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Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/21/08

Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Unit Title:
Historical Fiction

Time Frame:
29 days

Grade Level:
7th

Unit Summary:
During this unit, students will become familiar with the genre of historical fiction
through class discussion and independent reading. We will spend some time
discussing the events of WWII to build background knowledge before beginning
our novel. We will read two excerpts from the literature book to compare and
contrast and then will read a historical fiction novel. Students will also complete a
historical fiction book report during the unit.

Essential Question(s):
What is historical fiction?
What are elements of historical fiction?
How do I use a plot diagram?
What were some of the struggles faced by Jewish people during WWII?
How does the history of WWII affect us today?

Core Concept(s):
Reading
Writing

Content Area Standards (GLE’s):


Reading: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.4
Writing: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3

Assessments:
Formative:
- During the story, we will be having discussions about the information
being read.

Summative:
- Students will be tested at the end of the unit on the following
concepts: story comprehension (questions will follow Bloom’s
Taxonomy) and vocabulary.

- Students will be given a spelling test to check their understanding of


the vocabulary words from this unit.

- Students will read a historical fiction story of their choice. They will
complete a ‘historical character interview’ and will answer questions
from their main characters perspective.

Key Vocabulary:
Chapters 1 – 4
Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/21/08
Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Ghetto
Rations
Tenements
Swastika
Barracks
Indignation
Synagogue
Epidemic
Seize
Pandemonium
Partition
Latrine
Raid
Embankment
Deference
Elaborate

Chapters 5 – 9

Infirmary
Inconsolably
Brambles
Chicory
Indistinct
Taunting
Perpetual
Reluctantly
Adept
Resigned
Devout
Quota
Stifling
Embellished
Boils
Partisans
Disintegrates
Bartering

Chapters 10 – 14

Sabotaged
Preoccupied
Crocheted
Tuberculosis
Nettles
Tantalizing
Cultivated
Rummage
Pliable
Huddled
Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/21/08
Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Grit
Eddies
Garments
Pelting
Scaled
Chronic
Yom Kipper
Fast
Torah
Edible
Reminisced
Gnawed
Amid
Twinge
Stifle
Trudge
Lethargy

Chapters 15 – Afterward

Anguished
Emaciated
Liberate
Succumbed
Typhus
Dysentery
Hastening
Appraising
Gnawing
Somber
Consideration
Sporadic
Phlegm
Convulsed
Methodically
Vermin
Crude
Knoll
Interspersed
Shrouded
Reign
Extermination
Oppressive

Materials/Resources:

Textbooks/Kits/Instructional Guides:
Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/21/08
Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Torn Thread (Anne Isaacs)


Darkness Over Denmark (Ellen Levine)
Spotlight on Literature 7th Grade Textbook

Print Materials (Books, Articles):


Suggested Reading List:
Alcott, Lousia May. Little Women. (c) 2000
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever, 1793. (c) 2000
Bartoletti, Susan. The Boy Who Dared. (c) 2008
Berenbaum, Michael. World Must Know. (c)
Bunting, Eve. The Terrible Things. (c)
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. (c) 1999
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham. (c) 1995
Duble, Kathleen Benner. The Sacrifice. (c) 2005
Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. (c) 1967
Isaacs, Anne. Torn Thread. (c) 2000
Levine, Ellen. Darkness Over Denmark. (c) 2000
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. (c) 1989
Nolan, Han. If I Should Die Before I Wake. (c)
Sedgwick, Marcus. The Foreshadowing. (c) 2005
Sender, Ruth Minsky. Cage. (c)
Sheehan, Sean. Holocaust. (c)
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. (c) 2003
Wells, Rosemary. Red Moon at Sharpsburg. (c) 2007
Wood, Angela Gluck. Holocaust. (c)
Wulffson, Don. Soldier X. (c)
Yolen, Jane. The Devil’s Arithmetic. (c)
Zullo, Mara Bovsun. Survivors. (c)

Multimedia:
One Survivor Remembers DVD
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas DVD

Websites:
www.preventgenocide.org
www.holocaust-history.org

Handouts:
Plot Diagram Example
Darkness Over Denmark (Ellen Levine) Chapter 11
Historical Fiction Character Interview Book Report Rubric
Vocabulary List
Crossword Puzzle/Word Search
Summary Questions
Final Test

Other Materials:
One Survivor Remembers Supplemental Materials
Chart Paper & Pens
Vocabulary Words on Note Cards
Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/21/08
Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Memory Game Board

Lessons/Activities:

Lesson 1: What is Historical Fiction?


Introduce Historical Fiction
List Important Events in History
Begin Beyond the Divide
Literature Book Page 486

Lesson 2: What is Historical Fiction?


Read Beyond the Divide
Literature Book Page 486

Lesson 3: What is Historical Fiction?


Read The Moves Make the Man
Literature Book Page 250

Lesson 4: What is Historical Fiction?


Read The Moves Make the Man
Literature Book Page 250
Compare Stories
List Common Elements of Historical Fiction
Assign Historical Fiction Book Report (Due Last Day of Unit)

Lesson 5: What is Historical Fiction?


One Survivor Remembers DVD

Lesson 6: Building Background Knowledge


One Survivor Remembers DVD
Discuss movie
Show photos/letters from teaching kit

Lesson 7: Building Background Knowledge


One Survivor Remembers DVD
Discuss movie
Darkness Over Denmark Chapter 11 (Concentration Camps)

Lesson 8: Building Background Knowledge


Darkness Over Denmark Chapter 11 (Concentration Camps)
Holocaust Vocabulary
Crossword Puzzle/Word Search

Lesson 9: Building Background Knowledge


Darkness Over Denmark Chapter 11 (Concentration Camps)
Vocabulary Game

Lesson 10: Building Background Knowledge


KWL Holocaust
About the Author
Read The Terrible Things
Stefani Tweedy 7th Grade Language Arts Created: 1/21/08
Zillah Middle School Modified: 4/2/10

Lesson 11: Building Background Knowledge


Computer Lab – Finish KWL
Schindler’s Choices (Lab)
Discuss pictures and excerpts from Holocaust book
%’s of population killed in Holocaust

Lesson 12-25: Exploring Historical Fiction


Read Torn Thread

Lesson 26: Exploring Historical Fiction


Finish Torn Thread
Plot Diagram (Class Activity)

Lesson 27: Reflecting


Collect Book Reports
Unit Test
Genocide Discussion

Lesson 28/29: Connecting


Watch The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (94 minutes)

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