Night/Sadako/White Light Black Rain lesson #3

Activities

Focus Activity Ideas.
1) Schindler’s List Music during Walk-in

2) Students hand in interior monologues from last night

3) Students take three pieces of colored origami for homework

4) Stand and Greet

5) Write Homework: A letter to Mr. Sasaki + 3 paper cranes! Use the back of the Sadako book for instructions

Sadako and The Thousand Cranes
1) Free response: Comments, observations, Questions

2) Connecting with the characters on a human level: If you sat down to talk with any of the characters from the story, what would you say to them? What questions would you have? What would you need them to know after having read the book?

3) The tone: How do you process the ending of the story? Is the story uplifting, depressing, etc?

4) Though the story is of course a non-fictional account of the life of a young girl who is now a national symbol in Japan, what particular elements of the story could be considered fictional? 644 cranes was 1,644 cranes. Do these changes matter?

5) How does the author make use of symbolism throughout the story? Is it effective?

6) Now that Sadako is gone, her family, especially her brother, are left to tell her story. How effective is human memory in the re-telling? Is factual accuracy the most important aspect of a “re-telling”? Explain! What is the most important thing to capture in a re-telling? Words? Emotions? Description of setting? Mr. Sasaki talked a lot about Black Rain

7) Quote: Tennessee Williams: “Memory is seated predominantly in the heart”

Main Lesson Activity Ideas.
1) Show pictures of the Peace Memorial Park and Mr. Sasaki: Emphasize the white Light/Black Rain

2) Talk about how the cranes got smaller the sicker she got

3) HOMEWORK: A message to Mr. Sasaki about the story you have read and about peace. Sign your message and put Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Make three folded cranes. Write your name on all three. Don’t GIVE UP!!!!

4) Segue into Night by Elie Wiesel

5) Play Schindler’s List music Track #3 and talk about Oscar Schindler

6) Set up for Listening Comprehension on Night: 6 sections

7) Rapid Fire Style Questioning Based on Listening Comp.

Summative Activity Ideas.
1) Hand out Night

2) Begin Reading aloud

3) Get photocopies of the glossary