Day 1

Lesson Objective(s) SWBAT read the panels, captions, and speech of a graphic
novel in the correct order, left to right, top to bottom.
SWBAT define and identify examples of important terms
relating to graphic novels, including panel, frame, gutter,
bleed, layout, caption, speech bubble, thought bubble, and
sound effects.
SWBAT connect the film The Last Days to background
knowledge about the Holocaust.
Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem
(e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel
or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source
text.
Materials Needed slides; “What Is A Graphic Novel?”; Maus; Art Spiegelman
Interview; Graphic Narrative assignment

Time Learning Task Methods or Procedures

3 Graphic Novel Survey Ask the students to raise their hands if
they have read a graphic novel or comic
book before this class.

Call on a few students to share their

experience and any tips they have for
reading graphic novels.
5 What Is A Graphic Novel? Read the first page of the comic (slide 2)
out loud. Instruct the students to follow
along, looking at both the images and
the text.

Then ask for volunteers to read the

second page out loud. Students should
read from left to right, top to bottom of
each panel. Give directions and further
explanation if students struggle to
figure out the correct order of the
panels.
7 Key Terms in Comics Go through the slides (3-10), defining
each term and explaining how the
examples illustrate the term.

Answer any questions that students

may have.
7 Modeling with Maus Read the first two pages of the book
(slide 11) out loud, moving the
computer cursor to show the order in
which the panels and text should be
read.

Ask for volunteers to identify examples

of the key terms, including panel, frame,
gutter, layout, caption, speech bubble,
and sound effects, on the first two
pages. Briefly discuss the effect that
each concept has on the reader.
10 Art Spiegelman Interview Paste the link for the interview (slide
12) in the chat. Give students eight
minutes to watch the video.

Ask a few students to share their

impressions of Art Spiegelman or
something interesting that they learned
from the video.
15 Introduce Graphic Narrative Read Art Spiegelman’s quote about the
Project focus of Maus (slide 13). Explain to
students that they, like Spiegelman, will
be using graphic narrative to tell a
personal story.

Explain that students should be the

protagonists of their narratives (slide
14). Clarify the length requirement for
the final draft (4 pages; 12 panels).

Review each of the provided medium

options for making graphic narratives
(slide 15). Explain that students will be
required to make an account and will
have limited options if they choose to
use one of the online platforms. Ask
students to share any other potential
mediums/softwares they can think of.

Explain that Wednesdays will be spent

workshopping the project and that each
Wednesday students will have
something due before class. The first
step is the project proposal (slide 16), in
 which students will write 100+ words
describing their plans for their project.
3 The Last Days Intro Read the information on the slide (17)
and explain that Steven Spielberg
produced the film for his Shoah
Foundation.

Explain that this documentary is very

difficult to watch and that students
should make sure to take care of
themselves while watching it.
5 Dachau Pics Tell the students that you have visited
Dachau, one of the concentration camps
seen in the film, and that it was one of
the most difficult but powerful
experiences of your life.

Go through the slides (18-23),

identifying the main buildings and
explaining the significance of the
artwork.
3 Asynchronous Work for Friday Review the four things (slide 24) that
students need to complete during the
upcoming Friday class.
 Day 3

Prior Knowledge “What Is A Graphic Novel?”; comics key terms; Art Spiegelman
interview; graphic narrative assignment description; Dachau
photos; The Last Days + background; Maus Ch. 1-3
Lesson Objective(s) SWBAT informally write their ideas about the text before
sharing them out loud with their classmates.
SWBAT analyze Spiegelman’s relationship with his father and
with the Holocaust.
SWBAT critically reflect on how the discussion influences
their thinking about the text(s).
Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis
of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text, including determining where the text leaves
matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10
Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time
frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Materials Needed slides; dialogue journal; Maus

Time Learning Task Methods or Procedures

5 Graphic Novel Check-In Make sure that the students are not
having too much difficulty navigating
the graphic novel format. Ask a few
students to respond to the following
questions (slide 2): How was your
experience reading Maus so far? What
questions/challenges did you have with
the graphic novel medium? What did
you enjoy or appreciate about the
graphic novel?

Answer any questions about reading

graphic novels and provide some
relevant comprehension strategies if
needed.
5 Dialogue Journal Explanation Instruct students to open the document
(slide 3) on their devices and make a
copy. Students should have this
document with them every Tuesday
during the unit and will write a
response to every question. This is
something that they will do in class, so
they should not answer the questions
 beforehand. The purpose of the
dialogue journals is to allow students to
write their thoughts before sharing
them with the class. Writing can take
the form of a paragraph, bullet points,
and anything else that works for the
students. Only the instructor will read
their responses.

At the end of the unit, students will

submit their journals for 20 points.
They will receive full credit as long as
there is something written for each
question. Students who are absent on
one or more Tuesdays will be excused
from the questions for that day.
5 Question 1 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 4) in their dialogue journals:
Write about a scene or moment from
The Last Days that provoked an
emotional response in you. How did it
make you feel? Why do you think you
felt that way?
10 Question 1 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to. Remind
students to use evidence to support
their claims.
5 Question 2 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 5) in their dialogue journals:
What is ONE word that describes
Spiegelman’s relationship with his
father?
10 Question 2 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to. Remind
students to use evidence to support
their claims.
5 Question 3 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 6) in their dialogue journals:
 What are some of the ways Spiegelman
sees his father still being affected by the
Holocaust?
10 Question 3 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to. Remind
students to use evidence to support
their claims.
5 Discussion Reflection Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 7) in their dialogue journals:
Reflect on today’s discussion. How has
it influenced your thinking about the
text? What questions do you have?
What aspects of the text do you want to
explore further?

Students will not discuss their

responses to this question.
 Day 4

Prior Knowledge “What Is A Graphic Novel?”; comics key terms; Art Spiegelman
interview; graphic narrative assignment description; Dachau
photos; The Last Days + background; Maus Ch. 1-3; dialogue
journaling
Lesson Objective(s) SWBAT define storyboarding and describe the main features
of a storyboard.
SWBAT create a storyboard of their graphic narratives that is
based on their project proposals.
Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing
on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose
and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish,
and update individual or shared writing products in response
to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or
information.
Materials Needed slides; project proposals; storyboard example

Time Learning Task Methods or Procedures

5 Attendance Question Remind (slide 2) students to turn in
their Part 1: Proposal to Google
Classroom.

Students will answer the following

question (slide 3): What story do you
plan to tell in your graphic narrative?

Call on students randomly to share and

record attendance as you go.
2 Define Storyboard Read the definition (slide 4) of a
storyboard. Explain that the definition
has been adapted from an explanation
of storyboarding for film, so there are
some small differences, including the
layout and words in each panel.
5 Storyboard Examples Display the professional example of a
storyboard (slide 5). Ask a few students
to share some things they notice about
the features of the storyboard.
 Display the teacher example of a
storyboard (slide 6). Ask a few students
to share some things they noticed that
are different from or similar to the
professional film example.
5 Student Storyboards Go over the things that students will
need to include (slide 7) in their
storyboards. Ask a few students to
share additional things they might want
to consider when planning their graphic
narratives.
3 Explain Asynchronous Work Review the three things (slide 8) that
students need to complete during the
upcoming Friday class.

Review the due date for Part 2:

Storyboarding.
 Day 6

Prior Knowledge “What Is A Graphic Novel?”; comics key terms; Art Spiegelman
interview; graphic narrative assignment description; Dachau
photos; The Last Days + background; Maus Ch. 1-6; dialogue
journaling; storyboarding
Lesson Objective(s) SWBAT informally write their ideas about the text before
sharing them out loud with their classmates.
SWBAT analyze the decisions characters are forced to make in
the novel.
SWBAT critically reflect on how the discussion influences
their thinking about the text(s).
Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis
of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text, including determining where the text leaves
matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10
Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time
frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Materials Needed slides; dialogue journal; Maus

Time Learning Task Methods or Procedures

5 Question 1 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 2) in their dialogue journals:
Choose a panel from Ch. 4-6 that stood
out to you. Describe the panel, provide
the page number, and explain why it
interested you.
10 Question 1 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to.
5 Question 2 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 3) in their dialogue journals:
Vladek and his family are forced to
make many impossible choices during
their time in the Jewish ghetto. Select
one of the following impossible choices
and explain why you agree or disagree
with the choice the characters make.
 ● Whether or not to send Richieu
into hiding with Mr. Ilzecki’s
friend
● Whether to give Anja’s
grandparents to the Jewish
police or keep them in hiding
● Whether Vladek’s father should
stay in the safe line with his son
or sneak into the unsafe line to
be with his daughter and four
grandkids
● Whether to die from poison or
from the gas chambers at
Auschwitz
● Whether to kill the man who
found their bunker in the ceiling
● Whether to try to escape to
Hungary
15 Question 2 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to.

Begin by asking students to raise their

hands if they selected the first
impossible choice. Ask those students
to share their ideas. Then move on to
the next choice, discussing each
separately. Finally have a brief
discussion about impossible choices as
a whole.
5 Question 3 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 4) in their dialogue journals:
Vladek and Mala do not get along. Why
do you think they remain married?
Why did they get married in the first
place?
10 Question 3 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to.
5 Discussion Reflection Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 5) in their dialogue journals:
Reflect on today’s discussion. How has
it influenced your thinking about the
text? What questions do you have?
What aspects of the text do you want to
explore further?

Students will not discuss their

responses to this question.
 Day 7

Prior Knowledge “What Is A Graphic Novel?”; comics key terms; Art Spiegelman
interview; graphic narrative assignment description; Dachau
photos; The Last Days + background; Maus Ch. 1-6; dialogue
journaling; storyboarding
Lesson Objective(s) SWBAT discuss how they will use their chosen medium to
turn their storyboards into complete graphic narratives.
Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing
on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose
and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish,
and update individual or shared writing products in response
to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or
information.
Materials Needed slides; wonder room; student storyboards; storyboard
example

Time Learning Task Methods or Procedures

5 Attendance Question Remind (slide 2) students to turn in
their Part 2: Storyboard to Google
Classroom.

Students will answer the following

question (slide 3): What medium do you
plan to use for your graphic narrative?

Call on students randomly to share and

record attendance as you go.
20 Writers Workshop Paste the link to the Wonder room (slide
4) in the chat and explain that it allows
students to freely move between rooms.
In order to join a room, they simply
need to drag their icon closer to other
people in the room. Have students turn
their microphones off on Google Meet
so that there is no echo when they talk
in Wonder.

Instruct students to find other

classmates who are using the same
medium as them for their graphic
 narratives and create a room with them.
In their rooms, students should discuss
how they plan to turn their storyboards
into graphic narratives, using the
provided questions (slide 5). Move
from room to room helping to facilitate
discussion and answer any questions
students have.

At the end of the workshop, have all

students redirect their attention back to
the Google Meet.
5 Reminders for Friday Go over the expectations for Part 3:
Rough Draft (slide 6) and clarify the due
date.

Review the three things (slide 7) that

students need to complete during the
upcoming Friday class.
 Day 9

Prior Knowledge “What Is A Graphic Novel?”; comics key terms; Art Spiegelman
interview; graphic narrative assignment description; Dachau
photos; The Last Days + background; Maus Ch. 1-6; dialogue
journaling; storyboarding; Maus II
Lesson Objective(s) SWBAT informally write their ideas about the text before
sharing them out loud with their classmates.
SWBAT analyze the role that luck and/or skill plays in the
text.
SWBAT critically reflect on their experience reading Maus, a
story about the Holocaust, and graphic novels.
Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis
of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text, including determining where the text leaves
matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10
Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time
frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Materials Needed slides; dialogue journal; Maus I + II

Time Learning Task Methods or Procedures

5 Question 1 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 2) in their dialogue journals: As
he interviews his father, Spiegelman
witnesses Vladek do and say some very
questionable things, including being
racist toward a black hitchhiker. Write
about a time an older relative or friend
did something problematic. How did it
make you feel? How did you respond?
How did others who may have seen or
heard respond?
10 Question 1 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to.
5 Question 2 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 3) in their dialogue journals: How
much of Vladek’s survival depends on
fate/luck and how much of it depends
 on his skills/intellect? How would
Spiegelman answer this question? How
would you?
10 Question 2 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to.
5 Question 3 Writing Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 4) in their dialogue journals: On
page 64, Vladek says, “yes...about
Auschwitz, nobody can understand.”
What is the point of telling the story if
nobody can truly understand it?
10 Question 3 Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to.
5 Art-Vladek Word Cloud Display the cloud of words (slide 5)
students used to describe Spiegelman
and Vladek’s relationship on the first
day of discussion. Ask students to
consider whether they would eliminate,
change, or add any words based on the
second part of the book.
5 Reading Reflection Students will have five minutes to write
a response to the following question
(slide 6) in their dialogue journals:
Reflect on your experience reading
Maus. What is the effect of using the
graphic novel medium to tell a story
about the Holocaust? Do you think
Spiegelman was effective in telling his
and his father’s stories?
5 Reflection Discussion Lead a discussion centered around the
question on the slide. Students may
share what they wrote in their journals,
but they are not required to.
 Day 10

Prior Knowledge “What Is A Graphic Novel?”; comics key terms; Art Spiegelman
interview; graphic narrative assignment description; Dachau
photos; The Last Days + background; Maus Ch. 1-6; dialogue
journaling; storyboarding; Maus II
Lesson Objective(s) SWBAT provide meaningful feedback on their peers’ graphic
narrative drafts.
SWBAT brainstorm for their graphic narrative presentations.
Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing
on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose
and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish,
and update individual or shared writing products in response
to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or
information.
Materials Needed slides; graphic narrative rough drafts; Wonder room; separate
Google Meet links (https://meet.google.com/rrg-hvwt-ywc
https://meet.google.com/zez-hvxv-vei
https://meet.google.com/jpo-qfna-zqs
https://meet.google.com/sqw-znbq-wbz
https://meet.google.com/pum-wvdv-sey)

Time Learning Task Methods or Procedures

5 Share Out Students will respond to the following
question: What is one neat/interesting
thing you did or plan to do in your
graphic narrative?

Call on students randomly to share and

record attendance as you go.
5 Explain Graphic Narrative Explain that this Friday is NOT
Presentations asynchronous and that students will be
expected to join the Meet for class.
They will be giving informal
presentations about their graphic
narratives during this time, in which
they will talk about their work in
whatever way they choose. Students
will only have 3 minutes each to
present, so they should plan only to
 share parts of their work and not the
entire thing.
5 Peer Review Intro Explain that good peer reviewers give
meaningful feedback, which is feedback
that actually teaches the writers
something about their writing. This can
come in the form of questions, specific
compliments, or constructive criticism.
Review the questions that students are
invited to talk about.
20 Peer Review Groups Put students in either a Wonder Room
(5th Hour) or separate Google Meets
(6th Hour). Students should spend this
time talking about their work and giving
meaningful feedback. They may also
begin planning for their presentations.
5 Peer Review Reflection Have students meet back in the main
Google Meet. Ask a few students to
share things they learned or particularly
helpful feedback they received from
their peers.

Before dismissing students, repeat that

Friday is NOT asynchronous.