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University of Georgia

Teaching Readers Portfolio:

Night by Elie Wiesel

Amy Strozinsky
December 4, 2019
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Table of Contents

Pre-Reading Strategies:
Tea Party………………………………………………………………..,………….…...….3
Gallery Walk...………………………………………………………...…………….….…..5
Quickwrite…………………………………………………………...……………….….….7

During Reading Strategies:

Four Corners……………………………………………………...………….……….…....9
Say Something with Graphic Organizer……………………..……….…………….…..11
Post-It Notes.…………………………………………………...…………………….…..14

After Reading Strategies:

Scales………………………………………………………….……………….….……...16
SWBS………………………………………………………….……………….…….…...18
Body Bios…………………………………………………….……………….…………..19

Vocabulary Strategy:
Bookmark…………………………………………………….…………………………..20

Discussion Strategy:
ChalkTalk …………………………………………………….…………………………..22

Essential Questions……………………………………….…………………………..23

Reference Page………………………………………………………………………...25
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Pre-Reading Strategy: Tea Party

Overview:
In this pre-reading strategy, teachers will pass out index cards to students with a word or
phrase from the text written on it. It is okay if phrases are repeated. Students then get up out of
their seats and discuss their notecards with one another. Students should contemplate what
their word or phrase pertains to and how it might relate to the text. Discussion should last for
around ten minutes or until conversations begin to cease. At that point, students will return to
their seats and write “I/We Think” statement about their note cards. This can be done
independently or in groups, but students should be trying to predict what the text is going to be
about.

Benefits:
The Tea Party strategy offers many benefits for a pre-reading strategy. It gives students
the opportunity to get up out of their seats and move around the classroom. It also allows
students to converse and swap ideas with their peers. However, most importantly, the Tea Party
strategy does what all good pre-reading strategies are supposed to and gets students thinking
about the upcoming text.

Drawbacks:
The Tea Party strategy could also come with some potential drawbacks and
complications. For instance, students could use the time given to discuss their index cards as
an opportunity to converse with friends about unrelated topics of conversation. However, on the
other hand, students may be resistance to conversing with their peers and not participate in the
activity. Since this strategy relies heavily on student participation, an unwillingly class could
result in a poor Tea Party. Also, students could form inaccurate opinions about the text during
this activity, which could potentially cause confusion in the future.

Script:
Okay class, today we are going to be having a Tea Party in preparation for the start of
our next text, Night by Elie Wiesel. For those of you that have participated in a Tea Party before,
sit tight while I explain it to those who haven’t. Now unfortunately, there will be no actual tea at
this Tea Party- just lively discussion. First off, I’m going to pass out index cards with a word or
phrase that comes from the Night written on them. Some of you may get the same word or
phrase and that’s okay. You guys are then going to walk around the classroom and discuss your
index cards with one another. I want you to be thinking about what your word or phrase might
be talking about and speculating what might be happening in the text at that point in the story.
When you guys have finished discussing you’re going to return to your seats and independently
write “I Think” statements and try to predict what you think the text is about. Does everyone
understand what we are doing?
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Tea Party Phrases for Night

● Kabbalah
● The Red Army
● Nazis
● “In less than three days, German Army vehicles made their appearance on our streets.”
● “Every Jew had to wear the yellow star.”
● Ghettos
● “There no longer was any distinction between rich and poor, notables and the others; we
were all people condemned to the same fate-still unknown.”
● “You will all be shot, like dogs.”
● Auschwitz
● “In the air, the smell of burning flesh.”
● Selection
● “How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and that the
world kept silent?”
● “Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my
dreams to ashes.”
● “For God’s sake, where is God?”

Student Sample:
For example, if a student received the index card with the phrase, “the Red Army” on it,
they would discuss with their peers how they think this phrase will pertain to the book. One
student might have background knowledge on WW2 and be able to provide some insight as to
who to the Red Army was. However, if no students were able to identify who the Red Army was
and what effect they had on WW2, then they could discuss theories as to who the army was and
how they may have impacted the war. The Tea Party relies both on background knowledge and
guess work.

Pre-Reading Strategy: Gallery Walk

Overview:
In this pre-reading strategy, students will walk around looking at different quotes from the
text that will be stationed around the room. Students will have about 30 seconds at each quote
and they will write any thoughts that they have about the quote or what the text will be about. At
the end of the walk, the teacher will read various samples aloud and the class can discuss.

Benefits:
This pre-reading strategy is great for many reasons. It gets students up out of their
seats, but in a controlled way that won’t get them too rowdy. It also exposes students to direct
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quotes from the text, which will get them thinking about certain themes, ideas, and questions
that the book might pose.

Drawbacks:
This pre-reading strategy relies heavily on class participation in order to be successful.
So if a class isn’t known for its participation skills or if this strategy happens to fall on one of
those slow days, then the likelihood of its success is low. This strategy can also elicit some
inappropriate responses, due to the responses being anonymous.

Script:
Okay everybody, today we are going to do a gallery walk in preparation of reading our
next book- Night by Elie Wiesel. Now you might have noticed that there are a number of
different quotes hanging up around the room. In a minute, everyone is going to get up and go to
one of the quotes. Only two people should be at a quote at a time. You’ll have about thirty
seconds at each quote. That should be plenty of time to read it and jot down any thoughts,
ideas, agreements, or disagreements that you might have regarding the quote. All responses
should be appropriate and relevant to the given quote. Once everyone has had a chance at
each quote, we will come back together and discuss. Sound good? Does anyone have any
questions?

Quotes for the Gallery Walk:

● “There no longer was any distinction between rich and poor, notables and the others; we
were all people condemned to the same fate-still unknown.”
● “How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and that the
world kept silent?”
● “Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my
dreams to ashes.”
● “For God’s sake, where is God?”
● “In the air, the smell of burning flesh.”
● “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one
long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those
moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never
shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never.”
● “His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: "I have more faith in Hitler than in
anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.”
● “One day when I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the
opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a
corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left
me.”
● “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor,
never the tormented.”
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● “It is obvious that the war which Hitler and his accomplices waged was a war not only
against Jewish men, women, and children, but also against Jewish religion, Jewish
culture, Jewish tradition, therefore Jewish memory.”
● “To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to
killing them a second time.”

Student Sample:
An example of this strategy from a participant’s perspective would look like a student
walking up to one of the gallery walk’s quotes, reading the statement, and then writing down any
thoughts that come to them. For instance, the quote may say, “neutrality helps the oppressor,
never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” This might make a
student think about what they’ve been taught regarding the importance of exercising one’s right
to vote. So, they may write down something like, “we must always speak up against injustices
and take action in ways that we can- such as voting.”

Pre-Reading Strategy: Quickwrite

Overview:
This pre-reading strategy is relatively simple, but is a good way to get students thinking
about the upcoming text. Students will be given a prompt, might be some sort of question or
statement, and they will have an allotted amount of time to respond to it.

Benefits:
This pre-reading strategy is quite simplistic in nature, as it doesn’t require much prep
work and it is a relatively quick process. That makes it a good fallback for teachers to go to if
something has gone astray in their lesson plans. It also gives students the opportunity to flex
their writing skills in a low pressure and manageable situation.

Drawbacks:
As with all writing assignments, the responses that will be submitted at the end of the
Quickwrite will likely all vary vastly in level of effort and understanding. Some students will use
the given time to write as much as they possibly can and will keep their answer relevant and
concise. Other students might write a good bit, but might stray from the prompt and go off on
tangents. Then, of course, their will be a few students that either don’t write down a single word
or write a mere sentence before calling it quits. However, this should not be a reason to not do
Quickwrites as a pre-reading strategy. It is a problem English teachers are always going to have
to tackle with writing assignments.

Script:
Alright everyone, today we are going to be doing a Quickwrite in anticipation to our
upcoming text, Night by Elie Wiesel. Everyone needs to take out their Chromebooks and open a
Google Doc. You will have ten minutes to respond to the prompt that I will put on the board in a
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moment. I want everyone writing for the entirety of the ten minutes. It’s only ten minutes, so that
shouldn’t be difficult. There should be no talking. After the five minutes, you will submit your
response to Google Classroom. Any questions?

Potential Prompts for Quickwrite:

● Consider this quote from the text: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” What do you think this quote is
saying? What does it mean to be neutral? How can being neutral be dangerous?

● Consider this quote from the text: “It is obvious that the war which Hitler and his
accomplices waged was a war not only against Jewish men, women, and children, but
also against Jewish religion, Jewish culture, Jewish tradition, therefore Jewish memory.”
In what ways do you think the Jewish people were stripped of their identities during
World War II? How do you think that affects a person?

Student Example:
Consider this quote from the text: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence
encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” What do you think this quote is saying? What
does it mean to be neutral? How can being neutral be dangerous?:
This quote is saying that neutrality never helps the victim, because being neutral
basically means doing nothing. When a person doesn’t have an opinion on an issue or turns a
blind eye when bad things are happening, then they are doing harm. People should always
speak up when bad things are happening, otherwise the bad things won’t stop. My history
teacher told my class that we should always vote, because by not voting our voices won’t be
heard. Being neutral is kind of like not voting. A person doesn’t always have to participate in big
protests or outcries in order to be heard. Sometimes doing little things like speaking up is
sufficient.

During Reading Strategy: Four Corners

Night Chapters 1-5

Overview:
For this during reading strategy, I will place a sign in each corner of the room saying
agree, disagree, strongly agree, and strongly disagree. I will then pose a series of statements
related to what we’ve read in the novel thus far. These statements will be controversial in nature
in order to foster discussion and debate. Students will move to the corner that they feel most
accurately reflects their personal beliefs regarding each individual statement.
This strategy requires very little materials. All that is necessary is the four signs that say
agree, disagree, strongly agree, and strongly disagree.
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Benefits:
The obvious benefit of this strategy is it affords students the opportunity to get up out of
their seats and migrate around the classroom. Often, this is something that some students direly
need, but rarely get the opportunity to do so. Four corners lets students move around in an
orderly and organized way, but they are still up and moving. This strategy also gives students
the opportunity to discuss and debate aspects of the book that they might feel strongly towards
or have questions about.

Drawbacks:
There are several drawbacks that accompany the four corners reading strategy. One of
the most notable is the tendency for some students to glide through the activity unnoticed.
Students that may be more introverted will often just go to the corner where the majority of the
class goes in hopes to blend in and avoid talking. These students that tend to shy away from
class discussion do not often thrive with this sort of strategy. Also, four corners is a very
discussion heavy strategy. If one has a particular quiet or apathetic class, then this strategy will
likely not be as successful as it might in a more extroverted class.

Script:
Okay class, today we are going to be taking a break from reading and do an activity
called four corners. In this activity, we will reflect on certain aspects of the novel that we’ve seen
thus far. Some of you may have done four corners in other classes, but for those of you that
haven’t, it’s quite simple. You may or may not have noticed that each corner of the classroom
has a sign that says either agree, disagree, strongly agree, or strongly disagree. In a minute, but
not yet, I’m going to read a statement about the novel and you will get and move to the corner
that has the sign that you think most accurately reflects your own opinion. For instance, I might
say, “apples are a superior fruit to bananas.” If you think that statement is a straight up fact and
you completely agree, then you’d probably go stand in the “strongly agree” corner. However, if
you think bananas are far superior to apples, then you’d either go to the “disagree” or “strongly
disagree” corner- depending on your love of bananas. Okay everyone up out of their seats, let’s
begin.

Four Corner Statement Examples for Night Chapters 1-5:

● Elie has entirely lost his faith in God
● It is imperative that people always choose a side
● Elie shouldn’t have lied to his Uncle when he told him that his family was alive
● The Ghettos provided the Jews safety
● Someone should have stepped up and helped Mrs. Shachter- the woman on the train
● Elie resents his father

Student Sample:
An example of this reading strategy in use could be the teacher reads out, “Elie shouldn’t
have lied to his Uncle when he told him that his family was still alive.” Some students might
agree with this statement and feel that Elie should’ve been honest with his uncle. In this case,
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that student would move either to the “agree” or the “strongly agree” corner. While another
student may feel that Elie was only trying to keep his uncle’s spirits up and that lying to him was
a good call. In this instance, that student would move to the “disagree” or the “strongly disagree”
corner.

During Reading Strategy: Say Something

Night Chapters 5-7

Overview:
For this during reading strategy, students will get into small groups and take turns
reading aloud. After every few paragraphs, students will stop to reflect on what just happened
and to discuss with their group. Student will be given a graphic organizer to help them better
organize their thoughts.

Benefits:
This pre-reading strategy gives students to discuss the text with their peers in a small
group setting. Sometimes students don’t feel comfortable making comments in front of the entire
class. The say something strategy gives those students the chance to discuss without the
pressure of everyone listening. It also provides an alternative way for students to consume the
book that doesn’t involve silent independent reading, audiobooks, or the teacher reading aloud.

Drawbacks:
Small group activities often come with drawbacks. One of the biggest challenges is
whether or not to let students decide their own groups, to pre-assign them, or to randomly
generate them. Each of these options come with their own advantages and disadvantages. It
really comes down to a teacher’s knowledge of their students and how much freedom that they
think they can handle. Another drawback that comes with this strategy is the reluctance that
some students have to reading aloud.

Script:
Alright guys, today we are going to be reading chapters five and six of Night using the
say something strategy. So, everyone look on the board where you will find your pre-assigned
reading groups. Go ahead and get into your groups while I pass out the graphic organizer that
you guys will be using today. Alright, everyone in their groups? Does everyone have a graphic
organizer? Wonderful. Now you guys are going to take turns reading aloud and then discussing
what you just read. Each person should read about a page and then take turns leading the
discussion. You won’t need to write something down on the graphic organizer after every page,
but you’ll need to fill it out completely by the end of the period. If you guys don’t get through the
two chapters during the period, then it will turn into homework. So make sure you guys are
working diligently and having relevant discussions.
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Name:
Group members:

Remember to include the page number that your group is on as you fill out the organizer!!

Night Chapters 5-7 Say Something Graphic Organizer

Questions I have: Prediction I’m Comment: Agreement or

making: Disagreement I had:

Student Example:
Name:
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Group members:

Remember to include the page number that your group is on as you fill out the organizer!!

Night Chapters 5-7 Say Something Graphic Organizer

Questions I have: Prediction I’m Comment: Quotes That Made

making: Me Think

Will this experience Elie is going to start Elie’s father is “I was the accuser,
strength Elie’s losing his faith more worried that he’s not God the accused.”
relationship with his and more as the story going to survive. pg. 68
father or cripple it? progresses.
pg. 75
pg. 69 pg. 67

What is the Elie’s father is going Elie is starting is care “It’s over. God is no
selection? to struggle in the cold less and less about longer with us.”
conditions. his faith in God.
pg. 76
pg. 70 pg. 94 pg. 77

Why were the Many people will die Even sleeping has “Sons abandoned the
prisoners forced to aboard the train. become a dangerous remains of their
clean the the camp activity due to the fathers without a
before they pg. 97 cold. tear.”
evacuated it?
pg. 89 pg. 92
pg. 84

During Reading Strategy: Post-It Notes

Overview:
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This during reading strategy is a good way for students to annotate a book without
having to physically write in it. Students use post-it notes to write down their annotations and
then stick them to the pages of their books.

Benefits:
Most schools cannot afford to purchase individual books for its students and not all
students can afford to purchase their own books. This makes annotating books a difficult task,
because students cannot write in school copies. The post-it notes allows students to annotate
without writing in the book and it gives them plenty of space to do so.

Drawbacks:
There are a few drawbacks that come with the post-it notes strategy. For instance, post-
it notes don’t always stick properly in books and can often fall out. It also requires teachers to
supply a large quality of post-it notes for their students to use. Lastly, just as students can often
be lazy about doing their annotations, there will be students that do not complete their post-it
annotations.

Script:
Okay everyone, today we are going to start reading Night by Elie Wiesel. As we read this book, I
want you guys to be annotating along the way. However, since these are the school’s books, we
are going to use post-it notes to do these annotations. You should have around five annotations
per chapter. You can use the post-it notes to point out quotes you find interesting, parts you find
confusing, ask questions, make comments. Every week I will be doing a random book check to
make sure that you are completing your post-it annotations as we read. Let me know if you
need more post-it notes. Does everyone understand what they are doing with their post-it
notes?

Student Sample:

Below is a paragraph from Night by Elie Wiesel and an example of post-it note annotation that a
student might do:

“Three days later, a new decree: every Jew had to wear the yellow star.
Some prominent members of the community came to consult with my father, who had
connections at the upper levels of the Hungarian police; they wanted to know what he thought of
the sitaution. My father’s view was that it was not all bleak, or perhaps he just did not wnat to
discourage the others, to throw salt on their wounds:
“The yellow star?” So what? It’s not lethal…”
(Poor Father! Of what then did you die?) ⇦Is this foreshadowing Elie’s father’s pending death?
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After Reading Strategy: Scales

Overview:
For this reading strategy, students will be given a list of statements that are not
necessarily clear-cut. Each statement will come with a scale and students will mark the part of
the scale that they think most accurately reflects their opinion. This strategy could also be used
for students to analyze characters. So, students might be given a statement about a certain
character’s personality and students can mark the scale accordingly.

Benefits:
This strategy is a good way to get students thinking deeply about the text. It allows them
to examine specific aspects that they should be focusing on and to analyze their own opinions.
The scales strategy also gives students the opportunity to relate the book to their own life
experiences.

Drawbacks:
This strategy is good to get students thinking, but it can also be somewhat simplistic. It
might be useful to have students justify their opinions by using textual evidence.

Script:
Okay guys, now that we’ve finished reading Night, we’re going to do a bit of review and
analysis. I’m going to be passing out a scales worksheet, so go ahead and put your names on it
and I’ll explain what you’re going to be doing. Did everyone get a worksheet? Wonderful. Okay
so you’ll notice there are several different statements and each has its own scale that goes
along with it. Now some scales measure the same thing, but others are unique. For instance,
look at number one. It asks you to measure how brave you think Elie is, while number 2 asks
your opinions on the treatment of Mrs. Schachter. I want you guys to mark the place on the
scale that you think most accurately reflects your own opinion and then justify your response
using textual evidence. Everyone got it?

Examples:

Elie is a good son

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

Elie is without faith by the end of the memoir

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Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

Student Sample:

Elie is a good son

Strongly Agree

X Strongly Disagree

The “X” represents where my opinion falls on the scale. One could argue that Elie isn’t a good
son, because he often wishes his father wasn’t with him and he rarely thinks about his mother
and sisters. However, Elie never abandons his father- even when it gets hard. For example, at
the end of Elie’s father’s life, Elie stays with his even when it’s very painful for him to do so
(Night, page 112).

After Reading Strategy: Somebody Wanted But So (SWBS)

Overview:
This after reading strategy is a good way for students to practice their summarizing skills
in a way that is scaffold in a way that is not so intimidating. Students use four columns labeled
“Somebody” (main character), “Wanted,” “But” (conflict), and “So” (resolution) to break down
wants happens to the main character.

Benefits:
Sometimes students are reluctant to participate in summary based activities, because
they give the impression of being a lot of work. However, SWBS is a relatively simple and
painless way for students to summarize texts, that also gets them thinking about the major plot
points of the story.

Drawbacks:
SWBS is a good, easy way for students to summarize texts; however, some may argue
that it is too simplistic for high school level students. If a class is more advanced, then it might
be prudent for a teacher to use the SWBS template as a framework and build something off of
it.
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Script:
Alright okay everyone, since we finished up with Night the other day, today we are going
to be completing a SWBS that will be helpful in the future. Now I don’t know about all of you, but
sometimes I finish a book and after a day or two, I start to blank on what happened in it. So, to
remedy that we are going to be doing some summarizing. Take out the SWBS worksheet that I
passed out earlier and take a look at it. You’ll see that there are four columns. In the first, it asks
for the “Somebody,” which in this case is Elie. In the second column you’ll see “Wanted.” That
should be pretty self explanatory- what did Elie want? Your answers will probably vary. In the
third column, “But,” you’ll write down the conflict or conflicts that Elie faced in his journey. Lastly,
for “So,” you’ll write down how everything was resolved. Put some thought into as it will be
helpful to have for your final paper.

Student Example:
Somebody Wanted But So

Elie Wanted to live a life But Hitler detested So the Nazi soldiers
devoted to religion Jewish culture and were eventually
tried to eradicate the overpowered. Elie
entire population survived, but his
father did not.

After Reading Strategy: Body Bios

Overview:
For this after reading strategy, students will pick a character and sketch an outline of him
or her. From there, they can get pretty creative with how they chose to portray their character.
Some teachers may have specific requirements and certain things that they want their students
to include in their illustrations; however, for the most part, this strategy gives students a lot of
creative freedom.

Benefits:
This strategy is a great way to let students explore their artistic and creative sides. Even
those students that may not consider themselves “artists” do fine with this strategy, because it’s
a relatively low stress assignment. Body bios are also great because it gives students the
opportunity to analyze a character in a different way than what they are typically accustomed to.

Drawbacks:
Creative assignments like body bios can often lead to unproductive class time. Some
students will check out as soon as they see the teacher break out the markers and coloring
pencils. That is why it is important to present body bios as a legitimate assignment and not just
an easy grade.

Script:
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Alright everyone, since we’re finished reading Night, we’re going to do an activity today
where we are going to analyze the characters. Has anyone done a body bio before? Yeah,
some of you? Okay great. Everyone is going to need a piece of white paper and either markers
or coloring pencils. What you’re going to do is select a character from the book and draw him or
her. Now, most of you will likely select Elie and that’s okay. Once you sketch out your character,
you’re going to fill in the page with symbols that you think relate most to that character. For
instance, if you choose Elie, you might put the Star of David over his heart to represent his love
of religion. I want you to include at least ten symbolic illustrations on your character’s body.
Does that make sense? Any questions?

Student example:

Vocabulary Strategy:

Overview:
Night has a lot of vocabulary that can be confusing for students that do not have much
background knowledge on World War II or Jewish culture. As a way of combating this, I would
provide my students with a bookmark that would include major vocab words that they could use
as a reference when confused.

Front of the Bookmark:

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Night by Elie Wiesel

Jewish Vocab:
1. Beadle- a minor parish official who serves a
ceremonial function
2. Synagogue- the place of worship for a Jewish
congregation
3. Anti-semitic- relating to or characterized by
anti-Semitism; hating Jews
4. Kabbala- the Jewish mystical tradition
5. Hasidic- a branch of Orthodox Judaism that
maintains a lifestyle separate from the non-
Jewish world
6. Kaddish- prayer of mourning
7. Rabbi- a religious teacher and person
authorized to make decisions on issues of
Jewish law
8. Rosh Hashanah- the new year
9. Talmud- the most significant collection of
the Jewish oral tradition interpreting the
Torah
10. Torah- the first five books of Jewish Scripture,
which they believe are by Moses
11. Yom Kippur- Jewish Day of Atonement-
fasting and reflecting on one's sins
12. Zohar- primary written work in the mystical
tradition of Kabbala
13. Sodom- wicked Biblical city that suffers
God's wrath
14. Shoah- the Hebrew word for the Holocaust

Back of Bookmark:
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Night by Elie Wiesel

Other Important Vocab:
1. Apathy- lack of interest or emotion,
indifference
2. Dysentery- intestinal inflammation
causing abdominal pain and severe
diarrhea
3. Fascism- a system of government
with centralized authority under a
dictator, \
4. Gestapo- German acronym for the
German Secret State Police
5. Ghetto- the confinement of Jews in a
set-apart area of a city. The first
exclusively Jewish ghetto was in
Venice in 1516.
6. Red Army- the regular army of the
former Soviet Union
7. Expulsion- a driving out, especially
by force
8. Deportee- a person who is expelled
from home or country by authority

Discussion Strategy: Chalk Talk

Overview:
Night is a book that is just bursting with different discussion points; however, sometimes
they can all get jumbled together in a student’s brain. A chalk talk would be a good way to slow
things down and have students quietly contemplate the book. The discussion would start with
the teacher writing a word, phrase, or a quote on the board. Students would then go up and
make comments of their own by drawing lines from the original message . Everyone would have
to go up to the board at least once and absolutely no verbal communication is allowed. Students
can also emphasize comments made by other students by circling it.
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Example Using Night:

A big theme throughout Night is how detrimental silence can be. So for a starting spot,
the teacher could write the quote, ““How was it possible that men, women, and children were
being burned and that the world kept silent?”
From there a student might write something like, “people had to stay silent in order to
stay alive.” This could prompt another student to write, “staying silent is cowardly.” Perhaps a
student thought their classmate made a good point, so he or she might circle that particular
comment.
The end result might look a little messy, but should also be able to follow. The teacher
should keep track of how many times students go up to the board to participate.

Night by Elie Wiesel: Essential Questions

Essential Question One: In what ways were the Jewish people stripped of their identities
throughout the story and what effect does it have?
1. “I Cannot Forget”
https://remember.org/witness/kimel2
a. Poem written by a Holocaust survivor about the horrors that still plague him
2. “Ghettos Under the Nazis”
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ghettos-under-the-nazis/
a. Article and video about life in the ghettos and how demoralizing it was
3. “Daily Life in the Concentration Camps”
https://www.ushmm.org/collections/bibliography/daily-life-in-the-concentration-camps
a. Article about day-to-day life in concentration camps
4. “33 Holocaust Victims Pictures”
https://allthatsinteresting.com/holocaust-victims-pictures
a. Photos that detail the horrors inflicted upon those in concentration camps

Essential Question Two: How does the narrator affect how the story is told?
1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
a. Narrated by Death, so would be a good companion text to draw passages from
2. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
a. Told by dual perspectives- a young Nazi soldier and a young girl in France.
Completely different narrations from Night, but still relevant.
3. Renia’s Diary: A Holocaust Journal by Renia Spiegal
a. A journal written by a teenage girl living in Poland during World War II
4. “I Was a Nazi, and Here’s Why”
a. An article about a book written by a former Nazi Meltia Maschmann
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/i-was-a-nazi-and-heres-why
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Essential Question Three: How does Elie’s relationships change throughout the story? (God,
his family, Moshe the Beadle, etc).
1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
a. Certain scenes could be pulled from this movie to highlight the relationship
between the young, enslaved, Jewish boy and boy that is the son of a Nazi
soldier
2. Mumford and Sons- Believe
a. A song about someone doubting their faith- extremely relevant to Night and Elie’s
deteriorating relationship with God
3. “Where Was God?” By W.F.Randle
http://www.jewishmag.com/126mag/holocaust_poem/holocaust_poem.htm
a. Poem written from the perspective of someone witnessing horrors and wondering
where God was in their time of need.
4. The Book Thief- movie clips
a. A big focus of The Book Thief is the friendship that grows between Liesel (a
young German girl) and Max (a Jew on the run). This could be an interesting relationship to
examine side by side with the relationships that Elie has in Night.

References

Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read: What teachers can do: A guide for 6-12.

Portsmouth,NH: Heinemann.
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Believe. “Mumford and Sons .” 2015.

“Daily Life in the Concentration Camps.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United

States Holocaust Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org/collections/bibliography/daily-life-

in-the-concentration-camps.

Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Scribner, 2014.

Epstein, Helen. “‘I Was a Nazi, and Here's Why.’” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 18 June

2017, www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/i-was-a-nazi-and-heres-why.

Glazer, Susan D. “Ghettos Under the Nazis.” My Jewish Learning,

www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ghettos-under-the-nazis/.

Herman, Mark, director. The Boy in the Striped PMajamas.

Juzwik, M., Borsheim-Black, C., Caughlan, S., & Heintz, A. (2013) Inspiring dialogue: Talking to

Learn in the English classroom. New York, New York: Teachers College.

Kimel, Alexander “‘I Cannot Forget’, Two Poems by Alexander Kimel.” The Holocaust History -

A People's and Survivor History - Remember.org, remember.org/witness/kimel2.

Oliver, Mark. “33 Portraits Of Holocaust Victims As They Arrived At Concentration Camps.” All

That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 28 Dec. 2018, allthatsinteresting.com/holocaust-

victims-pictures.

Randale, W.F. “‘Where Was God?".” Holocaust Poem , Jewish Mag,

www.jewishmag.com/126mag/holocaust_poem/holocaust_poem.htm

Smagorinksy, P. (2008). “Alternatives to teacher-led discussions”. Teaching English by

design:How to create and carry out instructional units (pp. 32-44). Portsmouth,

NH:Heinemann.

Spiegel, Renia. Renia's Diary: A Holocaust Journal . St. Martin's Press; Translation Edition,

2019.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Alfred A. Knopf, 2005.

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