Goals

 

Details

Duration: N/A

Assessments: Student writing

 

Description

This is an Integrated Essay Project the students produced for their World History and English Language Arts courses. (Please see the Project: "Humanities Essay: Am I My Brother or Sister's Keeper" for a full description of the Project and Scaffolding Process.)

Students were asked to consider: How can the examination of the past inform us about our present lives
and what our responsibility is toward one another?

They were given the following prompt:

For the last two months you have been examining the tragic events of the Holocaust and their effect on all of humanity. You have spent time studying the historical and social circumstances, as well as personal accounts of experiences surrounding the Holocaust, and have made personal connections through activities, writing and discussion.

You will utilize all of these experiences to write an essay that responds to the central question using historical and literary documents as evidence. To do this you will identify the themes (examples include: Dehumanization, Resistance, Choice, Faith, Hope, Social Responsibility, Identity, Relationships, etc...) that you feel are most worth exploring in greater depth and examines them in detail. Finally, you will take your study one step further and discuss how your study of this theme has informed your thinking about what our responsibility is to one another in this world: are you your brothers'/sisters' keeper?

This essay will give you the opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned about themes related to the Holocaust in your English and Social Studies classes. In writing this essay you will make connections between historical and literary texts to help you demonstrate your learning and understanding.

Essay Assignment Overview
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Author Reflections

This assignment was worked on in both World History and English Language Arts throughout the process.