What are some ways that you would strengthen the connection between the problems in the novel and the problems your students face?
I found that the author created a connection between Nix and the Germans in these chapters. Nix's silence about the vandalism paralleled the silence of the Germans and other countries who watched the monstrosities of the Holocaust without intervening. Did you pick up on this at all? Do you think that it is important to point this parallel out to students? Would it also be significant to discuss how the father mentions bringing one suitcase? Suitcases are a huge part of Holocaust memorial museums because most people who were transported to the death camps were told to bring one in order to uphold the illusion that they were not being transported to the gas chambers. How would you address this detail with your students?
The diary entries ended here and I think it is logical to end it here, but I am also so glad there are more chapters to bring closure to the reader. I'm excited to read the end and learn the fate of Sara Gittler.
I agree that these chapters do deal with some very serious issues, but I do think that it could be used for the students to make connections to their own life. A lot of connections can be made between Laura and students. Laura is facing several problems that could be compared to those of a middle school aged student. I think that journal entries or diary entries would be a good way to strengthen these connections. I also think that the structure of the novel would is a great demonstration and inspiration for starting a project like this. Having the students connect to Sara would be more difficult because it is impossible to compare everyday problems to the horrors that she faced, but I do think you could use it as a way to look at how the things that we worry about on a daily basis aren’t really that bad at all.
ReplyDeleteI did see that Laura was comparing Nix’s behaviour to the German’s as well as other countries. Although I thought this was a very extreme comparison, I do think it is an important aspect of the novel to point out to your students. This was yet another part of the book where the text could be connected to the world. There is an important life lesson that the students can take from this part of the story. I do think that the suitcase example could be discussed in class, but it would be another one of the parts of the book that is difficult to talk about with a group of students, since it deals with a very horrific part of history. Reading a book like this a lot of class discussion and historical elements would be important so that students understand the truth and impact of what they are reading.
I am actually pretty anxious to find out how this book ends also!
How I would strengthen the connection between problems in the novel and problems in students lives would depend on the age of students I am reading the novel with. For a grade 5 audiance, I would talk about honesty and lead a class discussion on the importance of honesty. I would ask my students what they would do in Nix's position and if what she did was justified. I would also bring to my students attention the issue of friendships and how they can get complicated. This is the age right before girls begin to get really nasty and catty toward each other. I would use Nix and Laura to discuss conflict resolution.
ReplyDeleteIn a class of grade 5 students I wouldn't go too far into the Holocaust as they don't get too much into it until later on in school. I would give my students some context without getting too much into the graphic details. I would talk to my students how the Germans stood by, but we would also talk about what was at stake if they had spoken up. From there I would allow my students to form their own opinions and express them perhaps in a journal entry of some sort.
I would address the suitcase passage and connect it to the gas chambers being staged to look like a train station. Here I would take time to let my students process because I myself had to take some time after the emotions that I began to feel during this section of the novel. I think it is important to address emotions and make my students feel comfortable and safe in expressing them.
How would you address this detail with your students?
I really loved how the parallels between Laura and Sarah's lives really began to blend in these chapters. What I really appreciate in this novel is how the Holocaust is made relevant and the larger thematic issues repeat throughout history. I think it was very clever to use Nix as a major point of tension in the novel. I can see the parallels between Nix's debate to inform the police about vandalism and the many people across the world who chose not to get involved in the Holocaust out of fear. I think that many children today have heard about the Holocaust, but cannot possibly imagine how terrible it actually was. By using the same issues in a contemporary setting I think that Kacer is better able to create an atmosphere that encourages empathy rather than sympathy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how much I had been impacted by the narrative until Sarah's journal ended. I had to keep reading because I was so eager to find out what happened to Sarah! I hope that students could get as absorbed in the novel as I did. In many ways I think this would be a great stepping off point to discuss how students can learn to be convincing and compelling author. It would be neat to discuss the novel as a narrative, but also to look at Kacer's work and her writing style.
Nix's character is vital to the breakdown of the story. I definitely saw parallels between her character and the numerous people and countries who were silent during the Holocaust. Both struggled out of fear and had a hard time overcoming it. All students are going to face problems, I think what they can take out of these chapters is the idea that they have a responsibility to stand up and deal with them head on. Laura struggles with telling the truth because of her best friend, she soon realizes that the issue is bigger than both of them and knows that the common goal is more important. Despite her friendship, she knows in her gut what is right. I think students could learn a lot about this particular part and you could have a discussion or reflection of a time when you were faced with this type of situation.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely talk about the suitcase part in my class. I would talk about the illusions that were put in place by the Nazi's. Not only did they get to bring a suitcase, but when they got off the train, it was made to look like a real train stop. I think this would also be a good discussion topic. Asking students to write down their reactions to hearing this.
The journal entries were my favorite part of the novel and I was a little disappointed when they stopped. Naturally they needed to but I was overcome with there power and was also very eager to find out what happened to Sara in the end.