Initial Introduction to the Facing History Resource Book
Rationale
This pre-reading activity is an effective way to introduce students to the Facing History and Ourselves Resource book. This strategy will help students:
- Develop an interest in a given text.
- Practice pre-reading strategies.
- Develop their conceptual thinking skills.
- Be introduced the Facing History "Scope and Sequence."
Procedure
Step 1:
- Ask students to examie the cover of their Holocaust and Human Behavior Resource book. In their journal, they can record associations that come to mind either from the words n the title or the illustration.
- Allow students a few minutes to preview the text and then ask them to record predictions about what they might learn during the unit.
- Encourage students to write three to five questions they have after their initial exploration of the book.
- Organize the students into small groups and have them discuss their initial impressions of the text including their questions, predictions and responses to the cover illustration.
Step 2:
- Pose a series of more directed questions. For example, what do you notice about the chapter titles in the table of contents? What's included? How are they sequenced? What story do you think the book will tell? Open to one of the readings anywhere in the book. How is it organized/framed? What is the "connections" section?
- As a class, students can discuss what they gleaned from the more directed exploration of the text. This is also an opportunity to point out explicit aspects of how the text is organized.
Classroom Example
Some additional pre-reading/critical thinking questions that focus on the cover of Holocaust and Human Behavior could include:
- Why do you think it is called a "resource book" as opposed to a "text book"?
- What do you think is meant by "Facing History and Ourselves"?
- Why does it look at the "Holocaust and Human Behavior"?
Additional Resources
Enough copies of the Holocaust and Human Behavior Resource Book for each student.
Journals
