9 class periods of 45 minutes each
Small Groups
Quotation:
'And whoever is happy will make others happy, too. People who have courage and
faith will never perish in misery!'
--Anne Frank (March 7, 1944)
See first step for background information.
Students will examine/identify attitudes toward discrimination. Students will increase their sensitivity to diversity.
See preface material from 'Anne Frank in the World, 1929 - 1945 Teacher Workbook.'
Ask students to think about the concepts of courage and responsibility. Use one or more techniques to elicit characteristics of courage. These might include cognitive mapping or webbing, brainstorming, word associations, or having students spell out the words down the left side of the piece of paper and assigning a descriptive word to each letter. C= character, O=opportunity, U=unselfishness, etc. Students can also brainstorm a list of people they know from literature or real-life stories who exemplify these ideals. Choose a selection for an entire class to read, or have students select a book from the reading list or locate another book, short story, newspaper, magazine article, or video that describes a person who exhibited courage or responsibility by taking a stand at a critical time. Students may use this same reading/viewing assignment for another class or purpose. As they read, they should watch for examples of people who exhibit courage or show responsibility. Students who are reading the same selection may want to work together. Classes or students who are reading different selections may want to form small groups to compare and contrast the 'heroes' they discover. After students have read and discussed the selections, they should prepare to write their own stories.
Have students choose from among these formats:
Students may share their stories with the class orally or by posting them in the classroom. The final version of the story should be submitted for evaluation by the teacher. Some students may wish to place this story in their writing journal.
Closure: Compile the students' stories into a class version of 'Profiles in Courage.' Offer this set of readings to other classes in middle or elementary schools. Discuss the quote from Anne Frank. Do students agree with her? Do they know people whose happiness makes others happy? Do they know of people with courage and faith who perished in misery - or survived?
Ask school media personnel to help arrange a 'scavenger hunt' for students to become acquainted with a wide range of books appropriate for this lesson. Provide students with a list of books to hunt for, for example: