World Literature

Class: English 10
Unit Focus: Elie Wiesels Night and The Holocaust
Time Frame: Three Weeks (12 lessons)
Lesson: #1

Objectives:
Students will be able to identify the causes of World War II and
explain the effects that the war had on the U.S., Europe, and
Asia.
Students will be able to define vocabulary terms related to Night
and use these terms in multiple contexts (written, spoken).
Students will be able to write clear, formal responses and use
proper writing conventions (syntax, grammar, spelling).
Common Core Standards:
English Language Arts Standards:
Writing: Grades 9-10:
Production and Distribution of Writing:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are
defined in standards 1-3 above.)
Range of Writing:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10
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 tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening: Grades 9-10:
Comprehension and Collaboration:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Language: Grades 9-10:

Conventions of Standard English:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CA State Standard: World History, Culture, and Geography: The

Modern World:
10.8 Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.
5. Analyze the Nazi policy of pursuing racial purity, especially
against the European Jews; its transformation into the Final
Solution; and the Holocaust that resulted in the murder of six
million Jewish civilians.
6. Discuss the human costs of the war, with particular attention
to the civilian and military losses in Russia, Germany, Britain, the
United States, China, and Japan.

ISTE Technology standards:

2. Communication and Collaboration:
Students use digital media and environments to communicate
and work collaboratively including at a distance, to support
individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students:
o Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or
others employing a variety of digital environments and
media.
o Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple
audiences using a variety of media and formats
o Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by
engaging with learners of other cultures.
o Contribute to project teams to produce original works or
solve problems
6. Technology Operations and Concepts:
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology
concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
o Understand and use technology systems.

Materials: (digital and non-digital)

Digital
Laptops
iPad with Timer
Projector
Quizlet
Non-digital
Class set of Night
Products:
Quizlet Vocabulary Study Guide
Quick Write

Lesson

Opening (3 min)
o Greet the class and instruct students to open their
laptops. Students will create a Google doc and share it
with you.

Writing Warm-up (12 min)

o Post the following prompt on the projector and read it
aloud to learners:
What is The Holocaust? List everything you know
about this subject.
o Review Quick Write Rubric (see below) with students
o Display a timer at the front of the class and instruct
students to write for 7 minutes.
o When the time is up, instruct students to stop writing.
Call on several students to share their answers.

Instruction (12 min)

o Present PowerPoint on World War II and explain the
historical context for the Holocaust.
See PowerPoint here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9DZ_NpPUlbpRVJ
yX0lzRmQzUGs/view?usp=sharing

Discussion (8 min)

o Have students share what they believe was the causes

of World War II. Have them share with partners and
then with the class in a whole-group discussion

Pre-Reading Activity: Vocabulary (20 min)

o Divide students into teams of three. Explain the
purpose of starting a vocabulary study guide for the
unit. Then, share vocabulary list with students.
See Vocab List here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TCuCHrE42
5jLjC9xDDtvB5Oq91lfpqgjoKBdgOuXoU0/edit?
usp=sharing
o In teams, students will create a study guide for the first
section of Night vocabulary terms using Quizlet
(www.quizlet.com).
o Hand out assigned class novels to each student.

Closure
o Review the major points of the lesson and encourage
students to continue using their vocabulary study guide
as a resource throughout the unit.

Quick Write Rubric

CATEGORY

Information
Accuracy and
Completenes
s

Wrote a full
paragraph
response (8-11
sentences) and
answered all
parts of the
prompt. Wrote
response using
complete
sentences.

Paragraph
response was
6 to 7
sentences.
Answered
most parts of
the prompt.
Wrote
response using
complete
sentences.

Paragraph
response was
4 to 5
sentences.
Answered part
of the prompt.
Wrote
response
using
complete
sentences.

Paragraph
response was
incomplete and
used less than 5
sentences. Did
not answer
prompt in
response, and
had several
incomplete
sentences.

Started
response with
a topic
sentence that sentence that
told the reader gave reader
what would be some sense of
addressed in
what would be
the paragraph. addressed in

First sentence
was vague
and gave
reader little
sense of what
would be
addressed in
the

Didnt include a
topic sentence
in response.
End of the
paragraph did
not include a
closing
statement, and

Opening/Clos Started
response with
ing
a clear topic
Statements

Finished with a
strong
concluding
sentence that
tied up the
main point.

the paragraph.
Finished with a
concluding
sentence.

paragraph.
felt unresolved.
Finished with
a concluding
sentence that
didnt tie in
with the main
point the
paragraph.

Content
Concrete
Details/
Commentary

Used strong
concrete
details as
evidence to
support
response and
demonstrated
the relevance
of examples in
commentary.

Used concrete
details as
evidence to
support
response and
included some
commentary.

Concrete
details were
vague and
didnt clearly
support
response.
Commentary
was sparse or
unfocused.

Grammar,
Spelling

Used proper
writing
conventions,
and had no
spelling or
grammatical
errors.

Only had 1 or
2 spelling or
grammatical
errors.

Had 3 or more Had 5 or more

spelling or
spelling or
grammatical
grammatical
errors.
errors.

Had 1 or 2
issues with
capitalization
or punctuation,
including
commas,
quotations, or
end marks.

Had 3 to 5
mistakes with
capitalization
or
punctuation,
including
commas,
quotations, or
end marks.

Punctuation, Used correct

Capitalizatio capitalization
and proper
n
punctuation,
including
commas,
quotations,
and end
marks.

Didnt include
concrete details
in response.
Included little
commentary
and didnt
address prompt.

Had major
mistakes (6 or
more errors)
with
capitalization or
punctuation,
including
commas,
quotations, or
end marks.