Sunday, January 25, 2015

Blogging about the Holocaust

The Holocaust occurred over seventy years ago. Why do we still talk about it and why do we want to teach our students about it? How do we even go about teaching our students about this horrific period in our world's history? These questions form in my mind as I try to pull the best and most informative from our library's resources. 8th grade Reading classes are currently reading about the Holocaust and 7th grade reading will cover the topic later in the year. Social Studies completed it's Holocaust/WWII unit earlier in the year.

 Resources in the Library 

We have 119 books and eBooks, some are fiction, some are biographies and nonfiction. We also have access to enumerable resources accessible through our databases or a OneSearch internet search through our catalog.

Fiction Titles

Odette's Secrets, by Maryann MacDonald  
**Lone Star Award Winner 2014-2015
 Odette is a young Jewish girl living in Paris during a dangerous time. The Nazis have invaded the city, and every day brings new threats. After Odette's father enlists in the French army and her mother joins the Resistance, Odette is sent to the countryside until it is safe to return.On the surface, she leads the life of a regular girl--going to school, doing chores, and even attending Catholic Mass with other children. But inside, she is burning with secrets about the life she left behind and her true identity.Inspired by the life of the real Odette Meyers--and written in moving free-verse poetry--this is a story of courage, of determination to survive, and of a young girl forced to hide in plain sight.


The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible became Possible. . . on Schindler's List, by Leon Leyson
                  **Lone Star Award Winner 2014-2015
In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson's life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory-a list that became world renowned: Schindler's List. This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler's List child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancor, the lack of venom, and the abundance of dignity in Mr. Leyson's telling. The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you've ever 
read.
             
Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
    **Newbery Medal Winner 1990     

It's 1943 Copenhagen and the Jews of Denmark are being
"relocated," so Annemarie Johansen's best friend, Ellen, moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be part of the family. When Annemarie is asked to go a dangerous mission, she must find the courage to save her friend's life.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

The extraordinary #1; New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist-books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. From the Hardcover edition.  


NonFiction Titles
  We have lots of nonfiction titles, many of which are eBooks and biographies.  Here are a few examples:



References:
Book Summaries:

*All summaries are from the Follett Destiny database, "TitlePeek". 2015. Follett School Solutions Inc.

Book and Movie Trailers:

Movieclips Trailers. The Book Thief Official Trailer #1 (2013). YouTube. 21 August 2013. Web. 25    January 2015.

Palma, Marie. A Book Trailer Introduction to the Holocaust and Elie Wiesel's Night. YouTube. 27 December 2010. Web. 25 January 2015.








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