Holocaust Unit Final Project

For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.Elie Wiesel
Essential Questions: Who was responsible for the Holocaust? What is our
responsibility in preventing such atrocities from happening again? How
does the human spirit persevere in the face of inhumanity?
The terms dehumanization and inhumanity serve as main ideas in Night.
Compliance and passivity of individuals, organizations, and nations helped give
rise to the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel wrote Night as a testimony to these events, in an
effort to prevent such atrocities from occurring again. Using your understanding of
these terms, the novel, and the Holocaust, create a final project. Your project
must attempt to answer at least one of the essential questions (EQs)
above. Please choose one of the following formats:
A. Pick a quote from the novel that addresses the humanity or inhumanity
experienced in Night, and using this quote as inspiration, create a single
work of art to help us think about the meaning of these words, and the
message of the book in a new way. Then write a descriptive plaque (like in a
museum) that explains the thematic, symbolic, and visual meaning of the
work. Know that for in-class workshop days, you will need to bring your work
and art materials to class.
B. Answer EQs in an essay, 2 to 3 pages, double-spaced, in length. Be sure to
include a discussion of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel, and Night. Include at least
two pieces of evidence (quotations) from Night to support your ideas.
C. Create a multimedia presentation (Keynote, Prezi) that addresses the EQs.
The presentation must have a written or spoken component that discusses
the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel, and Night. Include at least two pieces of evidence
(quotations) from Night to support your ideas. If your presentation has a
spoken component, you must submit your script or notes. You are
responsible for knowing how to use whichever technology you choose, and
must include your sources for any images used.
You will have 3 in class work periods to work on your project, any other work
must be completed on your own time. If you use class time appropriately, you
should be able to complete your project during class. Projects will be due in class
Tuesday, April 14th. We will do a gallery walk on that day to appreciate each
others work.
Please see RUBRIC on back for how your project will be assessed.

Rubric for Final Project

Addressing the
EQs

1 Unsatisfactory
The project does not
address an essential
question.

2 Working Towards
The project addresses
an essential
question.
The project expresses a
limited view of who
was responsible for
the Holocaust.
The project may include
a discussion of

personal
responsibility
or other occurrences of
genocide in history

3 Meets
4 Exceeds
The project clearly
The project clearly
addresses an essential
addresses the
question.
essential question,
and articulates your
own essential
The project addresses
questions raised by
individual,
the unit and/or
organizational, and
addresses more than
national responsibility
one essential
in the events of the
question.
Holocaust
and addresses personal The project expresses a
nuanced view of who
responsibility in the
was responsible for
face of injustice.
the Holocaust
The project makes
connections to other
occurrences of
genocide in history.
Gives concrete
examples of how we
can take personal
responsibility in the
face of injustice.

Making
connections to
Night by Elie
Wiesel

There are no
You discuss a theme
connections made to
from the book,
Night by Elie Wiesel
but there is no
evidence from the
text

You identify and discuss You discuss Elie

an important theme
Wiesels motivations
from the book,
for writing Night,
and support it with
evidence from the
text.

and include textual

evidence to support
your ideas

Organizational
Structure

and include evidence

from the text
supporting the theme
of the book.

The project does not

restate the essential
question

The project clearly

restates the essential

question

The project clearly

The project clearly
restates the essential
restates the essential
question
question

and/or has no clear

organizational
structure.

but may wander off

topic or be confusing
to read or view.

There is no title.

The project meets some

of the criteria stated
on product

descriptor.

and addresses it in an and addresses it in a

organized, consistent
creative or cleverly
manner.
organized, consistent
manner.
The project has a title.
The project has an
original title.
The project meets most
of the criteria stated
on product descriptor. The project meets all of
the criteria stated on
product descriptor.

The project does not

meet any of the
criteria on the
product descriptor.

The project meets some

of the criteria stated
on product descriptor.

Written
Components and
Polish

There are no written

Any written
components or there
components have
is no proper
mostly proper
punctuation and
capitalization and
capitalization,
punctuation,
and many spelling and
grammatical errors.
Visual use of materials
shows no effort.

and has several

spelling and
grammatical errors.
Visual use of materials
shows little effort.

Does not use class time

Uses some class time
wisely to complete
project.
wisely to complete
project

Any written
components have
proper capitalization
and punctuation,

Any written
components have
proper capitalization
and punctuation

and few spelling and

grammatical errors.

and no spelling or
grammatical errors.

Visual use of materials Visual use of materials

demonstrates effort
is refined and
demonstrates effort
Uses most class time
Uses class time wisely
wisely to complete
project
to complete project