AUTHOR CONNECTIONS:
Born
in Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was raised in a tight-knit Jewish community
until the age of fifteen. When the Nazis arrived in his small village, Wiesel
and his family, along with other Jewish inhabitants in the town, were deported
to concentration camps in Poland. Wiesel shares his plight and the fate of many
others in his poignant memoir, Night. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace
in 1986 and the Congressional Medal of Freedom in 1985, Wiesel lives in New York
City with his wife and son.
CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS: If
you are listening to the book as a group, allow ample time for discussion of Night
after each session. Does the audiobook interpretation heighten the emotional level
of the horrific events or add a greater sense of reality to the characters? Students
can create a "Reader Response" journal that includes their reactions, sketches,
and ideas related to Elie Wiesel's memoir.
Have
the students procure a copy of Anne Frank the Diary of a Young Girl by
Anne Frank (Bantam Books, 1993). How did Anne Frank's experience during World
War II compare to Elie Wiesel's year in the concentration camps? Discuss the ramifications
of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping in both situations.
Keeping
in mind the deplorable conditions in the prisoner of war camps, create five journal
entries that Elie Wiesel might have written while incarcerated there. In the oral
tradition, record the journal entries and share with the entire class.
As
a class, read Jo Hoestlandt's Star of Fear, Star of Hope (Walker & Co.,
1995). Do the graphic images in this picture book affect the students' perspectives?
Search the school or public library for compelling picture books about the Holocaust.
Make an information center in the classroom featuring resources on the Holocaust
including the picture books, web sites, primary documents, interviews, and other
related titles.
Have
students view Steven Spielberg's movie Schindler's List as well as some
documentaries about the Holocaust. Define what is meant by the Holocaust. Decide
as a group what further aspect of the Holocaust the students will study.INTERNET CONNECTIONS:
 United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum:
http://www.ushmm.org/education/
Find thematically developed curriculum for students, teacher guides, an excellent
chronology, and more. Site includes text, historical photographs, maps, images
of artifacts, and audio clips providing an overview of the Holocaust.
Nobel
Peace Prize Laureates:
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/peace.html
Learn about the Peace Prize and its recipients. Geared for young adult learners
at the college level, the humanitarian site offers a Prize in Ethics Essay Contest
that challenges students to examine the complex ethical issues seen in the world
today.
The
Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity:
http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/default.htm
Geared for young adult learners at the college level, the humanitarian site
offers a Prize in Ethics Essay Contest that challenges students to examine the
complex ethical issues seen in the world today.
Academy
of Achievement:
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/wie0bio-1
Easy to navigate, the site features a biographical essay with black-and-white
photographs and an interview with Elie Wiesel. Hailed by the Academy of Achievement,
Wiesel is one of the many exemplary individuals who have shaped the twentieth
century.
A
Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust
This site offers documents, images, links and audio/video files, as well
as a timeline with further links to documents, photos and curriculum plans. The
Victims page provides information on others targeted by the Nazis, such as Poles,
Gypsies and homosexuals.
FOR
FURTHER LISTENING AND READING:
 After
the War (Simon, 1996) by Carol Matas
Anne
Frank: Beyond the Diary (Viking, 1993) by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven
Hiding
to Survive: Stories of Jewish Children Rescued From the Holocaust (Clarion,
1998) by Maxine B. Rosenberg
 IN
MY HANDS: MEMOIRS OF A HOLOCAUST RESCUER by Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong.
A young Catholic Polish girl loses all she loves and is forced to work for the
German army during World War II. The audiotape serves as excellent companion to
Elie Wiesel's Night. UNABRIDGED AUDIO and book available from Audio Bookshelf
No
Pretty Pictures: A Child of War (Greenwillow, 1998) by Anita Lobel
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