Students in Ms. Drey’s eighth grade English classes practiced their speaking and listening skills while reading the play, The Diary of Anne Frank. The play portrays the struggles of Anne and her family as they hide in the secret annex of an Amsterdam building. To begin this unit, the students completed background research on the time period, as well as the families hiding; it led to the students being able to begin to have conversations about the time period and deepen their understanding of the circumstances those in the annex faced. While reading the play, the students sat in a circle, taking on the roles of the characters in the play. In this setup, students are able to conduct more student-led discussions and answer questions together after each of the scenes.