" is an autobiography about Corrie's life. Her and her family hid Jewish people during the Holocaust, but she was caught, sent to prison, and eventually transferred to a concentration camp. Corrie survived.
Supply List
Learners will need their own copy of the three main texts used in this course. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne. https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Striped-Pajamas-John-Boyne/dp/0385751060 "The Diary of Anne Frank" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Anne-Frank-Frances-Goodrich/dp/1607969343/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3GHMP975407VW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PCSD35r4hO_GRmUBGvPlDKnwhuGI1aZux9VYjT_Xa9tuKLhnM036n0FyR_rMdAuQHmbtBNfC3Rewf6vacyu5zMfWt40cjmdgYnNFdnjJPlb-MM953igr_zRavpoMwGEhDmk6IEZ2D2JIbxdwtmXGggy_UDGggFXaiq3-atv9_5NNc-HOUc2Uqsd3znJJJny6jWiSLTjhPozxsODgeZobSDpIF0ogw1pEsVvfSYcOV9A.7ZW8wRvzAwkKcnTkfAYgQOOao5feT9kl8bVo9w9Egbg&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+diary+of+anne+frank&qid=1735926589&s=books&sprefix=the+diary+of+anne+frank%2Cstripbooks%2C128&sr=1-5 "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. https://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Place-Corrie-Ten-Boom/dp/0800794052/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ENAMNY8NB5CZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RvyQ5x9FNI_n36Maq3iFVoo4Yh2FD4KzX1NZLA7mr8cuYxXPuuNPOco3MfCmVkPhqeRnzlgln0G2nZ4LwNfBYwDPk7MvljyU8hdxDXJhxoaq3zxIWbzE_8SphFRaewD5BGHyHZeQANEiYl5HXPNrpcPtGEoawgM_dUAEaWQPEBYD327IIwruXeItLDLWB6YEU40d0rZL0ruKcxhODc6xmtaTNTIXnxzdi4dSSwczF7o.GoWPVK2G49J5l8tY5q-CgqXyOmd8ZgLLR---_xUKtkY&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+hiding+place+by+corrie+ten+boom&qid=1735926645&s=books&sprefix=the+hiding+place+by+corrie+ten+boom%2Cstripbooks%2C117&sr=1-1
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne (fiction)
"The Diary of Anne Frank" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (drama)
"The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom (non-fiction)
United States Holocaust Memoriam Museum
https://www.ushmm.org/teach/fundamentals/holocaust-questions#top
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/project/the-holocaust-a-learning-site-for-students
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/auschwitz
Crash Course European History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQeDvnapdlg
Anne Frank House
https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/secret-annex/
History.com
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/hanukkah
Joined August, 2022
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Minnesota Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Master's Degree in Education from University of Missouri
I started my teaching career in 2018 right after graduating with a bachelor's degree in English Education. I completed a master's degree in Educational Psychology in the spring of 2023. I have been teaching on Outschool since the fall of 2022, and I absolutely love it!Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$20
weekly18 pre-recorded lessons
18 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
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Ages: 13-16
