Subject: English
Grade: 9-12
Brief Description
Students will consider the lasting power of words and how words can
change the way an event is viewed.
Objectives
- Students will read about the moment Dr. Fisch heard about Jews
being sent away in boxcars in Light From the Yellow Star.
- Students will write about the impact of hearing about an important
event.
Key words
Occupation, liaison, boxcars, destination, imminent, advancing
Lesson Plan
Read page 10 of Light From the Yellow Star. Dr. Fisch says,
"I heard the news; I trembled and became speechless."
You have heard people say, "Where were you when you heard
President Kennedy was shot?" Or Martin Luther King. Or that the
space shuttle Challenger exploded. People remember the moment when
words made something real for them.
Write about a moment when you heard something that changed your
life.
- Who told you?
- How did you feel?
- What did you do?
Assessment
Hand your piece in or (if you are comfortable) read it to the
class. Listen as others read about how words changed their life.
Discussion Questions
- What do survivor’s stories tell us about the power of words?
- The Nazis were careful note takers and record keepers. How did
their words come back to haunt them?
