Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl Activity Bundle - Creative Assignments
This resource includes 15 ready-to-use activities designed to help students fully engage with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. The assignments follow the diary in order, allowing students to move through Anne’s experiences as she records them, while steadily building their understanding of her voice, relationships, and personal growth. As students read, they examine how living in hiding shaped Anne’s perspective and how the events of World War II influenced daily life in the Secret Annex. The activities encourage students to think carefully about characterization, conflict, theme, and historical context in fun and creative ways. Throughout the unit, students reflect, analyze, and respond in ways that deepen their understanding of Anne’s story while strengthening their reading and writing skills.
This is included in a unit plan:
→ Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl Unit Plan
Included in the Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl Activity Bundle:
Section 1: June 12, 1942 – October 14, 1942:
➡️ Diary Writing Assignment: Just like Anne Frank, students keep their own diary throughout the unit. This ongoing assignment gives students a dedicated space to write honestly about their thoughts, feelings, daily experiences, and reactions to the events in the text. At different points in the unit, students can respond to specific prompts or write freely, mirroring Anne’s reflective style. At the end of the unit, students complete a reflection analyzing how keeping a diary helped them better understand Anne’s voice, perspective, and emotional growth.
➡️ Anne Frank Characterization Activity: In this Anne Frank activity, students track the key people in Anne’s life by completing a detailed chart that includes descriptions, personality traits, important actions, and Anne’s evolving opinions of each person. As students move through the diary, they update their charts to reflect changes in relationships and tensions within the Secret Annex. This activity helps students clearly understand the dynamics between Anne and the others in hiding and provides a strong reference tool for later discussions or essays.
➡️ The Secret Annex Layout: Students label a diagram of the annex, identifying the different rooms and explaining how each space was used by the families in hiding. This activity helps students visualize the confined living conditions and better understand how limited space affected daily life and relationships. By mapping the physical environment, students gain a clearer picture of Anne’s world and the challenges of living in hiding.
➡️ Anne Frank Idioms: Anne uses many idioms and expressions throughout her writing. In this interactive matching activity, students connect idioms from the diary to their meanings. This strengthens comprehension, builds vocabulary awareness, and helps students better understand language that may feel unfamiliar.
Section 2: October 20, 1942 – July 19, 1943:
➡️ Anne Frank Conflict: Students examine both the internal conflicts Anne experiences—such as insecurity, identity struggles, and frustration—and the external conflicts involving other members of the annex and the broader war. Using presentation slides and a focused assignment, students analyze specific diary entries and explain how these conflicts influence Anne’s thoughts, behavior, and maturity. This activity deepens understanding of character development and theme.
➡️ Radio Lesson: After learning about the historical importance of radio during World War II, students listen to Winston Churchill’s “The End of the Beginning” speech, which is referenced in the diary. They analyze the speech using guided reading questions that focus on tone, purpose, and historical context. Students then write their own radio broadcast about the Battle of Stalingrad (also mentioned in the diary), using nonfiction texts to support their writing. For added engagement, students may perform or record their broadcast, helping them connect Anne’s experience to the larger global events of WWII.
Section 3: July 23, 1943 – January 12, 1944:
➡️ Anne Frank Figurative Language: Students identify and analyze figurative language in Anne’s writing, including metaphors, idioms, personification, and other literary devices. Using direct quotes from this section of the diary, students label and explain the meaning behind Anne’s language choices. An answer key supports discussion and ensures accurate analysis, helping students appreciate Anne’s growth as a writer.
➡️ Maya Angelou Caged Bird Poetry Lesson and Connection: Anne compares herself to a caged bird in this section. After reading Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird,” students analyze the poem’s themes of confinement, freedom, and longing. They then make direct connections between Angelou’s imagery and Anne’s experiences in hiding. After listening to Angelou read the poem, students complete a reflective journal response that explores the shared emotional impact of both texts.
Section 4: January 15, 1944 – March 19, 1944:
➡️ Anne’s Advice: In this section, Anne offers thoughtful reflections and advice about life, relationships, and human nature. Students read selected quotes and participate in a discussion activity examining how her ideas have evolved. They then choose one quote to analyze in a one-page written response, explaining its meaning and significance while connecting it to Anne’s growth.
➡️ The WWII Helpers Nonfiction Jigsaw Activity: Students first learn about the helpers mentioned in the diary, including Miep, Bep, Jan, Johan, Victor, and Johannes, and discuss the risks these individuals took. They then expand their understanding by researching additional WWII helpers such as Sir Nicholas Winton, Carl Lutz, Corrie ten Boom, Henriette Henriquez Pimentel, and Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer. Through a jigsaw format, students become “experts” on one historical figure before teaching their peers, allowing the class to learn about multiple real-life heroes who showed courage during the Holocaust.
Section 5: March 20, 1944 – May 3, 1944:
➡️ Dear Anne Writing Activity: Students write a letter from Anne to herself, reflecting on her personal growth and offering advice. This assignment encourages students to analyze Anne’s development and imagine how her later self might view her earlier thoughts and fears. It deepens understanding of characterization and perspective.
➡️ Peter’s Diary: Since readers only hear Anne’s perspective in the diary, students imagine that Peter was also keeping a diary. They write an entry from Peter’s point of view, considering his personality, experiences, and relationship with Anne. This activity encourages empathy and perspective-taking while reinforcing understanding of key events.
Section 6: May 5, 1944 – August 1, 1944:
➡️ Anne Frank Historical Timeline Activity: Students create a timeline that combines key moments from Anne’s time in hiding with significant historical events from WWII. By placing personal diary entries alongside global events, students clearly see how Anne’s experiences were shaped by the broader war.
➡️ Anne Frank Legacy WebQuest: Through guided links to articles, videos, and images, students explore how Anne’s diary was preserved and published, Otto Frank’s role in sharing her story, and the long-term impact of her writing. Students examine how Anne’s words became a symbol of hope, resilience, and remembrance after WWII.
➡️ Essay Topics: Students select from pre-designed analytical essay prompts focused on theme, character development, or historical context in The Diary of a Young Girl. These essay options encourage deeper thinking, require text evidence, and serve as a strong culminating assessment for the unit.
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