It's been a long time since we updated. Since our last update, we've actually completed reading a few different things. One important thing we completed was a unit on the graphic novel Maus I: A Survivor's Tale. This is the first book in the two-part Maus set, which is based on author Art Spiegleman's interview of his father, Vladek.
Art interviews his father to learn about his experience as a Holocaust survivor in Poland during World War II. There is a lot that we learned from this experience. Many students did not understand the difference between Nazis and Jews. Many students did not understand the motivation behind the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people of Europe. Many students did not understand the idea of genocide.
What makes Maus I such a great resource for our class is that its format, similar to a comic book, makes it pretty easy to read. Nevertheless, it is a story of real and adult issues, and in fact, it is the only graphic novel in history to win the Pulitzer Prize. This story of the Holocaust is real, personal, sometimes funny, and an honest depiction of a man who was not always such an easy person to be around.
Check out the class resources to see the supplements we used for this unit, which included a great deal of historical research for the students.
Check out the class resources to see the supplements we used for this unit, which included a great deal of historical research for the students.