My students need 40 copies of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. That is a class set plus a few extras in case of loss or damage. This novel is not terribly graphic, but is jarring.
$439 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
Getting middle schoolers to read can be a challenge, but students with a limited world-view, in rural NC, is even more difficult. One of the most impactful novels they will ever put their hands on is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. My students begin to become curious about the Holocaust in 7th grade when learning about World War II, but it is more in line with the 8th grade curriculum. There is only one class set of these novels for the 8th grade and those have been loved nearly to death.
Our minority populations make up more than 50% of our demographic with more than 80% of the children on free and/or reduced lunch.
My Project
As a 7th graders last year, my students began asking questions about the Holocaust. World War II was a major part of their social studies curriculum. Never wanting to put off thoughtful inquiry, I answered their questions, but knew that the Holocaust was part of their 8th grade curriculum as well and did not want to step on an teachers' toes. This year, I have moved to 8th grade with my students from last year and would love to teach the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I have read other Holocaust novels and found them to be too graphic for middle schoolers. I certainly do not want to down play the horrors of what happened. However, I do not want to scar them, either.
I feel that the Boy in the Striped Pajamas gives enough detail about the deprivations and horrors of concentration camps for my students to infer the reality while maintaining the central idea of opposites attracting in a deep seated, though unlikely, friendship.
This novel can be a springboard for further research with the guidance of their parents if the students choose.
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