A Special Fate question

Biography: A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust
Web Resources: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Jewish Virtual Library

Activity
Before reading the biography of Chiune Sugihara, I would have my students work in pairs to complete a WebQuest I create using the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Jewish Virtual Library websites. This WebQuest would cover basic information about who Chiune Sugihara was and his role in the Holocaust. After completing the WebQuests, I would ask my students to create a class KWL chart about Chiune Sugihara to hang in the classroom. After using the web resources and creating the KWL chart, I would form literature circles where my students will be reading A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust. The students will be asked to record any important information they learn from the biography in their writing journals, which they will refer back to later. Additionally, the class will meet after each literature circle meeting to answer any questions we have on the KWL chart or add additional questions. After the class has finished reading A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust, I would ask them to work with their literature circles to create a graphic organizer of their choice (Venn diagram, double-bubble map, etc.) where they will be comparing and contrasting what they learned about Chiune Sugihara from the web resources/WebQuest and the biography. The students will also be asked to note any discrepancies (if any) they find and infer why the sources may have differing information. After the students have completed their graphic organizers, they will be asked to share their findings with the class. Once each group of students have shared, I will discuss the importance of using multiple sources to verify information and will hang all of the graphic organizers in the classroom.

Materials necessary for this activity:
• Chart paper/markers for KWL chart
• Class set of computers or iPads for WebQuest
• Class set of A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust
• iPads or computers equipped with audio versions of A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust
• Construction paper/markers for graphic organizers

Scaffolding:
• ELs who struggle with speaking English will be paired with a buddy who speaks their native language as well as English
• Sentence stems will be provided to ELs who struggle with writing when completing the graphic organizers
• Audio versions of A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust will be provided for students who struggle with reading so that they can listen and follow along using the book
• Graphic organizers will be used to help students clearly organize their findings
• I will pre-teach any vocabulary related to Chiune Sugihara/the Holocaust that students may be unfamiliar with
• Creating a class KWL/working in pairs and groups/sharing their graphic organizers so that students can talk about their learning and make sense of any new ideas with their peers