THE WAVE & PROPAGANDA LESSON PLAN: Alex Calhoun La Salle Academy, 9th Grade English Literature I CONTENT:

*Propaganda: A one-sided, deceptive piece of media meant to change a persons ideas, actions, or thoughts (ex. Advertising, certain political campaigns) *Triumph of the Will, a piece of Nazi propaganda designed to make the Nazis, and especially Hitler, appear good and attractive. *The Wave, Todd Strasser. We have just read the chapter in which Mr. Ross teaches the children to chant together. They say Strength through Discipline, Strength through Community. They create a Wave symbol and a special Wave salute. The students seem eager (with some exceptions) to act with discipline, sitting rigidly in their chairs and answering questions in a military manner. *Handout with 3 questions: 1. What traits do the Nazis seem to want in a perfect soldier? 2. How do the children behave and why would the Nazis want them to act like this? 3. How is Hitler treated by the German people in this film? NJ STATE STANDARDS: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Audens Muse des Beaux Arts and Breughels Landscape with the Fall of Icarus). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: *Students know about propaganda from earlier in the year when we read Animal Farm. The definition will be a reviewthis will be just a new application. Also, these children have been exposed to ideas of military discipline. They know that their own school doesnt function in this way, and so will question the behavior of the children in the film. PURPOSE/ GOAL *To understand and appreciate Todd Strassers The Wave, and, in the process, to try to understand why ordinary people can do extraordinarily evil things like the Holocaust. OBJECTIVES *Students will be able to . . . --List the traits the Nazis wanted in a perfect soldier. --Explain why Triumph of the Will is an example of propaganda. --Describe how Hitler was treated in this film, and relate this to the central unit question.

PROCEDURE / FORMAT INTRODUCTION: *DO NOW: What is Propaganda? (Review from Animal Farm) *Explain that it is a one-sided, deceptive piece of media meant to change a persons ideas, actions, or thoughts (ex. Advertising, certain political campaigns) (5 min.) *Today, we are watching pieces of a film called Triumph of the Will. It is a piece of Nazi propaganda designed to make the Nazis, and especially Hitler, appear good and attractive. DEVELOPMENT: *Ask about reading from night before and get a student or two to summarize the chapter. We have just read the chapter in which Mr. Ross teaches the children to chant together. They say Strength through Discipline, Strength through Community. They create a Wave symbol and a special Wave salute. The students seem eager (with some exceptions) to act with discipline, sitting rigidly in their chairs and answering questions in a military manner. Watch for similarities in this film between the ways Mr. Ross students behave and the way the Nazis (especially the Hitler Youth) behave. (10 min.) *Give handout to be filled out during film: 3 questions 1. What traits do the Nazis seem to want in a perfect soldier? 2. How do the children behave and why would the Nazis want them to act like this? 3. How is Hitler treated by the German people in this film? **Show clips on Smartboard, specifically of Hitler Youth Rally and Hitlers plane landing, narrating what is going on and pausing frequently for discussion and clarification. (25 min.) CONCLUSION: **Collect handout filled out during narrated film and review the answers in the last few minutes of class. RESOURCES: * Triumph of the Will directed by Leni Riefenstahl *The Wave by Todd Strasser ASSESSMENT: * The DO NOW will give me the opportunity to go around the room and to assess how much students recall from earlier in the year (a sort of pre-assessment). The main assessment, though, is the Worksheet that the students will fill out during the film. This will allow me to see whether or not they are paying attention, and whether or not they are able to connect abstract definitions to a concrete subject. It will be collected before we review as a class, and so will be an effective individual assessment where I can see how particular students are faring.