Mandel Fellowship Lesson Plans

  
 
Anne Frank, age twelve, at her school desk.
Courtesy of USHMM Photo Archives

The Diary of Anne Frank: Selected Passages
Karen Ferris-Fearnside
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Senior High School
Burnt Hills, New York

 

  
 

Overview

This lesson is part of a comprehensive Holocaust unit in which students address the following issues: effects of the Versailles Treaty; formation of the Weimar Republic; development of German political parties; appeal of the National Socialist German Workers Party; propaganda techniques; scapegoating and visualization of the Nazi Party.

Objectives

  • Students, who are the same age as the diarist Anne Frank, compare her world to their own and look for similarities and differences.
  • Students read selected diary passages to gain historical perspective about political, economic, and social conditions in Europe from June 15, 1942- August 1, 1944 and answer the related questions. 
Time Required

One class period

Grade Level

10-12

Curriculum Fit

Social Studies, Holocaust Studies

Procedure / Strategy

Students respond to questions associated with specific diary passages:

Passage  Date  Event 
1  June 15, 1942 Where does Anne attend school and why does she go to school there? 
2 June 20, 1942 Anne mentions ten Anti-Jewish Decrees. Select any 5 of the decrees and explain why the Germans would have issued each specific order. 
3 June 21, 1942 How do schools grade students? Explain what the subjects are that students Anne's age must take. Why do you think that the academic schedule is so rigorous? (See July 5, 1942 for extra information).
4 June 24, 1942 Anne mentions which method of transportation as the only one available to the Jews? Why is this method not restricted as well?
5 June 30, 1942 Anne mentions Harry Goldberg. Why did he probably leave Belgium? Where does Anne go every Wednesday night and why?
6 July 8, 1942 Anne's family receives a call-up notice. Explain the quote, "No Jew in our situation would have dreamed of going out with a suitcase full of clothing."
7 July 9, 1942 Examine the diagram of the hiding place. Discuss the adequacy or inadequacy of the living arrangement. Was it going to be terribly comfortable for 8 people to live here 24 hours a day? Discuss possible problems.
8 July 10, 1942 Why was their living area so cluttered when they arrived?
9 July 11, 1942 Why did curtains have to be made quickly for all of the windows and why did they have to be so quiet all day long?
10 August 14, 1942 How had the Frank's landlord fooled the police into believing that they had gone to Maastricht?
11 August 21, 1942 Why had the warehouse owners decided to place a cupboard in front of the door to conceal the opening suddenly?
12 April 11, 1944 Why were the Franks so upset that one of their group yelled "police" at the burglars?
13 May 8, 1944 Contrast the lifestyle that the Frank's were used to with their daily routine now. What did they eat for instance? 
14 May 22, 1944 What causes does Anne mention for the hatred against Jews intensifying?
15 May 25, 1944 Why was their vegetable man arrested and what effects will that have on the Franks? 
16 May 26, 1944 When something simple like broken plumbing occurs, how does this quickly became a potentially dangerous situation?
17 June 6, 1944 How does the news of D-Day affect the 8 people in hiding?
18 June 27, 1944 What announcement involving German women living in Holland gives the refugees hope?
19 July 8, 1944 Why does the German government force all Dutch growers to sell their produce at public auction?
20 July 21, 1944 Why is the attempt on Hitler's life this time so significant?
21 August 1, 1944 What questions about her existence does Anne debate in the last diary entry?

Materials Used / Resources

Follow-up Assignment

As part of a homework assignment, students complete a "milk can essay" in response to this writing prompt:
If you thought that your life was in danger, what would you leave behind for the world to discover and why?

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