Class Project Title:
A True Story By Me – a simple non-fiction children’s book written for elementary age students by a teenage young author (a middle school or high school student). The true story of the Holocaust presented using student’s artwork and storytelling abilities.
Book Summary:
The finished children’s book will tell the true story of a Holocaust survivor, liberator (soldier providing aid to the prisoners after winning the war) or Righteous Gentile (a Christian who risked their life to save those being persecuted) in children’s picture book form. Target reader will vary from grades 1-5 (a decision made by each school’s administration and classroom teacher’s discretion).
ISBE Standards:
Subject Matter: Holocaust Education – a subject mandated to teach K-12 in state of Illinois .
Goals: Students gain historical knowledge as well as tolerance and empathy for others. Students learn to identify, respect and model the core civic values of those who helped during the Holocaust – real life heroes. Students gain increase in Emotional Quotient (EQ), Intelligent Quotient (IQ) and Moral Quotient (MQ).
Through this classroom research and writing project, students will:
- Develop self awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success.
- Use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.
- Demonstrate decision making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school and community contexts.
Learning Standards: Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) These standards have been developed in accordance with Section 15(a) of Public Act 93-0495. This Act calls upon the Illinois State Board of Education to "develop and implement a plan to incorporate social and emotional development standards as part of the Illinois Learning Standards."
Benchmarks: Teacher’s Evaluation / Measuring Achievement / Progress indicators
Students read Universal Declaration of Human Rights Summary of Preamble as described by the United Nations. The declaration can be found at www.abookbyme.com
With the following performance descriptors, the curriculum to meet Illinois Learning Standards:
Social Emotional Performance Descriptors 2B – Stages E,F,G,H,I,J and 3C – Stages E,F,G,H,I,J will be addressed.
Social Science Performance Descriptors 16A-Stages E,F,G,H,I,J; 16B – Stages E,F,G,H,I,J; AND 16 D-Stages H,I,J
Professional instructors or history experts will teach accurate, research based holocaust material and will assist students in finding accurate relative life stories of holocaust survivors. Instructors will have expertise in helping students develop the understanding, knowledge and empathy to meet the goals of this curriculum. Instructors will have competency in teaching writing skills, and in teaching the creation of books with illustrations from the knowledge the students gain in this course.
Benchmarks:
Completing this project, students will have studied areas of Social Studies / World History, Writing / English and Art. While learning tolerance themselves, the young authors will preserve stories of great value for generations to come. The finished books will show the students' perspective of the tragic events of the Holocaust; something they can share within their community.
Their finished work should be as accurate and neat as possible to honor the survivors' stories; and should indicate the knowledge acquired in this course.
Materials Needed:
- A survivor story using a trustworthy account of a survivor’s life (GOOD); a visual documentation of the events of a survivor (i.e. Spielberg tape) (BETTER) or a personal interview with a survivor (BEST).
- Art supplies and writing materials
- Computer access
Procedure:
The students are educated on the main topic of World War II prior to hearing the survivor story. Once they’ve heard the story, they must adapt the heavy topic into a simpler version, acceptable for younger readers. They edit their stories typing them into Microsoft Word documents.
Once they print their final drafts, they can illustrate the stories directly onto the page. Upon completion, the books' pages will be scanned to a disc to preserve. A teacher can laminate the finished book covers and bind into a children’s book as a completed project. Students keep their completed books as a reminder of this project and are encouraged to share with local clubs, organizations and area nursing homes.
School officials may choose the best project to be considered for publishing. A disc containing each page of the selected book project can be sent to: Never Forget Publishing, 802 NE 3rd Avenue, Aledo , Illinois 61231 . If a project is accepted, Never Forget Publishing may suggest the book be used in classrooms in the state of Illinois and possibly across the nation.
Assessment:
The assignment itself is the assessment. Based on the completed book, the amount of knowledge the young author gained on the topic of Holocaust will be evident.
Suggested Art Activity:
The story can be expanded into a bigger art project. Take a survivor’s picture (close up) and transfer it using the “STAMP” effects on Microsoft Photo Editor. Once changed, copy the picture onto a transparency and put on big screen. Enlarge to desired size and trace the larger image onto poster paper.
Fill in with black acrylic paint, outlining the basic profile of the survivor. Use watercolor to make important icons or colorful patterns around focus. Below is a sample of this art project created by Nora Sheets of St. Francis de Sales School in Morgantown, WV.
Dr. Edith Levy's standing in front of an art project created in her image.
University of West Virginia
Teacher's Institute - Summer 2009
On January 1, 1990, Illinois became the first state to require that students in all public elementary and secondary schools be taught about the Holocaust. "Every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of the Nazi atrocities of 1933-1945. This period in world history is known as the Holocaust, during which six million Jews and millions of non-Jews were exterminated. The studying of this material is a reaffirmation of the commitment of free peoples from all nations to never again permit the occurrence of another Holocaust."
(Source: Excerpt from law)