Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is a very emotional work of literature. It offers students an opportunity to reflect on their own lives and the complexity of the human personality as they read the diary accounts of Anne’s struggle to come to terms with captivity. Her diary is a social document, her literary legacy set against epic background of World War II. It reflects the horrors of the inhumanity of Nazism. The story is one of hiding and the ultimate arrest of a Jewish family in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation.

The intensity of the message of Anne’s diary and even an overview of the Holocaust suggest that activities should establish a framework that will permit students to expand their viewpoints. Students investigate their ideas through brainstorming and discussion sessions. Writing exercises include structured examples and free expression-character development, self-portrait, and diary entries. They investigate prejudice and evaluate its effects. They learn to identify propaganda devices and the terms used to describe World War II events.

 

Supplementary materials include a test with answer key. Suggestions for optional activities are given to expand the unit.