Parent Guide > The Third Wave

This week in class, we’re reading "The Third Wave" by CommonLit Staff.

The Third Wave was an experimental social movement created by high school history teacher Ron Jones in 1967 to explain how the German populace could accept the actions of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. While he taught his students about Nazi Germany during his "Contemporary World History" class, Jones found it difficult to explain how the German people could accept the actions of the Nazis, and decided to create a social movement as a demonstration of the appeal of fascism. As the movement grew outside his class and began to number in the hundreds, Jones began to feel that the movement had spiraled out of control.

As we read, we will be discussing the themes of Power & Greed and Social Pressure as they relate to the text. We are trying to answer these big questions :

"Why do people follow the crowd?" and "How does power corrupt?"

Ways to support your child:

• Ask your child about this informational text at home:
  • What was "The Third Wave" about?
  • What did you learn about Power & Greed?
  • What did you learn about Social Pressure?
• Watch The Wave (2011) Official Trailer at home with your child.