While reading this chapter I kept thinking to myself that I can not imagine what it must have been like to be terrorized, discriminated, and threatened like the Blumenthal family and other Jews were. I thought if I could not understand this, how would students. I had the idea of having students role play, but I am not sure this would be appropriate, or if this would offend anyone. Once scenario I thought of role playing was having part of the class wear a J, as Jews were forced to do, on their shirt, and the other part of the class act accordingly to these students as if they believed in the stereotypes that Hitler and the Nazis perpetuated. Then each side would switch roles so each student would have the chance to be the oppressed and the oppressor. After the exercise we could have a group discussion about how the students felt in each position. This role play idea reminded me of the blue eye brown eye experiment conducted by Jane Elliot in her 3rd grade class, to show students the effects of stereotypes and discrimination against African Americans. I think asking students to wear a J on their shirt would be too offensive, but this activity could be done using blue shirts and red shirts, or some other way to differentiate between the two groups of people. After the exercise the teacher could explain that these roles were similar to the Jews and the Nazis.
A more appropriate role play activity I thought of was taking possessions away from the students. The teacher could take their notebooks, chairs, pencils, books, ect. and the only explanation would be because of who they are. The students would have to explain how some belongings are meaningful to them and how they feel having these things taken away. This exercise would show how the Blumenthals and other Jews must have felt when all their possessions were taken away, or how the gun that Walter used in the German war was important to him, but he was forced to get rid of it.
Some difficult words for students in this chapter were: decreed, bade, trousseau, and expiation payment.
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