Curriculum / ELA / 8th Grade / Unit 2: Encountering Evil: Night / Lesson 21
ELA
Unit 2
8th Grade
Lesson 21 of 28
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Unpack the prompt, study a Mentor Text, develop guiding questions, and begin to gather evidence for a research-based writing task.
Rubric: Informational Writing Rubric (G8, U2)
Resource: List of Holocaust Resisters (G8, U2, L21-23)
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
Using your graphic organizer, take notes on the article provided about your Resister in preparation for responding to the following prompt:
In this writing assignment, you will research a person who actively resisted the Nazis and took significant action to save lives during the Holocaust. In a four-paragraph informational essay, you will explain how this individual Resister exemplifies the idea that "people are really good at heart."
You should:
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.
Complete any unfinished note-taking.
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W.8.7 — Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
W.8.8 — Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
RI.8.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.8.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6—8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.8.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
W.8.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
W.8.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.5 — With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
W.8.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.8.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Lesson 20
Lesson 22
Explain the events, ideas, and individuals that created the conditions that led to the Holocaust.
RI.8.2 RI.8.3
Explain who Anne Frank was as an historical figure, and how the playwrights develop the reader’s understanding of Anne as a character in The Diary of Anne Frank.
RI.8.3 RL.8.3
Identify specific incidents and lines of text that reveal aspects of character dynamics in The Diary of Anne Frank.
RL.8.3
Explain how text features and structures specific to dramatic works develop the reader’s understanding of characters and plot in The Diary of Anne Frank.
RL.8.5
Explain how specific events and lines of text reveal aspects of characters and character relationships in The Diary of Anne Frank.
Explain how the playwrights use specific words and phrases to develop mood, tone, and meaning in The Diary of Anne Frank.
RL.8.4 RL.8.6
Explain how events in Night reveal aspects of characters and suggest larger truths about human nature.
RI.8.3
Explain why Wiesel uses specific words, phrases, and punctuation in his writing, and the impact of these choices on the reader.
Identify and explain the meaning of symbols and other motifs in Night.
L.8.5 RI.8.4
Draw conclusions about the passengers in the cattle car—and human nature more generally—based on the incident with Mrs. Schäcter.
Explain how the prisoners in Auschwitz-Birkenau were systematically dehumanized and stripped of their identities.
Explain how being in Auschwitz impacts characters, and what characters’ behavior reveals about human nature.
Explain how specific words and phrases develop meaning in Night, and how they affect the reader.
RI.8.4
Writing
Unpack a prompt, gather evidence, and outline a two-paragraph response.
RI.8.3 RI.8.3 W.8.1 W.8.1.a W.8.5
Draft and revise a two-paragraph response, including a transition sentence between paragraphs.
RL.8.3 W.8.1 W.8.1.a W.8.1.b W.8.1.c
Explain how specific incidents in Night reveal aspects of characters.
Explain how Wiesel uses figurative language and specific word choice to develop mood and meaning in Night.
Explain how specific incidents in Night reveal aspects of characters, as well as larger truths about human nature.
Analyze the preface to Night to determine Wiesel’s purpose for writing.
RI.8.6
Explain how Wiesel develops central ideas in his speech, "The Perils of Indifference."
RI.8.2
Socratic Seminar
Engage in a Socratic Seminar with peers, demonstrating a deep understanding of the text and topic by posing and responding to questions, and providing evidence to support ideas.
SL.8.1 SL.8.1.a SL.8.1.c SL.8.4
W.8.7 W.8.8
Use search terms effectively, assess the credibility of online research sources, and continue gathering evidence in preparation for writing an informational essay.
Gather evidence from multiple sources, draft a claim statement, and create an outline for a multi-paragraph informational essay.
W.8.2 W.8.2.a W.8.7 W.8.8
Outline an introduction and conclusion and determine the difference between passive and active voice.
L.8.1 L.8.1.b W.8.2 W.8.2.a W.8.2.b
Draft strong introduction and conclusion paragraphs.
W.8.2 W.8.2.a W.8.2.c W.8.2.f
Create a bibliography and add at least one appositive to an informational essay.
W.8.2 W.8.2.c W.8.5 W.8.8
Give and receive peer feedback, self-assess using a rubric, and make final revisions to an informational essay.
W.8.2 W.8.5
Assessment – 2 days
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