Author:
Arts ESU2
Subject:
Visual Arts, English Language Arts
Material Type:
Lesson
Level:
Middle School
Tags:
  • Holocaust
  • MTA
  • Mixed Media
  • NE ELA
  • NE Visual Arts
  • Nebraska Department of Education
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
    Language:
    English

    Education Standards

    Connecting the Holocaust- Literature & Art

    Connecting the Holocaust- Literature & Art

    Overview

    This resource was created by Kate Chrisman, in collaboration with Lynn Bowder, as part of ESU2's Mastering the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education and experiential learning.

    Connecting the Holocaust- Literature & Art

    Lesson Title: Connecting the Holocaust- Literature & ArtGrade Level: 8th
    Core Subject Area: English Language ArtsFine Arts Subject Area: Visual Arts
    Author: Kate Chrisman
    Standards Alignment
    Content Area Standard(s): LA 8.1.6 Comprehension: Students will construct meaning by applying prior knowledge, using text information, and monitoring comprehension while reading increasingly complex grade-level literary and informational text.Fine Arts Standard(s): FA 8.2.1 Students will use the creative process to investigate and communicate personal voice in artwork.
    Core Subject Vocabulary: Words and locations relating to the Holocaust, i.e. ghetto, concentration camp, Auschwitz. Also new words listed here:  https://www.gimkit.com/view/5c9baa71898473002032a317Fine Arts Vocabulary:Visual Arts Vocabulary Listed Here: https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/1507939
    Core Subject Learning Objectives: Students will Understand how the legacy of the Holocaust connects to their lives today and how to interpret poetry into visual representations of theme and symbolism.Fine Arts Learning Objectives:Students will be able to:
    •  discover their own individual creativity (originality)
    • show symbolism  through their design.
    • show theme through their design
    • use mixed media techniques to create a composition
    • show symmetry in their design
    • apply chalk to enhance their design
    • Add additional mediums to enhance design (more chalk, colored pencil, graphite pencil, ink, etc.)
    • create a mixed media butterfly shape
    Materials:
    • I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp 1942–1944,” edited by Hana Volavkova. Copies of this book can be found in the Holocaust Museum Houston. Curriculum trunks that are available for shipping to the 48 contiguous states.
    • Class set of copies of the poem, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” by Pavel Friedman (p. 39 of the above text).
    • Materials to make butterflies: sheets of colorful paper, glue, scissors, newspaper, colored chalk, quotes from poetry cut out.
    • Mixed media video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OZg4t8o-AM
     Lesson -Teaching Sequence
    1. Hand out copies of the poem “The Butterfly” to students.
    2. Read the poem aloud as a class. Discuss the following questions:
    • Who do you think wrote this poem?
    • What experiences do you think generated this poem?
    • To what is the poem referring?
    • How does this poem make you feel?
    1. Introduce the book “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp. Discuss with students the information found in the “Epilogue” of the book (pp. 101-103) and the back cover.
    2. Discuss with students their feelings and thoughts about what has been read.
    3. Assign a poem to each student to read from “I Never Saw Another Butterfly. “
    4. After several silent readings, ask students to see if they can find any examples of hopes, dreams and/or fears in their child’s poem.
    5. After the students have read the poems and feel comfortable with it, each student should discuss his or her poem with another classmate.
    6.  Assign students the task of choosing colors, phrases, and textures that they believe represent their poem.
    7. Discuss the vocabulary that leads students to make specific choices.
    8. Watch video on creating mixed media compositions  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OZg4t8o-AM
    9. Give the students many sheets of colorful paper, glue, scissors, additional print outs of their poems, and other recycled odds and ends.
    10. Cut colored paper, notebook paper, newspaper quotes, quotes from their poems, and other items into thin strips
    11. Glue little scrap pieces of paper and poster board, paper towels and notebook paper, onto a piece of drawing paper working to create symmetry in their design, while still representing their poem
    12. After the glue dries, brush on some colored chalk to create an interesting effect with the different layers of materials.
    13. Connect the layers to the many layers of emotions the children felt while in Concentration camps, as previously discussed.
    14. Then go in and add pencil or colored pencil to some of the area created to add more interest, also add the words cut from magazines, newspapers, and print outs. 
    15. Students can layer more chalk or colored pencil in some areas and add written words as well. 
    16. After completed, they will cut their paper into a shape of a butterfly.
    17. Butterflies will be displayed in the front entry way to reflect the differences in every person and the hope that shines through despair.
    A picture containing indoor, sitting, small, table

Description automatically generatedA bird that is hanging on a wall

Description automatically generatedA picture containing indoor, chain

Description automatically generatedA glass display case

Description automatically generatedA picture containing indoor, cabinet, small, sitting

Description automatically generatedA picture containing indoor, table, book, sitting

Description automatically generated
    Assessment and Reflection
    Content Assessment:Graded during reflection writing assignment based on connections made between the Holocaust and their own symbolism.Arts Assessment: Grading Final Butterfly Project Using Rubric
    Student Reaction (Engagement):Students were excited to work on this project and many asked to take it to study hall so they could continue to create. Reflections stated very clearly the techniques that they remembered and the symbols that they learned.Teacher Reflection:This project was a lot of fun and it instilled the feeling of hope during a pretty dark topic. Students were able to really visualize how symbols are used in writing and in art. They also did some reflecting about the symbols that might represent themselves. If I were to do this project again, I would collaborate more with other teachers so we would all be studying and teaching about this content at the same time.