The Diary of Anne Frank
Time Required: 2-3 class periods
Suggested Grade Level: 8
Arkansas Standards of Learning – Social Studies
E.7.8.3 – Analyze various periods of time when scarcity affected economic wants and needs of
people in various regions or countries
E.7.8.4 – Explain the reasons governments and societies experience scarcity
E.7.8.5 – Analyze the scarcity of productive resources and the requirement of people to make
choices and incur opportunity costs
E.9.8.5 – Evaluate the impact of inflation on the growth and prosperity of a nation
Common Core State Standards – Reading, Literature and Writing
CCSS.ELA – Literacy.RL.8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its
relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an
objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA – Literacy.RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story
or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or
provoke a decision.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.7: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story
or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script,
evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
CCSS.ELA – Literacy.W.8.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and
relevant evidence
CCSS.ELA – Literacy.W.8.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection,
organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis
of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text.
Economic Concepts:
Capital resources – goods used to make other goods and services
Human resources – knowledge and skills possessed by workers and used in production
Inflation – rise in the general level of prices; an economic period where prices are rising and
purchasing power is decreasing
Natural resources – resources that occur naturally in the environment
Opportunity costs – next best alternative foregone when a choice is made
Ration – a fixed allowance of provisions during a shortage (i.e. daily ration of bread)
Scarcity – result of an inability to satisfy unlimited wants with limited resources
Shortage – a lack in the amount needed, expected or due
Trade-offs – a choice that involves giving up some of one thing to have more of another
Activity 1: The Economy of the Annex
How do Anne and the other residents of the secret annex allocate their limited resources (both
tangible and intangible)? Please explain.
Activity 2: Reduced Purchasing Power
Anne comments several times throughout her diary that the price of various goods and services
continue to rise as the war continues.
(1) How did this create a hardship for the residents in the secret annex? _________________
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(2) Why would one expect to observe inflation during a time of war? ___________________
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Activity 3: Individual Contributions (Group Activity)
Separate the class into various groups of 3-5 students. Each group is assigned a character and
must identify that character’s contribution to the economic system.
The Frank Family:
Anne
Margot
Edith
Otto
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The Van Daan Family:
Peter
Hermann
Auguste
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Activity 4: Wartime Economy
During times of war, many resources are scarce. This scarcity forces people to ration certain
items. Research this topic using resources from your school library as well as the internet. List
some specific resources affected during World War II and explain how society dealt with this.
Activity 5: Writing Assignment
Watch The Diary of Anne Frank on video. Does the video portrayal of the secret annex and its
inhabitants differ from the one illustrated in the book? Please explain in your own words.