California State University, Sacramento

Someday We Will Fly - Holocaust Unit Plan

Rationale, Goals & Assessments, and Calendar

Priscilla Limcaco Ilagan and Rosario Lozano

EDSS 383A: Methods in English Education

Dr. Marcy Merrill

2 December 2021
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UNIT RATIONALE

Background of the Novel

One of the most well-known events in our modern history is the genocide of Jewish

citizens around the world, also known as the Holocaust. The history and stories that are most

presented in classes are from the perspectives of survivors or characters from Germany and other

Eastern European countries. However, one largely unknown and unfamiliar perspective is from

the Jewish refugees that sought asylum in Japanese-occupied Shanghai during World War II. In

this unit, we will read Someday We Will Fly by Rachel DeWoskin, a fascinating and harrowing

historical fiction narrative about fifteen-year-old Lillia Kazka, a young Jewish girl who flees her

home in Poland to Shanghai - one of the only remaining cities accepting Jews without visas -

with her father and baby sister and details their struggle to survive, assimilate in an unfamiliar

culture and country, and hold onto hope for her mother to join them safely.

Essential Question

As we study the Holocaust through a close reading of Someday We Will Fly, the

overarching question we will be exploring together as a class is: to what extent can hope

motivate you under critical circumstances? Hope is a main theme in this novel and shows up as

the one of the only things that keeps Lillia and her family going as they navigate their new and

extremely impoverished lives in Shanghai.

Why Read This Novel?

Importance

Aside from the Holocaust and World War II being required content topics to learn in

school, studying the Holocaust allows us to learn from the horrific mistakes of our world’s past
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so that they may not be repeated. Additionally, on their website, UNESCO highlights why

people everywhere should learn about the Holocaust such as how it:

● Highlights aspects of human behaviour that affect all societies, such as the susceptibility

to scapegoating and the desire for simple answers to complex problems; the potential for

extreme violence and the abuse of power; and the roles that fear, peer pressure,

indifference, greed and resentment can play in social and political relations.

● Demonstrates the dangers of prejudice, discrimination and dehumanization, be it the

antisemitism that fueled the Holocaust or other forms of racism and intolerance.

● Deepens reflection about contemporary issues that affect societies around the world, such

as the power of extremist ideologies, propaganda, the abuse of official power, and group-

targeted hate and violence. (UNESCO).

Relevance

The Holocaust took place between 1933 to 1945 and was intended to find ways to get rid

of Jewish populations from Germany, an issue known as the “Jewish Question”. This systematic

and state-sponsored persectution eventually evolved into the systematic and state-sponsored

genocide of Jews known as the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question” (United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum). Given that World War II and the Holocaust took place nearly 80 years ago,

many of us arnd our students are so far removed from those events and its effects that it seems

irrelevant. However, because of its magnitude and seeming irrelevance, we must continue to

study it so we do not forget not only what happened but also the motivations that allowed it to

come to fruition.

The “Final Solution to the Jewish Question” did not come about swiftly, but rather slowly

and insidiously. Years of persecution and propaganda naming Jews as the root of Germany’s
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problems and as an inferior race made justifying the Final Solution and the dehumanization of

Jews much easier (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

In the last several years in the United States, we have seen a rise in antisemitism, racism,

and discrimination in general. From attacks on Asian Americans as the perceived cause of

COVID to protesting against racial injustices, 2020 was a year of racial reckoning. Last year saw

the largest number of hate crime reports in 12 years, with the FBI stating “61.8% of victims were

targeted because of their race or ethnicity, up from 58% in 2019. About 20% were victimized

because of sexual-orientation bias in 2020, and 13.3% because of religious bias” (Carrega and

Krishnakumar). It is important to remember that the Final Solution did not begin as the original

solution, but was the culmination of hate perpetuated by ideologies of certain people and races as

inferior and justifiable targets of hate. Our students are growing up in this ever-growing divisive

environment; therefore, it is important to educate them about how microaggressions and

seemingly small remarks about race, religion, and etcetera can gradually grow into hate and how

they contribute to creating a more tolerant society that stands up in the face of hate.

Counter Arguments

Mature Content

This book is recommended for readers aged 14 and up. Given that the book discusses the

Holocaust, it explores mature content such as death at the hands of Japanese soldiers and Lillia

making a difficult choice to dance at a gentleman’s club to earn money for her impoverished

family. One scene that readers may find particularly disturbing is when Lillia is returning to her

home in 54 Ward after an attack by Japanese soldiers takes place and how she comes across a

soldier displaying a severed head on a spear through the streets (DeWoskin 290).
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Some parents and families may find this mature content enough to discourage their

children to read this book, believing that they should not be exposed to such explicit content.

However, the explicit contents skim the surface of the grim realities that many Jewish people

faced during the Holocaust. Also, we argue that shielding students from the world’s macabre

histories and life’s harsh realities does them a disservice because ignorance allows for breeding

ground for fear, hate, and intolerance; if students believe that their microaggressions are

harmless, they will continue to persist rather than being perceived as potential foundations for

hate and future instances of discrimination.

Holocaust Denial

Another concern that may potentially arise is the belief that the Holocaust did not even

occur. Many believe that it is either a myth the Jews made up to garner sympathy and money for

statehood, or maybe believe the Holocaust did occur but not to the extent of six million Jews

being killed or that gas chambers were used (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

However, for the denial to be right would presuppose that the survivors are wrong. Yet, there are

not just survivors but perpetrators as well that admit they aided and abetted their leaders while

never denying that the Holocaust took place. To continue to denial the occurrence of the

Holocaust and the Final Solution is to deny the gruesome experiences of the survivors and to

continue perpetuating Jewish people as liars.

Teaching Methods

In teaching this unit, we will begin by having students fill out a KWL (know, want to

learn, and learned) chart about the Holocaust and World War II. This will allow me to see what

background knowledge students are coming in with and what students want to learn about this

time in history. At the end of the unit, we will have students go back to this chart and reflect on
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what they have learned. Aside from the KWL chart, we will also include an anticipatory guide

that asks students true/false questions about some facts based on the Holocaust and topics

discussed in an introductory interview audio from the author.

While reading the story, the students will also be provided with numerous in-process

texts and activities that will help students process the novel and what they are learning in the unit

(Smagorinsky 133). One of these activities will be a Cultural Representation Reflection where

students will consider cultural representation with guided reflection on what they see in their

world and the experiences they notice in the text. Power, privilege, and bias are among the

themes that are examined (Teaching Books).

In another activity for the novel, students will also be asked to engage with a creative

writing prompt in which they will write from the perspective of one of the characters in Someday

We Will Fly addressing a friend or family member back home in Poland. The goal here is to

assess if students are able to understand and describe a moment in history and provide some

context of the Jewish refugees in Shanghai during WWII. By engaging with this activity,

students should be able to provide an insight into their knowledge of the characters from novel

and the Jewish refugees in Shanghai by writing what they know/learned of the situation and how

well they can explain it in a creative manner. Students will also be asked to keep a double-

column reading log throughout the novel. They will be asked to document a quote or idea that

stands out to them, and then be able to write their reactions to that quote or idea. It ensures that

they are taking some form of notes on the novel, and also provides them with good personal

notes to bring to writing assessments and discussion-based activities.

We want our students to be able to focus on the Holocaust while also focusing on the

many aspects of hate and hope that surrounded the Holocaust. There is a huge separation of
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belief systems that split the oppressors from the persecuted. In Someday We Will Fly, the reader

gains much insight into the belief of hope and how it held together so many refugees in the

Shanghai ghetto. Particularly, we see Lillia hold on hope for her mother’s return to the family.

We are constantly reminded of her mother throughout the novel and we see that it most certainly

affects Lillia’s choices, how she aims to provide for/help out her family and temporarily take her

mother’s place as the caregiver. She even takes on her mother’s name as she begins working at

the gentleman’s club with no hesitation whatsoever. This hope that she has held onto is what

propels her forward and drives her decisions in the novel, and we want students to be able to take

that into account when thinking about the Jewish refugees in all parts of the world - What

motivated them? Why did they make certain choices? Hope played an important role for Lillia;

does this story ring true for other Jewish refugees? These are the ideas that we aim to uncover by

reading Lillia’s story in Someday We Will Fly.

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Works Cited

Carrega, Christina, and Priya Krishnakumar. “Hate crime reports in US surge to the

highest level in 12 years, FBI says.” CNN, 26 October 2021,

[Link]

Accessed 26 October 2021.

DeWoskin, Rachel. Someday We Will Fly. New York, Penguin Random House, 2019.

Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English By Design. 2nd ed., Portsmouth, Heinemann,

2019.

Teaching Books. “Cultural Representation Reflection.” Someday We Will Fly,

[Link] Accessed 26

October 2021.

UNESCO. “The importance of teaching and learning about the Holocaust.” UNESCO:

Building Peace in the Minds of Men and Women, 22 01 2018,

[Link] Accessed

26 10 2021.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Explaining Holocaust Denial.” Holocaust

Denial and Distortion, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,

[Link]

holocaust-denial. Accessed 26 October 2021.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Final Solution.” Holocaust

Encyclopedia, 11 May 2021, [Link]

solution. Accessed 26 October 2021.

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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “What conditions, ideologies, and ideas

made the Holocaust possible?” Holocaust Encyclopedia,

[Link]

the-holocaust-possible. Accessed 2021 October 26.

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UNIT GOALS & ASSESSMENTS

GOAL 1: By the end of this unit, students will have a foundational understanding of the origins

and history of antisemitism and the dangers of prejudice and hate speech. Essentially, we also

want to discover how hope motivated Jews to survive and thrive in the midst of centuries of

persecution. Students will also be able to differentiate between belief, fact, and opinion.

○ ACTIVITIES:

■ Watch “Why the Jews: History of Antisemitism” video and have students answer the

follow questions on Padlet:

1. What are the historical origins of antisemitism?

2. How has antisemitism changed throughout history?

3. How have facts been ignored, misconstrued, or distorted to justify antisemitic

beliefs?

4. When have political or religious leaders promoted antisemitic ideas? What was the

purpose?

a. Accommodations: Students will be provided with a printed transcript from the

video that also include definitions of antisemitism and other unfamiliar/difficult

words.

■ Listen to the Voices on Antisemitism podcast as a warm-up activity and have students

students answer the following questions: How do social conditions encourage and allow

lies to spread? How does that relate to belief, opinion, and fact?

a. Accommodations: Students will be provided with a printed transcript from the

podcast to read as their listen; transcript will include definitions of

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unfamiliar/difficult words/ideas. There will also be a Word Wall with the

definitions and examples of: belief, opinion, and fact.

■ Jigsaw project - Students will be divided into six groups to read about antisemitism in

the following eras and present their findings to the class:

1. From the Crucifixion of Christ to 1400

2. The Early Modern Era, 1300-1800

3. The Era of Nationalism, 1800-1918

4. Racial Antisemitism, 1875-1945

5. World War I

6. Nazi Antisemitism

a. Accomodations: Articles are provided in 12 different languages. Students can be

provided with their corresponding home language along with the English

translation.

○ STANDARDS:

■ [Link].9-10.1.D: Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives,

summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or

justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the

evidence and reasoning presented.

■ [Link].9-10.2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented

in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the

credibility and accuracy of each source.

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■ [Link].9-10.3: Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and

use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or

distorted evidence.

■ [Link].9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting

evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of

reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to

purpose, audience, and task.

■ [Link]-LITERACY.W.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

■ [Link]-LITERACY.W.9-10.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research

projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem;

narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the

subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

■ [Link]-LITERACY.W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts

to support analysis, reflection, and research.

○ RUBRICS:

■ Video and questions activity:

3 2 1

Student has submitted Student has completed Student has completed

activity with all questions some questions with some questions from the
answered and provided summarized ideas from the activity.
evidence from the video video as evidence. Each
using the transcript for response is one sentence.
quotes. Each response is 2-
3 sentences long.

■ Podcast activity: Students share their answers to both questions during a class
whiparound and receive a checkmark on the roster for participation.
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■ Jigsaw activity:

3 2 1

Students all contribute in Some students collaborate One student does majority
research and discussion for research and of the work and/or
and provide a one- discussion. Paragraph paragraph provides basic
paragraph response that response includes about 3 information about the
includes accurate sentences of information assigned era such as when
background information about the assigned era. it took place.
and events for their
assigned era and how Jews
were discriminated.

GOAL 2: By the end of this unit, students will be able to reflect on the cultural representation of

characters, setting, and events in Someday We Will Fly by comparing, contrasting, and

developing a connection to their own culture while taking a deeper look at the representation of

others in the Cultural Representation Reflection activity.

○ ACTIVITIES:

■ Cultural Representation Reflection: Students will consider cultural representation with

guided reflection on what they see in their world and the experiences they notice in the

text. Power, privilege, and bias are among the themes that are examined. Students will

be asked to answer the following questions:

1. Consider the setting in the text: for example, neighborhood, community, home,

climate, and era. What do you see in the book? What do you see in your own world?

Pause and reflect on similarities.

2. Identify the times that you considered any of these identities or experiences (Race,

Immigration, Ethnicity, Religion, Language, Gender, Age, LGBTQIA+, Ability,

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Class, Refugee) when reading the book. Please elaborate and provide evidence from

the text.

3. Identify the times that any of these identities or experiences prompted you to

consider privilege, power, and/or bias when reading the book. Please elaborate and

provide evidence from the text.

4. As you consider the text and your responses above, please elaborate on your

awareness of cultural representation. Where appropriate, include examples from the

book or in your own world when you notice celebrations, inequities, or lived

experiences.

○ STANDARDS:

■ [Link].9-10.3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g. those with

multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with

other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

■ [Link]-LITERACY.W.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

■ [Link]-LITERACY.W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts

to support analysis, reflection, and research.

■ ID.9-12.3 I know that all my group identities and the intersection of those identities

create unique aspects of who I am and that this is true for other people too.

■ DI.9-12.10 I understand that diversity includes the impact of unequal power relations

on the development of group identities and cultures.

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■ JU.9-12.13 I can explain the short and long-term impact of biased words and behaviors

and unjust practices, laws and institutions that limit the rights and freedoms of people

based on their identity groups.

○ RUBRIC:

3 2 1

Student has submitted Student has completed Student has completed

activity with all questions some questions with some questions from the
answered and provided summarized ideas from the activity. Responses are
evidence from the novel. novel as evidence. Each written as
Each response is 2-3 response is one sentence. phrases/dependent clauses.
sentences long.

GOAL 3: Students will be able to understand and describe the history and context of Jewish

refugees in Shanghai during WWII.

○ ACTIVITIES: Tea Party and creative writing prompt such as a writing prompt requiring

students to write from the perspective of one of the characters in Someday We Will Fly to a

friend or family member back home in Poland.

■ Accommodations: Students will be provided with sentence frames for how to write a

letter/postcard.

○ STANDARDS:

■ [Link].9-10.3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g. those with

multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with

other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

■ [Link]-Literacy.W.9-10.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-

structured event sequences.

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■ [Link]-Literacy.W.9-10.3b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing,

description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or

characters.

■ [Link].9-10.1a: Come to discussions prepared, having read and

researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to

evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful,

well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

○ RUBRIC:

■ Tea Party: Teacher will using a running roster (checklist) of students and record student

participation in the activity. Students that do not interact or interact minimally will

receive half credit for participation of the assignment.

■ Creative writing responses must include the following: Certain historical points/events

and location, description of living standards, how they feel regarding hope (e.g.

hopeless, hopeful, and etc.)

GOAL 4: By the end of this unit, students will be able to self-reflect on their own identities as

they read Someday We Will Fly and make connections between the flashes of identity-

questioning the main character undergoes throughout the novel.

● ACTIVITIES:

○ Double-Column Reading Log: Students will write in a journal daily as they read

Someday We Will Fly and listen to podcasts and watch videos in class. On the left

column of their page, students will write a quote or idea that stands out to them

and write their reaction or thoughts on the quote/idea in the right column. This
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journal will serve as evidence and information to recall later in the unit for writing

assessments and discussion-based activities (e.g. Socratic Seminar).

● STANDARDS:

○ [Link].9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of text and

analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it

emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective

summary of the text.

○ [Link].9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural

experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States,

drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

○ [Link]-Literacy.W.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time

for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a

day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

● RUBRIC: Students will provide/show their journals to the teacher for a weekly journal

check. Teacher will read one page from the journal with the page to be chosen by the

student.

3 2 1

Student has included direct Student has included Student has written some
quotes or ideas, provided quotes or ideas and at least ideas and at least one
citations, and written at 3 or 2 sentences of response for sentence in response to
more sentences in response each quote or idea. those ideas.
to each quote/idea.
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UNIT CALENDAR

Week MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Writing Warm-Up Writing Warm-Up -Writing Warm-Up Independent Double-Column

Reading Journal Log Check
Introduction to the -”Voices on -Jigsaw Activity:
Holocaust Antisemitism” podcast Students will be Finish Jigsaw Chapter Checkpoint -
1 ”Why the Jews: and questions that divided into six Activity and Be at Chapter 3 by
History of explore the difference groups to read about Presentations this Friday. We will
Antisemitism” video between belief, fact, antisemitism in the be reading a chapter
and questions about and opinion. eras from Christ’s together in a Think-
origins of crucifixion to today Aloud style reading.
antisemitism and how and present their
it has changed over findings to the class.
time.

“Shanghai Ghetto” “Shanghai Ghetto” Reading Holocaust survivor Double-Column

documentary (first documentary (second Comprehension Quiz video Journal Log Check
half): half)
Finish watching Intro to Personal Chapter Checkpoint -
Students will take “Shanghai Ghetto” Experience Be at Chapter 10 by
notes as they watch Interview + this Friday. We will
the movie. They will Groups and class Presentation be reading a chapter
be provided with a discussion about Project: Students together in a Think-
worksheet to fill in the “Shanghai Ghetto” will choose an Aloud style reading.
blanks. adult (family,
friend, teacher, etc)
to interview about
2 an experience with
prejudice/bias/racis
m or a difficult
situation where
they needed/found
hope

Project planning:
-Who to interview
-Prep interview
questions

Poem Analysis: Class Creations: Independent Reading Personal Double-Column

Poetry Edition Experience Journal Log Check
“Keep Going” by Writing Assessment: Presentations:
Edgar Guest Students will get Students will write a Students will Chapter Checkpoint
together in groups and postcard or letter present their -, Be done with the
“I Wake With create 1 stanza of a from the perspective findings from their book by this Friday.
3 Wonder” NPR poem. They will then of a character from interviews with the We will be reading
Community Poem combine each stanza Someday We Will Fly class and going over
(Kwame Alexander - together as a class and to another family Chapter 18 in a
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head poet) have created a member or friend Think-Aloud style

community poem. (e.g. Lillia to her reading.
Special Mention: mother).
“Never Shall I Forget”
by Elie Wiesel

“Light of Love” by Read Rachel Writing Warm-Up Tea Party Activity -Double-Column
Florence + the DeWoskin article Journal Log Check
Machine song analysis about hope and have a -Cultural Prep questions and
class discussion about Representation answers for -Socratic Seminar
Students will then find hope in the novel, the Reflection Activity: Socratic Seminar
a song with a theme of personal experiences Students will
hope and write a one- project, and other consider cultural
paragraph analysis. texts/media we have representation with
explored in the unit. guided reflection on
4 what they see in their
world and the
experiences they
notice in Someday
We Will Fly.

Prep questions and

answers for Socratic
Seminar (if time
allows)

PRE-READING

Day 1: Introduction to the Holocaust

● Part I: The teacher will do an introduction and overview of the new unit on the

Holocaust, the accompanying book Someday We Will Fly, and the major activities for the

unit such as double-column journals, jigsaw activities, poem and song analyses, and

assessments. The teacher will then have the students spend five minutes doing a quick

write answering the prompt: “What do you know about the Holocaust? What do you want

to learn about it?” Students will then move into pairs and discuss/share their answers with

one another before volunteering to share with the rest of the class. (15 minutes)

● Part II: The teacher will then show the video “Why the Jews: History of Antisemitism”

which will serve as a foundational understanding of what the Holocaust was and what led
 Ilagan and Lozano 19

to Jews being targeted with prejudice and discrimination. Students will also be provided

with a transcript of the video to recall during their comprehension questions. (15 minutes)

● Part III: The students will take out their Chromebooks and open Padlet to answer each

of the following questions: 1) What are the historical origins of antisemitism? 2) How has

antisemitism changed throughout history? 3) How have facts been ignored, misconstrued,

or distorted to justify antisemitic beliefs? 4) When have political or religious leaders

promoted antisemitic ideas? What was the purpose? Each student will place a “sticky

note” under each question on the Padlet wall. Students will work independently on these

questions. (15 minutes)

● Part IV: After 15 minutes of working on the questions independently, students will be

allowed to turn to their partners again to discuss their answers and/or collaborate on

questions they need help with. (15 minutes)

Day 2: Defining and Differentiating Beliefs, Opinions, and Facts

● Part I: The teacher will begin the class by presenting the writing warm-up prompt of the

day: “What did you learn from yesterday’s lesson?”. The prompt follows the questions
 Ilagan and Lozano 20

from the previous day and a completion of a deconstructed KWL. The students will

spend about 5 minutes answering the prompt and then volunteering to share their answers

with the class. (10 minutes)

● Part II: The teacher will then introduce the Word Wall that will include definitions and

examples of belief, opinion, and fact. Students will take notes of the definitions and

examples. (10 minutes).

● Part III: The teacher will then play the “Voices on Anti-Semitism” podcast. The students

will listen to the podcast and answer the following questions: How do social conditions

encourage and allow lies to spread? How does that relate to belief, opinion, and fact?

Students will be provided with a transcript to refer back to while answering the questions.

(20 minutes)

● Part IV: The teacher will then have the students consider current instances of belief,

opinion, and fact that they see in media, text, news, and etcetera. Students will spend

about 10 minutes to process and write down the examples they come up with. Then,

students will open Padlet on their Chromebooks and list their examples of belief, opinion,

and fact. (20 minutes)

Day 3-4: Jigsaw - History of Antisemitism

● Part I: On day 3, the teacher will begin class by presenting the writing warm-up prompt

for the day: “Do you think antisemitism still exists today? If so, name an example of

antisemitism that you know about.” Students will spend about 5 minutes writing their

responses to the prompt and another five minutes volunteering to discuss and share their

thoughts with the class. This prompt is intended to segue into learning about the history

of antisemitism and what it looks like today. (10 minutes)

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● Part II: The teacher will then have the students separate into six groups of 5. Each group

will be assigned an era to read about and present findings to the class. The teacher will

pass out the articles for each group. The students will spend about 20 minutes reading

their articles independently. (20 minutes).

● Part III: After students are done reading their articles, each group will work together to

answer the following questions: 1) Which time period did you read about? 2) What were

the beliefs or stereotypes people had about Jews during this time period? 3) How were

Jews persecuted and discriminated against in this time period? 4) What are some ways (if

any) that Jews were able to rise above the persecution in this time period? 5) Why do you

think Jews were persecuted in this time period? Students will be allowed to record their

findings on PowerPoint, butcher paper, or any other outlet. (30 minutes).

● Part IV: On day 4, the class each group will finish up their findings and present them to

the rest of the class. Each group will have about 5 minutes to share what they discovered

from their readings and their answers to the questions from day 3. As each group shares,

the other five groups will jot down notes into their double-column journals. (40 minutes)

● Part V: During the last five minutes of class, each student will write an exit ticket

answering the following question: What is one thing you learned from one of the other

groups that presented? (5 minutes)

DURING READING

Day 3-28: Double-Column Journal Entries

● The teacher will provide each student with a composition notebook. Students will be

completing double-column journal entries in the composition notebooks during the

duration of reading Someday We Will Fly. Students will be writing in the journal daily
 Ilagan and Lozano 22

while they read, listen to podcasts, and watch videos in class. On the left column,

students will write a quote or idea that stands out to them and write their reaction or

thoughts on the quote/idea in the right column. This journal will serve as evidence and

information to recall later in the unit for writing assessments and discussion-based

activities (e.g. Socratic Seminar). Students will provide/show their journals to the teacher

for a weekly journal check. Teacher will read one page from the journal with the page to

be chosen by the student.

Day 9-14 - Personal Experience Interviews and Presentations

● Part I: On day 9, the teacher will introduce the personal experience project to the class.

In order to introduce the idea of interview about personal experiences, the teacher will

begin the class by showing a Holocaust survivor’s video. The teacher will ask the

students to volunteer to share what stood out to them from the video. (10 minutes)

● Part II: To connect with our essential question, "To what extent can hope motivate you

under critical circumstances?", the teacher will introduce the project where students will

choose an adult (family member, friend, teacher, etc.) to interview about an experience

with prejudice/bias/racism or a difficult situation where they needed/found hope.

Students will have an opportunity to ask any clarifying questions. (10 minutes)

● Part III: On day 9, students will spend the rest of the period after the introduction

planning for the project. They will be asked to have an idea in mind of who they want to

interview by the end of the period. They will also be asked to prepare questions for the

interview. Aside from the main questions of asking about their difficult experience and

how they needed/found hope, they can also ask questions about how they perceived the
 Ilagan and Lozano 23

situation and what they might have done differently if they went through it again. (40

minutes)

● Part IV: Interviewing - From day 9 through day 13, students will have to find a family

member, friend, teacher, etc. (any adult) to interview about an experience with

prejudice/bias/racism or a difficult situation where they needed/found hope. Questions

can vary as stated in Part III.

● Part V: On day 14, students will be asked to present their findings to the class. They

should create a PowerPoint slideshow to showcase their interviewee’s experience,

describing the experience they went through, and how they found hope in the situation.

Bonus points will be given if they connect it to Someday We Will Fly in some way. (60

minutes)

Day 6-8: “Shanghai Ghetto” documentary

● Part I: On day 6, the teacher will show the first half of the documentary. The

documentary will serve to supplement the student’s knowledge of the Holocaust with

further information about the Jewish refuge in Shanghai, which is the setting of the novel

Someday We Will Fly. As students watch the documentary, they will fill in the blanks in a

packet for notes. (60 minutes)

● Part II: On day 7, the teacher will show the second half of the documentary. The

students will continue to take notes as they listen and watch the documentary. (60

minutes).

● Part III: On day 8, the teacher will show the last 15 minutes of the documentary. The

teacher will then go over the answers for the notes handout together with the class to

ensure everyone got the same answers. The teacher will facilitate a discussion with the
 Ilagan and Lozano 24

students as they go through the packet notes, answering any questions the students had,

clarifying any confusing moments from the documentary, and discussing moments the

students found interesting from the documentary. (60 minutes).

Day 11- 12: Poem Analysis & Class Creations: Poetry Edition

● Part I: Students will read "Keep Going" by Edgar Guest, & "I Wake With Wonder" a

NPR Community Poem. The teacher will hand out the printed poems and ask the students

to analyze them in pairs. They will be asked to answer the following questions: What is

the meaning of the poem? What is its message? How might we connect this message with

what we have read so far in Someday We Will Fly? Which literary elements does it use to

portray its message? Are they effective in their purpose? Analyzing these poems will lead

into the next activity where they will create a poem together as a class. "Never Shall I

Forget" by Elie Wiesel will be provided as an extra resource in case they need another

example of a poem model. (20 minutes)

● Part II: Students will be asked to work in groups to create a single stanza of a poem. All

groups will then come together to combine their stanzas in order to create a large class-

sized poem. Rules are as follows: The poem must use a minimum of 1 literary device per

stanza; whichever literary device used is up to the discretion of the group. The poem must

also portray the theme of hope, or if the students can make an argument for it, another

theme that ties into the main themes in Someday We Will Fly. The poem should also be

able to relatively flow well and not be extremely clunky, unless the students have a valid

purpose for doing so. (20 minutes)

● Part III: Students in their groups will read their stanza aloud to the class, describing

what artistic and literary choices they made when creating it - essentially, what message
 Ilagan and Lozano 25

they wanted to communicate within their stanzas. After each group has presented their

stanza, they will then choose the order of stanzas in the community poem. Once they

finish dictating the order, the teacher will read aloud the newly formatted/created poem to

the class. (20 minutes)

Day 13: Writing Assessment - Postcard/Letter Activity

● Part I: The teacher will place students into groups and have them discuss characters at

this point in the novel (Chapter 16 or 17) - how they are described, how they talk, how

they interact with other characters, their personalities, etc. (15 minutes)

● Part II: Students will then be asked to write a postcard or letter from the perspective of a

character in Someday We Will Fly to another family member or friend (e.g. Lillia to her

mother). The postcard/letter must include the following: certain historical points/events

and locations (Holocaust, Shanghai, etc), description of living conditions, and how the

characters feel regarding hope (e.g. hopeless, hopeful, etc.). By writing from the

perspective of one character to another character in the story, the student must have a

good grasp on their characterization and mannerisms inferred from reading the book. To

truly encapsulate the character from whose perspective they are writing is to truly

understand that character and their intentions in the novel. (45 minutes)

POST-READING

Day 16: Song Analysis

● Part I: Writing Warm-Up: The teacher will begin the day by asking the students to write

down what are elements that songs entail and asking if there are any songs that they find

hope or comfort in. Students will spend about 5 minutes writing their responses and

volunteer to share with the rest of the class. (10 minutes)

 Ilagan and Lozano 26

● Part II: The teacher will play and have the student listen to "Light of Love" by Florence

+ the Machine, and follow along with the song lyrics on a printed sheet the teacher will

provide. They will then be asked to analyze the song and how it connects to the hopeful

message of Someday We Will Fly. (25 minutes)

● Part III: After writing a one paragraph analysis, students will then be asked to identify a

song of their choosing with a hopeful message and write one paragraph about why they

find the song hopeful and how they connect it with the message in Someday We Will Fly.

(25 minutes)

Day 17: Rachel DeWoskin article

● Part I: The teacher will present the writing warm-up prompt for the day: “When faced

with difficult circumstances, what kind of hope do you hold onto to keep going?” This

question is intended to be a launch point into the article the students will read later by the

author of Someday We Will Fly. Students will spend about 5 minutes writing their

responses. They will then turn to their elbow partners and share their responses with each

other. Finally, students will volunteer to share with the rest of the class. (15 minutes)

● Part II: The teacher will pass out the article to the students. Students will have about 20

minutes to read the article. The article is an essay by Rachel DeWoskin, the author of

Someday We Will Fly. As students read, they will be asked to annotate and highlight

instances where DeWoskin notes that Jewish refugees and the book’s characters held

onto [Link] teacher will facilitate a whole class discussion by asking the students will

note to instances of hope that they found within the article. Students will volunteer to

share with the class (30 minutes).

 Ilagan and Lozano 27

● Part III: The teacher will then refer back to the essential question for the unit, “To what

extent can hope motivate you under critical circumstances?” and ask how they observed

hope to motivate characters in the novel, the personal experience project, “Shanghai

Ghetto” documentary, or other activities from the unit. Students will take about 10

minutes to write down where they have seen hope, or lack thereof, in all of the activities

from the unit. Students will then spend the last 5 minutes writing an exit ticket that notes

one instance where they have observed hope from the unit and how it motivated the

character or person from the instance they chose. (15 minutes)

Day 18: Cultural Representation Reflection activity

● Part I: The teacher will begin the class with a writing warm-up prompt: “Name a time

when you felt like your identities were represented in a book, show, movie, and etcetera.

How did that make you feel?” Students will spend about 5 minutes to write their

responses and will share their answers with their peers. They will then volunteer to share

their answers with the rest of the class. (15 minutes)

● Part II: The teacher will present the students with the Cultural Representation Reflection

activity. The purpose of this activity is to have students consider cultural representation

with guided reflection on what they see in their world and the experiences they noticed in

Someday We Will Fly. Power, privilege, and bias are among the themes that are

examined. The teacher will pass out the activity worksheet and have the students work

independently on the following questions: 1) Consider the setting in the text: for example,

neighborhood, community, home, climate, and era. What do you see in the book? What

do you see in your own world? Pause and reflect on similarities. 2) Identify the times that

you considered any of these identities or experiences (Race, Immigration, Ethnicity,

 Ilagan and Lozano 28

Religion, Language, Gender, Age, LGBTQIA+, Ability, Class, Refugee) when reading

the book. Please elaborate and provide evidence from the text. 3) Identify the times that

any of these identities or experiences prompted you to consider privilege, power, and/or

bias when reading the book. Please elaborate and provide evidence from the text. 4) As

you consider the text and your responses above, please elaborate on your awareness of

cultural representation. Where appropriate, include examples from the book or in your

own world when you notice celebrations, inequities, or lived experiences. (25 minutes)

● Part III: The teacher will then ask one student to volunteer to share one answer from the

worksheet (4 students total). Other students will be allowed to respond to the student’s

responses. The teacher will remind the whole class to be respectful while listening and

use respectful language when responding to the student sharing, especially because this

activity revolves around identities. (20 minutes)

Day 19: Tea Party & Socratic Seminar Prep

● Part I: The teacher will present the students with the activity for the day - the Tea Party

game. The teacher will explain the rules of the activity, noting that each student will

receive a name tag that will be placed on their backs with the name of a character from

Someday We Will Fly. As Student A mingles and talks to other students, their peers will

talk with them as if Student A is that character from the book. They will have to use

details from the book to give hints to Student A of who they might be without explicitly

telling them who they are and vice versa with Student B. It is the job of each student to

figure out which character they are. Once they have figured out their character, they will

be given another name tag for a different character or person discussed from the unit or
 Ilagan and Lozano 29

book. The teacher will observe the conversations and interactions and students will be

graded according to whether they are participating in the activity or not. (15 minutes)

● Part II: After the Tea Party, the teacher will have students head back to their desks and

hand out questions for the Socratic Seminar taking place on Friday. The purpose of the

seminar is to have students take charge and lead a discussion where they can justify their

ideas and also learn from their peers. This activity will require engaging in academic

discourse and using active speaking and listening skills. The teacher will then explain the

purpose and expectations for the Socratic Seminar and go over each question they are

expected to discuss during the seminar. It is possible that not every question will be

discussed, but they will be expected to answer every question in the handout just in case.

The teacher will also have two students to volunteer as seminar facilitators; these students

will be in charge of facilitating the discussion, keeping track of time, and inviting more

reserved/quiet students into the discussion. (20 minutes)

● Part III: Students will spend the rest of the period answering the questions in order to

prepare for the Socratic Seminar. Questions that are not finished in class will be

homework. The handouts will be due at the conclusion of the Socratic Seminar. The

questions are as follows: 1) What is the history surrounding the events in Someday We

Will Fly? 2) When do we see hope mentioned in the novel? At what points (the

beginning, middle, end, etc.)? 3) What is Lillia's experience in Shanghai at the beginning

of the novel versus the end of the novel? 4) Do we see any big characterization changes

in the main characters? How have they changed and how does it affect the story being

told? 5) Discuss the main themes of the novel, what you think they are, and make an

argument for them. How are we introduced to the main themes of the novel? Are we
 Ilagan and Lozano 30

shown or told about the main themes? 6) How do the characters find hope in their

struggles? Name some examples of this. 7) To what extent does hope motivate the

characters under the circumstances of the Holocaust in the novel? 8) Can you find any

symbols of hope in the novel? Discuss what they represent and why. 9) How does the

setting affect the story? Why does the setting of Shanghai play such an important role in

the novel? 10) Over the course of the novel, what have you learned about the experience

of refugees in Shanghai and the type of life they lived? How would you compare it to

your current knowledge of the Jewish refugee experience in other places? (30 minutes)

Day 20: Socratic Seminar (60 minutes)

● Part I: The teacher will arrange the classroom to have the desks form two circles - 15 in

the inner circle and 15 in the outer circle (or however the class needs to be equally

divided). The teacher will determine and note where each student will be sitting by

placing their names on a sticky note on the desks. Students will be given a handout with

the name of another student they will be keeping accountable for participation - students

in the outer circle will keep track of how many times their partner in the inner circle

responds to another student, asks a question, and mentions evidence from the novel;

students in the inner circle will do the same for their partners after the circle switch

halfway through the class period.

● Part II: The facilitator will begin by asking any question from the handout of questions

and allow students in the inner circle to respond and continue the discussion. The

facilitator will also keep track of time, making sure each topic or question is not

discussed for more than 6 minutes. The teacher will take note of who is participating,
 Ilagan and Lozano 31

what they are saying, the depth of their contributions/discussions, and monitoring if

students need help during the discussion. They will discuss for ~ 30 minutes.

● Part III: Halfway through the period, the two circles will switch spots and the process

will repeat with the new inner circle. At the end of the period, the students will submit the

handouts with the responses they prepared for Socratic Seminar questions.