April Bayer

EDUC 397
Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction Application: Diverse Perspectives on World War II

Unit Theme: Diverse Perspectives and Daily Life during World War II

Grade: 8th

Note: Because my certification will be 5-12, I focused on choosing books that would be

appropriate for middle schoolers. Because the class would never have time to cover all these

books in one unit, I envision us choosing one to read together as a class, doing class activities

related to that book, and also having each student pick one of the other books to read. After that,

they could write about the different perspectives they encountered in the books and what it

taught them about World War II. Regardless of which two books the students end up reading,

they will be exposed to diverse perspectives often overlooked in American history books.

Books

1. Warriors in the Crossfire by Nancy Bo Flood (2010)

This book is narrated by a 13-year-old native Chamorro boy and would help students learn

about a lesser-known part of World War II—the Japanese occupation of the island of Saipan and

how it affected the native people. Reading from the perspective of native islander Joseph and his

half-Japanese cousin, Kento, can help students learn about the realities of education, complicated

family relationships, native oppression, labor camps, and Chamorro culture in the midst of war.

It also contains a chilling but not overly graphic chapter depicting what it would have been like

to witness the mass suicide of the Japanese who threw themselves off cliffs following their loss

of the Battle of Saipan. The title’s reference to crossfire even indicates that it will focus on the

struggles and experiences of everyday people caught in the middle of a great conflict.
 2. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989)

This book depicts the everyday friendship of two young girls from Denmark during the

German occupation of Copenhagen—Annemarie, who is Protestant, and Ellen, who is Jewish.

The book paints a picture of what daily interaction with German soldiers would have been like

for children as well as the economic struggles and discrimination against Jewish people they

would have faced. However, it also shows that friendship can overcome differences and that

ordinary people can perform extraordinary acts of bravery. This could help students to reflect on

their own friendships, especially those with other children who might be different from them,

and on how they might react in a challenging situation like Annemarie’s. This would be a book I

would direct students who struggle more with reading toward, as it is a bit below an 8th grade

reading level, but the story is still appropriately engaging for the age group. This would account

for their needs and help me to differentiate the unit based on reading readiness.

3. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis (2009)

This book, which alternates between the past and present, tells the story of two sisters, Tali

and Octavia, as they go on a road trip with their grandmother, Mare, who begins to tell them the

story of how she ran away from a less-than-ideal situation as an African American teenager in

the deep south to join the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. This would allow

students to learn about a lesser-known part of the U.S. Army during the war and to consider how

it affected African Americans’ everyday lives. Additionally, because the book is staged as a

grandmother telling a story to her granddaughters, students might be encouraged to reach out to

their own grandparents to find out what life was like in the past.

4. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War II by Joseph Bruchac

(2005)
 This book, written by a Native author, offers a culturally and linguistically authentic

portrayal of the journey and mission of 16-year-old Ned Begay, a Navajo code talker. The story

offers students a chance to learn about code talkers, who served a vital role and whose work was

classified for decades after the war ended. This read could be especially meaningful for any

Native American students in the classroom or an introduction to a new language and culture for

other students. I would direct more advanced students to this book, as it is of a slightly higher

reading level and contains some mature language and content.

5. Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf (2007)

This book tells the story of 11-year-old Milada, who is separated from her remaining

surviving family in Czechoslovakia after the male members of her family are slaughtered and she

is taken to a Lebensborn center in Poland to be prepared for adoption by a German family due to

her blond hair and blue eyes. Renamed Eva, she struggles to remember and hold onto her true

identity throughout the story. This book would provide an opportunity for students to examine

their own concepts of identity and how their families and countries connect to who they are. It

would also provide another example of how children in European countries were affected by

German occupation. Overall, this book and the others above would provide students with a

variety of perspectives beyond those of white Americans and help them see how everyday people

around the world were affected by the war rather than just learning about key dates and battles.

Letter

Dear Parent/Guardian,

In the following weeks, our history and literature classes will be beginning a unit focusing World

War II as well as the events that led up to its beginning. Our study will span the time period of

1935-1945 and will begin with an overview of key figures, dates, and battles. However, after
covering this information, we will shift into the main focus of our unit—exposing students to

what life would have been like for both everyday Americans and everyday people around the

world during this global conflict.

I am excited to share this unit with your children because they are reaching a level of

maturity where they can think more critically and empathize more with the experiences of others.

I believe that being exposed to this variety of perspectives will allow them to develop a fuller

understanding of the impact that World War II had on both their country and the world around

them. I look forward to seeing what questions and reflections this unit will produce.

We will be examining the American perspective through a variety of activities—reading

primary sources, watching video clips, completing a web quest, exploring a World War II

photography app, and even cooking dishes from 1940’s ration cookbooks. We will examine

more diverse and international perspectives through a series of age-appropriate historical fiction

titles I have selected. We will be reading one of the novels together as a class (the students and I

will decide which one), and students will also be required to read one more title of their choosing

for an additional individual reflection project. These books were chosen with a consideration of

the wide range of interests, backgrounds, and abilities found in our classroom. The books we

will be examining are as follows:

1. Warriors in the Crossfire by Nancy Bo Flood (2010)

2. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989)

3. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis (2009)

4. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War II by Joseph Bruchac

(2005)

5. Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf (2007)

 Some of these books do contain more mature language and content. Feel free to investigate

these titles more on your own, and please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I

will be happy to do what is necessary to find a book that is appropriate for your child’s needs

while also providing them with the enriching experience of learning about World War II from a

new and unique perspective. I will be sure to direct your child to books appropriate for his/her

interests and reading level when helping him/her consider the individual reading project.

If any questions regarding some of the more serious topics we address, such as racism

and suicide, arise, I hope you will see this as an opportunity to have an open dialogue with your

student about these challenging issues. If you are not comfortable addressing these topics at

home and would prefer they be addressed at school, the counselor has been made aware of the

more sensitive content we are addressing and will be glad to discuss any more serious questions

your student may have. Again, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or

concerns.

Sincerely,

Miss Bayer

Activities

1. Photogrammar exploration (http://photogrammar.yale.edu/)

In order to incorporate technology and give students a visual representation of what life

during World War II would have been like, I would have students complete a guided exploration

of the Photogrammar program, a photo archive which features a large collection of photographs

from the World War II era in categories such as battles, work, and living conditions. I would

show students how the program works and have them look at photos both from battles and from
everyday life. They would be given a worksheet to complete and would also have to write about

a scene in a specific photo describing what they saw and possibly even make up a story about the

people in the photograph.

2. Cooking recipes from World War II rations cookbooks

This would be a fun application activity for students, especially tactile/kinesthetic learners. I

would teach students about rationing during World War II and then copy some recipes from

World War II rations cookbooks and have students try making and tasting them. This would be

supervised very carefully by the teacher, and anything involving sharp utensils or a hot stove

would either be completed by the teacher or mature, capable students. Students could write a

review of the dish and whether or not they would recommend it. We would also have a class

discussion on what daily life would have been like living on limited amounts of food and having

only a certain amount of supplies available for cooking.