HW Mr. Padilla 1-13-16

Homework: Parents/guardians, please assist your child with today’s homework.

* SPRING 1944. Splendid news from the Russian Front. There could no longer be any doubt: Germany would be defeated. It was only a matter of time, months or weeks, perhaps. The trees were in bloom. It was a year like so many others, with its spring… its weddings, and its births. The people were saying, "The Red Army is advancing...Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he wants to..."

Yes, we even doubted … Annihilate an entire people? Wipe out a population …throughout so many nations? So many millions of people! By what means? In the middle of the twentieth century! And thus my elders concerned themselves with all manner of things…—but not with their own fate. Even Moishe the Beadle had fallen silent. He was weary of talking. He would drift through synagogue or through the streets, hunched over, eyes cast down, avoiding people's gaze. In those days it was still possible to buy emigration certificates to Palestine. I had asked my father to sell everything,…and to leave. "I am too old, my son," he answered. "Too old to start a new life. Too old to start from scratch in some distant land ... "

Task:

1.    What news did the people of Sighet receive?

2.    How did these news make them feel? How do you know? (give evidence.

Part 2: Discuss some of the world events that worried the people of Sighet with some of the events that worry people today. Who had it better or worse?

** SPRING 1944. Splendid news from the Russian Front. … Germany would be defeated. It was only a matter of time, months or weeks, perhaps. … It was a year like so many others, with its spring… its weddings, and its births. The people were saying, "The Red Army is advancing...Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he wants to..."

Yes, we even doubted … Annihilate an entire people? Wipe out a population …throughout so many nations? So many millions of people! By what means? In the middle of the twentieth century! …Even Moishe the Beadle had fallen silent. … He would drift through synagogue or through the streets, hunched over, eyes cast down, avoiding people's gaze. In those days it was still possible to buy emigration certificates to Palestine. I had asked my father to sell everything… and to leave. "I am too old, my son," he answered. "Too old to start a new life. Too old to start from scratch in some distant land ... "

Task:

1.    What news did the people of Sighet receive?

2.    How did these news make them feel? How do you know? (give evidence.

3.    What idea did Eliezer give his father? How did his father respond?

Long response: What are some of the world events today that worry people?  How do you think watching the news can help you be prepared?

*** SPRING 1944. Splendid news from the Russian Front. … Germany would be defeated. It was only a matter of time, months or weeks, perhaps. … It was a year like so many others, with its spring… its weddings, and its births. The people were saying, "The Red Army is advancing...Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he wants to..."

Yes, we even doubted … Annihilate an entire people? Wipe out a population?... So many millions of people! By what means?…Even Moishe the Beadle had fallen silent. … He would drift through synagogue or through the streets… eyes cast down, avoiding people's gaze. In those days it was still possible to buy emigration certificates to Palestine. I had asked my father to sell everything… and to leave. "I am too old, my son," he answered. "Too old to start a new life. Too old to start from scratch in some distant land ... "

Task:

1.    1. What news did the people of Sighet receive?

2.    How did these news make them feel? How do you know? (give evidence.

3.    What idea did Eliezer give his father? How did his father respond?

Parent signature______________________________________

HW Mr. Padilla 1-12-16

Homework: Parents/guardians, please assist your child with today’s homework.

*We stood. We were counted. We sat down. We got up again.

Over and over. We waited impatiently to be taken away. What were they waiting for? Finally, the order came:

"Forward! March!"

My father was crying. It was the first time I saw him cry. I had never thought it possible. As for my mother, she was walking, her face a mask, without a word, deep in thought. I looked at my little sister, Tzipora, her blond hair neatly combed, her red coat over her arm: a little girl of seven. On her back a bag too heavy for her. She was clenching her teeth; she already knew it was useless to complain. Here and there, the police were lashing out with their clubs: "Faster!" I had no strength left. The journey had just begun and I already felt so weak...

"Faster! Faster! Move, you lazy good-for-nothings!" the Hungarian police were screaming.

That was when I began to hate them, and my hatred remains our only link today. They were our first oppressors. They were the first faces of hell and death.

They ordered us to run. We began to run. Who would have thought that we were so strong? From behind their windows... our fellow citizens watched as we passed.

** We stood. We were counted. We sat down. We got up again.

Over and over. We waited … to be taken away. … Finally, the order came:

"Forward! March!"

My father was crying. It was the first time I saw him cry. I had never thought it possible. As for my mother, she was walking, her face a mask, without a word, deep in thought. I looked at my little sister… her blond hair neatly combed…a little girl of seven. On her back a bag too heavy for her. She was clenching her teeth; she already knew it was useless to complain. Here and there, the police were lashing out with their clubs: "Faster!" I had no strength left. The journey had just begun and I already felt so weak...

"Faster! Faster! Move, you lazy good-for-nothings!" the Hungarian police were screaming.

That was when I began to hate them, and my hatred remains our only link today. They were our first oppressors. They were the first faces of hell and death.

They ordered us to run. We began to run. Who would have thought that we were so strong? …

*** We stood. We were counted. We sat down. We got up again.

Over and over. We waited … to be taken away. … Finally, the order came:

"Forward! March!"

My father was crying. It was the first time I saw him cry. I had never thought it possible. As for my mother, she was walking, her face a mask… I looked at my little sister… her blond hair neatly combed…a little girl of seven. On her back a bag too heavy for her. She was clenching her teeth; she already knew it was useless to complain. Here and there, the police were lashing out with their clubs: "Faster!" I had no strength left. The journey had just begun and I already felt so weak...

"Faster! Faster! Move, you lazy good-for-nothings!" the Hungarian police were screaming.

That was when I began to hate them, and my hatred remains our only link today. They were our first oppressors. They were the first faces of hell and death…Who would have thought that we were so strong? …

Option 1:  Today we compared this experience that Eliezer describes to that of the American Indians that were forced to walk from east of the Mississippi to Oklahoma in what id known as the Trail of Tears.

Write a paragraph in which you compare Eliezer’s journey to that of the American Indians.  To make your task easier, use the five W’s and/or a T-chart.

Option 2: Create a drawing in which you capture the details that Eliezer describes in this passage.  To make your task easier, focus on the characters that Eliezer mentions in the reading and pay attention to how he describes them and what they are doing.

Option 3: Answer the following questions:

1. What were Eliezer and his family doing before the order came?

2. What does Eliezer say about his father?

3. What does he say about his mother and sister?

4. How does he feel about the Hungarian police? 

HW Mr. Padilla 1-11-16

Homework: Parents/guardians, please assit your child with today’s homework.  

Today we learned about how sometimes the bad things that happen in the world help bring humans closer to each other.  We read an article called Quilt of a Country and discussed how the events of 9/11 changed the world, very much how WWII changed the world.

* Tolerance is the word used …when …coexistence succeeds, but tolerance is a vanilla-pudding word, standing for …letting others live unremarked and unmolested.

…But patriotism is partly taking pride in this … ability to throw all of us together in a country that …is as different as a dozen countries…

When photographs of the faces of all those who died in the World Trade Center destruction are assembled in one place, it will be possible to trace in the skin color, the shape of the eyes and the noses, …a map of the world.

These are the representatives of a mongrel nation that …, at times like this, has one spirit.

Like many improbable ideas, when it actually works, it's a wonder.

** Tolerance is the word used …when …coexistence succeeds, but tolerance is a vanilla-pudding word, standing for …letting others live … unmolested.

…But patriotism is …taking pride in this … ability to throw all of us together in a country that …is as different as a dozen countries…

When photographs of the faces of all those who died in the World Trade Center … are assembled in one place, it will be possible to trace in the skin color, the shape of the eyes and the noses, …a map of the world.

These are the representatives of a… nation that …, at times like this, has one spirit.

Like many improbable ideas, when it actually works, it's a wonder.

*** Tolerance is the word used …when …coexistence succeeds, but tolerance is a vanilla-pudding word, standing for …letting others live … unmolested.

…But patriotism is …taking pride in this … ability to throw all of us together in a country that …is as different as a dozen countries…

When photographs of the faces of all those who died in the World Trade Center … are assembled in one place, it will be possible to trace in the skin color, the shape of the eyes and the noses, …a map of the world.

… a… nation that …, like this, has one spirit.

Like many … ideas, when it actually works, it's a wonder.

Option 1: Base response on today’s lesson and reading.

Today we learned about tolerance. Do you believe tolerance is enough to help solve the problems of the world? Or do we need to do more than just “tolerating” others to make the world a better place?  

Write a paragraph discussing your view.

Option 2:  Compare and contrast 9/11 and WWII. What did these 2 events have in common and how were they different. You may use a Venn Diagram to organize your thoughts.

Option 3: Base responses on today’s reading and what you remember from today’s lesson.

1.     What does patriotism mean?

2.     What is possible when a photograph of all the faces of those who died during 9/11 are assembled in one place?

Parent signature_______________________________________________

HW Mr. Padilla 1-8-16

Homework: Parents/guardians, please assist your child with today’s homework.

*The next day brought really disquieting news: German troops had penetrated Hungarian territory…Finally, people began to worry….One of my friends, Moishe Chaim Berkowitz, returned … and told us, "The Jews of Budapest live in fear…and terror. Anti-Semitic acts take place every day, in the streets, on the trains. The Fascists attack Jewish stores, synagogues. The situation is becoming very s e r i o u s ... "

...In less than three days, German Army vehicles made their appearance on our streets.

ANGUISH. German soldiers—with their steel helmets and their death's-head emblem. Still, our first impressions of the Germans were         rather reassuring. The officers         were         placed in         private homes, even in Jewish homes. Their attitude toward their hosts was distant but polite… A German officer lodged in the Kahns' house across the street from us. We were told he was a charming man, calm, likable, and polite. Three days after he moved in, he brought Mrs. Kahn a box of chocolates. The optimists were jubilant: "Well? What did we tell you? You wouldn't believe us. There they are, your Germans. What do you say now? Where is their famous cruelty?"

The Germans were already in our town…the verdict was already out—and the Jews of Sighet were still smiling.

**The next day brought really disquieting news: German troops had penetrated Hungarian territory…people began to worry….One of my friends, Moishe Chaim Berkowitz, returned … and told us, "The Jews of Budapest live in fear…and terror. Anti-Semitic acts take place every day, in the streets, on the trains. The Fascists attack Jewish stores, synagogues. The situation is becoming very s e r i o u s ... "

...In less than three days, German Army vehicles made their appearance on our streets.

…The officers         were         placed in         private homes, even in Jewish homes. Their attitude toward their hosts was … polite… A German officer lodged in the Kahns' house across the street from us. We were told he was … calm, likable, and polite. Three days after he moved in, he brought Mrs. Kahn a box of chocolates. The optimists were jubilant: "Well? What did we tell you? You wouldn't believe us. There they are, your Germans. What do you say now? Where is their famous cruelty?"

The Germans were already in our town…the verdict was already out—and the Jews of Sighet were still smiling.

*** The next day … German troops had penetrated Hungarian territory…people began to worry….The situation is becoming very serious ... "

...In less than three days, German Army vehicles made their appearance on our streets.

…The officers         were         placed in         private homes, even in Jewish homes. Their attitude toward their hosts was … polite… A German officer lodged in the Kahns' house across the street from us. We were told he was … calm, likable, and polite. Three days after he … brought Mrs. Kahn a box of chocolates. The optimists were jubilant: "Well? What did we tell you? You wouldn't believe us. There they are, your Germans. What do you say now? Where is their famous cruelty?"

The Germans were already in our town…—and the Jews of Sighet were still smiling.

Option 1: Yesterday we learned about Moishe the Beadle. No one in Sighet believed anything Moishe said he saw. Now there are more news about what is happening and still no one believes.

Task:

1.    Give examples of all the clues (or warnings) that should have warned people. 

2.    Why do you think people do not pay attention to the warnings? Give examples from the text.

Option 2:  Write a 2-3 sentence summary of this passage.

Define the terms: anti-Semitic  and fascist.

Option 3:  Answer the following questions. Make sure to use examples from the text to make your answer stronger.

1.    Why were people beginning to worry?

2.    Where were the German officers placed? How di they treat their hosts?

3.    Why were the people of Sighet suddenly jubilant?

Parent Signature___________________________________________

HW Mr. Padilla 1-7-16

Homework: Parents/guardians, please assist your child with today’s homework.

*THEY CALLED HIM Moishe the Beadle… He was the jack-of- all-trades … The Jews of Sighet—the little town in Transylvania …were fond of him. He was poor …As a rule, our townspeople, while they did help the needy, did not particularly like them. Moishe the Beadle was the exception. He stayed out of people's way. His presence bothered no one. …

…I met him in 1941. I was almost thirteen

Day after day, night after night, he went from one Jewish house to the next, telling his story and that of Malka, the young girl who lay dying for three days, and that of Tobie, the tailor who begged to die before his sons were killed.

Moishe was not the same. The joy in his eyes was gone. He no longer sang. … He spoke only of what he had seen. But people not only refused to believe his tales, they refused to listen. Some even insinuated that … that he was imagining things. Others flatly said that he had gone mad.

As for Moishe, he wept and pleaded:

"Jews, listen to me! That's all I ask of you. No money. No pity. Just listen to me!" …

**THEY CALLED HIM Moishe the Beadle… He was the jack-of- all-trades … He was poor …He stayed out of people's way. His presence bothered no one. …

…I met him in 1941. I was almost thirteen

Day after day, night after night, he went from one Jewish house to the next, telling his story and that of Malka, the young girl who lay dying for three days, and that of Tobie, the tailor who begged to die before his sons were killed.

…Moishe was not the same. The joy in his eyes was gone. He no longer sang. … He spoke only of what he had seen. But people not only refused to believe his tales, they refused to listen. Some even insinuated that … that he was imagining things. Others flatly said that he had gone mad.

As for Moishe, he wept and pleaded:

"Jews, listen to me! That's all I ask of you. No money. No pity. Just listen to me!" …

***THEY CALLED HIM Moishe the Beadle… He was the jack-of- all-trades … He was poor …He stayed out of people's way. His presence bothered no one. …

…I met him in 1941. I was almost thirteen

Day after day, night after night, he went from one Jewish house to the next, telling his story...

…Moishe was not the same. The joy in his eyes was gone. He no longer sang. … He spoke only of what he had seen. But people not only refused to believe his tales, they refused to listen…

As for Moishe, he wept and pleaded:

"Jews, listen to me! That's all I ask of you. No money. No pity. Just listen to me!" …

Option 1:

1.    How is Moshe the Beadle described?

2.    Why was Moshe the Beadle important to Elie Wiesel?

3.    What was the public reaction to Moshe's story?

4.    What was happening in Europe at this time (what was the historic context)?

Option 2: Write a summary highlighting the main idea of the passage you just read.  Bear in mind the 5 W’s. 

Option 3:

1.    How does Eliezer describe Moshe the Beadle?

2.    When did Eliezer meet Moshe?

3.    Why was Moshe not the same?

4.    What did he talk about now? How did people react?

Parent signature______________________________________

HW Mr.Padilla 1-6-16

Homework: Parents/guardians, please assist your child with today’s homework.

Option 1:

¨The door of the car slid aside. A German officer stepped in accompanied by a Hungarian lieutenant, acting as his interpreter. "From this moment on, you are under the authority of the23German Army. Anyone who still owns gold, silver, or watches must hand them over now. Anyone who will be found to have kept any of these will be shot on the spot. Secondly, anyone who is ill should report to the hospital car. That's all.” The Hungarian lieutenant went around with a basket and retrieved the last possessions from those who chose not to go on tasting the bitterness of fear. "There are eighty of you in the car," the German officer added. "If anyone goes missing, you will all be shot, like dogs.”

¨Write a paragraph in which you respond to this question:

¨1. What do you think this line means?

¨“…retrieved the last possessions from those who chose not to go on tasting the bitterness of fear. ”

Option 2:

¨The door of the car slid aside. A German officer stepped in …. "From this moment on, you are under the authority of the 23German Army. Anyone who still owns gold, silver, or watches must hand them over now. Anyone who will be found to have kept any of these will be shot on the spot. Secondly, anyone who is ill should report to the hospital car. That's all.”

¨The … lieutenant went around with a basket and retrieved the last possessions from those who chose not to go on tasting the bitterness of fear.

¨"There are eighty of you in the car," the German officer added. "If anyone goes missing, you will all be shot, like dogs."

1. Write a 2-3 sentence summary of this paragraph. Bear in mind the five W’s.  To help you be brief, pretend you are talking to a person who does not know anything about this topic. (don’t try to be fancy, just write as you would speak).

Option 3:

¨The door of the car slid aside. A German officer stepped in …. "From this moment on, you are under the authority of the …German Army. Anyone who still owns gold, silver, or watches must hand them over now. Anyone …found to have kept any of these will be shot on the spot. …anyone who is ill should report to the hospital car. That's all.”

¨The … lieutenant went around with a basket and retrieved the last possessions from those who chose not to go on tasting the bitterness of fear.

¨"There are eighty of you in the car," the German officer added. "If anyone goes missing, you will all be shot, like dogs.”

¨1. Who stepped into the train?

¨2. What did the deportees being asked for?

¨3. What threat was made for those who hid thee valuables?

¨4. What was the final threat made?

Parent signature_____________________________________

HW Mr. Padilla 1/5/16

Homework:

Parents/guardians please assist your child with today’s homework.

—Option 1: Read this quote from night and answer the question below:

—“Man comes closer to God through the questions he asks Him, he liked to say. ..Man asks and God replies. But we don't understand His replies. We cannot understand them. …The real answers, Eliezer, you will find only within yourself.”

—Task: Do you agree with Eliezer’s father, that the answers to questions we do not understand we can only find within ourselves? Explain why or why not.

—Option 2: Today we read and discussed what happened to the Jew deportees when they arrived. You read how the gestapo treated them. Pretend your job is to draw for a newspaper and they ask you to draw something for the cover: What would you draw?  What would be the headline?

Option 3:

—The train with the deportees had crossed the Hungarian border and…had been taken over by the Gestapo. …The Jews were ordered to get off…The trucks headed toward a forest. There every- body was ordered to get out. They were forced to dig huge trenches. When they had finished their work, the men from the Gestapo began …shot their prisoners…. used as targets for the machine guns.

1.     What does deportees mean?

2.     Where were the Jews taken to?

3.     What did the Gestapo force everyone to do when they got off the train?

Parent signature________________________________

HW Mr. Padilla 1-4-16

Homework:

Parents: Please assist your child with today's homework. 

BACKGROUND SETTING INFORMATION ON NIGHT

·         Hungary was one of the last countries that Hitler conquered. Thus, the book begins in 1941. Although the beginning of the novel coincides with America’s involvement in the war, there has been persecution, legislation, and segregation throughout Eastern Europe for the past 5-6 years before the book starts.

·         Elie is being raised as a religious Jew, somewhat isolated from what was happening in the world since he is living in a small town in Hungary.

·         It is the plan of the Nazis to keep Jews and other persecuted groups like gypsies, homosexuals, differently abled, Jehovah Witnesses, and communists in the dark as to what would be their fate so that they would have less trouble controlling them.

·         Had Jews, especially young Jews, known about their fate, they would not have chosen to comply with the Nazis and would have put up greater resistance.

·         Much of the world stood by apathetically and did nothing to provide aid at this time.

Option 1:

Elie is being raised as a religious Jew, isolated from what was happening in the world since he is living in a small town in Hungary.

1.       Where does Elie live?

Fire symbolizes the Nazis power and destruction.  They destroy the Jews through fire within the crematoriums. 

2.       What does fire symbolize?

It is the plan of the Nazis to keep Jews and other persecuted groups in the dark as to what would be their fate so that they would have less trouble controlling them.

3.       Why did the Nazis want to keep Jewish people ‘in the dark’?

Option 2: Base responses on today’s lesson and readings.

1.       Where does the novel begin?

2.       Who are some main characters in the memoir Night?

3.       Why do you think Elie Weisel chose the title Night?

4.       Why is Elie isolated from the rest of the world?

5.       Why do you think keeping people uninformed (in the dark) makes them easier to control?

6.       What is one recurring motif in the novel?

Option 3: Base response on today’s lesson and background information reading.

Summarize the background information for the novel night.  Use the 5 W’s to help you organize your thoughts.  The summary should not be longer than 2-3 sentences. 

Parent signature________________________________________________