Encountering Evil: Night

Students explore human nature through the memoir of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who vividly describes the horrors he experienced.

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ELA

Unit 2

8th Grade

Unit Summary


The stories of Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel taught the world about the Holocaust. Their stories have profoundly changed the way that we understand one of the darkest moments in human history—and the way we understand our own present and future.

Students will begin this unit by reading the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage adaptation of Anne Frank's famous diary. The Diary of Anne Frank, written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hacket, tells the story of the two years that Anne spent in hiding with her family in a desperate attempt to avoid capture by the Nazis.

Students will then read Night, often considered among the most important memoirs of the 20th century. Written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, the text recounts the author's experience as a teenager in a Nazi concentration camp.

While both stories speak to all readers, they are particularly evocative for young adults. Anne was thirteen when she entered the Secret Annex, and Wiesel was just sixteen when he and his family were transported to Auschwitz. Both texts center the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of a young person living through unimaginable circumstances. Through their stories, students will begin to make connections between individual lives, historical events, and larger truths about what it means to be human.

Please Note: In August 2024, this unit and its lesson plans received the enhancements outlined here. In addition to the general enhancements, the lessons that use the play The Diary of Anne Frank have been updated to use the more widely available edition from Snowball Publishing (ISBN: 978-1607969341). If you own the Wendy Kesselman adaptation (ISBN: 978-0822217183), you can find the previous version of the unit archived here so that you can use the lesson plans that correspond to the Kesselman adaptation.

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Texts and Materials


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Core Materials

  • Book: Night by Elie Wiesel (Hill and Wang, 2006)   —  590L
  • Play: The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (Snowballpublishing)

Supporting Materials

Assessment


The following assessments accompany Unit 2.

Content Assessment

The Content Assessment tests students' ability to read a "cold" or unfamiliar passage and answer multiple choice and short answer questions. Additionally, a longer writing prompt pushes students to synthesize unit content knowledge or unit essential questions in writing. The Content Assessment should be used as the primary assessment because it shows mastery of unit content knowledge and standards.

Vocabulary Assessment

The Vocabulary Assessment tests student's knowledge and usage of the unit's of text-based vocabulary.

Fluency Assessment

The Fluency Assessment measures students' ability to read a grade-level text with accuracy and prosody, at a proficient rate, with a reading passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. Find guidance for using this assessment and supporting reading fluency in Teacher Tools.

Unit Prep


Intellectual Prep

Unit Launch

Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.

Essential Questions

  • Are human beings really good at heart?
  • How do human beings respond when subjected to unthinkable horror? What do these responses reveal about human nature?
  • Why is it important to tell and listen to stories about the Holocaust?

Enduring Understandings

  • People are capable of tremendous violence and evil; to be indifferent to the suffering of others is a kind of violence.
  • People can show remarkable generosity and kindness toward one another, even when it puts them at risk.
  • The Holocaust is one of the darkest chapters in human history. Fully understanding what happened during that time—through testimonies of those who lived through it—is a powerful way to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.

Vocabulary

Text-based

annihilateapathycamaraderieconspicuousconflagrationdeportdelusiondignifiedeludeexodusforebodinggenocidehysteriaideologyimprudentinsufferableindignantlyindifferencejubilationliberatedmagnitudeobligationpoignantpropagandaresentveritable

Literary Terms

actanalogyauthor's purposecentral ideacharacterizationdialoguedramatic ironyflash-forwardforeshadowingjuxtapositionmemoirmonologuemoodmotifprefacescenesetstage directionstructuresymbolvoice-over

Root/Affix

mono-

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2 , view our 8th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.

Notes for Teachers

  • There are references to sexuality, physical punishment, war, and genocide in both text. Night is an intense, deeply troubling text. Some of Wiesel's descriptions of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis are graphic and may be upsetting to students. While The Diary of Anne Frank does not include graphic depictions of violence, students may have strong emotions in response to Anne's ordeal. Guidance on how to intellectually prepare for lessons including these topics are included under "Note for Teachers" within designated lessons. Be mindful of your students' experiences when planning. 
  • Be mindful that your students may have very different levels of knowledge and experience around the history of the Holocaust and Judaism more generally. As always, establish expectations around respectful conversations, especially when discussing cultures or religions different from one's own. Address stereotypes, bias, or prejudice directly.
  • There are many resources available to support teachers in talking with their students about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. As a part of intellectual preparation, consider the following: 

Supporting All Students

In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the guidance provided under 'Notes for Teachers' below in addition to the Unit Launch to determine which supports students will need at the unit and lesson level. To learn more, visit the Supporting All Students Teacher Tool.

Lesson Map


Common Core Standards


Core Standards

L.8.1
L.8.1.b
L.8.3.a
L.8.5
RI.8.2
RI.8.3
RI.8.4
RI.8.5
RI.8.6
RL.8.3
RL.8.4
RL.8.5
RL.8.6
SL.8.1
SL.8.1.a
SL.8.1.c
SL.8.4
SL.8.5
W.8.1
W.8.1.a
W.8.1.b
W.8.1.c
W.8.1.e
W.8.2
W.8.2.a
W.8.2.b
W.8.2.c
W.8.2.f
W.8.5
W.8.7
W.8.8

Supporting Standards

L.8.2
L.8.2.b
L.8.2.c
L.8.3
L.8.4
L.8.4.b
L.8.5.a
L.8.5.b
L.8.5.c
L.8.6
RI.8.1
RI.8.7
RI.8.10
RL.8.1
RL.8.2
RL.8.10
SL.8.1.b
SL.8.2
SL.8.3
SL.8.6
W.8.1.d
W.8.2.d
W.8.2.e
W.8.4
W.8.6
W.8.9
W.8.9.a
W.8.9.b
W.8.10
W.8.10

Next

Explain what happened during the Holocaust and analyze the major events and ideas in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s that led to it.

Lesson 1
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