Instructional Objectives: The student will have a better understanding of the personal struggle of a survivor and the events which led to the establishment of the sovereign nation of Israel by

1. understanding the personal and cultural conflict faced by those involved;
2. recognizing the historical context for the events in the book;
3. identifying the role of Elisha, the narrator’s religious tradition in his decision making;
4. understanding the impact of the personal decision made by Elisha and its impact on the struggle of the Movement

Resources/Materials: Dawn by Elie Wiesel: Bantam Books ISBN 0-553-22536-7

Time Frame: Approximately 4 to 6 45 minute periods, depending on how involved the class discussions may become.

New Jersey Core Standards:

3.1.1 Use listening, writing, reading, and viewing to assist with speaking (discussion activity).
3.2.8 Demonstrate comprehension of, and appropriate listener response to an oral report, discussion, and interview (discussions).
3.3.12 Publish writing in a variety of formats (responses & extended writings).
3.4.27 Understand that our literary heritage is marked by distinct literary movements and is part of a global literary tradition (research project).
3.4.28 Analyze how the works of a given period reflect historical events and social conditions (extended writings and research project).

Interdisciplinary Connections:

Religion/Spirituality: *The tenets of Hasidism that maintain that God’s presence is in all of one’s surroundings and that one should serve God in one's every deed and words.

• What is the impact of the Holocaust on the world stage?
• Why have the rights of the individual and groups to practice their religions freely been the center of controversy and conflict in the world?
• How was the nation of Israel established?

History:

• What does the United Kingdom and the British occupation of Palestine have to do with the origin of the state of Israel along with the British occupation of Palestine?

Lesson Plan One

As a pre-reading assignment, have the students do research on how and when Israel became a nation. This is important for them to know prior to reading the novel. If they do not have this knowledge, their perceptions and knowledge of the current state of Israel and its conflicts with Palestine will interfere with their understanding of the events of the book. See attached assignment: "How did Israel become a country?"

Initial activity: The students should bring their pre-reading assignment to class. This is the discussion material for the period. After about 20-25 minutes have gone by, tie up the discussion and restate the facts as they have been generated. Their opinions should also have been shared. You can then hand out a copy of the poem, "Through These Pale Cold Days" by Issac Rosenberg, a Jewish, British trench poet. Have students read the poem and take several minutes to "figure out" what it means. Then discuss this poem as a Jewish poet’s response to the Balfour Declaration.

The homework assignment for the next discussion of the book is to read the first 2 chapters of the book.

Questions for classroom discussion:

• How did Israel become a nation?
• Why and how were the British involved?
• Why and how was the United Nations involved?
• Are the reasons for the establishment of Israel just and founded?
• What was the world’s reaction to this?
• What was the Arab world’s reaction to this?

The homework assignment for the next discussion of the book is to read the first 2 chapters of the book. In order to encourage close reading to the text, have the students complete the worksheet: First Two Chapter Questions. This should be completed and handed in on the day the discussions of the text begin. They can be a catalyst for the discussion.

Lesson Plan Two

Have the students read chapters 3, 4 & 5. They should be prepared to discuss them at the next class session. If interested, you can have the students do an exercise examining the opposing views in the text, freedom fighter versus terrorist. See in class writing exercise.

Questions for classroom discussion:

• Gad states that the Jews were the only ones to listen to the commandment: Thou shalt not kill. He states that they "must be like everybody else….and kill those who made us killers." How do Elisha and the other Jews reconcile their violence with their faith?
• Elisha states that he had killed others before under different circumstances, under the cover of darkness. Why is the question of executing John Dawson a problem for him?
• What do you make of the repetition of "Don’t torture yourself." by Elisha’s peers?
• What is learned by reading all the stories of how they each escaped death? How might this change their views on death and killing?
• Ilana calls Elisha a "Poor boy". This reminds him of Catherine. What does his memory of Catherine have to do with Ilana?
• What do the reader and Elisha learn from the visit from his dead family?
• Why is he afraid that his family will judge him? How is he judging himself? Explain.

Lesson Plan Three

Have the students finish reading the novel. They should be prepared for a discussion when they come to class. When they come to class, give them a copy of Thomas Hardy’s "The Man He Killed."

• On page 85, Elisha thinks, "I felt neither hate nor anger nor pity; I liked him, that was all....Under other circumstances he might have been my friend." Relate this to the Hardy poem and discuss how it may be a universal idea for men involved in war.
• Elisha tells Dawson that his name is one of a prophet who "restored life to a little boy by lying upon him and breathing into his mouth." Dawson tells him he is doing the opposite. What is the significance of this?
• What is the significance of Elisha’s memory of Stefan’s hands when he sees John Dawson’s hands?
• Is John Dawson the only person who feels sorry for Elisha?
• Why won’t Elisha let Dawson tell him a funny story?
• Explain: "The tattered fragment of darkness had a face. Looking at it, I understood the reason for my fear. The face was my own."
• Discuss the similarities of the opening description of the book and the last two paragraphs. How does this contribute to the meaning and the structure of the overall book.

Extensions:
Global Citizen 2000 Modules - Core Questions Addressed:

Global Literature Module

1. What are universal experiences?
   -How do they relate to concerns of the adolescent reader/writer?
   -How does geography shape/influence/impact human experience?
   -How does personal experience reflect cultural/religious experience?
2. How can literature help readers understand global issues?
3. How does reading literature promote an appreciation of the concept of global citizenry?
4. How does the study of global literature foster empathy with others?

Religion and Spirituality Module

1. How does religion contribute to individual decisions and actions?
2. How does religion influence governments?

Assessment Suggestions: You can have the students do an in class essay addressing one of the questions on the attached sheet: Dawn Essay Questions.

Post Reading Exercise: As an extension of understanding the behaviors and motivations of a survivor, you may want to read Bernard Malamud’s, "The German Refugee." This story deals with the problems faced by a Jewish refugee in America while there are still Jews suffering under the hand of the Nazis.

Suggested questions to focus on with the short story:

• Identify the main conflict that Oskar Gassner faces in America?
• How does the narrator help him to deal with this conflict?
• What is the narrator’s motivation in helping Gassner?
• Why does Gassner choose to do what he does at the end of the story?
• Compare his decision and actions with those of Elisha in Wiesel’s Dawn. How are they similar? What makes them different?

Viewing: To better understand the psyche of the Jews in Europe and the world, you may want to view The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (ISBN 1-56082-114-0) from Ghetto Fighters House At Kibbutz Lohamei Haghetaot, Israel, which shows a surprisingly atypical Jewish reaction to the Nazi oppression in Warsaw.