Maus Part 2, Chpt 3

1. Is Artie enjoying his time with his father? Explain and use 2-3 panels of evidence to support your ideas.
2. What does Artie learn from his father about examples of "resistance" in the concentration camp? Explain and use 2-3 panels of evidence to support your ideas.
3. Describe Vladek's journey from Auschwitz to Dachau. What are the major themes expressed in this journey?
4. Which of Vladek's character traits helped him to survive his time in Dachau? Explain what he did and use panels to support your ideas.

Maus 2, Chpt 2

1. Check journals & share with peer. Large group discussion of 2.
2. FREE WRITE into Group discussion

• p. 204 --> what does the doctor mean when he calls Artie "the REAL survivor"?

Thesis writing & evidence colection practice

• With death comes the loss of story. How do authors and writers come to terms with creating and managing untold stories? Why does Art struggle with this? Is silence the right answer?
• How does suffering impact humans? Use text to support ideas
• How does Vladek survive? Use text to support ideas

Maus 2, Chpt 1

1. Check nightly journal. Please let me know if a student did not complete.
2. Activity 1: Work in pairs sharing journals. What did they notice? Why? Significance of panel? Any one group want to share with the class?
3. Activity 2: Working in groups of 2-3, fill out the following for Chpt 1: setting, characters, plot, conflict, theme, visual. Share out on the board and have one student per group put information on board. Review as a class.
4. Activity 3: Pick three panels to represent the beginning, middle and end of the chapter. Make sure you capture conflict.
5. Activity 4: Start reading chpt. 2

Maus: Chpt 6, the end

Chpt. 6

1. Why does Art worry about the way he’s portraying his father, Vladek in the book? Should Art worry about this? Explain.
2. Is Vladek happy about Art’s book? Explain.
3. Why would Vladek compare Art to Walt Disney?
4. How does Janina, the governess react when Vladek and Anja come to her for help? Why? 
5. Why does Vladek ride in the official streetcar with the Germans, rather than in the second car with the Poles?
6. Do you think Mrs. Motonowa is justified in throwing out Vladek and Anja? Explain.
7. Why does Vladek consider going to Hungary with Anja?
8. How does Vladek escape from the children who were playing on the street and screaming, “A Jew!!!” Why do the Jews speak in Yiddish in front of the Polish smugglers? Was this a good idea? Explain.

Some poems and some poetry creation!

Maus Chpt 5

The stages of genocide ....

Looking at chapter 4, please identify a panel (or 2) that illustrates each stage of genocide. What were your biggest surprises when reading about the different stages? What did you learn? What was new?

What are some of the tough ethical decisions made in Chapter 5?

Questions for discussion

1. How does Art respond to his father when Vladek calls to ask for help with fixing the drainpipe?
2. What is “Prisoner on the Hell Planet”? How is this comic different from Maus? How is it similar?
3. What happens to Richieu in the Ghetto in Zawiercie? Why?
4. Why does Vladek build a bunker? Does this bunker help the family survive? Explain.
5. Vladek lets his cousin know that he can pay him for his help. Why? Does it matter?
6. Vladek refers to Haskel as a “kombinator.” What is a “kombinator”? Why does Vladek call Haskel a “kombinator”? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
7. Why does Anja’s nephew Luke refuse to go to the hidden bunker? Does he make a smart decision? Why or why not?
8. Why does Art Spiegelman portray the paths as a swastika? How does this image express Vladek and Anja’s situation?
9. Why does Vladek keep the 14 karat gold cigarette case and lady’s powder case from Srodula, Poland?
10. Vladek questions why he ever remarried after Anja’s death. Why do you think he married Mala? Do you think Vladek and Mala have a good marriage? Explain.

Maus Chpt 4

From the headlines

Check in with journals. Share with partner. Work through each other's panel with FOCUSS. Discuss as class.

Let's review setting, characters, plot, conflict, theme, visual and history.

WRITING --> Panels on p. 85: The bottom portion of the page shows the hanging from two perspective. What is the impact of the two perspectives and what is the purpose?

Maus Chpt 3

From earlier chapters ...

What kind of relationship does Art Spiegelman and his father, Vladek have? Use specific pictures and text to support your answer.

When do Vladek and Anja realize that the war is coming? How do they know? Use specific pictures and text to support your answer.

Any questions about plot? Characters?

Handout fun & analytical practice. Let's FOCUSS.