Grade 7: Unit 2 – Hitler Youth: Growing Up In Hitler’s Shadow: Whole Class Book Seminars

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars analyze how Hitler rose to power. They explain Bartoletti’s purpose for writing this book.

Seminar 3:
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Foreword, Introduction, and Chapter 1 (pages 6–21)

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 as they listen to the opening pages, they should think about why Bartoletti decided to write this book.

Read and Discuss 1 — 40 minutes

Read:

• • Play Audiobook (0:00:00–0:13:32): Foreword and Introduction, pages 6–12 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What happened to Herbert Norkus? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: How does Bartoletti establish the mood of the opening scene? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Read:

• • Play Audiobook (0:13:33–0:22:12): Introduction and Chapter 1, pages 12–19 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: How does Melita react to the parade? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: Why did Bartoletti choose to open
    her book with the story of Herbert’s murder?

Write — 10 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • Why is “For the Flag We Are Ready to Die” an appropriate title for this chapter? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Have scholars articulate the transferable takeaway from the work study that they need to apply to their own work moving forward.

Read and Discuss 2 — 15 minutes

Independent Reading (5 minutes):

• • Chapter 1, pages 19–21

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: How did Germans react to Hitler’s radio address? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.

Exit Ticket — 8 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • Why did Susan Campbell Bartoletti write Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars explain how Hitler used youth organizations and the education system to achieve conformity and allegiance.

Seminar 4:
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Chapters 2 and 3 (pages 22–47)

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

• Review the big ideas from yesterday’s reading by having scholars quickly discuss the following question: Why did Susan Campbell Bartoletti write Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow? Then, build excitement for today’s reading and discussion.

Read and Discuss 1 — 35 minutes

Read:

• • Play Audiobook (00:27:41–00:39:03): Chapter 2, pages 22–30 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What motivated boys like Alfons Heck to join the Hitler Youth? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: How did the Nazi party appeal to the interests of boys like Alfons?

Read:

• • Play Audiobook (00:39:03–00:49:54): Chapter 2, pages 30–35

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: Why did Hitler ban all youth groups except for the Hitler Youth? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: How was Karl Schnibbe different from the other Hitler Youth members?

Write — 10 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • How did the Hitler Youth enforce conformity? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Have scholars articulate the transferable takeaway from the work study that they need to apply to their own work moving forward.

Read and Discuss 2 — 20 minutes

Independent Reading (15 minutes):

• • Chapter 3, pages 36–47

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: How did Hitler use “othering” to unite Germans? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: The author describes a teacher’s words to his student: “Surely so many cannot be wrong in their choice while you are the only one who is right” (page 40). Was the teacher justified in making this claim?

Exit Ticket — 8 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • Based on what you have read so far, what is Bartoletti’s message about conformity?
    Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Homework

• Read Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Chapter 4, pages 48–59.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars analyze how Hitler mobilized the German youth to prepare for war. They explain how the pressure to conform can lead individuals to follow orders blindly.

Seminar 5:
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Chapters 5 and 6 (pages 60–91)

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

• Review the big ideas from yesterday’s reading by having scholars quickly discuss the following question: Based on what you have read so far, what is Bartoletti’s message about conformity? Then, build excitement for today’s reading and discussion.

Read and Discuss 1 — 30 minutes

Read:

• • Play Audiobook (01:26:06–01:39:09): Chapter 5, pages 61–69 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: Why do the anecdotes about Henry and Melita reveal about the mindset of the German youth? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: What role did propaganda play in recruiting adolescents to the Reich Labor Service?

Read:

• • Read Aloud (5 minutes): Chapter 5, pages 69–73

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: How did the Hitler Youth make it possible for Germany to take control of Austria? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.

Write — 10 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

Why did Hitler choose to “school” the youth for war? Justify your argument with at
least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Have scholars articulate the transferable takeaway from the work study that they need to apply to their own work moving forward.

Read and Discuss 2 — 25 minutes

Independent Reading (20 minutes):

• • Chapter 6, pages 74–91

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What does Melita’s anecdote on pages 78–80 reveal about the power of conformity? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: The author includes a young boy’s comment about his participation in the war: “Being bombed at gave us the feeling we were like the soldiers fighting at the front…We invented games to play” (page 87). What is ironic about his comment?

Exit Ticket — 8 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • Why did Bartoletti entitle Chapter 6 “Body and Soul”? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars articulate Bartoletti’s messages about the power of the individual, and the importance of diversity.

Seminar 6:
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Chapters 7 and 8 (pages 92–113)

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

• Review the big ideas from yesterday’s reading by having scholars quickly discuss the following question: Why did Bartoletti entitle Chapter 6 “Body and Soul”? Then, build excitement for today’s reading and discussion.

Read and Discuss 1 — 40 minutes

Read:

• • Read Aloud (10 minutes): Chapter 7, pages 92–99 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: How did Hitler use the concept of “othering” to justify his actions? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: What did the actions of individuals like Bishop von Galen prove?

Read:

• • Read Aloud (15 minutes): Chapter 7, pages 99–107

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following questions in pairs: Why does Bartoletti include the quote from Primo Levi on page 102? How does this quote develop her point of view? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.

Write — 10 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • What is Bartoletti arguing about the power of the individual? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Have scholars articulate the transferable takeaway from the work study that they need to apply to their own work moving forward.

Read and Discuss 2 — 15 minutes

Independent Reading (10 minutes):

• • Chapter 8, pages 108–113 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What do the first five pages of Chapter 8 reveal about the importance of diversity? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: Why did the Nazis outlaw foreign radio broadcasts?

Exit Ticket — 8 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • How did the “othering” described in Chapter 3 contribute to the Holocaust described in Chapter 7? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Homework

• Read Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Chapter 8, pages 113–127.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars explain how the Hitler Youth soldiers demonstrated “fanaticism” up until their final surrender. They describe the lengths to which Nazis would go to defend their country and serve their Fuhrer.

Seminar 7:
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Chapter 9 (pages 128–143)

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

• Review the big ideas from yesterday’s reading by having scholars quickly discuss the following question: How did the “othering” described in Chapter 3 contribute to the Holocaust described in Chapter 7? Then, build excitement for today’s reading and discussion.

Read and Discuss 1 — 40 minutes

Read:

• • Read Aloud (10 minutes): Chapter 9, pages 128–134 (stop after paragraph 2)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: Why does the author include the story about Emil at the beginning of the chapter? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: What motivated the Nazis to create the SS-HJ?

Read:

• • Read Aloud (15 minutes): Chapter 9, pages 134–138 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What did Kurt Meyer mean when he said, “The boys have not yet learned how to live, but by God they know how to die!”? (page 136).

Write — 10 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • Why does the author describe the Hitler Youth soldiers as “fanatical fighters”? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Have scholars articulate the transferable takeaway from the work study that they need to apply to their own work moving forward.

Read and Discuss 2 — 20 minutes

Independent Reading (10 minutes):

• • Chapter 8, pages 138–143

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: Pay attention to how Bartoletti describes the final surrender on page 143. Why does she include the detail about the white flags? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.

Exit Ticket — 8 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • What is the significance of the line, “Heeding Hitler, SS squads rounded up every available man and boy they could comb out of the city, even plucking the sick and wounded from hospitals”? (page 140) Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars draw conclusions about the dangers of conformity by analyzing the German soldiers’ reactions to the concentration camps. They explain what motivated Bartoletti to write this book, and articulate her final charge to readers.

Seminar 8:
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow: Chapter 10 and Epilogue (pages 144–159)

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

• Review the big ideas from yesterday’s reading by having scholars quickly discuss the following question: What is the significance of the line, “Heeding Hitler, SS squads rounded up every available man and boy they could comb out of the city, even plucking the sick and wounded from hospitals”? Then, build excitement for today’s reading and discussion.

Read and Discuss 1 — 35 minutes

Read:

• • Play Audiobook (3:44:14–3:52:18): Chapter 10, pages 144–149 (stop at the break)

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: On page 146, Bartoletti says, “It would take years for many Hitler Youth to digest the truth about National Socialism: They had served a mass murderer.” What does this quote reveal about the power of conformity? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
  • If scholars nailed the previous question, ask: What is the significance of the lines, “The Nazi leaders insisted that they were only doing their duty and following orders, but the judges disagreed. They ruled that moral laws came before duty to any nation. Therefore, obeying orders was no excuse.”? (page 147).

Read:

• • Play Audiobook (3:52:19–4:08:03): Chapter 10, pages 149–157

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: Why does the author end the book with the following question: “What are you willing to do to prevent such a shadow from falling over you and others”? (page 157). Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.

Write — 10 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • Why does the author tell the story of World War II through the eyes of Hitler Youth? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Have scholars articulate the transferable takeaway from the work study that they need to apply to their own work moving forward.

Read and Discuss 2 — 20 minutes

Independent Reading (10 minutes):

• • Epilogue, pages 158–159

Discuss:

• • Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: How did being part of Hitler’s Germany affect the lives of these real people? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.

Exit Ticket — 8 minutes

Write an essay of no more than 200 words:

• • What is Bartoletti’s closing message to the reader? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from the text.

Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of Literature Unit 2: Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow.

As a result of teaching this unit, you as the teacher have:

• Built your scholars’ passion for nonfiction literature by helping them uncover Bartoletti’s powerful messages about humanity.
• Developed your scholars’ abilities to articulate their understanding of texts both orally and in writing.

Your scholars can:

• Determine the big idea of a section of text, and explain how that section supports the author’s larger purpose.
• Notice interesting language and structures used by an author, and explain how these choices support the big idea.
• Articulate, write, and revise arguments to demonstrate their understanding of texts.

Celebrate your scholars’ successes by acknowledging what they can now do as readers as a result of their work during this unit. Invite scholars to reflect on how impactful it was to learn about this time in history.

Reflect on your successes and stretches, as well as those of your scholars. Have your scholars grown as readers over the last month? Do you have any readers who are not reading at Level Z? If so, create a plan to target those scholars during the independent reading portions of each lesson. Additionally, you must enlist parents to help get scholars over this hump!

Scholars must read at home, as well as in school. Do you have 100% of your kids reading nightly at home? Make sure at-home reading is happening, and meet with families who are falling short to recommit them to this team effort.

Do you have 100% of your scholars reading fluently? Using all of the tools at their disposal to figure out the meaning of what they are reading?

Do you have 100% of your scholars doing their literacy homework? You must insist that 100% of scholars are completing their homework nightly.

Going into the next unit, make specific reading goals for yourself. Set a percentage goal for how many children you will move. Set a goal for children who are not reading at home. Who will you get to consistently read at home? Set a goal for moving any scholars stuck below Level Z. Why are they stuck? Do they read fluently? Do they understand what they’re reading? Do they understand the big idea? How will you partner with parents to support their growth?

If you are having trouble meeting your goals, do not wait until you have NOT succeeded. Consult your colleagues. Consult your leaders. ASK FOR HELP so you can meet your goals!