Authors of Jewish History

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

High School (Grades 9-12)

Students research a Jewish community of the Middle East or North Africa using primary and secondary sources, then write and share a book that tells that community’s history.

Objectives

Every community decides how its history is remembered. In this inquiry project, students become historians and authors: they research a Jewish community of the Middle East or North Africa, evaluate primary and secondary sources, and create a book for a real audience that explains how the community began, how it lived, and what happened to it.

Essential Questions

  1. How do people and organizations shape the way history is remembered and told?
  2. What can primary sources and personal stories teach us that textbooks cannot?
  3. What does it mean to belong to a community, and what happens to a community when its members are forced to leave?

Students will be able to

  • Frame a research question about a Jewish community of the Middle East or North Africa.
  • Distinguish primary from secondary sources and assess their credibility, perspective, and limitations.
  • Corroborate evidence across sources, including one not published by JIMENA.
  • Explain how the community began, its traditions, and the causes and effects of key changes in its history.
  • Communicate findings to an audience outside the classroom, with accurate citations.
  • Explain how individuals and institutions preserve history.

Standards

  • California History-Social Science Analysis Skills, Grades 6 to 8: Chronological and Spatial Thinking 1 to 3; Research, Evidence, and Point of View 1 to 5; Historical Interpretation 1 and 2
  • C3 Framework: D2.His.1.6-8, D2.His.10.6-8, D3.1.6-8, D4.3.6-8
  • Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.7; WHST.6-8.2, WHST.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.8; SL.6-8.4
  • Content connections: California Grade 6, Standard 6.3 and Grade 7, Standard 7.2

Materials

  • Computer and projector; student access to computers or the library
  • Book making materials, or a digital tool for e-books, slides, or websites
  • Appendices A to D (one each per student)

At a Glance

Grade and course: Grades 6 to 8, World History, Ethnic Studies, or ELA
Time: About 6 to 8 class periods, plus a sharing day
Author: Dr. Galia Avidar

Content note

Some personal stories describe violence, loss, and forced migration. Preview sources, prepare students, and give choices. Students may have family connections to this or other histories of displacement; invite, but never require, personal sharing.

Downloads

Day 1: Introduction (45 to 50 minutes)

  1. Warm up (5 min). Post the essential questions. Students jot one family or community story that has been passed down.
  2. Discuss participation (10 min). Brainstorm what it means to participate in a community, positively and negatively, and draft a class definition.
  3. Journal (10 min). How does a person stand up for a principle or belief? What skills does it take? What are the risks?
  4. What is history? (10 min). Students write a one sentence definition, share, and compare. Ask: Who decides what gets remembered?
  5. How history is preserved (10 min). Explore Diarna, which maps Jewish heritage sites across the region; the USC Shoah Foundation, which records survivors’ testimonies; and JIMENA’s Cultural Heritage pages. Ask: What does each choose to preserve? Whose voices are included or missing?
  6. Exit ticket (5 min). Answer essential question 1 in two sentences.

Days 2 and 3: Learning to Research

  1. Launch the project. Students will research one community and create a book for younger students and the school. Share the rubric (Appendix C) and examples of strong nonfiction books.
  2. Tour the sources. Walk through the ten communities on the Cultural Heritage pages: Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. Then show a second source on the same country, such as the Jewish Virtual Library or Diarna.
  3. Model primary source analysis. Using one personal story, model Appendix D: sourcing, context, close reading, and corroboration. Students practice in pairs.
  4. Model the Source and Fact Log. Show how to record a source, judge its credibility, and write numbered facts in your own words (Appendix B).
  5. Assign communities. Each student writes a research question (Appendix A) and uses at least four sources: one primary source, one personal story, and one source not published by JIMENA.

Days 4 to 8: Research, Writing, and Design

  1. Research. Students complete the log and at least one Primary Source Analysis. Checkpoint: teacher reviews logs.
  2. Outline. Students organize facts into chapters. Checkpoint: teacher approves outlines.
  3. Plan the book. Title page, table of contents, at least three chapters (beginnings, life and traditions, change and migration), a map or timeline, credited images, and a bibliography.
  4. Draft, review, and revise. Peer review with the rubric, then revise. Partner with the librarian and technology teacher.