J.+Lesson+Comparisons

"To become sophisticated in issue identification, clarity in defining critical problems for others to understand and prioritizing the questions to be addressed based on what is known from the past and most likely needed to be known for the future is the goal of the information inquirer as he or she matures in the questioning process.” --Daniel Callision 

 Sixth-grade and ninth-grade students explore the Holocaust and its implications in their lives today. Students move from novice to expert at their own developmental levels.

Number the Stars is a gentle story that doesn’t delve into the real atrocities of the Holocaust. It’s important to provide background information about the Holocaust as sixth grade students are novices in the study of this time period in history.There is a wealth of information available about the Holocaust and I would love to see students formulate questions regarding the time period as they experience the novel. My intent is that they conduct inquiry in a recursive process as they research in order to present their findings and the conclusions they draw regarding the unit study of Holocaust heroes. Please see student rubrics and student models.

On the other hand, Night is a gripping Holocaust memoir that includes the grizzly details regarding the Wiesel’s experience. Ninth grade students most likely have studied the Holocaust prior their high school career. So they should have more background knowledge of events that sixth graders would lack. High school students should be able to handle the grizzly details of this novel that are not appropriate for a younger middle school audience. Though the inquiry task is presented to ninth grade students with the same basic task regarding the research of Holocaust heroes, the expectation is that the older students formulate higher level questions that lead them to more complex findings. Student products would also be more substantial that those of sixth grade students. Please see student rubrics and student models.