Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti

1. Complete bibliographic information. (APA style citation)

a. Gallaz, C., & Innocenti, R. (1985). Rose Blanche (A. Redpath & E. Delessert,
Eds.; M. Coventry & R. Graglia, Trans.). Mankato, MN: Creative Paperbacks
This work of children’s literature aims and showing the effects of the Holocaust
on children from outside the parameters of the Nazi regime. It focuses on the
compassion of children relating to and with other children despite their
differences.
2. Ages/grades/genres/content area for which the book is appropriate.
a. Ages: 5-10
b. Grades: K-5; will be used in an English unit at the 11th grade level
c. Genre(s): Children’s Literature; Fiction
d. Content Area: This children’s book highlights World War II and the Holocaust in
Germany, making it a cross-curricular book from history to English.
3. Effective ways of presenting the book in the classroom setting.
a. This book can be presented as a Think Aloud either by way of the teacher or in
small groups of 3-4 students.
b. This book can also be presented as a variation on the story impression strategy.
For example, the class would be divided into two large groups, and each group
would have a copy of the book on display. The book for group one would show
only the graphics in the book, and they would have to complete a story impression
based entirely on the illustrations alone. Group two would also be given a copy of
the book with only the words showing. Students in this group would be
completing a story impression based on the words alone. (The text and
illustrations would be pre-covered with pieces of construction paper.) After
working together in groups, the class would come together as one and discuss the
varying impressions of the story based on either images or words. This would lead
to a discussion on perspective and voice; the laser focus would be centered on the
adult experiences children are faced with. Would our impressions be entirely
different if we were given the full picture from the start? How does reading about
literature from a child’s perspective change our understanding of certain
situations?
4. Summary of the book.
a. Rose Blanche takes the reader on a journey through the thoughts and adventures
of a little girl as she experiences the threat of the Nazis in a small German village.
The narrator in the form of a little girl shows the childlike thoughts of someone
seeing other children imprisoned. The compassion displayed by the little girl
toward the children in the concentration camp provides a perspective, one that
may not have been common during the time. The book ends with a bit of a
cliffhanger, leaving the ultimate outcome up for interpretation.
5. At least one follow-up activity that extends children’s creative thinking even more and is
appropriate for the ages or grades identified.
a. A follow up activity for a book such as this would be to have students read about
the Holocaust from either a history textbook or from an adult’s perspective. For
example, students can read excerpts from novels such as A Survivor’s Story
written by Severin Fayerman. After reading from either, students would be asked
to compare differing perspectives discussing similar instances.
Erika’s Story by Ruth Vander Zee and Roberto Innocenti
1. Complete bibliographic information. (APA citation style)
a. Vander Zee, R,. & Innocenti, R. (2013). Erika’s Story. Mankato, MN: Creative
Paperbacks.
This picture book gives a second-hand account of the story of how two parents
saved their daughter from becoming a victim of the Holocaust.
2. Ages/grades/genres/content area for which the book is appropriate.
a. Ages: 5-8
b. Grades: 1-3; will be used in an English unit at the 11th grade level
c. Genre(s): Picture Book; Informational Text
d. Content Area: This children’s book highlights the inner turmoil of a family
willing to sacrifice themselves for the life of their daughter – focusing around the
Holocaust and World War II. The material makes this book a cross-curricular text,
meshing history and literature.
3. Effective ways of presenting the book in the classroom setting.
a. This book can be presented in the classroom setting by at first introducing a KWL
chart. However, instead of having students complete the normal KWLs, they will
be working on charting their firsthand experiences with the subject matter. They
will each be asked to track their knowledge of the Holocaust based on their
individual experiences with the subject. This will be done on some sort of poster
board – possibly smaller trifold posters – and students can use any medium
whether photos, drawings, words, etc., as long as they follow the criteria of a
KWL. These will be presented to the class in an informal setting, such as a
literature circle, prior to reading Erika’s Story. This will invoke a conversation
about our differing individual experiences with historical events such as this as it
relates to the written personal accounts shared. Essentially this activity will take
approximately three days to complete and will help students think about their
learning (metacognition) and how they relate to the material personally.
b. Another way this text can be presented is through interacting with the visuals
displayed both in the book and real documented photographs from the Holocaust.
These photos will spark discussion about how we perceive images differently than
our peers. Once this discussion is completed, students will be asked to choose just
one image from the text without reading the accompanying story. (I will already
have a slideshow of just the images prepared in a power point and paper copies
for students to peruse.) After studying the images, students will be asked to write
a story based on just the one image. Students can be as creative as they see fit and
must incorporate at least three literary elements in their story. This activity aims at
getting the students to realize that they can make conversation with either an
image or text to personalize their experiences with the material.
4. Summary of the book.
a. This book is a second-hand account of how two parents sacrificed themselves to
save their daughter from becoming a victim of the Holocaust. It is a brief account
of how someone can begin with no real identity and still plant familial seeds and
sprout from seemingly nothing. The story provides yet another differing
childhood perspective from this war-torn time in history.
5. At least one follow-up activity that extends children’s creative thinking even more and is
appropriate for the ages or grades identified.
a. A follow up activity for this book would be to create a Padlet for students to
discuss the importance of making personal connections with the texts. Students
will be asked to share three points of personalized connection they made with
Erika’s Story. I would also ask them to make a real-world connection, as well –
somehow relate the story to something happening in their personal life or the
world in general.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
1. Complete bibliographic information. (APA style citation)
a. Knowles, J. (1959). A Separate Peace. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Ltd.
This novel is a fictional account of the darkest parts of adolescence between two
boys at a boarding school in New Hampshire with the early years of World War II
as a backdrop. The war provides striking similarities to the inner turmoil
teenagers face.
2. Ages/grades/genres/content area for which the book is appropriate.
a. Ages: 11-18
b. Grades: 6-12
c. Genre(s): Naturalism; Extreme Realism; Fiction
d. Content area: This book serves as a work of fiction in the English classroom,
typically at the eighth-grade level. However, in this instance, it will be used in an
English unit of perspective and voice, using texts from or about World War II.
3. Effective ways of presenting the book in the classroom setting.
a. This book would be read mostly outside of the classroom; however, at times,
there will be times for a read aloud as a class. We would sit in literature circles
and discuss the important themes in the text, such as war – both physical and
mental, external and internal. In the novel, near the end, an informal trial occurs
regarding Gene. Therefore, this is an appropriate novel to introduce debates with.
From the start of the novel, we would discuss the debate structure along with
certain courtroom etiquette and terms. We would also discuss how the themes in
the novel lead and guide the perspective of the characters and how these
perspectives will influence our own mock trial of the same character before the
outcome is revealed in the book. While reading, students will be assigned
positions in the courtroom and will be required to really dive into their role and
use the text as guidance for the classroom trial. This would be a collaborative
project throughout the reading and there would be a group grade and an individual
grade for each student and the defense and prosecution.
b. While reading, students will also keep track of the themes in the novel through
descriptive of thematic maps. These maps will be centrally focused around a
theme, such as war, and will stem out with evidence from the text relating to the
characters. Students will be asked to look at both the backdrop of World War II
and the internal war of adolescence in these graphic organizers.
4. Summary of the book.
a. This novel focuses on two teenagers – Gene and Phineas – and their time at an all-
boys boarding school in New Hampshire in 1941. The backdrop of the novel is
World War II, and this serves as a symbol of the angst and pain adolescents face
all on their own. The author takes the reader on a journey through the war at
home, while weaving the reality of the physical war within the story.
5. At least one follow-up activity that extends children’s creative thinking even more and is
appropriate for the ages or grades identified.
a. After reading, students will be asked to take on the perspective and voice of adult
Gene – the narrator of the novel – and write a letter to 16-year old Gene. The
letter can be a piece of advice, an informational piece about how his life has been,
etc. Students must reference three moments from the text, using this textual
evidence to enhance their letter. Each letter must also include at least three literary
techniques.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
1. Complete bibliographic information. (APA style citation)
a. Golding, W. G. (1954). Lord of the Flies. New York, NY. Penguin Random
House LLC.
This novel is a psychological expedition into the effects war has on the
perspective of children - how savage people can become when left with only
enticing power in their midst.
2. Ages/grades/genres/content area for which the book is appropriate.
a. Ages: 12-18
b. Grades: 6-12
c. Genre(s): Allegory; Speculative Fiction; Psychological Fiction
d. Content area: The content area for this novel is English; it could also be used in a
psychology classroom to study the effects brutishly adult decisions based on
power can have on children.
3. Effective ways of presenting the book in the classroom setting.
a. For a novel such as this, I would first, before even introducing the novel, have
students pick teams, essentially dividing the class in two. I would then tell the
students that they are stranded on an island. Team one will be in charge of
devising a plan for shelter and exploring the island for means of escape. Team
two will be in charge of finding and gathering food, while also finding ways to get
the attention of help. There will be limited resources, such as were on the island,
which will be laid out for each team beforehand. The teams will have a few days
to discuss with their team the best possible plan of action. At the end of the week,
the teams will come together, debate style, and discuss their plans, making sure to
voice differing opinions and perspectives. The aim of this activity and assignment
is to get students to argue for what they believe to be important, whether it is or
not. I think it is important for students to track their plans in group outlines, and
then during the debate in a giant Venn diagram at the front of the classroom.
b. Another way of presenting this novel in the classroom is to pick out specific
sections of the text to read aloud to the students and have them participate in a
Sketch-to-Stretch graphic organizer. It is important to do this before fully reading
the novel because it prepares them for the material to come.
4. Summary of the book.
a. Lord of the Flies is a psychological novel that begins with an evacuation of
British school boys to avoid an unknown war. (Presumably, the war mentioned is
World War II, but there is no clear answer. However, the novel still fits in with
the unit chosen.) The plane crashes on an island, and the boys are stranded, faced
with the task of survival. However, forming a government and devising plans for
survival was not meant to be a child’s task; therefore, the beast that is war creeps
inside each child and brings the savagery of battle into their young lives.
5. At least one follow-up activity that extends children’s creative thinking even more and is
appropriate for the ages or grades identified.
a. Students will be asked to write a poem about a personal war or “beast of war”
they have fought. The poems can be of any style and should keep in mind poetic
conventions and literary elements. These poems will be submitted for a grade.
A Child in Prison Camp by Shizuye Takashima
1. Complete bibliographic information. (APA style citation)
a. Takishima, S. (1971). A Child in Prison Camp. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books.
This biography is a personal account of the horror a Japanese-Canadian child
faced because Japan was at war with the United States in 1942 during World War
II. The biography focuses on the widespread act of racism the Canadian
government at the time directed at the Japanese residents.
2. Ages/grades/genres/content area for which the book is appropriate.
a. Ages: 11-14
b. Grades: 6-8
c. Genre(s); Biography
d. Content Area: This text can be used in a literature classroom as well as a history
classroom due to the events that the author tracks.
3. Effective ways of presenting the book in the classroom setting.
a. One way of presenting this book in the classroom setting is through a close
reading of both this book and Night by Elie Wiesel. While reading both books,
students will be asked to track their knowledge and understanding of the personal
accounts through a compare and contrast chart. These novels are personal
accounts from two differing perspectives of a child in a prison camp from various
parts in the world. Therefore, students will be asked to look deeply at the
perspectives of the authors to track the experiences presented. This will serve as a
tool to guide students in understanding how perspective is altered by outside
experience.
b. Another way of presenting this book in the classroom setting is to have students
track the movements of the narrator and main character through a time line of the
events that occur in the novel.
4. Summary of the book.
a. This biography follows the life of a young Japanese-Canadian girl as she watches
her world ripped apart by the Canadian government during World War II in 1942.
The book tracks major events in a journal style writing and eventually leads to her
own experiences as a child in prison camp. The childhood perspective of the
novel shows how children can adapt to severe situations and find their own path
in life despite the hardships of their past.
5. At least one follow-up activity that extends children’s creative thinking even more and is
appropriate for the ages or grades identified.
a. A follow up activity for a novel such as this would be to have students research
the historical elements mentioned in the text; these events will be divided amongst
the students. After researching the events, students will be asked to write a
persuasive paper explaining how the historical event paired with evidence from
the text enhanced the notion that severe situations such as those experienced by
the author shaped her perspective and voice.
Night by Elie Wiesel
1. Complete bibliographic information. (APA style citation)
a. Wiesel, E. (2006). Night (M. Wiesel, Trans.). New York, NY: Hill and Wang.
This memoir follows the experiences of teenager Eliezer as he and his father are
thrown into the horrors of the Holocaust. This novel follows the childhood
perspective of being on the brink of giving up.
2. Ages/grades/genres/content area for which the book is appropriate.
a. Ages: 9-18
b. Grades: 3-12
c. Genre(s): Memoir
d. Content Area: This book can be used in both a literature classroom and a history
classroom. It can possibly be used in a psychology classroom as well.
3. Effective ways of presenting the book in the classroom setting.
a. This memoir can be presented in the classroom setting through a close reading of
both this book and A Child in Prison Camp by Shizuye Takashima. Students will
be asked to complete two story maps – one for each text – and connect them
through the similar sequencing of certain plot elements. I would design the story
maps since they will be slightly modified compared to their original template.
These graphic organizers will help students see the common and differing
elements of the accounts of the two childhood perspectives.
b. Students will also be asked to complete a story pyramid about the main character
and the events that affected him.
4. Summary of the book.
a. This memoir tracks the experiences of 13-year-old Eliezer as he is taken from his
home in Romania and forced into Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp. The
novel follows the horrific events the child faces – whether direct or indirect – and
develops a hardened adolescent perspective about life at such an early age.
5. At least one follow-up activity that extends children’s creative thinking even more and is
appropriate for the ages or grades identified.
a. After reading the novel, I will bring three objects to class: a bell, a yellow star,
and a train. Students will be asked to write a story using these three objects in the
order they are presented. These stories must be at least 700 words and use
evidence from the novel (quotes) to enhance their writing. These objects can be
modified as the student sees fit: for example, the bell could be an alarm or a
chime of a clock. Students must also develop at least one character through direct
and indirect characterization and leave the ending as a cliff hanger. While
developing the character, students must establish a voice and a perspective for
their character. This writing style is called “Cat in the Ruff” and will allow
students to converse with the text and convey their experiences with the reading
material.
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
1. Complete bibliographic information. (APA style citation)
a. Sepetys, R. (2011) between shades of gray. New York, NY. Speak.
This work of historical fiction follows the journey of 15-year-old Lina as she is
taken from her home in Lithuania in 1941 by Soviet police and placed in a prison
camp in Siberia.
2. Ages/grades/genres/content area for which the book is appropriate.
a. Ages: 11-18
b. Grades: 6-12
c. Genre(s): Historical Fiction
d. Content Area: This book can be used in both a literature classroom and a world
history classroom.
3. Effective ways of presenting this book in the classroom setting.
a. One way of presenting this book in the classroom setting is to have students create
a digital storyboard using storyboardthat.com. Students will be assigned a chapter
or series of chapters from the novel and will be asked to find six instances that
they believe can be represented by only one image or scene for each instance.
These instances can be anything that stands out to the student and can be a literary
element, such as imagery. The images or scenes the students will create must be
originally designed from the resources available on the sight. These story boards
will be presented to the class as we are reading the chapters to enhance
understanding.
b. Another way of presenting the novel to students is to have them create a
vocabulary triangle connecting unknown words together. These triangles will be
created for each section of the reading assigned for the week. The weekly
assignments will be roughly 21 short chapters per week. The vocabulary triangles
must contain three words, all from different chapters within the reading
assignment.
4. Summary of the book.
a. This work of historical fiction follows the horrific journey of 15-year-old Lina as
she is arrested by Soviet police from her home in Lithuania in 1941. The book
navigates the reader through the perspective of Lina as she is faced with the
separation and death of members of her family. Throughout the novel, Lina tries
to send clues in the form of images to her father in the hopes that he will find the
rest of his family. Lina also manages to bury letters and drawings in in Lithuania
so that people would know of the Baltic genocide and the terror it caused people.
5. At least one follow-up activity that extends children’s creative thinking even more and is
appropriate for the ages or grades identified.
a. One follow-up activity for this novel is to have students create a time capsule
documenting their time in the 11th grade. Each student will be asked to write a
letter to future 11th graders about anything they see fit. These letters must be
written in the correct letter format and sealed in an envelope. The students along
with the educator will also create a video file that documents and explains why
this project is occurring. This file will also be placed in the time capsule. Students
will also design their time capsule and must include an artifact each that they
would like future 11th graders to see. (Artifacts will be approved by the teacher.) I
will get permission to bury the time capsule somewhere on school grounds, and in
20 years, the capsule will be opened and the original and the current class will
come together to see the contents.
 Story Pyramid
Directions: Complete a Story Pyramid for Night by Elie Wiesel

1. Teenager

2. Lost devoted

3. Harrowing concentration camps

4. Genocide against the Jews

5. Jews board train to Birkenau

6. Teenager watches a young boy hung

7. Teenager’s father dies after suffering with dysentery

8. The teenager is liberated with no family left

 Vocabulary Triangle
Directions: Create a vocabulary triangle for the first 21 chapters of Between Shades of Gray.
Each word chosen must be from a different chapter in the assigned reading.

palpable
(p. 25)

The bayonets attached to the The palpable feeling that invaded

weapons of the Soviet soldiers the masses led to the speculated
induced a palpable feeling of accounts that soon followed
hopelessness to descend among the regarding the reason for arrest.
Lithuanians.

bayonets speculated
(p. 11) (p. 40)
After the citizens speculated, they
soon came to understand that the
appearance of bayonets could only
mean one thing: the war had
entered the home front.
 Sketch-to-Stretch
Directions: Complete a sketch-to-stretch for the excerpt from Lord of the Flies read aloud by the
instructor – the first six pages of chapter one. Sketch what you hear, and then write a one
paragraph summary of what you have illustrated.

After listening to the pages read aloud, I

decided to draw the scene on the beach after

the plane crashed. The author describes a

yellow and red bird in the sky and a “scar” on

the beach that the plane left behind. Two

characters – Ralph and Piggy – are

introduced, and there is mention of tall palm

trees in the forest. I drew these elements

because it is the opening scene in the novel;

therefore, it must be important to remember

how it all began.