Jacob's Rescue: A Holocaust Story

Authors: Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin

Age Level: 4-6

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Summary:

Jacob’s Rescue, written by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin, is a Holocaust story set in Warsaw, Poland. Jacob, the novel’s protagonist, once lived in a beautiful house with his father, grandmother, aunt and brothers. He went to school and played outside much like children nowadays. But, everything changed in 1939 when the Nazi soldiers invaded Poland and began killing all of its Jewish citizens. As a result, Jacob’s father fled the country, in an attempt to stay alive, leaving his family behind. As such, Jacob, his grandmother, his aunt and his brothers moved to a ‘ghetto’ where they grew weaker and hungrier. One afternoon, eight-year-old Jacob was introduced to his new ‘uncle’, Alex Roslan, a heroic Christian man, who kindly offered to hide him safely with his family throughout the war. The Roslan’s, Alex, his wife Mela, and his children Yurek and Marishka, risked their lives each day protecting Jacob. They had to move houses, pay doctors and buy UV lamps to keep Jacob safe and alive. Throughout their journey however, Jacob and the Roslans became very close. Eventually, Jacob’s brothers stayed at the Roslan’s house as well. At the end of the war, the brothers were reunited with their father, who had fled to what was then known as Palestine. This novel clearly illustrates the harsh realities of the Holocaust and the hardships faced by Jewish people throughout World War II.

Element 3 - Exploring Issues of Social Justice:

Jacob’s Rescue offers students an opportunity to experience the various hardships of Jewish life during the Holocaust and World War II. I believe this novel clearly demonstrates Element 3 as it explores Anti-Semitism, religious intolerance and oppression caused by one specific community, the German Nazis. This book helps students understand how this oppression impacted the lives of Jews and others, like the Roslans, and how diversity wasn’t embraced like we try to practice today. Additionally, Jacob is around the same age as my 4^th grade students, so it is easier for them to empathize with his feelings of fear, sadness, and anger. This book definitely opens eyes and minds to the horrors of the Holocaust and allows students to identify with a child suffering from the intolerances of German soldiers.

Activity:

We are currently reading Jacob’s Rescue in my fourth grade classroom and this novel has sparked wonderful discussions about injustice, intolerance, and diversity in our world. As an introductory lesson, we had the students analyze the difference between the words "famous" and "hero". The students gave examples of people who fit into each of the categories. Later, the students explained how the word "hero" is often misused to describe people who are simply famous or popular. As we finished Chapter 9 this week, the students already made the connection that the Roslan’s are heroes because of their courageous efforts when hiding Jacob and his brothers.

Those Shoes

Title:  Thoes Shoes

Author:  Maribeth Boelts

Illustrated by: Noah Z. Jones

Reading Level:  Ages 5 to 8 and up 

Publisher: Candlewick Press

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Click here to learn more about the illustrator, Noah Z. Jones!

Summary:  In Those Shoes, Jeremy dreams about having the popular pair of shoes that everyone is wearing.  His grandma explains that she can only afford "needs."  After one of his shoes comes apart, Jeremy is forced to wear freebie shoes from the guidance counselor, Mr. Alfrey.  The "Mr. Alfrey" shoes bring on a barrage of mockery for Jeremy, driving him to purchase an ill-fitting pair of the shoes at a thrift shop.  After a few days of limping and some nasty blisters, Jeremy is forced back into the Mr. Alfrey shoes.  Jeremy decides to give the too-small shoes to his friend in need, after some serious soul-searching and struggle.   The gesture marks the beginning of a special friendship.

Element # 3 - Exploring Issues of Social Injustice:  Those Shoes is a poignant introduction to the issue of poverty for young elementary school children.  Through this heart-warming account of Jeremy's struggle with wants and needs, Boelts cleverly incorporates sub-themes about peer pressure for material possessions, family life, and true generosity.  This book gently, yet cleverly, exemplifies the impact of poverty on the lives of our very own classmates and the material conditions of other people in the world. 

Follow-Up Activity:  After reading Those Shoes, it would be appropriate to conduct a class discussion about wants and needs.   The students could discuss the stereotypes they have heard about poor people.  We could draw from a hat to assign each student an economic status for the rest of the class.  A select 10% would be allowed dress-up shoes, 20% would be middle income and wear plain shoes, while the remaining 70% would be poor and have old, worn-out shoes that are mismatched and ugly.  To exaggerate the effect, we could also offer the 10% group advantages like better classroom seating and priority when asking questions.  At the end of class, we could gather for a discussion to share how each group felt as a result of their shoes.  What was it like to have the nicer shoes and special privileges?  How did the 70% group feel? Relating our experiences back to Jeremy in Those Shoes, each child would draw two pictures.  One would express how they would feel if they were Jeremy with the Mr. Alfrey shoes.  The other, would show how they would feel if they were Jeremy, giving their Those Shoes away to a friend in need. 

Link to Brain Pop Jr. Video about wants vs. needs.

Dollars and Cents Video:  A cross-curriculum link to math while reading Those Shoes and tackling the issue of poverty with your class.

Reading Those Shoes with older students?  Link to a terrific social action projects related to poverty for middle school students. 

Just As Good - Element 3

Just as Good

Title: Just as Good

Author: Chris Crowe

Illustrator: Mike Benny

Grade Level: 2nd - 6th

SJE: Element 3: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice

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About Author Chris Crowe

Summary:
There are plenty of books that depict Jackie Robinson journey as the 1^st African-American baseball player. However, Just as Good by Chris Crowe is the 1^st book about Larry Doby. Doby was the 2^nd African American to play in the MLB, the 1^st to play in the American league, and the first African-American player to hit a home run in the World Series. This story is told by Homer a young African-American who was banned form a Little League baseball team because he was African-American. Homer was told that besides Jackie Robinson Negro ball players were worth “spit.”It was not until  Doby helped the Cleveland Indians win their 1^st world series in 1948 which reinforced to Homer that African-American people are just as good in baseball and everything else as Caucasian people are.  

Representation of Element 3: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice:

It represents Element Three because this book explores how the diversity in baseball has impacted African-Americans. This book talks about how Larry Doby and Homer are treated because of the color of their skin. For example, Homer was banned from his Little League Team and Dody was treated badly by fans due to the color of his skin. This book could be used to spark a student interest in some causes of Racism and the impact that it has had on many different races. This book serves as a moving story of how racial stereotypes and social injustices are being broken down every day and can be broken down by anyone.

Book Activity :

I would read Just as Good to the the students. Next, I would discuss some of the events in Larry Doby life that may have shaped him to become a hero. I would pout an emphasis that he was not perfect, but that he possessed many positive qualities that helped him to be strong in the face of adversity. For example, I would ask question such as What makes a Hero?, How does a Hero act?, What does a leader do?  etc... I would then divide students into groups of four or five and have them discuss within their group what qualities they think helped Larry Doby the most. Have them present their ideas to the class one group at a time.

 

We March- Element Four

We March

Title- We March

Author- Shane W. Evans

Illustrator- Shane W. Evans

Age Level- 4-8

SJE- Element 4

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Summary-
We March is a children's book about an African American family that prepares for the historic, March on Washington for jobs and freedom in August of 1963. Along with nearly 250,000 other  people, the family began their march at the Washington Monument and ended with a celebration at the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. The book represents this family marching for justice and shows the reader how much stregnth and effort it took to finally recieve it freedom.

Representation-
We March by Shane W. Evans represents Element four because it walks the reader through exactly what these family's dealt with when trying to achieve justice and freedom. Not only did these families just simply walk together to finish this march; they began with a prayer, worked to create signs demanding for freedom, created exhaustion for themselves but still managed to be filled with hope. It shows the hardships and issues of what these families had to go through when they were eager for justice.

Use of the Book-
After reading the book I would have my students work individually to think about if they have ever felt like they did not have a say or were not allowed to put their thoughts into something. Once they came up with an idea, each student would recieve a ruler and a piece of thick white paper. I would instruct each student to write on their white sheet of paper something that can fight for what they want or are trying to achieve. Once this is complete, I would ask for permission to march around the halls or around our school outside to let the students express their thoughts and feel what it's like when you have to fight for what you want in life just like the families in the book We March.

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

Author and Illustrator: Art Spiegelman

Grade Level: 6-8



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Summary: Art Spiegelman uses a comic book to share a story about the Holocaust, its survivors, and the ancestors who live with the history of such injustice. With mice representing Jews and cats representing Nazis, Maus narrates the experiences of Art's father Vladek. Alternating between the past and present, the text describes Vladek's life in pre-war Poland as a well off young Jewish man married to Anja, his first wife and Art's mother, as a soldier and prisoner in an Auschwitz camp, and finally as a survivor and immigrant. Weaved throughout the story are the complex and conflicting feelings Art developed as he interviewed his father.

Element: Three, Issues of Social Injustice
Maus exposes students to a historical example of religious intolerance through a personal narrative of a Holocaust survivor. Furthermore, the story provides an immediate example of how the historical roots of oppression affect the lives of people today. With teacher guidance, students can begin to understand some causes of the Holocaust and the impact the event had on societies across the globe for years to come.

Activity: Working at first individually and then in pairs, students consider a time in their lives when they felt priviledged or discriminated against solely because of their gender, race, religion, etc. Each student writes a paragraph or two describing the experience before s/he trades with another student. Together, they read one another's paragraphs and discuss them using teacher directed sample questions. Discussion topics might include, "Why do you think you were treated that way?" "Put yourself in the other person's shoes. How might the situation have looked to him/her?" "If you could go back, how might you change your response?"

When Marian Sang

Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan

Illustrator: Brian Selznik

Ages: 7-12

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Summary:

This beautifully illustrated story follows the true life trials of American singer Marian Anderson, best known for her historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, as she navigates the world of professional music and finds it particularly hostile to people of color. Marian is forced to deal with issues of which white singers would never dream.  From being completely ignored as she waits in line to apply for music school to being outright rejected by many people in the industry, Marian suffers many injustices at the hands of racism. In the end, Marian endures and is ultimately accepted in the community for who she is - a woman with a beautiful voice, but she will never understand what compelled so many people to rise up against her when all she ever wanted to do was sing.



Element 3: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice:

This book serves as a wonderful introductory tool into the world of social injustice. The main character, Marian, is as surprised as many young readers may be when she is rejected simply because of the color of her skin. No historical background knowledge is needed to appreciate the pure injustice Marian suffers as she tries to enter a world whose hostility is beyond her control. Furthermore, Marian's endurance provide a great segue into Element 4 because, although Marian does not take any social action against her oppressors, she never gives up on her dream and that lays a good foundation for exploring social action.

In the Classroom:

This is a wonderful book, but it is also a little long, especially for younger readers. It is important to help students identify the key elements of this book. I would lead a class discussion about the book in which we aim to identify the social injustices Marian faced, the reasons she was not allowed to sing, who was allowed to sing, and why. Then I might have my students think about the end of the book, when people protested against Marian singing - who they were and what they did as a protest - as a jumping off point to talk about social action and what we can do to stop what we see as social injustices in the world around us.

Children Just Like Me (A unique celebration of children around the world)

Title: Children Just Like Me (A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World)

Author: Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley

Grade Level: Ages 7-15

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishing Inc., NY, NY

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Additional Information About This Book

Summary: Through colorful photographs and children's own interviews, readers embark on a journey from New York to the Amazon Basin to learn about the day-to-day events, hobbies, aspirations, and values of children across more than 30 different countries. Children Just Like Me walks young readers through the days in the lives of children just like them. Children Just Like Me raises awareness of the similarities and beautiful differences amongst young children around the world; thereby helping young readers to embrace cultural differences that surpass the color of skin or clothing one wears.

Element #2- Respect For Others: Children Just Like Me tells the remarkable stories of children around the world from over 30 different countries through photographs and children's own interviews. A brief biography of the child along with easy-to-read descriptions about the child's favorite foods, family life, community, etc. are provided on each page. Each interviewee's personal taste and touch are revealed through their names written in their own handwritings and candid photos. This book teaches young readers about the cultures, values, and daily lives of other children in the world so that readers can discover that beyond the barriers of language, customs, skin colors, there are children in the world who are so relatable to themselves. Children Just Like Me stirs the desire to embrace and respect those who may, on the surface, seem so different from us.

Follow-Up Activity: As a follow-up, teachers can encourage each student to design a poster about him/herself, including photographs and descriptions about their schools, families, hobbies, dreams, daily lives, etc. The posters can be put together to form a giant class version of Children Just Like Me. Parents can be invited to the classroom for a day of festivities where students present the book and bring in different artifacts that represent their cultures.