Overview and Outcomes:

This is a two-week Writing Root for Anne Frank by Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett. This sequence of learning should also be supplemented by The Diary of a Young Girl which contains her original diary writing (this can be downloaded from the internet for free). The graphic novel adaptation by Ari Foreman and David Polonsky is also great, particularly for its lively illustrations. Both – the original diary entries and the graphic novel - in their entirety are not always age appropriate and, with this sequence, teachers should only use extracts from both to support reading and understanding. It is, however, vital to use extracts from Anne Frank’s original diary as this will help give children a deeper understanding and appreciation of her incredible character. The Writing Root begins with children discovering a package in class containing a red-chequered diary called Kitty and responding to a video of Otto Frank. As the sequence of learning progresses, they will learn about Anne and her family’s life. They will have opportunities to write extended diaries. The final pieces of extended writing will be an obituary, a newspaper report and an opinion piece. Children can then have fun publishing their own newspapers!

Synopsis of Text:

Anne Frank's diary telling the story of her years in hiding from the Nazis has affected millions of people. But what was she like as a small girl, at home with her family and friends; at play and at school? And how did an ordinary little girl come to live such an extraordinary and tragically short life? In the first half of the book we meet Anne as a small child growing up with her family in Germany. Then we follow her flight to Holland to escape the Nazis; the German invasion and the gradual isolation, then outright persecution, of the Jewish population which forces the family into hiding; the years in the Secret Annex; and her last heart-breaking journey.

Text rationale:

Although a picture book, this story deals with complex historical topics such as the Holocaust and the treatment of Jewish people during World War Two. Children may be familiar with the character of Anne Frank and this book will allow further exploration of her experiences prior to war, including relationships with her family and friends and their subsequent treatment as war progressed.  Detailed illustrations by Angela Barrett express much of the story and will allow for the development of inference.  

Links and themes:

World War Two, WW2, Holocaust, occupation, Judaism, family, betrayal, survival

Date written: February 2019