Historical Narrative - Prewriting

Imagine you are… You are a Jewish teenager during the Holocaust.

First, Brainstorm. In the cloud, put EVERYTHING you know about the Holocaust.

Generating your character Answer the following questions about your character.

Character BEFORE the Holocaust  What is your name? It has to be a JEWISH name.  How old are you?  Do you have any siblings? If so, what are their names?  Do you have any pets? If so, what kind are they, and what are their names?  Who is your best friend?  What are your activities, hobbies, etc.?  Are both your parents still living? If not, how did they die?

Character DURING the Holocaust  What is the condition of your clothes? How do your clothes look?  Are you still with your family?  How do you feel about what is going on, and why do you feel this way?  Are you sick? If so, what kind of sickness do you have?  How do the circumstances affect your relationships with people?  How do you feel about your circumstances? Is it changing your outlook on life?

Character AFTER the Holocaust  What happens to you after the Holocaust? Do you live or die? If you live- how did you survive?

Generating the setting - Answer the following questions about the setting.

Check one  In hiding – where:  Living in a ghetto – where:  Concentration Camp – where:  You will need to conduct some research to have a legitimate name for a ghetto and a concentration camp. Cannot be made up!

Questions  What is the date? – month/day/year  What time of year is it? What is the weather like and conditions outside?  What are the conditions of where you are living? Examples: shelter, food, weather, etc.

Creating your character and scene Make your gingerbread into your character and draw the setting behind him/her. Start your prewriting. Be creative with vivid details.