Voices of Upstanders: Miep Gies | EL Education Curriculum

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.8.1, RI.8.2, W.8.4, L.8.2a, L.8.2b

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • RI.8.10, W.8.10

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine a central idea and analyze its development in "Miep Gies." (RI.8.2)
  • I can write a text reflection about "Miep Gies." (RI.8.1, RI.8.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket
  • Work Time B: Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher (RI.8.1, RI.8.2)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Text Reflection: "Miep Gies" (RI.8.1, W.8.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.8.2b (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Say Something: Read Text and Identify Central Idea - RI.8.2 (20 minutes)

B. Write a Text Reflection - RI.8.1 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflect on Learning Targets (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Answer Questions about Punctuation: Students complete Homework: Selected and Constructed Response Questions: Punctuation.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • L.8.2a – Opening A: Students answer a constructed response question about the use of commas to indicate a pause between list items.
  • L.8.2b – Opening A: Students answer a constructed response question about the use of an ellipsis to omit information from a quotation.
  • RI.8.2 – Work Time A: Students determine the central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text.
  • RI.8.1 – Work Time A: Students cite evidence from the text that supports the central idea.
  • W.8.4 – Closing and Assessment A: Students write a clear and coherent text reflection on the text from Work Time A.
  • RI.8.1 – Closing and Assessment A: Students use evidence from the text from Work Time A to support their text reflection.
  • In this lesson, students engage in the following protocol (instructions for which appear at the first point of use in the lesson):
    • Say Something is a paired reading strategy that provides students with a structure for reflecting on a portion of text. Students think out loud, listen closely to each other, and develop shared understanding of the text. The time frame for this protocol is intentionally brief.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Invite students to search the Holocaust Memorial Museum site for videos and supplemental texts on Miep Gies. Students can compare and contrast the information found in different sources and generate a list of notices and wonders about this upstander.
  • Students can conduct research on other upstanders, such as Oskar Schindler. Students might research his factories, his list, and his impact and write a short research paper on what they have learned.
  • Students can analyze the language in the text used in this lesson, collecting examples of interesting punctuation usage, passive voice, gerunds and infinitives, and verb mood. Encourage students to write short analyses of why the writers made the decisions they did about how to use language to convey information and ideas.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lesson, students wrote a text reflection about a Holocaust upstander. In this lesson, students will read about a new Holocaust upstander and write a text reflection about her.

Support All Students

  • Some students may need visual time reminders for the Say Something protocol in Work Time A. Consider posting a public timer displaying the full time allotment, so partners can determine how long to converse.
  • Some students may have difficulty determining the central idea of a new text. Teachers may ask prompting questions to support students in identifying the central idea in Work Time A. ▲
  • Some students may need support in identifying examples of upstander characteristics and choosing the most relevant supporting evidence. Teachers may support students in annotating the text for the most significant details to include in their text reflection. ▲
  • Some students may benefit from choosing how they will read the text. Teachers may read aloud the text with some students, have student-led groups read amongst themselves, and allow other students to read independently. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review student text reflections after the lesson to check whether they are on the right track.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will read a text reflection on a Holocaust upstander in the mid-unit assessment and answer selected and constructed response questions on the language skills they practiced in Lessons 1–4. Students will also create a graphic panel in Lesson 6 to illustrate their text reflection from this lesson.

In Advance

  • Prepare Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 4.
  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 4 at each student's workspace.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 8.I.B.6, 8.I.B.7, 8.I.B.8, 8.I.C.12, and 8.II.C.6.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson follows a structure similar to the previous lesson. Students will continue to read about upstanders and determine and track central ideas using a note-catcher before applying their learning by writing a text reflection. The lesson also uses a new protocol, Say Something, which will help students identify the key details, central idea, and supporting evidence of the central idea. This work will also help students improve their oral skills.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand portions of the text. As in previous lessons, help students to break down the information and to consult the glossary, as needed. Students can also use online resources to find more information about historical events mentioned in the reading.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Homework: Punctuation and Verb Voice and Mood: Text Reflection (answers for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 3, Homework A)
  • Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Criteria for an Effective Text Reflection anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Homework: Punctuation and Verb Voice and Mood: Text Reflection (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 3, Homework A)
  • Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 4 (answers for teacher reference)
  • Text Reflection: "Miep Gies" (example for teacher reference)
  • Homework: Selected and Constructed Response Questions: Punctuation (answers for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 4 (one per student)
  • "Miep Gies" (one per student and one for display)
  • Text Reflection: "Miep Gies" (one per student)
  • Homework: Selected and Constructed Response Questions: Punctuation (one per student; see Homework Resources)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.8.2b (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 4.
  • Using a preferred classroom routine, collect or review the answers to Homework: Punctuation and Verb Voice and Mood: Text Reflection from Lesson 3. Refer to the Homework: Punctuation and Verb Voice and Mood: Text Reflection (answers for teacher reference).
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as previous lessons.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Say Something: Read Text and Identify Central Idea - RI.8.2 (20 minutes)

  • Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can determine a central idea and analyze its development in 'Miep Gies.'"

  • Organize students into triads.
  • Explain to students that they will read about one more Holocaust upstander, Miep Gies.
  • They will work in their triad using a new protocol, Say Something, to identify the key details, central idea, and supporting evidence of the central idea as they did in Lessons 1-3.
  • Instruct students to retrieve their Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher.
  • Distribute "Miep Gies" to triads.
  • Have students write the title of their text in their note-catcher. Guide students through the Say Something protocol. Circulate as students work in triads to ensure they are identifying key details from the text that will help them determine the central idea. Refer to Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as needed.
      1. Instruct each triad to read the first two paragraphs aloud or silently.
      2. Refocus class. Explain that each member of the group will now "say something" by sharing a key detail from the text.
      3. When all members of the group have shared, instruct triads to record key details in the first column of their Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher.
      4. Instruct each triad to read the next two paragraphs of the text.
      5. Refocus class.
      6. Have each triad "say something" amongst their group about a key detail they noticed in the two paragraphs.
      7. Instruct triads to record these key details in the first column of their Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher.
      8. Instruct each triad to read the final three paragraphs of the text.
      9. Refocus class.
      10. Have each triad "say something" amongst their group about key details they noticed in the final three paragraphs.
      11. Instruct triads to record these key details in the first column of their Track Central Idea: Voices of Upstanders note-catcher.
      12. Refocus class.
  • Explain to students that they will now answer questions about Miep Gies. They will write their answers on chart paper and share with the class.
  • Distribute chart paper to each triad.
  • Instruct triads to select a recorder, time keeper, and spokesperson. Explain that the recorder will write the triad's responses on chart paper, the timekeeper will keep track of the time allotted, and the spokesperson will share the triad's responses with the class.
  • Display the following questions:

"What did Miep Gies do?" (Miep Gies hid Anne Frank and her family and, when they were taken by the Nazis, tried to bribe the Nazis to release them.)

"How did Miep Gies demonstrate empathy, compassion, or integrity?" (Miep Gies kept Anne Frank and her family safe from Nazi persecution.)

"How did your upstander use their power to help Holocaust victims?" (Miep tried to bribe the Nazis to release Anne Frank and her family.)

"What risks did your upstander take to help others?" (After the Frank family was captured by the Nazis, Miep tried to bribe an officer to release them, risking her life.)

  • Instruct each triad to begin answering the questions on their chart paper. Circulate as students work to ensure students are on task. Support struggling students with identifying the answers to the questions in their text.
  • Refocus class.
  • Ask volunteer triads to share their answers with the class, and invite students to add details to their own chart in another triad shares something they missed.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • N/A

B. Write a Text Reflection - RI.8.1 (15 minutes)

  • Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can write a text reflection about "'Miep Gies.'"

  • Display the Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart. Remind students that they have tracked the characteristics of an upstander in Lessons 1-3. Ask a volunteer to read the characteristics in the first column that the class generated in Lesson 1.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What examples of these characteristics did Miep Gies demonstrate?" (Gies had compassion for the Frank family and hid them from the Nazis; she was a woman of integrity because she felt a moral obligation to take action despite the risks; her foster home upbringing influenced her to empathize with the Franks and the love they needed from her. She took a risk to hide Anne Frank and her family and to try to bribe Nazis for their release.)

  • As students share, record their responses in the final column of the anchor chart.
  • Explain to students that they will write another text reflection that explains how Miep Gies was a Holocaust upstander. Remind them that in the second half of this unit, they will write a narrative interview about an imagined Holocaust upstander based on the upstanders they read about in this unit.
  • Display Criteria for an Effective Text Reflection anchor chart. Ask a volunteer to read the criteria aloud for the class to review.
  • Distribute Text Reflection: "Miep Gies."
  • Instruct students to begin writing their text reflections independently using the Criteria for an Effective Text Reflection anchor chart to guide them.
  • Circulate to support students as they write to ensure they are on task.
  • Remind students to use key details from "Miep Gies" to determine how Miep Gies was a Holocaust upstander for students who chose this text.
  • Refer to Text Reflection: "Miep Gies" (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time B, reinforce work during the Language Dive in the previous lesson with the coordinating conjunction yet and the conditional mood by having students use each in their own text reflection. Invite students to share their writing with a partner to compare how they used yet and a verb in the conditional mood to convey contrast and possibility.
  • After students have written their text reflections, have them review their writing and find places to use punctuation to indicate a pause or break or to insert passive voice to achieve the effect of emphasizing an action or the result of an action. This will help students to prepare for the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment, which focuses on punctuation and verb voice and mood.

For Heavier Support

  • After students have written their text reflections, have them review their writing with a partner to find a revise errors in punctuation usage and verb voice and mood. This will help students to prepare for the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment, which focuses on punctuation and verb voice and mood.

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Reflect on Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target, using a checking for understanding technique—for example, showing thumbs-up or traffic light signal cards. Scan student responses and make a note of students who might need support. Check in with them moving forward.
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

Homework

Homework

A. Answer Questions about Punctuation

  • Students complete Homework: Selected and Constructed Response Questions: Punctuation.

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