Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 48873
Analyzing Night by Elie Wiesel Using a Socratic Seminar
This lesson uses a Socratic Seminar to deepen students' understanding of the text Night by Elie Wiesel. Students will use textual evidence during the
discussion and in writing an objective summation of the memoir.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 9, 10
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter,
Internet Connection, Microsoft Office, Computer Media
Player
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s)
Resource supports reading in content area: Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: Socratic Seminar, Night, Elie Wiesel
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
Rubric Summative Assessment Night.pdf
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Using Elie Wiesel's Night, students will be able to:
Participate in a collaborative academic discussion
Use textual evidence and details to justify responses both orally and in writing (applying grade-level expectations in organization, style, and conventions)
Think critically about text, determining a central idea and analyzing its development throughout the text
Provide an objective summation of text
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should have previous exposure to the memoir, Night by Elie Wiesel.
Students should have historical background knowledge of the Holocaust.
Students should know grade-level expectations for informational writing and use of conventions.
Students should know how to cite evidence in their writing.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
What is the significance of the Holocaust and why is it important?
How did events perpetuating genocide and slavery affect those who experienced this type of violence?
What basic human rights do we have as American citizens? If you were only allowed to maintain one of those rights, which one would you keep?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Media
Have students watch the SchoolTube Video of Oprah's 2006 interview with Elie Wiesel during a visit to Auschwitz. Link to video: http://bit.ly/nIl3nx
page 1 of 4 Alternatively, the teacher could share a slide show of images from the Oprah and Elie Wiesel interview at Auschwitz. Link to the slide show:
http://www.oprah.com/world/Inside-Auschwitz/1
Socratic Seminar Instructions
Introduce the concept of a Socratic Seminar and its purpose and rules to students. Socratic Seminars are designed to help students achieve a deeper understanding
about the ideas presented within the text. In the Socratic Seminar, students are presented with open-ended discussion questions. While responding to these questions
in a group setting, the issues and principles related to the topic are articulated using different points-of-view. Use this Link to learn guidelines for the basic elements of
conducting a Socratic Seminar - http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/socratic-seminars-30600.html
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Student Collaboration
Students will prepare for the Socratic Seminar by analyzing the discussion topics. Pair or place students into small groups. Provide students with the following Socratic
Seminar discussion topics. Have groups work collaboratively to examine the discussion topics and cite specific textual evidence in response to each topic area.
Socratic Seminar Questions for Night by Elie Wiesel:
1. What is the significance of the title of this memoir?
2. Human rights of Jews were violated during the Holocaust. Describe which human rights you feel were violated in the memoir using textual evidence and examples.
3. What is the "world's" responsibility in matters of inhumane treatment of others?
4. Why were most of the women and children immediately killed when taken to the concentration camps?
5. Early in the memoir, after Moishe the Beadle escapes his execution, no one believes what he says happened. Even after the Germans arrive in Sighet and move all
the Jews into ghettos, most thought they would only stay until the end of the war. Why did the townspeople have such widespread denial of what was to come,
even though they had evidence?
6. Could the Holocaust have been avoided? If so, how?
Practice and Apply
Completing the Socratic Seminar:
Each student will be expected to participate and share their responses. (Be sure to review the norms and requirements of roles and expectations.)
Pose the key question and ask students to relate their statements to particular passages within the text.
At the end of the Socratic Seminar, the teacher may want to share his/her own point of view and experiences to the discussion questions.
*Discussions during the Socratic Seminar will help to assess the student understanding of the learning objectives.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
The Objective Summation essay prompt (please see Summative Assessment section) will be completed during the Independent Practice component of this lesson.
Using textual evidence from Night, students will write a one-page objective summation.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Reflection:
Have students reflect on how this memoir relates to another similar text studied during the school year. As an example, students may compare Night by Elie Wiesel
with Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatusuki Houston.
Summative Assessment
Objective Summation
Using textual evidence from Night by Elie Wiesel, have students write a one-page objective summation of the following:
Writing Prompt: How does Eliezer's faith in God change throughout Night? Cite 3 specific examples of how he begins to doubt his faith.
*Use the Rubric to measure student understanding and grade-level writing expectations.
Formative Assessment
Journal Prompt
Have students journal in a one-paragraph format to respond to the following question:
What is the primary lesson that Elie Wiesel teaches us in Night?
Although answers may vary, students should demonstrate a connection with the memoir in that it teaches us (from a historical viewpoint) to not allow this type of
treatment toward humans to be repeated.
Feedback to Students
During the Socratic Seminar, provide feedback and use specific questions to move the discussion along. Also, encourage students to apply their personal experiences
to the questions being presented.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
page 2 of 4 Comprehension Support:
Students will discuss ideas and thoughts in a group setting.
Concept Support:
Students will exposed to information pertaining to the Holocaust through class discussions and media clip(s).
Extensions:
Elaboration:
Many characters in Night are transformed into brutal savages due to the inhumane treatment they personally experience. Why do you think this happened? Explain and
support your views with quotes and examples which occur in the memoir.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, Microsoft Office, Computer Media Player
Special Materials Needed:
Memoir - Night by Elie Wiesel
Further Recommendations:
This lesson may be used to assess student understanding and comprehension of the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel.
Night, by Elie Wiesel, has a quantitative measure of 590L which falls below the standards 9-10 grade band (1050L - 1335L). However, quantitative measures are only
one piece of information regarding text complexity and when qualitative measures and reader and task considerations are taken into account, the text appears to be
appropriate for the ninth grade classroom.
It's also important to note that an excerpt from Mr. Wiesel's 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech is considered a text exemplar for the 9-10 grade band. The
full text of that speech can be accessed from: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1986/wiesel-lecture.html
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
Night, by Elie Wiesel, has a quantitative measure of 590L which falls below the standards 9-10 grade band (1050L - 1335L). However, quantitative measures are only one
piece of information regarding text complexity and when qualitative measures and reader and task considerations are taken into account, the text appears to be appropriate
for the ninth grade classroom.
This lesson addressed subparts b and e of standard LAFS.910.W.1.2.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Tanya Thompson
Name of Author/Source: Michael Lingenfelter
District/Organization of Contributor(s): FSU Lab School
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.910.RI.1.1:
LAFS.910.RI.1.2:
LAFS.910.SL.1.1:
Description
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze 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.
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
and persuasively.
a. 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, wellreasoned exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on
key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or
larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
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.
page 3 of 4 LAFS.910.W.1.2:
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and
distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations,
or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented
(e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
page 4 of 4