Key Terms and Allusion in Milkweed

This Storyboard That activity is part of the lesson plans for Milkweed




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Activity Overview

Starting a unit or lesson with the key vocabulary terms and allusions aids in overall comprehension and retention. With Holocaust literature, vocabulary and allusions often overlap as students are learning about real events, people, and places at the same time. Since they can overlap, teachers may want to use this template specifically for vocabulary, or just for allusions, as this example displays. In this activity, students will create a storyboard that defines and illustrates key terms and allusions that are historical, religious and cultural related to Milkweed. Previewing these can help students better understand the story and learn about the time period. This is also a good opportunity to help students understand the history behind the slur used against Romani people.


Examples of Terms and Allusions from Milkweed

  • Anti-Semitism
  • Holocaust
  • Warsaw, Poland
  • Nazi invasion of Poland, 1939
  • Warsaw Ghetto
  • Dr. Korczak
  • Death Camps
  • Roma (G*psies)
  • Flops
  • Propoganda
  • Jewish Star of David
  • Hanukkah



Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)


Due Date:

Objective: Create a storyboard that illustrates your understanding of key terms and allusions (people, places, events) in the story Milkweed.

Student Instructions:

  1. Click "Start Assignment".
  2. In the title boxes, identify the terms you have chosen.
  3. In the description boxes, write the definition or description of the term.
  4. Create an illustration for each term using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.

Requirements: Must have 3 terms, correct definitions or descriptions, and appropriate illustrations for each that demonstrate your understanding of the words.






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Milkweed






Image Attributions
  • • gisoft • License Free for Commercial Use / No Attribution Required (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0)