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In recent years, speaking about the Holocaust and genocide has become an integral part of the language arts curriculum; However, the Holocaust is only one example of genocide that has occurred in the past century. In fact, there are numerous examples of genocide in countries such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Lithuania, Guatemala, and even with the Native Americans in the United States. For this reason, the items in my cart are all books that reflect different accounts of genocide. Requested books include The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Between Shades of Gray, Never Fall Down: A Novel, Broken Memory: A Novel of Rwanda, and First They Killed My Father Movie Tie-in: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. My goal is to expose students to these different accounts of genocide and explore the following questions: Why does genocide keep happening, and what is our role as individuals to help prevent it from happening again? Ultimately, I want my students to go into the world and make a positive change. Student choice is critical when it comes to creating engaged readers. Educational research shows that students who have choice in what they read tend to demonstrate higher levels of learning and engagement. In order to provide students high quality instruction and choice, literature circles have emerged in classrooms as a way to build stronger readers. Each group reads a different book, but the topic is the same amongst all of the students. In this case, this format will allow us to discuss and compare the different accounts of genocide across time and across the world. Students also get to take control of their own learning and experience. They become the ones asking questions, discussing, and creating. It is a beautiful learning experience and the height of student centered learning strategies.
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