Encountering Evil: Night

Lesson 6
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ELA

Unit 2

8th Grade

Lesson 6 of 28

Objective


Explain how the playwrights use specific words and phrases to develop mood, tone, and meaning in The Diary of Anne Frank.

Readings and Materials


  • Play: The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett  pp. 86 – 101

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A Note for Teachers


Today's reading may be upsetting for students, as they learn that Anne and the other residents of the Secret Annex were arrested and brought to a concentration camp, where seven of the eight died. Leave sufficient time at the end of today's lesson for students to discuss their reactions to the end of the play.

As a part of intellectual preparation, revisit student answers in the  Lesson 1 Anticipation Guide (G8, U2), paying particular attention to question 5 to prepare for today's Target Task. Based on student responses, determine how to guide students through related conversations during today's lesson.

Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

At the very end of the play, we hear Anne say in a voice-over, "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart" (p. 101). What is Anne's tone in these lines? How does the contrast between her tone and the mood of the scene develop the theme of the play? Provide specific evidence from the text to support your answer. 

Sample Response

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Key Questions


  • How does news of the invasion change the mood in the Secret Annex? Provide at least four words and phrases that support the idea that the mood has changed significantly as a result of Miep's news.

  • What is the mood of the scene in the attic while Peter and Anne are in Peter's room? What specific words and phrases from these pages help develop the mood?

  • Identify an example of juxtaposition or dramatic irony in this section of the text and explain its effect on the reader.

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

dramatic irony

a literary technique where the author provides information to the reader that the characters are not aware of, evoking humor, suspense, or tragedy

juxtaposition

when two things or concepts are placed side by side to emphasize the difference between them

mood

the emotion or feeling that a text creates for the reader

Text-based

liberated

adj.

(p. 92)

set free

Homework


Inform students that they will be starting a new text for homework, Night by Elie Wiesel. Explain that this text is a memoir in which the author recalls his experience surviving in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. As such, the text contains many disturbing moments about the suffering, torture, and trauma that the narrator and the people around him endure, including eye-witness accounts of people being starved, beaten, and shot. Explain that students will be given ample time to process this emotionally difficult material in the safe space of the classroom, and that they are welcome to talk to you privately about their needs for grappling with this material.

To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

  • Book: Night by Elie Wiesel  pp. 3 – 11

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What is the genre of this text?

  • Who is Moishe the Beadle?

  • What does Eliezer do every day in the evenings?

  • What happens to Moishe the Beadle when he is deported?

  • What does Moishe the Beadle try to tell the residents?

  • Who moves into the town of Sighet?

  • How does life change for Jewish people once the newcomers move in?

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Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
  • RL.8.6 — Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.

Supporting Standards

L.8.5
L.8.5.a
L.8.6
RL.8.1
RL.8.2
RL.8.10
SL.8.1
SL.8.6
W.8.1
W.8.1.a
W.8.1.b
W.8.1.c
W.8.4
W.8.9
W.8.9.a
W.8.10

Next

Explain how events in Night reveal aspects of characters and suggest larger truths about human nature.

Lesson 7
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