What Does Success Look Like?
Scholars articulate the authors’ central arguments about the power of the individual.
Seminar 2:
“Excerpt from The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak (pages 31-32, 114-117, Alfred A. Knopf, 2007) (Fiction) and “Excerpt from The Song of the Faithful” by Unknown Members of the Hitler Youth in Austria (Verses 1-3: In Praise of the Führer, Adolf Hitler, Our Führer) (Poetry)
Do Now — 10 minutes
- Play classical or jazz music to establish a calm work environment.
- Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous seminar based on the feedback you gave them.
Launch — 2 minutes
- Tell scholars that today, they will be reading two texts: “Excerpt from The Book Thief” and “Excerpt from The Song of the Faithful.” Build excitement by telling scholars that both texts will develop their background knowledge about concepts important in Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow.
Read and Discuss 1 — 35 minutes
Display “Excerpt from The Book Thief.”
Preview the Text (2 minutes):
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- Have scholars read the title and scan the passage to frame their thinking.
- Call on scholars to share what they noticed about the text and what they will think about as they are reading.
Read (3 minutes):
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- Say: As you are reading, think, “What is this text mostly about?”
- Read aloud while scholars follow along on their digital copies.
Discuss (3 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What is this text mostly about?
Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
Read (15 minutes):
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- Say: As we are rereading, think, “Why did the author write this?”
- Read the text aloud as scholars follow along on their digital copies. While reading aloud, pause to ask the questions below:
- Stop after line 12, “she didn’t come back.”
- Partner Talk: How does Liesel feel about the word “communist”?
- Stop after line 27, “…the Fuhrer.”
- Partner Talk: What is the “small addition” (line 26) that Liesel does?
- Stop after line 39, “‘I think he might have, yes.’”
- Partner Talk: Based on her interactions with Hans, how would you characterize Liesel?
- Stop after line 64, “He shook her. ‘Do you hear me?’”
- Partner Talk: What is the “dangerous dilemma” (line 55) that Hans is facing?
- Stop at the end of the text.
- Discuss: What is the author’s message about the power of the individual?
Main Idea Jot (2 minutes):
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- Scholars jot a main idea in a comment next to the title of the text.
- While scholars are working, circulate to determine which scholars have a bull’s-eye main idea jot and which do not.
Discuss (8 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class:
- How does this excerpt reflect what we know about German life in the early 1940s?
- What has Liesel learned about surviving in Germany?
Give scholars two minutes to revise their main idea jots based on the discussion.
Write — 10 minutes
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
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- In line 26, what does Liesel’s “small addition” reveal about the power of an individual? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from “Excerpt from The Book Thief.”
Wrap-up — 5 minutes
- Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Set your expectations for what scholars must do differently when approaching the next text.
Read and Discuss 2 — 30 minutes
Display “Excerpt from The Song of the Faithful.”
Preview the Text (2 minutes):
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- Have scholars read the title and scan the passage to frame their thinking.
- Call on scholars to share what they noticed about the text and what they will think about as they are reading.
Read (10 minutes):
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- Say: As you are reading, think, “What are these poems mostly about? Why did the authors write these poems?”
- Scholars independently read and annotate the text on their Chromebooks. When they are finished, they jot a main idea in a comment next to the title of the text.
- While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work and conference with two to three scholars.
Discuss (5 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following questions in pairs: What are these poems mostly about? Why did the authors write these poems? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
Give scholars two minutes to revise their main idea jots based on the discussion.
Read (6 minutes):
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- Say: As you are rereading, think, “What is a common theme across the
three poems?”
- Read the poems aloud to scholars.
Discuss (5 minutes): Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class:
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- What is a common theme across the three poems?
- How do the poets use figurative language to convey their message?
Exit Ticket — 8 minutes
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
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- Explain how these poets characterize Hitler. Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from “Excerpt from The Song of the Faithful.”
