The Boy On The Wooden Box

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How might someone describe the Holocaust? What events or opinions do you think ultimately caused the Holocaust? What texts or films try to describe or show the concentration and extermination camps?

Teaching Suggestion: Leon Leyson’s memoir describes the antisemitic views leading up to the German occupation and his experiences during the Holocaust in Poland. Students may benefit from exploring details about the Holocaust, the events that led up to it, and why antisemitism was prevalent in Europe at the time the memoir takes place.

• This article explains the Holocaust, why it happened, and how it impacted the world.
• This 14-minute video (teacher-appropriate; not student-facing; includes graphic descriptions of wartime violence) describes the Holocaust.

2. Who was Oskar Schindler? How might Schindler’s involvement in World War II have been different from that of other Germans? Why might Schindler be considered a hero?

Teaching Suggestion: Leon and most of his family began working for Schindler in his factories. Leon and his family developed a relationship with Schindler that ultimately saved their lives. It may be beneficial to offer information on the life of Oskar Schindler, his involvement in World War II, and his relationship with his Jewish staff.

• This article describes Oskar Schindler and his role in World War II.
• This 25-minute video discusses the life of Oskar Schindler. (Consider beginning the video at 7:10 to save time.)

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Describe a time when you felt ostracized for your beliefs or differences. What occurred during the event? How did the interaction change the way you think about others? What about the interaction was irrational? Have you ever made judgments about something or someone you didn’t understand? In what ways were your own actions irrational?

Teaching Suggestion: In Leon Leyson’s memoir, he describes his experiences growing up after Germany captured Poland during World War II. Leon explains that leading up to the event he was sometimes criticized and treated differently because of his Jewish heritage. Students may wish to discuss their own experiences in coping with differences and making judgments about others.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who might benefit from an additional challenge, consider discussing and researching the use of propaganda leading up to World War II. Students may wish to describe how Jews were depicted and the lies that were spread by the Nazis to influence the public. With prior permission, students might share the information and some propaganda images with the class; students might speculate about the overall impact of the propaganda on the attitudes of non-Jewish people.