| Ann Frank's World | |
[Introduction] [Tasks] [Process] [Resources] [Conclusion] [Citations]
"The time will come when we are people again, and not just Jews."
Anne Frank wrote this in her diary on April 11, 1944, shortly before life in the Secret Annexe came to an end.
In this webquest, you will get a wider view of Anne’s world, both inside and outside of the Secret Annexe. By learning more about her family and friends, you will know Anne better. By viewing photographs of the frightening events that were threatening her, you will better understand the fear and tension she and the others faced every day. By seeing the actual details of the hiding place, you will appreciate the claustrophobia and isolation that led to the tension faced by the inhabitants. And finally, by meeting some of the good people who put their own lives at risk to help others, you will appreciate Anne’s opinion that, "in spite of everything, I still believe that people are good at heart."
Using the suggested resources, you will have the
opportunity to gain a better understanding of the experience of victims of the Holocaust.
Visit the suggested internet sites and read accounts of the people and events. Travel back
in time and imagine yourself and your family as members of one of these groups of people.
Complete one or more of the following assignments:
| Task #1. |  |
You are one of the other members of the Secret Annexe, and you are also keeping a diary that is discovered after the war. Write 5 entries to the diary that Peter, Mrs. Van Daan, Mr. Dussel, Margot, or any of the other characters might have kept. [Resources for Task #1] |
| Task #2. |  |
You are the editor of a newspaper who decides to speak out against the restrictions and intolerance toward Jews and others that is increasing every day. Write an editorial describing the evil that is taking place and recommend ways that non-Jewish citizens can show their disapproval. [Resources for Task #2] |
| Task #3. |  |
According to the newspaper, "missing pages" of Anne's diary have recently been found. Write three entries from these pages. [Resources for Task #3] |
| Task #4. |  |
Write a tourist guide to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Tell people what they can expect to see when they visit there. [Resources for Task #4] |
| Task #5. |  |
Read the articles about Irma Menkel and/or Hannah Goslar and write a "secret letter" either or both might have written to Anne. [Resources for Task #5] |
| Task #6. |  |
Research one of the good people who qualifies as a "helper" or "rescuer" during the Holocaust. This can be Miep Gies, Mr. Kraler, or brave people who helped hide or save other Jewish people throughout the war. Write a brief "snapshot" research report about this hero, and then write a first-person account that he or she might have written after the war about this experience. [Resources for Task #6] |
The Process: [Return to the top]
It was ironic that Anne Frank planned to "live on after her death" through her writing. In fact, she has lived on through her diary, which has been outsold only by The Bible. In this project, plan to explore aspects of Anne’s life and experience that you might not have been aware of if you had just read the diary. Follow these steps:
| 1. | Visit each page of this webquest and link to the sites provided. It is not necessary to read each entire site, but gather enough information so you can relate the people and events of the time period to your chosen task. |
| 2. | Take notes; jotting down your own ideas of how you would have reacted, what you would have been thinking and feeling if this was happening to you and your family. Keep track of the URL (site address), the date of access, title of page. |
| 3. | Visit the library media center or your public library to access non-fiction and fiction print resources. Choose an historical fiction book from one of these time periods. After reading the book, compare its historical content with the facts you have gathered. |
When you have completed your research using a variety of information sources, select and complete one or more of the tasks.
Resources: [Return to the top]
| Task #1. | Read "Helpful Hints for Writing a Diary Entry" Go to Anne Frank House Those in Hiding Look at the pictures and read the quotes from members of the Secret Annexe other than Anne. Choose one character and go to the "Van Pels" link to read more about the character you have selected. [Return to Task #1] |
| Task #2. | Go to the website of a local newspaper, like The Times Union or The Schenectady Gazette. Read a
sample of an editorial or letter to the editor in today’s newspaper to see how they
are written: Next, go to How to Write an Editorial or a Letter to the Editor and read. Observe the photos at these sites: Write an editorial or a letter to the editor of the paper. This letter should consist of two parts: a description of the events being depicted in the photograph(s) as well as your feeling / opinion about the events. [Return to Task #2] |
| Task #3. | Go to Excerpts from the Missing
Pages of Anne Frank's Diary or New Addition of Anne
Frank's diary includes missing pages Read about the missing pages, then think of what they might have been about. Write three entries that you imagine Anne might have written on these pages. [Return to Task #3] |
| Task #4. | Go to The Secret Annexe Anne Frank House Anne Frank House 3rd Floor Observe the photos, floor plans, and
written descriptions of the Secret Annexe. |
| Task #5. | Go to Friends
in the Best and Worst of Times Guilt of Survival Begins to Take Toll "I Saw Anne Frank Die" Bergen-Belsen Camp Read the accounts of these friends of Anne Frank. Both were with Anne during her final days at Bergen-Belsen. Sometimes they would meet, separated by a fence. Imagine that secret letters were sneaked back and forth through the barbed wire of that fence. Based on the information in the articles, write these letters to Anne as you imagine Hannah or Irma might have written them. [Return to Task #5] |
| Task #6. | Go to Heroes and
Rescuers: Web Sites Scroll down to "To Save a Life: Stories of Jewish Rescue." Scroll down and click on "Table of Contents." There
you will find the stories of six rescuers. Look over their stories and choose one. Imagine
that this person (or persons) is being interviewed for a radio interview after the war.
Work with a friend, so one can be the interviewer and one can be the rescuer. Tape the
interview on an audio or videocassette. |
| Additional Resources |
Access non-fiction and fiction print resources in your school library. Glossary of the Holocaust |
Conclusion: [Return to the top]
The experiences of the people you have learned about took place under extreme conditions a long time ago. Knowing what you do now, how are these experiences still relevant to your life? How might you react differently now if a peer drew a Nazi symbol as a joke? How is intolerance still present in our world? What can young people and adults do to insure no teenager ever has to experience what Anne Frank did.
[Introduction] [Tasks] [Process] [Resources] [Conclusion] [Citations]
Citations: [Return
to the top]
-List of sites visited-
Anne Frank House Those in Hiding--http://www.annefrank.nl/eng/afh/afh.html
The Times Union--http://www.timesunion.com
The Schenectady Gazette--http://www.dailygazette.com
How to Write an Editorial or a Letter to the Editor--http://www.nsbu.org/editor.htm
Photos: Segregation of the
Jews--http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/gallery/G1939.htm
Photos: Kristallnacht and Synagogue Desecration--http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/gallery/NR1938.htm
Excerpts from the Missing Pages of Anne Frank's
Diary--http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/afdiary/excerpts.htm
New Addition of Anne Frank's diary includes missing
pages--http://www.cjonline.com/stories/031301/new_annefrank.shtml
The Secret Annexe--http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/afdiary/annexe.htm
Anne Frank House --http://www.annefrank.nl/eng/afh/afh.html
Anne Frank House 3rd Floor--http://members.aol.com/macbloom/Pages/af_pages/af_2nd.html
Friends in the Best and Worst of Times--http://www.sptimes.com/News/032900/news_pf/NIE/Friends_in_the_best_a.shtml
Guilt of Survival Begins to Take
Toll--http://www.sptimes.com/News/032200/NIE/Guilt_of_survival_beg.shtml
"I Saw Anne Frank Die"--http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/threeweeks/annefrank.html
Bergen-Belsen Camp--http://motlc.wiesenthal.org/text/x03/xm0333.html
Heroes and Rescuers: Web Sites--http://www.remember.org/heroes.htm
The Story of Miep Gies--http://teacher.scholastic.com/frank/miep.htm
-Photo Credits-
Anne Frank's picture: http://www.annefrank.nl/eng/af/af.html
Secret Annexe: http://www.annefrank.nl/eng/afh/afh.html
Segregation of the Jews:
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/gallery/G1939.htm
Diary: http://www.annefrank.nl/eng/diary/diary.html
Irma Menkel: http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/threeweeks/annefrank.html
Miep Gies: http://www.annefrank.nl/eng/afh/afh.html
[Return to the Top] [Introduction] [Tasks] [Process] [Resources] [Conclusion] [Citations]
Created by Karen Bronson, Mary Jo Osinski, and
Ilka Morse
For NYWired Level II Training, April 26, 2001
For use at the Shenendehowa Middle Schools, Clifton Park, NY