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GRADE 7

ENGLISH
UNIT 4
TROUBLED
TIMES

NAME : ……………………………………………..

SURNAME : ……………………………………………..

CLASS : ……………………………………………..

NUMBER : ……………………………………………..

2023 / 2024

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What is the statement of inquiry of the unit?

One purpose for communication is to enable people with different points of view to take civic responsibilities.

What is the global context?

Fairness and development

Exploration: Civic responsibility


Key Concept: Communication

Related Concept: Point of View


Purpose

INQUIRY QUESTIONS
Read the questions below in pairs and discuss the answers.
Be ready for the class discussion.
Factual Questions:

What are human rights?

What are civic responsibilities?

Conceptual Questions:

How do people gain different points of view?

How can we communicate our thoughts and ideas with a wider group of people to raise awareness on
civic responsibilities?

Debatable Questions:

What is the main idea behind the concept of "purpose" in communication?

How does understanding the purpose of communication help us in our daily interactions?

ATL SKILLS:

Research Skills: present information in a variety of formats and platforms

Social Skills: make fair and equitable decisions

During this unit you will, read Number the Stars, learn how to write a
Journal Entry, opinion and persuasive paragraphs.

At the end of the unit the criteria you will be assessed will be on Criteria D (Writing) and C (Speaking).

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Dear Students,

We would like to start our unit of inquiry TROUBLED TIMES viewing


the song with the same name. While viewing write 3 global issues in
the banners below that you think are the most important ones and
explain them from your point of view. You will be grouped according
to your learning styles to draw visuals (symbols, signs, etc.), write a
slogan or act out.

My explanation:

My explanation:

My explanation

Listen to TROUBLED TIMES by Green Day and answer the related questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cVJr3eQfXc

Answer the following questions about the song.

1. According to the song, why are people living in troubled times? Explain.

2. In your opinion, what causes a conflict between races? Why can’t people live in harmony and
peace? Explain.

3. Who is the political leader that you see in the video? Why is he so important for people?

4. How did the video make you feel? Why?

5. Imagine you are one of the people protesting against discrimination. Write an effective slogan
which is about Human Rights.

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Dear Students,

As you know the global context of this unit is fairness and development. The exploration is
civic responsibility. In order to have a better understanding of civic responsibilities, we
would like you to answer the following questions and share your personal experiences.

What are your responsibilities and duties at home and at school? How are they related with the
civic rights and responsibilities?

Dear Students,

Which of these non-governmental organizations do you remember? In pairs, choose


minimum three of them and do a mini research on what “civic responsibility” they aim to
develop. Write their names and describe what they aim to do.

WWF IS wilderness preservation and the


1.
reduction of human impact
2.
on the environment
Unicef is an organization that helped children
3. After the 2nd world war

The United Nations Educational,


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Scientific and Cultural Organization
REFLECTION : In pairs do a mini research about the exploration “civic responsibility”. Explain it
in your own words in the “definition” part below. Then write at least one relevant example in the
provided space below.

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
DEFINITION EXAMPLES

Civic responsibility means


active participation in the
public life of a community
in an informed, committed,
and constructive manner,
with a focus on the common
good.

Dear Students,

The key concept is communication. We have already learned 3 types of


communication, which are Oral, Written and Visual. This time we are going to watch a

COMMUNICATION

Oral Communication Written Communication

Listening (receptive mode) Reading (interactive, involves


purpose; identify, synthesize, apply
Speaking (expressive mode) useful & relevant information from the
written text) & Speaking (expressive
mode)

Visual Communication

Viewing (access info, interpret thoughts & feelings)


&
Interpreting (symbols, sign graphs, brochures,
graphic novels, magazines)

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Watch the video below and take notes in the chart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXz1oZONUIM

7 C’S OF
COMMUNICATION

In pairs, discuss the most important component of the 7Cs.

My point of view:

My friend’s point of view:

If you don’t agree on the same component, try to persuade your friend with your reasons.

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Dear Students,

One of the related concepts of this unit is purpose. The purpose for communication and
purpose in literary terms can help you explore the reason and the meaning.

Write the definition of the word “purpose” in your own words.

Write a list of them in the boxes provided below.

Purpose for communication Purpose in literary terms

Dear Students,

Research skills are our ability to find an answer to a question or a solution to a problem.
Research skills include the ability to gather information about your topic, review that
information and analyze and interpret the information in a manner that brings us to a
solution.

Now, we want you to conduct research in pairs and answer the factual questions of our
unit.

Factual Question: What are human rights?

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Write the definitions and interesting facts about human rights you found in your research.

RANKING AMENDMENT:

Now that you have defined them and learned some interesting facts, rank 3
human rights below and write your reasons for it.

1.

2.

3.

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Factual Question: What are civic responsibilities?

Dear Students,

In order to answer the factual question, we have to clarify what civil rights are.

What are civil rights?

In the 3-2-1 Bridge chart, you will uncover your initial thoughts, ideas, questions and
understand about the topic before and after learning.

Which 3 words would define the term “civic rights” best? Do a research and write 2
sentences related with it. After that with 1 simile and metaphor explain the connection.

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Dear Students,

As you know, you will be assessed from Criterion C (Speaking) in this unit. We would
like you to practice on it by doing a presentation.

You will conduct research on one of the below topics. You will organize information and
ideas; present information in a variety of formats such as prezi, google slides, power
point, pamphlet, brochure, documentary or any other form that you can think of.

World War 2
Research Task

During this unit we will be reading the book “Number the Stars”. But before we start reading, you need to
do research to learn more about the war and understand what happened in history. Practice your
presentation as much as you can to be successful!

You can prepare your presentation using one of the following communication tools:

Prezi
Google Slides
Power point
Pamphlet
Brochure
Documentary
Any other form that you would like to use:

You need to be ready to present your work on April 29th, 2024.

Below you will find the resources we suggest:


http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/
http://remember.org
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/index.htm

You may also like to do your own research. Indicate the resources you used below:

Go to the section your teacher has assigned to you. The one with a circle is your topic.

 What is the Holocaust?


 Judaism and Jewish Life
 What is antisemitism?
 How did the Nazis gain power?
 Life in Nazi-controlled Europe
 What were camps?
 What was the Final Solution?
 How did people respond?
Make notes as you read all the pages. Watch the videos of people talking about their experiences. Think
about the important points you need to tell your friends.

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Dear Students,

You will read an article about how Danish network defied Hitler below. The information you gain will help
you understand the social, historical, cultural and political context in Number the Stars, the book you will
read in line with the unit soon. Another purpose for reading it is that you will be assessed from Criterion
B (Reading Comprehension) in this unit. By reading and answering the questions related with the article,
you will have a chance to practice it.

THE DANISH NETWORK THAT DEFIED HITLER

HISTORY OF JEWS IN DENMARK

The history of the Jews in Denmark goes back to the 1600s. At present, the Jewish
community of Denmark constitutes a small minority of about 6,000 persons within
Danish society. The community's population peaked prior to the Holocaust at which
time the Danish resistance movement (with the assistance of many ordinary Danish
citizens) took part in a collective effort to evacuate about 8,000 Jews and their
families from Denmark by sea to nearby neutral Sweden, an act which ensured the
safety of almost all the Danish Jews.

MARCUS MELCHIOR

On September 29, 1943, a Danish rabbi interrupted the morning service


at Krystalgade synagogue in Copenhagen and said: “We have no time
now to continue prayers. We have news that this coming Friday night, the
night between the first and second of October, the Gestapo will come and
arrest all Danish Jews. They have a list of addresses and they will come
to the home of every Jew and take us all to two big ships waiting in
Copenhagen harbour, and on to camps on the continent.”

Marcus Melchior told everyone: “There are two things you should do. Number one, you should stay
away from your homes on Friday night. What will happen after that we don’t know, but on Friday
night, in any case, don’t be at home. Number two, pass this news on to as many friends, family,
whomever you can, so that they also know to leave home by Friday.”

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The days that followed marked one of the most remarkable stories of resistance in World War Two.
Under Hitler’s orders, Denmark’s Jews were to be deported on 1 October, 1943 – but in the space
of a few weeks, an underground network and the country’s
non-Jewish population spirited almost 8,000 people to safety
via small boats across the Øresund to neutral Sweden.

BEYOND THE SHADOWS


The Holocaust and the Danish Exception

Photographer and philanthropist Judy Glickman Lauder


has told that story through a series of portraits featuring the
Jewish survivors and their rescuers. Her new book,
Beyond the Shadows: The Holocaust and the Danish
Exception (published by Aperture), brings together the
photos on the 75th anniversary of the rescue.

Over the past 30 years, Glickman Lauder has


photographed the sites of Nazi death camps such as
Auschwitz. A few of those images appear in Beyond the
Shadows – yet the book also offers something hopeful.

“Holocaust scholar Raul Hilberg famously observed that


life under Nazi rule reduced everyone to one of three
categories: perpetrator, victim, or bystander,” writes
Glickman Lauder in Beyond the Shadows. “But there were
exceptions to Hilberg’s rule – small but important
exceptions of people and communities that were neither
perpetrators nor victims, and who refused to be
bystanders.”
perpetrator (n ): a person who carries out a
harmful, illegal, or immoral act. "the perpetrators
of this horrific crime must be brought to justice"
victim (n): a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime,
accident, or other event or action. "victims of domestic violence"
bystander (n): a person who is present at an event or
incident but does not take part. "water cannons were turned
on marchers and innocent bystanders alike"
Gilleleje Harbour between Denmark and Sweden
“I had the opportunity to meet, interview, and photograph Danish Resistance leaders, rescuers and
Jewish survivors. These extraordinary people shared their individual experiences and led me to the
sites where the events of 1943 had unfolded. Many could not understand why I even wanted to
make their portraits. ‘We did what we did,’ they said, like it was obvious. But, in fact, few others

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did.”

Alongside a history of violence, argues Judith Goldstein (Founder and Executive Director, Humanity
in Action, Inc.) in an essay from Beyond the Shadows, “there is another equally important history
that has been explored: resistance, resilience and the protection of surrounded minorities by
courageous individuals, communities and in all too few instances, nations themselves”.
BENT MELCHIOR

Bent Melchior was 14 years olf when he was forced to go into hiding
with his family. He became the chief rabbi of Denmark when his
father died in 1969.

“On the night of the first and second of October, the German raid
was carried out,” Melchior’s son, Bent, says in Beyond the
Shadows. “Out of around 8,000 Jews in Denmark, the Germans
found only about 200 people in their homes. Some of them had
heard the news but refused to believe it. Some, we weren’t able to
reach.”

“All the others were dispersed among private homes, or in


hospitals, or wherever they could find to hide. No one was prepared
for this, nothing had been organized in advance, and it was really a
grassroots movement of people taking matters into their own
hands, who saw to it that we were kept away from the Germans.”

JENS MOLLER
Jens Moller was one of the many Danes who helped Denmark’s
Jewish population escape to safety in Sweden . “We went to Pårup
station [the last stop before Gilleleje] to fetch a whole trainload of
people and distribute them among the big farms,” says Jens Møller in
Beyond the Shadows. “But there were so many that there was not
enough room and the rest were so unhappy. We took an elderly
couple and a young couple with twin babies to our house, and some
to the carpenter’s. And the neighbours brought bread and butter. For
three days they stayed. And I stood by and ran back and forth from
the harbour to see when there would be room for them to get across.”
“Denmark was the only Western European country occupied by Nazi
Germany that was able to save its Jewish population,” says Glinkman Lauder in the book.
“While evil and fear took over most of Europe, the Danish people retained their humanity and
rescued those in great danger.”

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HERBERT PUNDIK
Herbert Pundik is the former editor of Danish paper Politiken, and author of In
Denmark It Could Not Happen: The Flight of the Jews to Sweden in 1943.
He was 16 when his family fled to Sweden. “Two incidents stand out from
the chaotic memories of a few days spent in fear and anguish as we tried to find an escape route to Sweden,”
he says. “One relates to my father: We were running through a dark forest. My father stumbled and fell to the
ground. The fall of my father, who until then had been the protective figure and head of the family, suddenly
showing vulnerability, fear, loss of control. Only in that moment, in the dark forest, did I realize the danger of
our situation.”

“The second incident: we were on board the


fisherman’s vessel, leaving the shore of Denmark, on
our way across the hostile sound to safety in
Sweden,” recalls Pundik. “I turned around to catch a
last glimpse of Denmark. In the early morning light, I
saw the fisherman’s wife and the man and woman
who had offered us safety while we were waiting to
escape, kneeling in the sand, folded hands stretched
toward heaven, in a silent prayer.”
While escaping Denmark, many Jews hid in forests like this one
near Elsinore: searched by German patrols, they were places of
both fear and refuge.

THE DANISH STORY

Glickman Lauder’s portraits offer a reminder of a moment


when ordinary people risked themselves to help others. “Although
the Danish story is small in regard to numbers– affecting a tiny
fraction of those persecuted by the Nazis – it is huge in scope,” she
says. “It is a story that tells of a population who proved it possible to
make a difference, and who refused to see a minority as ‘the other’.
This was true at every level of Danish society, from the fishermen
who rowed Jews to safety in Sweden under cover of darkness, to
King Christian X, who visited Copenhagen’s Krystalgade
synagogue in an act of solidarity, and who refused to be complicit
with Nazi persecution of the Jews.”The late Nobel Laureate and
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote: “In those times, one climbed
to the summit of humanity by simply remaining human.”

During the German occupation of For Glickman Lauder, that is the real power of these images. “The
WW II, King Christian X became a Danish people came to symbolize hope for me – a force of
powerful symbol of national identity. goodness in a world gone mad.

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Dear Students,

Let’s read the below paragraph and identify the author’s purpose. Then write
a suitable title.

In my opinion, parents should make sure their children get enough exercise and eat healthy. To
begin with, I believe exercise is important because it keeps you healthy and happy. For example, if you
exercise and eat healthy you are less likely to catch a sickness. Also, when you are active and consume
healthy food, you feel good and have lots of energy for your daily life. In addition to these, children
should do exercise because it helps them not to become overweight. Such as, if you play video games
and eat snack all the time you will become too heavy. Thirdly, if you eat junk food and sit around
watching television, you will have very little energy for doing well in school. I think exercising and eating
healthy are significant for your life. I hope you will reconsider all the reasons and the examples that are
given above to check your routine.

As you know, writing equips us with communication and thinking skills. Writing
makes our way of thinking and learning visible. We will learn how to write an opinion
paragraph in order to express our thoughts, ideas and beliefs.

WRITING AN OPINION PARAGRAPH

An opinion paragraph is required when the writer has a strong opinion about a subject which he /she
wants the reader to understand her /his reasons and explanations.

HOW DO YOU WRITE AN OPINION PARAGRAPH?

Characteristics of an Opinion Paragraph

 It introduces a clearly stated and strongly maintained opinion.


 It creates an organizational structure in which logical progression of ideas creates coherence and
completeness to support the writer’s purpose.
 It develops thorough and convincing evidence with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations, and examples with references to sources.
 It uses clear and effective expression of ideas using precise language and content specific words
clearly appropriate for audience and purpose.
 It uses a variety of transitional strategies to clarify the relationships between and among ideas;
linking reasons and evidence to the opinion.
 It provides satisfying conclusion related to the opinion.

TASK: Using the information you have gained from your research on World War II and the point of
view you have gained from the text “The Danish Network That Defied Hitler”, write a well structured
opinion paragraph about the Danish rescue effort. (word limit: 200-250 words)

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Dear Students,

Reading books helps you to have different points of views. While reading
Number the Stars, you will have the chance to look at the world in
different perspectives and to take civic responsibilities for people who
are in need.

NUMBER THE STARS

Prediction- Look at the cover of the book, the front and the
back.

a) What do you think the title ‘Number the Stars’ means?

b) What do you think the theme of the story is?

Read chapter 1.

a) Who are the main characters in the novel?

b) What is the setting of the story? (Remember setting is time and place)

Prediction- What do you think is going to happen in the story? Write your ideas here.

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VOCABULARY
I. Graphic organizer will help you categorize information and master your knowledge of new
words.
 You will create a ‘word fact card’ in your notebooks as in the example card below:

grimly contempt surrender grumble frantically scold ration


(p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. )

delighted Stumble Murmur consider defiantly curfew fascinated


(p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. ) (p. )

Word Fact Card

Definition:
Part of Speech Someone who talks constantly.
Noun
Draw it (if you can)
Antonyms
quiet / listener/close-lipped

Chatterbox(p.30)
Example sentence from the novel:

Synonyms Annemarie always stood very quietly, awed, to watch; even


Kirsti usually such a chatterbox, was always still at that time.

talker/talkative/waffle/chatterer My sentence:

My brother is a real chatterbox.

Now, let’s contextualize your vocabulary learning.


II. Use the correct forms of the words in the box to complete the sentences below:
grim(ly) frantically chatterbox surrender fascinated

curfew defiantly scold consider ration

1) After we realized we were lost in the desert, we had to our water.

2) Mrs. Hunt looked at the students who forgot their homework.

3) My father me for using my cell phone in class and took it away from me.

4) The captain dialed the number to call for help after the iceberg crashed into the

side of the boat.

5) The five year old boy was with the knight’s big, shiny armor.

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6) The men their weapons after they realized they were defeated.

7) “I will not do the washing up, mother,” she said .

8) The Danish people couldn’t go out after six o’clock because of the .

9) My sister never stops talking, she is such a .

10) “I will your plan and tell you what I think later”.

III. Read the paragraph and fill in the blanks with the correct word from the box.

chatterbox consider scold delighted

defiantly grumbled contempt surrendered

Roy, a computer engineer, was (1) when he was asked to transfer from the ‘London’
office to the ‘Moscow’ office. However, he had to (2) his decision carefully because
he knew that it would be difficult to convince his son, Aaron, that it was a good opportunity for both. Aaron
would have to leave his friends and family. After hearing the news, Aaron, who is normally a (3)
remained silent for days. He did not speak to anyone. “I do not want to go,” he said
(4) . He spent the next few days stomping around the house looking for a way not to
go with his father. Aaron mostly (5) when he spoke. He often looked at his father
with (6) as if his father had done something very wrong. On several occasions his
father had to (7) him for speaking to him in a rude manner. Eventually Aaron (8)
because he knew he could not win.
He apologized and began talking to his father. In September they both went to Moscow and are now having
a great time.

IV. Write your own sentences by using the words below – Do not change the part of speech in your
sentence!

1. fascinated (v)_

2. curfew (n) _

3. contempt (n) _

4. grumble (v) _

5. consider (v) _

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Chapters 1-5

A. 1. Two families are introduced in this section of the book-the Rosens and the Johansens. As you
read Chapters 1 through 5, you will see how close the two families are. On the chart below, list
actions, facts and events that illustrate their closeness and friendship.

THE ROSENS THE JOHANSENS

2. “Identity is the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” How are the two families similar
and different in terms of background, traditions and cultures?

B . The Johansens agreed to take in Ellen. What’s the purpose of this agreement? How is this
related to the unit’s conceptual question: “How do people gain different points of view?”

C.1. How do Annemarie and Kirsti communicate their thoughts with the German soldiers they talk to?

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2. How do they differ in terms of their personality traits? Explain your answer by giving examples
from the book.

D. Whom does Ellen pretend to be when the soldiers come to the Johansens? Why?

E. 1. What’s the purpose of closing the Jewish shops? Why did the Nazis act so?

2. Why did they make Jews lose their jobs?

3. Why didn’t they allow Jewish children to school?

4. How did they gradually take their rights as citizens?

5. How do these questions ( E.1-E.4 ) help you to understand the unit’s global context?

Chapters 6-11
A. What lie does Uncle Henrik tell Annemarie? Answer the question by thinking the debatable
question: “Does doing the right thing change according to a person’s point of view?”

B. If you were Annemarie, would you risk yourself to do the right


thing? Why/Why not?

C. Why is Mrs. Johansen`s response to the German soldiers so


clever?Explain.

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D. In this section of the novel, characters often speak in secret code or say the opposite of what they
mean to prevent the Nazi soldiers from uncovering their plans.

Fill out the chart below, telling who the person is, what he or she says and what he or she really
means. While completing, think about the importance of the message that the character wants to
give. What’s the purpose for giving these messages?

Name of Character What the Character Says What the Character Really
Means/ The Purpose of it

Papa Is the weather good for Is it a good time for helping


fishing? refugees escape?
The purpose of this message is
that they don’t want anybody to
understand they are hiding
Jewish people and waiting for
the correct time to help them
flee.

E. The Johansens helped the Rosens. Was this the right thing? You need to answer the question
from different points of view.
● Johansen’s point of view:

● Rosen’s point of view:

● My point of view:

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Chapters 12-17

A. Do you think this part of the book is interesting? Explain your response.

B. Why did Mama send Annemarie with the packet for Uncle Henrik instead of taking it herself?

C. How does Annemarie use what her uncle has taught her and her observations of Kirsti’s earlier
behaviour to deal with the German soldiers?

D. Can written texts teach us about the purpose for communicating? (debatable question)

E. 1. What is the genre of this novel? Why?

2. What is the purpose of this novel?

F. What is the point of view of the story? Who tells the whole story?

Dear Students,

Point of view is very closely linked with the concept of a narrator. The narrator of a story
can be a participant in the story, meaning this character is a part of the plot, or a non-
participant. The point of view in a story refers to the position of the narrator in relation to
the story. For example, if the narrator is a participant in the story, it is more likely that the
point of view would be first person, as the narrator is witnessing and interacting with the
events and other characters firsthand. If the narrator is a non-participant, it is more likely
that the point of view would be in third person, as the narrator is at a remove from the
events. These are general guidelines, of course, and there are many exceptions to these
rules.

WRITING ACTIVITY

Choose one of the main characters from the story and fill in the blank to complete the question. Then
answer the question thinking about the whole story from his/her point of view and write your answer.

How would the story be different if it was told by (choose one of the main
characters.)

The story ends here. What do you think happened next?


Write a short summary of how you think the story continued.
Annemarie and Ellen met again.

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Number the Stars-Chapter 18

Dear Students,

Journal entries are individual pieces of writing that forms your personal journal.
A personal information involves your personal point of view, which is one of the
related concepts of this unit. Journal entries can be as short as a caption to as
long as 500-1000 words entry. You can freely express each of the entry with
thoughts, rants, reflections, and pour out feelings.

HOW TO WRITE A JOURNAL ENTRY?

What is a Journal? A journal is a record that stores every details of your life ranging from events,
ideas, feelings, and your daily thoughts and memories. In this way, you will be able to remember
what you did, what you were thinking and feeling, and what had happened when you were
younger. We'll look into how a journal can be used in a many ways!

Types of Journal: The type of journal that you keep depends on your needs and interests.

The types of journal include:

 A daily journal to record memorable moments in your life.


 A reflective journal to track your experience and a space to pour out your feelings.
 A gratitude journal to write a list of things you are grateful for today.
 A travel journal to log your excursion.
 A dream journal to record your dreams on a regular basis, track their themes and patterns over
time.
 A bible journal to write your thoughts as you read the bible.
 And many, many more...

Why Journal? A journal offers you a private place to write and reflect your thoughts. It offers you a
private place to write and reflect your thoughts. It is not written for others to read but rather yourself. You
can write a genuine story of your life in a journal. As take your first step into journaling, you'll better
understand the benefits of a journal and how it can help you in your life.

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NUMBER THE STARS

You have read the story of Annemarie and Ellen, it is time to put yourself in their shoes and imagine!
You are going to write a journal entry for one of the characters in the story, about one event in the
story. Write between 200-250 words.

1. First, think about which character you can empathize with. Annemarie? Ellen? Kirsti? Uncle
Henrik? One of the German soldiers?

Write your choice below:

2. Second, choose one event from the story that you think you can write about. Maybe it is when the
Germans come to Annemarie’s apartment and the family pretend that Ellen is Lisa. Perhaps you
want to write about Annemarie’s journey through the woods to the boat.

Write your choice below:

3. Try to use new vocabulary from the story as you write. Make a list of words you want to use

Word 1

Word 2

Word 3

Word 4

Word 5

Remember!

A journal entry is a person’s view of an event and a description of their feelings. It should be interesting
to read, not just a list of events.

Now turn over and write your first draft.

24
Dear Students,

Rosa Parks was an American civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her seat on
a public bus precipitated the 1955–56 Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama, which
became the spark that ignited the civil rights movement in the United States. She is
known as the “mother of the civil rights movement.” You may have heard her name
before; if you haven’t, take the information shared about her into consideration and share
your initial thoughts about her. You may mention her character traits, her efforts to make
a change in the rights of her community, etc.

As you have been informed before, you will be assessed from Criterion B in this unit. By
reading and answering questions related with the article, you will have a chance to
practice it.

ROSA PARKS AUTOBIOGRAPHY


Read the extract from Rosa Parks’ autobiography.

I Get Arrested
Many years ago black people in the South could not go to the same schools as white people. We could
not eat in white restaurants. We could not even drink from the same water fountains. We had to stay apart
from white people everywhere we went. This was called segregation.

Segregation was the law in the South. If we broke the law, we could be arrested, or hurt, or even killed.

When we rode a bus, we could only sit in the back seats. The front seats were just for white people. If all
the front seats were filled with white people, we black people had to give up our seats to the next white
people who got on the bus. That’s the way we rode the buses in the South when I was younger.

One day I was riding on a bus, I was sitting in one of the seats in the back section for black people. The
bus started to get crowded.

The front seats filled up with White people. One White man was standing up. The bus driver looked back
at us black people sitting down. The driver said, “Let me have those seats.” He wanted us to get up and
give our seats to white people. But I was tired of doing that. I stayed in my seat. The bus driver said to
me, “I’m going to have you arrested. “You may do that,” I said. And I stayed in my seat.

Two policemen came. One asked me, “Why didn’t you stand up? I asked him, “Why do you push us black
people around?”

The policemen took me to jail. They took my picture. They put my fingers on a pad of link and rolled my
fingers onto white cards. That way, they had my fingerprints. Then they put me in a jail cell. I did not have
to spend the night in jail. My husband came to get me. A friend paid my bail money. That meant I could
go free for now.
The police told me to come to court in three days.

I went to court. The judge said I was guilty of breaking the law. I was fined ten dollars, plus four dollars in
court costs. I never paid it. I did not feel I had broken the law. I thought black people should not have to
give up their seats on the bus to white people. I thought the law should treat black people and white
people just the same way. I always wanted rules to be fair, even when I was small.

How I Grew Up

I was born on February 4, 1913. I grew up in a place called Pine level, Alabama. I was named Rosa
Louise McCauley, after my grandma Rose. My little brother was named Sylvester, after my grandpa. My
mother’s name was Leone. She was a school teacher. My father was a builder of houses. His name was
James. We lived on a farm with my grandma and grandpa. They owned their own land, and grew
vegetables and raised chickens on it. I liked to go fishing with Grandpa and Grandma.

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Pine Level was too small to have buses or public water fountains, or even a Library. But there was
segregation just the same. Sylvester and I went to school for black children. It had only one room.
White children went to a bigger school. There was a school bus for the white children. There was no
school bus for us. Sometimes when we walked to school, the bus would go by carrying the white
children. They would laugh at us and throw trash out the window. There was no way to stop them.

One day a white boy named Franklin tried to hit me. I picked up a brick, and I dared him to hit me.
He went away. My grandma was angry. She told me not to talk back to white folks. I thought I was
right to talk back.

When I grew up, I married a man named Raymond Parks. The year was 1932. He was a barber. He
lived in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. I was proud of my husband because he worked to help
black people. He helped get lawyers for people who had been arrested. I began to work to help
black people too. I wrote down their stories when they were hurt by whites. I asked young black
people to try to use the white library. It was very hard work. It was also very sad work, because
nothing we did really helped make our lives better. Then came that day on the bus when I would not
give up my seat to a white person. I was tired of black people being pushed around. Some people
think I kept my seat because I’d had a hard day, but that is not true. I was just tired of giving in.

We Stay Off Buses

Many black people heard that I had been arrested. They were very angry. They thought it was time
to fight for new laws. A woman named Jo Ann Robinson said we should not ride the buses if we
had to give up our seats to white people. She passed out leaflets asking all black people in the city
of Montgomery to stay off of the buses for one day. This was called a boycott.

The day of the boycott came. The buses were almost empty. Very few black people were on them.
A man named E.D. Nixon called a big meeting of black people. The meeting was held in a church.

A young minister named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., told all the black people to keep off the buses.
Everyone in the meeting cheered, and the boycott went on. We walked to work or took taxis. We got
rides from our friends. But we did not ride the buses. Christmas passed. It was very cold, but we did
not ride the buses. White people were very angry. They wanted us to ride the buses again.
Some black people even lost their jobs because they would not ride the buses. Some black people
were arrested. Some were beaten up. I got telephone calls from people who would not give their
names. They said they wanted to hurt me. Spring came. Now it was nice weather for walking. All the
black churches had station wagons to drive the people who could not walk. Summer came.
The buses had stopped running. There were not enough riders without the black people.

Mr. Nixon and Dr. King got lawyers to take our case to court. They took our case all the way to the
Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court said that the segregation laws were wrong.
Black people should not have to give up their bus seats to white people. Our boycott worked, and we
had won. We went back to the buses at last. We did not have to give up our seats anymore. We had
stayed off the buses for a whole year.

Since the Boycott

Many white people were angry that we had won. My brother was worried about our safety. My
husband and I left Montgomery to find work and be near my brother. We moved up North, to Detroit,
Michigan. My mother moved with us.

Back in the South, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, decided to fight against segregation in other ways.
He led black people in the fight to vote and to eat in restaurants, just as white people did. He was
fighting for their rights. This fight was called the civil rights movement.

Some white people joined the fight. Most went down South from the North. But some white people in
the South joined the civil rights movement, too.

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I helped out by making speeches. I told about being arrested. I went down South for some of the big
Marches for black people’s rights. The civil rights movement won many rights for black people. New
laws for equal rights were passed. The old segregation laws were over. Today I still make many
speeches, and I receive many awards. Some people say I started the whole civil rights movement
because I would not give up my seat on the bus. I know that many people started the civil rights
movement. And many people worked very hard to win the rights that black people have today. But I
am glad that I did my part.

There is still much work to be done. The laws that kept black and white people apart have been
changed. But there are still many people who have not changed their hearts.

I hope that children today will grow up without hate. I hope they will learn to respect one another, no
Matter what color they are.

“How do people gain different points of view?”

After reading the autobiography of Rosa Parks autobiography, has your point of view changed? If so,
how?

“How can we communicate our thoughts and ideas with a wider group of people to raise
awareness on civic responsibilities?”

Rosa Parks made speeches for the rights of her people. How did she communicate her thoughts with
the people she interacted with?

Dear Students,

We discussed about civic rights & human rights. Now we are going to listen to a
song to focus more on the rights.

Listen to the song below and fill in the blanks to complete the lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IydisW8iwU

FREEDOM

by Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton

Felt like the weight of the world was on my


But should I break or retreat and then return
Facing the fear that the , I discover
No telling how, all these will work out
But I've come too far to go back now

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I am looking for freedom
Looking for freedom
And to find it cost me everything I have
Well I am looking for freedom
Looking for freedom
And to find it, may take everything I have

I know all too well it don't come easy


The of the world they seem to moving tight
I try to walk around if I'm stumbling so come here
Tryin to get up but the doubt is so strong
There's gotta be a winning in my

I'm looking for freedom,


Looking for freedom
And to find it, cost me everything I have
Well I'm looking for freedom,
I'm looking for freedom
And to find it, may take everything I have

Oh not giving up there's always been hard, so hard


But if I do the thanks lase the way I won't get far

Mhm, life hasn't been very to me lately (well)


But I suppose it's a push from moving on (oh yeah)
In time the sun's gonna on me nicely (on me yeah)
Sudden tells me 'cause things are coming
And I ain't gonna not believe

I'm looking for freedom,


Looking for freedom
And to find it, cost me everything I have
Well I'm looking for freedom,
I'm looking for freedom
And to find it, may take everything I have

B) Answer the questions below.

1- What is the general mood of the song?

2- What is the singer’s relationship to freedom?

3- What personality traits can we identify from the song?

4- Have you ever felt like your freedom is restricted? What did you do about it? What sort of coping
mechanisms have you developed?

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Dear Students,

Let’s read the below paragraph and identify the author’s purpose.

LOCKERS FOR EVERYONE

What would you think if you had to put your personal belongings in a crate, and every time you
turn around something of yours were stolen? That is why I think students should have lockers. To protect
their things, keep their things somewhere clean, and so they won’t have to complain about carrying
everything at once. First, students should have lockers because it will stop people from stealing their
stuff. For example, the children won’t have to worry about their books, homework assignments, and
personal belongings being stolen. This will reduce cases where things are being stolen. Moreover,
students also should have lockers so they will have a clean place to put their books. What I mean by this
is that many desks are rusty and have so many things under them. This way their stuff will be kept very
clean in a neat environment if they are given lockers to use. My final reason why I think students should
have lockers is so students won’t complain about caring everything at once. The things that they may be
caring everyday are very heavy. If we had lockers everyone would be happier. In conclusion I think
students should have lockers. If we have lockers, stealing in school would go down, it would create a
safe and clean place for students to put their things, and students would complain less. If we had
lockers, the school would be a happier place for everyone.

Dear Students,

Writing equips us with communication and thinking skills. By writing we express our
ideas with the help of the words we choose. Sometimes we do not accept others’
thoughts; in order to understand different points of view, we expect to be convinced. A
persuasive paragraph is about trying to convince a reader to do something or to believe
what you believe about a certain topic. It takes a position for or against something.

This time we are going to learn how to write a persuasive paragraph.

WRITING A PERSUASIVE PARAGRAPH

 It takes a position for or against something.


 It creates an organizational structure in which logical progression of ideas creates coherence and
completeness to support the writer’s idea.
 It develops thorough and convincing evidence with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations, and examples with references to sources.
 It provides satisfying conclusion related to the opinion.

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GRASPS: Using the information given by your teacher, write a persuasive paragraph about the
importance of civic responsibilities. (word limit: 200-250 words)

REFLECTION- The Learning Wheel

We have finished our unit. It is time to reflect on what you have learnt.

Finish the sentences in the spokes of the Learning Wheel.

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