The Diary of a Young Girl
by: Anne Frank
Frank, A. (1993). Anne Frank: The diary of a young girl. New York: Bantam Books.
A diary is a safe haven for many people. A place to express your deepest thoughts without hesitation because no one will be able to read it as long as it is under your ownership. Anne Frank wrote a diary during her years as a child specifically in her last years hiding in an attic when Holland was occupied by the Nazi forces in 1942. Her diary exposes the reality of war, hardship, hunger, and the pain that her family endured during these years of hiding. Little did she know her secret diary would become a first hand account of the truths that existed during this time told through her serious and amusing tones expressed on each page. Well worth the read!
I remember reading this book in grade school and thinking it was interesting. However, reading it a second time I was able to appreciate that this writing was written by a young girl that was hiding during World War II specifically in relation to the Nazi forces, something that we study so often in classes. I don't know if I would read this entire diary as a class, but I think that it could provide good discussion for an introduction to this topic. It also would comply with the standards that deal with first hand and secondary sources regarding a topic. We could compare and contrast the type of information we glean from each of the sources and talk about why we would study both or prefer one over the other.
first hand/ secondary sources
Excellent lesson on types of sources
Frank, A. (1993). Anne Frank: The diary of a young girl. New York: Bantam Books.
A diary is a safe haven for many people. A place to express your deepest thoughts without hesitation because no one will be able to read it as long as it is under your ownership. Anne Frank wrote a diary during her years as a child specifically in her last years hiding in an attic when Holland was occupied by the Nazi forces in 1942. Her diary exposes the reality of war, hardship, hunger, and the pain that her family endured during these years of hiding. Little did she know her secret diary would become a first hand account of the truths that existed during this time told through her serious and amusing tones expressed on each page. Well worth the read!
I remember reading this book in grade school and thinking it was interesting. However, reading it a second time I was able to appreciate that this writing was written by a young girl that was hiding during World War II specifically in relation to the Nazi forces, something that we study so often in classes. I don't know if I would read this entire diary as a class, but I think that it could provide good discussion for an introduction to this topic. It also would comply with the standards that deal with first hand and secondary sources regarding a topic. We could compare and contrast the type of information we glean from each of the sources and talk about why we would study both or prefer one over the other.
first hand/ secondary sources
Excellent lesson on types of sources
