Classroom Resource

Investigating the Holocaust: A Collaborative Inquiry Project

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Social Studies

Grade(s)

6, 7, 8

Overview

In this unit, students explore a variety of resources—texts, images, sounds, photos, and other artifacts—to learn more about the Holocaust. Beginning with journal writings and a picture book to introduce the central issues, the unit focuses on student-centered inquiry. Students explore a range of print and non-print resources through extensive online inquiry activities. Progressing from individual work to a group learning project, the unit culminates in publishing the group's findings in topic-based newspapers. 

The lesson includes complete lists of picture books, read-aloud books, reference texts, and online sites and collections that allow teachers to customize the activities to fit the available resources and students' specific research interests.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.1

Identify and explain an author’s rhetorical choices, including point of view, purpose, anecdotes, and figurative, connotative, and technical word meanings, to develop central and supporting ideas.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.1

Vocabulary

  • Rhetorical choices
  • Point of view
  • Purpose
  • Anecdotes
  • Figurative word meaning
  • Connotative word meaning
  • Technical word meaning
  • Central idea
  • Supporting idea

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Authors make specific rhetorical choices in their writing to convey meaning.
  • Rhetorical devices include point of view, purpose, personal anecdotes, and word choice.
  • Authors develop the main idea of the text by including supporting details to further elaborate on the text's central meaning.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify an author's rhetorical choices related to point of view, purpose, anecdotes, and figurative, connotative, and technical word meanings.
  • Explain why an author made particular rhetorical choices related to point of view, purpose, anecdotes, and figurative, connotative, and technical word meanings.
  • Explain how an author's rhetorical choices developed the central and supporting ideas of the text.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • When writing a text, authors make specific decisions about the structure, format, and vocabulary to accurately convey their central idea.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.2

Make inferences and draw logical conclusions from the content and structures of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.2

Vocabulary

  • Inferences
  • Logical conclusions
  • Content
  • Structures
  • Informational text
  • Comparison and contrast
  • Problem and solution
  • Claims and evidence
  • Cause and effect
  • Description
  • Sequencing

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Explicit information in a text, like its content and structure, can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
  • Text can be structured in different ways, depending on the type of information that is being communicated.
  • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
  • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
  • Claim and evidence structure proposes a particular claim, then provides evidence to support the claim.
  • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
  • A description text structure describes a topic by listing characteristics, features, attributes, and examples.
  • Sequencing text structure presents ideas or events in the order in which they happen.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the structure of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions from the content and structure of informational texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Informational text provides explicit information in its content and structure that can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
  • Informational text generally follows a particular structure, and identifying this structure can help them better comprehend and analyze the text.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.5

Evaluate the development of central and supporting ideas in recorded or live presentations by examining the speaker’s rhetorical choices regarding point of view, purpose, anecdotes, and figurative, connotative, and technical word meanings.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.5

Vocabulary

  • Central idea
  • Supporting idea
  • Recorded presentations
  • Live presentations
  • Rhetorical choices
  • Point of view
  • Purpose
  • Anecdotes
  • Figurative word meaning
  • Connotative word meaning
  • Technical word meaning

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Speakers make specific rhetorical choices in their presentations to convey meaning.
  • Rhetorical devices include point of view, purpose, personal anecdotes, and word choice.
  • Speakers develop the main idea of their presentation by including supporting details to further elaborate on the presentation's central meaning.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify a speaker's rhetorical choices related to point of view, purpose, anecdotes, and figurative, connotative, and technical word meanings.
  • Explain why a speaker made particular rhetorical choices related to point of view, purpose, anecdotes, and figurative, connotative, and technical word meanings.
  • Evaluate how a speaker's rhetorical choices developed the central and supporting ideas of the presentation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • When creating and presenting a presentation, speakers make specific decisions about structure, format, and vocabulary to accurately convey their central idea.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.23

Use an audio or audio-visual source of information to obtain the answer to a question.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.23

Vocabulary

  • Audio source
  • Audio-visual source

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Audio sources include only auditory information, while audio-visual sources include sounds and images.
  • Active listening skills.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use audio or audio-visual information sources to answer a question.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Audio and audio-visual sources can provide information to answer a variety of questions.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

ELA21.7.R3

Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically when researching and writing, both individually and collaboratively.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.7.R3

Vocabulary

  • Digital tools
  • Electronic tools
  • Appropriately
  • Safely
  • Ethically
  • Research
  • Individually
  • Collaboratively

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital and electronic tools must be used appropriately, safely, and ethically.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be used for research or for writing tasks.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be independently or with others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Engage in safe and ethical behavior when using digital and electronic tools individually and collaboratively.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Safe behaviors, interactions that keep you out of harm's way, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
  • Ethical behavior, interactions that align to one's moral code, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

ELA21.7.R4

Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.7.R4

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Draft
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Publish
  • Genres

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish.
  • Various genres of writing.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan writings in various genres.
  • Draft writings in various genres.
  • Revise writings in various genres.
  • Edit writings in various genres.
  • Publish writings in various genres.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The writing process is a set of steps that make writing easier.
  • There are different categories, or genres, of writing that can be used for different purposes.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

ELA21.7.7

Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writing in which the development, organization, style, and tone are relevant to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.7.7

Vocabulary

  • Narrative writing
  • Argument writing
  • Informative/explanatory writing
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Style
  • Tone
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to convince the reader to take action or adopt a particular position.
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from multiple research sources.
  • The development, organization, style, and tone of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writings.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Demonstrate command of the written language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
  • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

ELA21.7.11

Compare and contrast the effectiveness of techniques used in a variety of digital sources to generate and answer literal, interpretive, and applied questions and create new understandings.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.7.11

Vocabulary

  • Compare and contrast
  • Literal questions
  • Interpretive questions
  • Applied questions

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Strategies to compare and contrast the effectiveness of techniques used in a variety of digital resources.
  • Text sources can be used to create and answer questions, as well as develop new understandings.
  • Literal questions are those that can be answered using information directly from the text.
  • Interpretive questions are those that can be answered by inferring information from the text.
  • Applied questions are those that can be answered using information inferred from the text and a reader's background knowledge and experience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Compare and contrast specific techniques identified across multiple digital sources.
  • Generate and answer literal, interpretive, and applied questions in response to reading a digital source.
  • Create new understandings in response to reading digital sources.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Different techniques are used across digital texts.
  • Comparing and contrasting the effectiveness of an author's use of particular techniques deepens their understanding of digital text structures.
  • There are three levels of questions that can be generated: literal, interpretive, and applied.
  • Generating and answering a variety of questions helps to develop new understandings.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 8

ELA21.8.R1

Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.8.R1

Vocabulary

  • Active listening
  • Discussion
  • Conversation
  • Rules
  • Participation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • How to engage in discussions and conversations in a variety of settings.
  • Agreed-upon rules for participation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings.
  • Converse in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
  • Practice the agreed-upon rules for participation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow agreed-upon rules which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 6

SS10.6.6

Identify causes and consequences of World War II and reasons for the United States’ entry into the war.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.6.6

Vocabulary

  • consequences
  • Allies
  • Axis Powers
  • World War II
  • Pearl Harbor
  • Battle of Normandy
  • Battle of Stalingrad
  • Battle of Midway
  • Battle of the Bulge
  • Atomic Bomb
  • Holocaust

Knowledge

Students know:
  • How to identify the causes and consequences of WWII and what led to U.S. involvement in WWII.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Recognize relationships among people and places by locating historical events on a map.
  • Cite evidence to support historical events using primary and secondary sources.
  • Describe how world events contribute to international conflict.
  • Examine the contributions of significant individuals and/or groups, and their role in WWII.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There were many causes and consequences of WWII and the motivations for American involvement in this war.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 6

SS10.6.6.5

Describing human costs associated with World War II
Link to Resource
http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/investigating-holoca…

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

ReadWriteThink
Accessibility
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

Approved Date

raulstoncg
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