LESSON 23 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Escape from the Nazis
by Jane Marino
Fountas-Pinnell Level Y
Nonfiction
Selection Summary
A Swedish man named Raoul Wallenberg used innovative techniques
to save thousands of Jews from being exterminated by Nazis during
WW II. Despite abundant dangers, he traveled to Hungary and used
Sweden’s position as a neutral country to protect and ultimately save
Jews.
Number of Words: 1,620
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Nonfiction
• Events organized chronologically in seven short chapters.
• Nazis and Hitler
• Raoul Wallenberg
• Jews in Hungary
• A hero stands up to an enemy despite personal danger.
• One person’s courage can make an incredible difference.
• A difficult period in history clearly explained
• Text asks readers to consider insightful questions
• Historical information about Hitler, and Hungary and the Nazis
• A mixture of short and complex sentences
• Dashes, comma in series
• Some historical terms that might need to be explained, such as gas chambers and death
camps
• Some multisyllable words, several of them challenging such as exasperated, scornfully,
architect
• Color map, historic black and white photographs, modern color photographs with
captions
• Thirteen pages of text, easy-to-read chapter headings, sidebars
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Escape from the Nazis
by Jane Marino
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge about Nazis to visualize the selection. Build interest by
asking questions such as the following: Which countries were involved in World War II?
What do you know about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany? Read the title and author and talk
about the cover photograph. Note the seven chapter heads. Explain that this nonfiction text
tells about actual events. Jewish people’s lives were in danger after Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party
took control of Germany in 1933.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas, and nonfiction features. Help with
unfamiliar language so they can read the text successfully. Give special attention to target
vocabulary. Here are some suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that Raoul Wallenberg had inner qualities and skills that
transformed him into a hero. Suggested language: The chapter heading discusses
The Making of a Hero. What makes someone a hero?
Page 3: Review the map. Identify Germany, Sweden and Hungary. Read the second
line of the third paragraph: He listened intently to their news about awful events
there. Ask: What do you do when you listen intently? You concentrate closely and
listen with careful focus. What Raoul heard was that the Germans were acting
scornfully toward the Jews.
Page 6: The text says that when World War II started, Sweden remained neutral.
What does it mean to remain neutral? Tell students that because Wallenberg was a
Swedish citizen, he was allowed travel to and from countries that Germany occupied.
Page 9: Explain that Raoul used a creative way to impress the Nazis with fancy
passports that kept Jews safe. Raoul had no fear about confronting Nazis. He
bravely faced and challenged their authority.
Page 10: Explain that Raoul was relentless in his attempts to save Jews from the
death camps. His actions exasperated the Nazis. Since Raoul’s actions made the
Nazis furious, what type of danger might he have been in at that time?
Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to find out how Raoul
Wallenberg single-handedly saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis.
Target Vocabulary
confronting – facing something
and challenging it, p. 9
intently – to do something with
concentration, p. 3
strident – unpleasantly loud and
harsh, p. 10
contempt – disrespect and
strong dislike, p. 5
occupying – remaining in an area
and having control, p. 5
exasperated – annoyed, p. 10
scornfully – unworthy or
contemptible, p. 3
subsided – less intense or
returned to normal levels,
p. 10
implored – desperately asked,
p. 5
Grade 6
2
warily – cautiously and
watchfully, p. 12
Lesson 23: Escape from the Nazis
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Analyze/Evaluate Strategy
and to form an
opinion about the text after carefully thinking about what they have read.
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the text.
Suggested language: What did you find most interesting about the text? What more
would you like to know about World War II or the persecution of the Jews under the
Nazis?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• Raoul Wallenberg saved
thousands of Jews from being
killed.
• It is important to take a stand.
Heroes can use creative ways to
combat enemies.
• Historic photographs offer
additional insight into the text.
• The Nazis persecuted Jews in
Germany and nearby countries.
• One courageous act can result in
enormous change.
• Sweden was a neutral country
during WWII; Nazis could not
harm Jews under Swedish
protection.
• Sidebars focus on Hitler and
the Jews, and Hungary and the
Nazis.
• Events are arranged in
chronological order.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to work in partners, and choose a passage from the text to
read aloud. Suggest that they try reading a couple of pages as if they were narrating a
movie about Raoul Wallenberg.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Remind students that suffixes such as -er, -ly, -ful, and -ous,
are added to root words to change their meaning or part of speech. Examples from the
text include: planner, scornfully, dangerous, commander, and mysterious.
Grade 6
3
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Writing about Reading
Vocabulary Practice
Have students complete the Vocabulary questions on BLM 23.1.
Responding
Have students use their Reader’s Notebook to complete the vocabulary activities on page
15. Remind them to answer the Word Teaser on page 16. (Answer: implored)
Reading Nonfiction
Nonfiction Features: Maps and Photos Remind students that nonfiction has many
features to help readers find and understand important information. Two nonfiction
features in this book are maps and photos. Maps can help students grasp the big picture
about where events occur. For example, the map on page 3 shows the key countries in
this book: Germany, Hungary, and Sweden.
Photos are vital in nonfiction. Historical images support the text and fill in gaps. Have
students look again at the photo on page 11. Ask them what additional information they
can glean from the photo. (Jews who were forced to march suffered in the extreme cold
because they were ill-dressed and undernourished.) Have students explain how this
photograph adds to their comprehension of the march to the death camps.
Help students search the Internet for historical photos of Jews forced to march to death
camps. Have them pick a photograph and write a paragraph about what emotions it would
inspire in a reader if it were included in a nonfiction book.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts
• What did Raoul learn from his grandfather that helped him become a hero?
• The author probably wrote this selection to ________________________________.
• What does the word strident mean in paragraph 6 on page 10?
Grade 6
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support Check regularly on students’ oral reading to determine accuracy,
fluency, and comprehension.
Cognates The text includes many cognates. Point out the English words and their
Spanish equivalents: passport (pasaporte), medicine (medicina), and commander
(comandante).
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: When did Raoul Wallenberg
save thousands of people?
Speaker 1: Why was it fortunate that
Sweden stayed neutral in World War II?
Speaker 2: during World War II
Speaker 2: This neutrality allowed
Raoul to travel and observe how Nazis
worked.
Speaker 1: What happened to
Raoul after his meeting with the
Soviet leaders?
Speaker 1: Who was the leader of the
Nazi Party?
Speaker 2: Adolf Hitler
Speaker 1: What did Hungarian Jews
have to wear on their clothes?
Speaker 2: yellow stars
Speaker 1: What occurred after the
Nazis took over Hungary?
Speaker 2: Jews in that country were
no longer safe and were sent to death
camps.
Speaker 2: He mysteriously
disappeared, and no one knows
what really happened—perhaps
he was killed in prison because
the Soviets believed he was a
spy.
Lesson 23
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 23.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Escape from the Nazis
Target Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks in the Column Chart below with synonyms and
antonyms for the Target Vocabulary words. Then complete the Column
Chart with three of the remaining Target Vocabulary words.
Possible responses shown.
Vocabulary
subsided
implored
confronting
occupying
strident
scornfully
exasperated
Word and Definition
intently
warily
contempt
Synonyms
(same or similar
meaning as the Target
Vocabulary word)
Antonyms
(opposite meaning as
the Target Vocabulary
word)
subsided: sank down
decrease, diminish
rise, increase
warily: cautiously
carefully,
boldly, bravely
scornfully: in a way
that lacks respect
disrespectfully,
mockingly
respectfully,
slowly
3
Target Vocabulary
politely
Grade 6, Unit 5: Taking Charge of Change
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Grade 6
5
23.01_6_246260RNLEAN_Target Voca3 3
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Name
Date
Escape from the Nazis
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two
paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal
knowledge to reach new understandings.
On pages 8 and 9, the author describes how Raoul confronted the Nazis by
using his cleverness. What do you think motivated Raoul to defy the
powerful Nazi Party? Why did he do the things he did to save the Jews?
Support your writing with details from the text.
Grade 6
6
Lesson 23: Escape from the Nazis
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Lesson 23
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 23.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Escape from the Nazis
Target Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks in the Column Chart below with synonyms and
antonyms for the Target Vocabulary words. Then complete the Column
Chart with three of the remaining Target Vocabulary words.
Vocabulary
subsided
implored
confronting
occupying
strident
scornfully
exasperated
Word and Definition
intently
warily
contempt
Synonyms
(same or similar
meaning as the Target
Vocabulary word)
Antonyms
(opposite meaning as
the Target Vocabulary
word)
subsided: sank down
decrease, diminish
rise,
warily: cautiously
carefully,
boldly, bravely
scornfully: in a way
that lacks respect
disrespectfully,
mockingly
respectfully,
Grade 6
7
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Student
Lesson 23
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 23.23
Escape from the Nazis • LEVEL Y
page
Selection Text
2
Escape from the Nazis
Running Record Form
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
What makes someone a hero? Raoul Wallenberg saved
thousands of people from being killed during World War II. He
never joined an army. He never fought in a battle. Instead, he
found creative ways to stand up to a vicious enemy. He
showed his courage by caring for strangers when their lives
were in danger.
What does a hero look like? From the outside, Raoul
looked like an ordinary man. But, he had skills that helped him
to act like a hero. He was also smart, bold, brave, and hard
working.
Wallenberg was born into a wealthy family in Sweden in
1912.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/102 ×
100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 6
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414204
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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