Trinity Eimer. [Both] Hitler. My father. My enemy. Climbing the ranks, Bennfuhrer. Descending to hell, Auschwitz. Starvation.

Transcription

1 Teacher s Note: In Unit Two, students in grade seven read Parallel Journeys, the dual biographies of WWII survivors Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck. In this assessment, students composed a two-voice poem which relayed the perspectives of Heck, a former member of the Hitler Youth, and Helen Waterford, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, by integrating their real-life experiences and perspectives and juxtaposing them in verse. Mrs. Kidd & Ms. Woestman Assessment Question Compose a two-voice poem comparing the often dueling experiences of Alfons Heck and Helen Waterford based on your reading of Parallel Journeys. Be sure to include a third column of verse which Heck and Waterford share. Be sure to select, organize and analyze the relevant information that you share. Trinity Eimer Alfons (young member of the Hitler Youth) Helen (young Jewish German) [Both] Hitler. My father. My enemy. Climbing the ranks, Bennfuhrer. Descending to hell, Auschwitz. Starvation. Survival Kristallnacht. What could I do? What would I do? Doris. My child, my daughter. Giving her up. Better? Or worse? Undecided. I met my father. My fuhrer. My God. I separated from my husband. My love. My lost hope. I was condemned to death.

2 My death was imminent. Fate. I flew, a pilot, my dreams come true. Reunited with my family. Reunited with my family. Rebirth. Fate. Indecision. Survival. We are different. But we have both suffered.

3 Teacher s Note: At the start of Unit Two, students composed a poem inspired by the school-wide motto, Leaders Don t Bully, and drew from their discussion of leadership at Catonsville Middle School and their own life experiences. Mrs. Kidd & Ms. Woestman Assessment Question Based on your reflective questions and discussion, compose a 20-line poem (minimum) inspired by the CMS motto, Leaders Don t Bully, in which you communicate your position. Be sure that your stylistic choices emphasize your position. Jessica Bartel Real Beauty When one s cheeks Turn cherry red Or stony gray They could have Been hurt Or embarrassed in some way One could be cornered Trapped or deceived They may feel alarmed For they re afraid by What people do and say It s messing with their Heads they yearn to know The truth not the old Familiar lies but if All they hear is the Lies then the lies become

4 Truths and the truths Become questions weighted On a scale every day but Always somehow found false. One day when the world Turns blood red with anger or Midnight blue with sadness then You will realize that they were Wrong for if they were right then God wouldn t have given you the Image you see every time you Look in the mirror I Don t care if it s inky Black or pearly white Whatever it is, it s you And you are beautiful. You could be an ink blot or speck Floating in the air Somebody loves you Somebody admires you Somebody anybody You belong somewhere No matter where that Place is if it s yours It s golden it s the

5 Royal place where kings And queens don t play On a chessboard where Freaks and aliens are the Kings and Queens not Just the pawns and knights Thrown out for protection. Never stop believing not Until you re six feet under You can do it Life is a roller coaster With its ups and downs Some of us fall but In the end you can Prevail be a considerate Person even if everyone Around you is rude Not everyone is gifted With this understanding You can help those who Don t understand you can do it As long as you believe.