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

What wars have happened since WWII? What kinds of conflicts in modern times can lead to war? If you know little about a particular war, what kinds of things would you need to research to understand the war?

Teaching Suggestion: In exploring the historical context for Zlata’s Diary, there exists a potential for trauma and re-traumatization due to the nature of Bosnian history, which includes war, terror, ethnic division, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing/genocide. As postwar propaganda and covering for war crimes continue today, you may wish to vet sources for content and accuracy, and prepare and share a clear, trauma-informed plan of conduct for discussing, researching, and writing about sensitive issues before students engage in any tasks. These questions can be approached via reflective journal, general classroom opener/discussion, think-pair-share, or as part of a larger prior-knowledge activation strategy such as KWL. You might use guiding questions about the Bosnian War and Sarajevo to guide students before, during, or after a mini research session using the sources below or similar sources.