“Propaganda informed him that it was only a matter of time before a plague of Jewish tailors showed up and stole his customers” (Zusak 59).

While reading Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief with my ninth-grade Honors English classes, one question continually arises: How could people let the atrocities of the Holocaust happen? In order to help students better understand the power that Adolf Hitler held over Nazi Germany, I lead them in an exploration of propaganda, beginning with a poem written by Austrian children in the 1930s. Students are horrified to see “Thoughts on the Führer” elevate Hitler to a deity with the authority to lead—and cleanse—the people. I pose two questions to students as they consider the poem: How do the young people writing this poem feel about Hitler? How do you think they were stirred to feel so strongly?

Every class begins with Poem of the Day, which quickly engages students and directs their thinking to the day’s content, but this poem particularly sparks student interest. As the lesson progresses, I show pictures of propaganda in society today and in Nazi Germany, and students analyze the emotional impact of each example. The New York Times documentary  “From North Korea, with Dread” even includes an example of contemporary students singing a tribute that resonates eerily with this poem. I also include primary source images of indoctrination in German classrooms and Hitler Youth, bringing to life the experiences of main characters from The Book Thief, Liesel and Rudy. Students then apply their knowledge of propaganda to The Book Thief, combing the novel for evidence of how Nazi propaganda influences characters’ actions.

When studying a historical fiction work such as The Book Thief, poetry proves to be an insightful window into the past that simultaneously facilitates student understanding of history and stretches their thinking.

Further Reading:



Amanda Kloth is an English Language Arts student teacher and history enthusiast from southeastern PA.

by Brett Vogelsinger

poem "Rhapsody" is an early twentieth-century poem in the form that fits nearly everyone's preconception of what a poem ought to be. It is rich in rhythm and rhyme.  It also highlights a basic human need that feeds our emotional well-being: gratitude.

Share this poem, twice aloud, with the class.

Rhapsody
by William Stanley Braithwaite

I am glad daylong for the gift of song
     For time and change and sorrow
For the sunset wings and the world-end things
     That hang on the edge of to-morrow
I am glad for my heart whose gates apart
      Are the entrance-place of wonders
Where dreams come in from the rush and din
      Like sheep from the rain and thunders.


What gratitudes here surprise you?
Why is it important to maintain gratitude even in the face of adversity?

Share this quote from a Forbes article, published in 2014:

"Gratitude increases mental strength. For years, research has shown gratitude not only reduces stress, but it may also play a major role in overcoming trauma. A 2006 study published in Behavior Research and Therapy found that Vietnam War Veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that gratitude was a major contributor to resilience following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Recognizing all you have to be thankful for – even during the worst times of your life – fosters resilience."
It appears that contemporary science supports the theme of this classic poem!

Student can respond for a two-minute quick write in their Writer's Notebook: What is something you are grateful for in spite of adversities you may be facing right now.

Further Reading:




Brett Vogelsinger is a ninth-grade English teacher at Holicong Middle School in Bucks County, PA.  He is the faculty adviser for the school literary magazine, Sevenatenine.  Besides his annual blogging adventure on this site, he has published work on Nerdy Book Club, The New York Times Learning Network, and Edutopia.  Follow him on Twitter @theVogelman. 

by Brett Vogelsinger

Any strong argument can be countered in a rebuttal, and Taylor Mali's "Like totally whatever, you know?" from yesterday's post is no exception.  Melissa Lozada-Olivia answers Mali's attack on our lackadaisical use of language not with excuses but with powerful commentary on what voices with a lack of conviction might say about society at large.

by Brett Vogelsinger

We read the poem "Little Citizen, Little Survivor" by Hayden Carruth about a rat living in a woodpile, observed by a man starved of the natural environment he knew well as a boy.  The only direction I give is "You now have three minutes to sketch this poem in your Writer's Notebooks.  I will do the same in mine.  Your time begins now."

Part of the fun of this challenge is its impossibility. There is too much to possibly sketch in three minutes, so each reader must decide where to focus, what images are at the crux of this poem.  Moreover, they assume a certain perspective from which to view the poem.  Sometimes I see a long view of the house with the woodpile; the rat is too small to be seen.  Others sketch the rat's tiny nose from bird's-eye view as it peeks out from the woodpile.  Some ignore the woodpile altogether.  I once had a student sketch a bird feeder, zooming in on the detail that this speaker craves interaction with nature.

Sharing these sketches give us a natural entry point to identify what stands out to us in the poem and why, how we visualize as readers, and what matters most in this piece.  I encourage you to enter this activity without too many scripted questions, but rather watch as the kids interpret visually and then explain their thinking.  Questions and ideas emerge organically from these drawings. 

Brett Vogelsinger teaches freshman English students at Holicong Middle School in Doylestown, PA where he starts class with a poem each day. Follow his work on Twitter @theVogelman.

by Brett Vogelsinger

The poem "In Two Seconds" is longer than most poems we use in a poem a day activity, but it is also relevant, provocative, and deep.  Mark Doty wrote this poem in response to the killing of Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer.

Try giving the class a copy of the poem turned face down on their desk, requiring them to listen to the poem before they look at it.  You may provide a little context, explaining that this poem is protest poem about an injustice, but let them listen to pick out the other pieces.

After hearing the poem, have them turn over the handout and read it the second time with the goal of answering this question:  What can you tell me about the injustice Mark Doty is writing about?  What happened?  What does the poet condemn about this incident?

Have students share the specific lines that answer these questions.  Be sure to include at the end of your discussion:  Which lines would you most like to discuss with the poet? What new questions does this poem provoke in your mind? This is not a poem for easy answers, so it is important to me to end a discussion of a poem like this in a state of inquiry.

Brett Vogelsinger teaches freshman English students at Holicong Middle School in Doylestown, PA where he starts class with a poem each day. Follow his work on Twitter @theVogelman.