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Building Fluency through Reader’s Theater World War II: Battle of Normandy
Characters Emma:
Richard’s granddaughter
Hannah:
Howard’s granddaughter
Howard:
U.S. soldier
Richard:
U.S. soldier
Hans:
German soldier
Kirk:
German soldier
World War II Battle of Normandy
Sugarman
Dorothy Alexander Sugarman TCM 11553
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World War II Battle of Normandy
Dorothy Alexander Sugarman www.Ebook777.com
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World War II: Battle of Normandy
Associate Editor Torrey Maloof
Creative Director Lee Aucoin
Editor Wendy Conklin, M.A.
Illustration Manager/Designer Timothy J. Bradley
Editorial Director Dona Herweck Rice
Cover Designer Lesley Palmer
Editor-in-Chief Sharon Coan, M.S.Ed.
Cover Art The Granger Collection, New York The Tusko Family
Editorial Manager Gisela Lee, M.A.
Publisher Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed.
Story Summary Emma and Hannah interview their grandfathers to learn more about World War II for a school project. They learn about D-Day and how the Battle of Normandy turned the tide for the Allied forces during the war. They also hear about Hans and Kirk, two German prisoners of war, and are surprised to learn that many German soldiers were unaware of Hitler’s “Final Solution” and the concentration camps. With the help of their grandfathers, Emma and Hannah better understand World War II and learn why it is important for people to educate themselves about it.
Teacher Created Materials 5301 Oceanus Drive Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1030 http://www.tcmpub.com ISBN 978-1-4333-0553-5 © 2009 by Teacher Created Materials, Inc. Reprinted 2012
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Tips for Performing Reader’s Theater
Tips for Performing Reader’s Theater (cont.)
Adapted from Aaron Shepard • Don’t let your script hide your face. If you can’t see the audience, your script is too high.
• If the audience laughs, wait for them to stop before you speak again.
• Look up often when you speak. Don’t just look at your script.
• If someone in the audience talks, don’t pay attention. • If someone walks into the room, don’t pay attention.
• Talk slowly so the audience knows what you are saying.
• If you make a mistake, pretend it was right. • If you drop something, try to leave it where it is until the audience is looking somewhere else.
• Talk loudly so everyone can hear you. • Talk with feelings. If the character is sad, let your voice be sad. If the character is surprised, let your voice be surprised.
• If a reader forgets to read his or her part, see if you can read the part instead, make something up, or just skip over it. Don’t whisper to the reader!
• Stand up straight. Keep your hands and feet still. • Remember that even when you are not talking, you are still your character.
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World War II: Battle of Normandy
Act 1 Emma:
Hannah, I’m glad that we’re doing our Battle of Normandy project together. I found a lot of websites with information about it, but they are all confusing. Most of the sites had long lists of names and dates. I read through them, but I’m not sure why this battle was so important. To tell you the truth, I’m not even sure why the United States fought in World War II.
Hannah:
I know what you mean. It seems like studying history should be fun because it’s about people’s lives and what happened to them, but the stuff I’ve been reading is just plain boring. It’s just a bunch of details, and I don’t see the big picture.
Emma:
At least we can talk to our grandpas about what they remember. I think that will make a difference.
Hannah:
Yes, and they both seemed happy about meeting with us today. I never asked mine much about the war; I wasn’t sure that he wanted to talk about it. I think he saw some horrible things there.
Characters
Emma Hannah Howard
Richard Hans Kirk
Setting This reader’s theater begins in the present day at Hannah’s house. Hannah and Emma invite their grandfathers over to share their World War II experiences. As they tell their stories, the script flashes back to D-Day and the Battle of Normandy in France. The flashbacks also depict prisoner of war (POW) camps. When the flashbacks end, the story returns to the present.
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Emma:
Hannah:
Emma:
I think my grandpa did, too. My grandma said that when the war was first over, he had a lot of nightmares. Sometimes she used to hear him scream in the middle of the night. She would have to wake him up, and he would complain that his heart was racing. At least our grandfathers had each other. I think they are such close friends because they served together as officers in that prisoner of war camp. They should be here soon. My mom said she was going to drop them off together. Listen, that’s the doorbell.
Howard:
Hi, girls! It’s great to see you. You both look so grown up! I’ve been looking forward to this since Hannah called.
Richard:
You both look wonderful. Thank you for inviting us. It’s great to be here.
Hannah:
Grandpa, we’re really confused about the Battle of Normandy and about World War II. We have lots of questions for both of you. I hope that’s okay.
Howard:
It’s no problem. We’re glad you want to learn more about it.
Richard:
But, you must understand that some of the things that Howard and I witnessed may be upsetting to hear. We want you to know the truth, though.
Howard:
Many people think that the Battle of Normandy turned the tide in World War II.
Hannah:
What do you mean by that?
Howard:
Before that battle, Nazi Germany and the other Axis forces seemed to be winning the war. They were powerful. They were trying to take over the world, and it looked like they were succeeding.
Richard:
At one point, the Germans had conquered large parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Hannah:
Who fought with the Germans on the Axis side, Grandpa?
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Howard:
The three main Axis powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan, but as the war went on, other countries joined them.
Emma:
Wow! We learned about that in school, but I didn’t realize how much of the world the Axis powers had taken over.
Hannah:
I think my teacher said that Britain, Russia, and the United States were the three biggest Allied powers, but other countries fought on their side as well.
Richard:
That’s true. France was one of them, at least until the Axis forces crushed them.
Emma:
Why? What happened to France?
Howard:
In 1940, Germany and Italy defeated France. It was a huge win for the Axis forces. Things looked bleak for the Allies before the Battle of Normandy.
Hannah:
Normandy is in France isn’t it? How did fighting in France help the Allies?
Howard:
The Allied forces knew they had to free France in order to win the war. If they could win back France, then they could march from France into Germany and defeat the Axis powers.
Emma:
That must have been very difficult. Where did the Allies start?
Richard:
They decided that the best way to do this was to storm the beaches of Normandy on the French coast of the English Channel.
Howard:
The Allies knew this battle was crucial and that it would be hard to win. Three million troops from 12 nations joined together.
Richard:
It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The first day was called D-Day. That was the sixth of June, 1944.
Hannah:
Were the Axis forces ready for you?
Richard:
They were strong, but the Allied forces had done a lot of planning. In fact, we prepared for three years!
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Howard:
Emma:
Months before D-Day, our planes dropped bombs over Normandy, and 13,000 of our troops parachuted down. We cut railroad lines and blew up bridges. We even pretended to fight somewhere else in France just to fool the Axis troops. That’s certainly a lot of planning. Once you landed, was it an easy battle?
Richard:
In spite of that, D-Day was considered a great success. By the end of that day, the Allies captured Normandy from the Axis powers. It was an amazing feat.
Emma:
That’s incredible. But, wasn’t that a lot of people to lose? Weren’t you scared?
Richard:
We were absolutely terrified. We could see hundreds of men falling on the beaches. And, it was heart-wrenching, too, because these men were our comrades and meant everything to us.
Howard:
We also knew we had to win the war and stop Hitler. Hitler had decided that the German people were a “master race.” He murdered people whom he thought were inferior. But, we also found out that not every German soldier was a monster. Many of them were very young. Some didn’t even know what they were really fighting for.
Richard:
No, not at all. Once the Axis troops saw what was going on, the fighting was fierce.
Hannah:
Were our soldiers ready?
Howard:
Not really. Many of our men got seasick from the rough crossing. Most of our troops had no real experience. In fact, only a small fraction of the 100,000 men who made it to shore that day had ever been in combat before. It was scary.
Hannah:
Did the fighting start immediately?
Hannah:
What do you mean? How is that possible?
Howard:
Yes. You could hear shooting from all directions. Our men began to dig trenches in the sand for protection. By nightfall, more than 9,000 of our soldiers were wounded or dead.
Richard:
We got to know a few German prisoners. Do you want me to tell the story?
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Emma:
Oh, yes. Please tell us.
Richard:
This will take us back in time. Here we go.
Hans:
I know that they want us to do this because we can speak English, Kirk, but truthfully, I’m frightened. We have no idea who or what is out there, and we don’t know what we’ll find. This is going to be difficult and dangerous, and we’re not invisible. I don’t know how we can move about without the Americans spotting us.
Kirk:
You’re not thinking about this in the right way, Hans. We’ve been well trained, so we’ll just react as we’ve been taught. You know exactly what to do. We’ll creep along quietly when it’s dark, keep our eyes and ears open, and figure out where the Americans have advanced.
Hans:
I guess you’re right, but I still feel uneasy.
Yes. The officers want us to do scouting. We must check on the advances of the American troops. We’ll have to travel in secret so that we won’t be seen or heard. Then, we’ll report the American positions once we’re safely back.
Kirk:
We’ll continually watch out for each other, and if either of us is in danger, the other person will shoot. It’s as simple as that. We’ll be okay if we stick to the plan.
Hans:
That seems almost impossible! Do you have any idea how we can accomplish this?
Hans:
Kirk:
We’ll need to find out where the Americans are stationed. This won’t be easy, so we’ll need to constantly cover each other.
I need to ask you a favor. If anything happens to me, I’ve written something that I want you to give to my folks. I know that my parents are very worried, and they were sick when my brothers and I were conscripted into the army. Will you promise to deliver this letter to them?
Song: Goodbye Broadway, Hello France Act 2 Hans: Kirk:
Kirk, did you understand our orders?
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Kirk:
Don’t worry, Hans. We’ll both be very careful. And remember, we can’t talk much. It would be far too dangerous if anyone heard us, so we’ll use our signals whenever we can. We’ve been practicing them, and we can do it.
Hans:
I suppose that’ll be the safest way. Do you have enough guns and ammunition?
Kirk:
I have what I need, and my guns are already loaded. We’ll have to travel quietly and use our secret signals, or we might be caught.
Hans:
All right. I just loaded my last gun, so I’m ready to go.
Kirk:
As we crawl along, don’t forget to signal if you see any rocks that we can hide behind safely. I’ll do the same, so watch carefully.
Hans:
Okay, I will.
Kirk:
(whispering) I know this is taking a very long time, Hans. I’m getting tired, and my legs ache. I’m sure yours do as well.
Hans:
(whispering) I wish we had found better hiding places along the way. Wait, look over there! There’s a shelter just about a hundred meters west of here, but the Allied forces might be in it.
Kirk:
(whispering) I’m tempted to go rest there, but we’d better not go anywhere near it, or we’ll risk being shot.
Hans:
(whispering) It’s beginning to get light out, Kirk, and soon our mission will be even more dangerous. Look, there’s an empty trench right here. I think we can safely get to it, and then perhaps we can rest for a little while. We’ll just need to crawl in quietly.
Kirk:
Oh no, look! I see an American tank, and I think they’ve spotted us. Oh, no! Aah!
Hans:
Kirk, are you all right? Why aren’t you answering me, Kirk? Oh, no! You’re not moving.
Kirk:
(whispering) Hans, listen, I’m alive. Just my arm is shot. Don’t move a muscle, and don’t make a sound. We’ll have to pretend we’re dead, or they’ll come back and finish us off. Once it’s quiet, we’ll figure out what to do. 17
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Hans:
I hear more fire. Ahh! I feel a horrible, piercing pain in my leg. I’m bleeding!
Hans:
Look! The shelter is right here. Go easy, and let me help you. Okay, phew! We’re in.
Kirk:
Hans, we have no choice. Somehow, we need to get back to that shelter.
Kirk:
Oh, no! I think I hear American voices just outside. Wait, Hans, I’m starting to feel very lightheaded and faint.
Hans:
I pray it isn’t an American shelter, but you’re right; we have no choice. The tank seems to be gone though, so that’s promising. Let’s go.
Hans:
Kirk, can you hear me? Wake up! Kirk!
Kirk:
It’ll be difficult to get there, but I’ll help you up with my good arm. Just lean on me until we arrive, and try not to make any noise.
Richard:
Who’s there? Speak now!
Hans:
Don’t shoot! We are giving ourselves up.
Richard:
Who are you, and are you alone?
Hans:
My name is Hans Fredrick, and I am a German soldier with the Third Reich. My comrade, Kirk Kuhn, is with me, and we’ve both been severely wounded. I can see that my comrade is still breathing, but I think he might be unconscious.
Howard:
Throw down your weapons, and then lie face down on your stomach with your hands over your head. Hurry!
Hans:
Okay, I will. Here, if you stand on my left side where my leg is bleeding, I’ll be able to hold on to you and still use my other leg to hop.
Kirk:
We can do this. The shelter isn’t far. I think we can get there safely.
Hans:
This is taking a long time. Kirk, are you okay, or am I leaning too hard on you?
Kirk:
I think that I’m losing a lot of blood.
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Richard:
Do what you’re told, and once you’re on the ground, do not move. We will collect your comrade’s weapons ourselves.
Richard:
We’ll do that. Here’s a blanket. Now lie still, and we’ll get to you when we are finished with Kirk.
Kirk:
Yes, sir.
Hans:
Richard:
We are American officers at the prisoner of war camp near here, and we have medical supplies with us. We’ll clean both of the wounds and give you first aid. Once you’re stable, we’ll escort you to the POW camp. Do you understand?
I can see that Kirk is shivering, but I’m not chilled or feverish. He should have my blanket so that he’ll stay warmer because his wounds are more severe.
Act 3 Emma:
Were you able to save them, Grandpa?
Hans:
Yes, sir, I understand, but we’re both bleeding a lot. Please help us, and don’t let us die.
Richard:
Howard:
It’s our job to try to help you. If you want to live, you’ll have to cooperate. You must obey our orders exactly. If your comrade wakes up, don’t attempt to communicate with him in German. From now on, you can speak only English. Is that perfectly clear?
Howard and I worked for several hours. Luckily for Hans and Kirk, the bullets had not penetrated very deeply, so we were able to remove them. We wrapped their wounds with clean bandages, and by the next morning, Kirk was conscious again.
Howard:
We were ready and able to transport them to the POW camp in our jeep.
Hannah:
I wish I could have seen that. That must have been something!
Hans:
Yes, sir, it’s perfectly clear. And, don’t worry. We can both speak English. In the meantime, I think Kirk’s wounds are worse than mine, so maybe you can help him first.
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Howard:
It took almost a day to get to the POW camp. They said very little to us, and we wouldn’t let them speak to each other in German.
Richard:
Once we got to the camp, we insisted that they talk. We conducted an interrogation, but they wouldn’t tell us everything.
Richard:
We could see that they were basically kind men. We gave them both blankets, but Hans gave his to Kirk because he was still shivering. Kirk gave Hans some of his food.
Hannah:
What do you mean?
Howard:
We wanted to find what they knew about the German positions so that the Allies could go after them. But, Kirk and Hans wouldn’t talk about it.
Richard:
They were either ignorant or pretended they didn’t know to protect their comrades. We couldn’t be sure. But, that’s when we found out how little they knew about Hitler and the war they were fighting.
Emma:
Why? What did they say?
Richard:
We had kept careful records. Listen to what happened.
Howard:
They obviously cared about one another, and they treated each other like brothers.
Hannah:
I’m glad you saved them, but that also surprises me. Why was that your job? I thought the enemy forces just killed each other immediately.
Richard:
Prisoners of war were very valuable to us. They had the information we needed to fight effectively, so it was important to save as many of them as we could.
Howard:
It was our job at the POW camp to question them and find out exactly what they knew.
Emma:
Did they answer your questions?
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Act 4 Howard:
Kirk and Hans, you know we saved your lives. You need to cooperate with us now. We need to know the exact location of the German units. You must be as precise as possible, so think carefully about what you are saying. This is very important.
Kirk:
We don’t know where the units are, sir.
Howard:
You’ll have to think harder. We know you left your unit because they sent you on a scouting mission to find out what the Americans were doing. We’ve seen this before. You’ll need to tell us the location of the German militias.
Kirk:
Sir, we knew where our own unit was, but we left it a few days before you found us. When we didn’t return, our officers probably became concerned about the safety of their position. I’m almost certain they’ve moved on by now.
Richard:
We won’t accept ignorance for an answer. You’ll need to tell us what you remember about the location of your unit; it is of the utmost importance.
Howard:
But for now, we have some other questions that you will need to answer. First, why did each of you join the German army?
Hans:
We love our country, but that’s not the reason we joined.
Kirk:
I come from a small farming community in southeast Germany. One day, the Nazi officials came through town, brandishing their guns, and they took all the young men with them. They threatened to shoot my family or put them in jail if I did not go quietly. I had no choice. All of my brothers were conscripted, as well.
Hans:
I lived in the next farm over from Kirk, and the same thing happened to me. Those Nazi officials conscripted all the young men into the army and forced them to abandon their families. My mother was crying when I left, but I had no choice. I had to obey.
Richard:
You say you love your country, but are you aware of what Hitler and the Nazis have been doing? Do you know that, even before the war began, the Nazis started mass murdering innocent people? They would bring groups of Jews and others that they deemed enemies of Germany into the woods. 25
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Howard:
These people were forced to dig a giant hole at gunpoint. Then they were killed on the spot, and the hole they had just dug became their graves!
Kirk:
That’s not possible! What are you saying?
Howard:
Keep listening. That’s only the beginning. The Nazis decided that these shootings didn’t kill enough people, so they built concentration camps and death camps with gas chambers. They forced millions of innocent people into cattle cars and brought them to these camps.
Richard:
Howard:
Richard:
Hitler is carrying out his “Final Solution.” He is determined to rid the world of all the people that he thinks are inferior. And, he didn’t stop at the men; he also killed women, children, infants, and the elderly. He murdered anyone he thought wasn’t pure Aryan. He has already put millions of people to death in gas chambers.
Kirk:
Can this be true? This is horrifying!
Hans:
You have to believe us. We’ve never heard anything like this before. Hitler and the Nazis never came through our little town before they needed us as soldiers.
Kirk:
We didn’t have a radio. I never heard Hitler speak. I swear I didn’t know about this!
Hans:
Life was nearly impossible in Germany after World War I because we were so poor. Our money was nearly worthless, and it was difficult to buy anything, even the most basic, necessary items. We were struggling to survive.
Kirk:
But if I had known what terrible things Hitler and the Nazis were doing, I would have left before they forced me to join the army.
Hans:
I feel so ashamed. Honestly, I don’t know what to say. Maybe we can help the families of these victims if we ever get to go home.
Look, we have copies of his speeches and photographs taken inside the camps.
Poem: Back 27
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Act 5 Hannah:
Emma:
Emma:
It makes me wonder. How many soldiers in all wars have no idea why they’re really fighting?
Hannah:
Yes, how many kill and never know the truth about why they are asked to do it?
Emma:
Something else is bothering me about this. Because people can do awful things when they’re ignorant and just follow orders, don’t they have a responsibility to try to learn what’s really going on around them? If they don’t, how can they stand up for what is right?
I wonder why Kirk and Hans were shocked. I thought all Germans knew about the camps. Weren’t there concentration camps all over Germany?
Howard:
Many of these camps were in different countries. There were some concentration camps in Germany, but most of the death camps were in Poland.
Richard:
There were also some in Czechoslovakia and in Hungary. I’m not sure why they were spread out. Maybe the Nazis didn’t want the German people to see exactly what was happening.
Howard:
Well girls, you’re correct. Being ignorant doesn’t let you off the hook. War is a terrible thing, and people have an obligation to learn what’s going on.
Emma:
This is an amazing story, Grandpa. It must have been very painful to see. Do you know what happened to Kirk and Hans after the war?
Richard:
You girls are obviously thinking deeply about very complex issues, and asking important questions. I’m proud of both of you.
Richard:
I know that when they got back to Germany, they tried to help some of the victims of the war.
Howard:
Howard:
We lost track of them after a while, but I believe they continued to help suffering people.
Now, you’ll have to decide how to present this information to your class. I wonder what your classmates and your teacher will think about all you have learned!
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Back
Goodbye Broadway, Hello France
by Wilfred Gibson
Words by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis Music by Billy Baskette
They ask me where I’ve been And what I’ve done and seen. But what can I reply, Who know it wasn’t I, But someone just like me, Who went across the sea And with my head and hands Killed men in foreign lands. Though I must bear the blame Because he bore my name.
Goodbye New York town, goodbye Miss Liberty, Your light of freedom will guide us across the sea. Ev’ry soldier’s sweet-heart bidding goodbye, Ev’ry soldier’s mother drying her eye. Cheer up, we’ll soon be there, Singing this Yankee air: Goodbye Broadway, hello France, We’re ten million strong. Good-bye sweethearts, wives, and mothers, It won’t take us long. Don’t you worry while we’re there; It’s for you we’re fighting too, So goodbye Broadway, hello France, We’re going to help you win this war. This is an abridged version of the complete song.
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Glossary Allies—countries that fought the Axis powers during World War II; Britain, the United States, and Russia were “The Big Three” Aryan—according to Hitler, people of non-Jewish Caucasian descent who were supposedly superior to other races of people Axis powers—countries that fought the Allies during World War II; the three major Axis powers were Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan concentration camps—a labor camp where Nazis mistreated, starved, and murdered Jews and many other groups they thought were undesirable conscripted—people forced to serve in the armed forces D–Day—the day Allied troops landed at Normandy Final Solution—the Nazis’ plan to kill all of the European Jewish population during World War II Hitler—leader of the German Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party); ruled Germany from 1933–1945 master race—a Nazi idea that says the Germanic and Nordic people represent the pure and ideal race Nazis—the National Socialist German Workers’ Party members who carried out the orders of Adolf Hitler in Germany from 1933–1945 Third Reich—another name for Germany under the control of Hitler
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World War II: Battle of Normandy
Characters Emma:
Richard’s granddaughter
Hannah:
Howard’s granddaughter
Howard:
U.S. soldier
Richard:
U.S. soldier
Hans:
German soldier
Kirk:
German soldier
World War II Battle of Normandy
Sugarman
Dorothy Alexander Sugarman TCM 11553
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