Zlata's Diary

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Commemorating Wartime Experiences Museum”

Monuments, memorials, and museums can help survivors of war process traumatic events while educating those on the outside and future generations. Museums explore wartime experiences by curating exhibits in multiple mediums, including found items, artwork, propaganda, architectural spaces, sculpture, collected writings, and film and audio displays.

After reading Zlata’s Diary and exploring other wartime sources in this unit, students individually create artistic works based on the diary and then collectively build a classroom museum or gallery that explores the work’s major themes.

• Choose a theme (The Absurdity of War, The Support of Friends and Family, Loss Due to War, Coming of Age During War, or Hope and Perseverance) and locate at least three quotes from Zlata’s Diary that connect to or illustrate the theme. Next, view war monuments, museums, or memorials online for inspiration. What sorts of artistic works have sprung from war? Keep in mind that museums often display works in multiple mediums, and choose a medium that you feel confident working with.
• Plan and begin creating your exhibit piece. You may choose to incorporate your quotes from Zlata’s Diary directly into your piece; for example, a collage of images of Sarajevo might feature Zlata’s descriptions of the city.