Read the “History Connection” on page 26 with a group of three or four other students. Then brainstorm ideas about why Anne Frank may have written an essay titled “Why?” Share your ideas with the rest of the class.
Read the essay silently. As you read, mark parts of the essay that might indicate why Anne wrote an essay titled “Why?”. You may use sticky notes or write brief comments in your notebook.
If you are having trouble understanding Anne Frank’s essay, find a partner, and reread the essay paragraph by paragraph, discussing answers to the Guided Reading Questions as you read.
When you have finished reading, discuss your ideas about the author’s purpose for writing an essay titled “Why?”. Create a list of statements from the text that support your ideas about Anne Frank’s purpose. Share your information with the rest of the class. After everyone has shared his or her ideas, compare everyone’s ideas about the author’s reasons for writing about the word why. Were most of the ideas similar? Why, or why not?