St.

Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project

TASK #2 CREATING EMPATHY LESSON MATERIALS

Aliens video clip (included on the instructional DVD). First They Came (Instructional DVD & Nelson Literacy 7a). Nelson Literacy 7 Teacher Resource. Alien Invaders Task and Rubric.

FOCUS/RATIONALE

This task is aimed at generating a sense of empathy within the students. Building on their knowledge of the Holocaust from Task 1, the students will be focusing on demonstrating feelings and attitudes that reveal a sense of empathy towards the events and victims of the Holocaust. The goal of this task is to have students transfer their knowledge and experiences of the realities of the Holocaust to a dramatic representation coinciding with the Aliens pre-task. View the video clip entitled Aliens. This clip offers a scenario involving aliens invading the planet earth and imposing restrictions on the human population. The video clip is intended to offer students a scenario with similar empathetic value to that of the Holocaust. The students will be presented with a context in which they have had their rights restricted and have been separated from their families. With this in mind, the students will be able to draw from their experiences learning about the Holocaust and transfer the feelings and attitudes to a new (and more personal) experience. After viewing the video clip, consider some of the following guiding questions as a class: What feelings or attitudes are portrayed in the narratives? What would you do if you were faced with the same scenario? What feelings or attitudes from Aliens do you think would be similar to those felt by Jewish citizens during the Holocaust? How do your thoughts or feelings reflect the idea of empathy?

PRE-ACTIVITY

St. Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project

ACTIVITIES CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS

History: Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate historical information. Use appropriate vocabulary to describe inquiries and observations. Language: Variety of Writing expectations.

ACTIVITY CONTENT Journal Assignment 1

Have students complete the specified journal entry for this task.

Language(continued): Generate ideas about more challenging topics and identify those most appropriate for the purpose. Describe how their skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and representing help in their development as writers.

First They Came (DVD & Nelson Literacy 7a) Read the poem First They Came (Nelson Literacy 7a, pg. 11) Watch the dramatic reading of First They Came (Instructional DVD) Have students create a dramatic reading of First They Came in which they focus on: o Tone o Expression o Body Movement. Drama Activity Refer to the assignment entitled Alien Invaders. Refer to the Aliens Language and Drama rubric.

Language: Variety of Oral expectations. Variety of Reading expectations.

Drama: Demonstrate understanding of the motives of the characters they interpret through drama and dance.

Language: Variety of Oral expectations. Drama: Demonstrate understanding of the motives of the characters they interpret through drama and dance. Assemble, rehearse, and perform a collection of drama and dance works based on themes and issues drawn from a variety of sources from diverse cultures. Identify performance techniques that have an effect on the audiences emotions and senses.