Nuremberg Laws
Author: Richard Moyer
Date created: 12/13/2014 11:02 PM EST ; Date modified: 12/14/2014 3:18 PM EST
Basic Information
Mentor Teacher
Dr. Saxe
Grade/Level
Grade 9
Time Frame
20 minutes
Subject(s)
Social Studies
Lesson Topic
Nuremberg Laws
Unit Topic
The events leading up to WWII.
Standards And Key Concepts
Standards
PA­ Pennsylvania Common Core Standards (Draft) (2013)
Subject: Reading in History and Social Studies
Grade: GRADE 9­10
Content Area: 8.5 Reading Informational Text Students read, understand, and respond to informational text – with
emphasis on comprehension, making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence.
Domain:
Key Ideas and Details
Standard:
CC.8.5.9­10.B. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
Standard:
CC.8.5.9­10.C. Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused
later ones or simply preceded them.
Domain:
Range and Level of Complex Texts
Standard:
CC.8.5.9­10.J. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
Enduring Understanding(s)
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce WWII by looking at the events that led up to it. The Nuremberg Laws were one
of many ways that the Nazi party looked to discriminate others and gain power. I want my students to understand how
the laws served to isolate and restrict Jews from certain civil rights.
Specific Learning Outcomes
Students will learn about the Nuremberg Laws
Students will analyze primary sources to further understand the Nuremberg Laws and their importance in determining
and isolating German Jews from Germans.
Students will discuss primary sources, a bell ringer, and lecture material to understand the Nuremberg Laws.
Essential Questions
­Why did the Nazis find it necessary to legally define who was a Jew?
­How did the Nuremberg Laws serve to isolate Jews from other Germans? ­What basic civil rights did the laws take away from German Jews? Materials and Resources
Materials and resources:
Prezi titled Nuremberg Laws and the printed copies of the Nuremberg Laws (Law for the Protection of German
Blood and German Honor, The Reich Citizenship Law)
Activities And Procedures
Springboard
Prezi slide 1: Nuremberg Laws
Bell Ringer: Think of a time when someone either restricted you from doing something or took something away from
you... How did it make you feel? What source of power stopped you from doing what you were doing? Who took
something away from you? Was it necessary or unnecessary?
Teacher: Ask students to share experiences if comfortable. Wants students to focus not necessarily on the stories but
whether being restricted or not of their rights were necessary. This leads the way for the lecture, and more importantly
the discussion.
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Transition
Prezi slide 2: Essential Questions
­Why did the Nazis find it necessary to legally define who was a Jew?
­How did the Nuremberg Laws serve to isolate Jews from other Germans? ­What basic civil rights did the laws take away from German Jews? Teacher: Read essential questions, explain how at the end of the lesson students should be able to answer these.
Activity 1
Prezi slide 3: What were the Nuremberg Laws? (Picture of Nuremberg Rallies)
Prezi slide 4: Nuremberg Laws (1.Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor 2. The Reich Citizenship
Law)
­Classified people with four German grandparents as "German or kindred blood"
­Classified as a Jew if you descended from three or four Jewish grandparents
­A person with one or two Jewish grandparents was a Mischling, a crossbreed, of "mixed blood" ­classified as "racially acceptable" people with "German or related blood"
Teacher: Nuremeberg Laws introduced in 1935, during the Nuremberg Rallies. These rallies focused on different topics,
this rally focused on freedom. What is ironic here? Jews are losing their freedom.
Activity 2
Prezi slide 5: (Picture of The Reich Citizenship Law)
Prezi slide 6: (Picture of the classifaction chart created to determine who was Jewish or not in Germany)
Prezi slide 7: (Picture of passports with "J" written on them to help Nazi's distinguish people as Jewish)
Teacher: The Reich Citizenship law picture is what it looked like when written in German. The Classification chart was
created to determine who was Jewish in Germany. It was broken down into four categories and determined by the
number of grandparents you had that were Jewish. People who were distinguished as Jews were labeled Judes or
Jubes. Picture of passports with "J" written on them to help Nazi's distinguish people as Jewish, example of one of many
ways this classification system helped Nazi's do this.
Activity 3
Prezi slide 8: Nuremberg Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor
(First Section of the Nuremberg Laws) ­­ September 15, 1935­­ Moved by the understanding that purity of the German Blood is the essential
condition for the continued existence of the German people, and inspired by the inflexible determination to ensure the existence of the
German Nation for all time, the Reichstag has unanimously adopted the following Law, which is promulgated herewith:
Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor
Section 1­ Marriages between Jews and citizens of German or some related blood are forbidden.
Such marriages... are invalid, even if they take place abroad in order to avoid the law.
Section 2­ Sexual relations outside marriage between Jews and citizens of German or related blood are
forbidden.
Section 3­ Jews will not be permitted to employ female citizens of German or related blood who are under 45
years as housekeepers.
Section 4­
1. Jews are forbidden to raise the national flag or display the national colors.
2. However, they are allowed to display the Jewish colors. The exercise of this right is protected
by the State.
Section 5­ Anyone who disregards Section 1... Section 2... Section 3 or 4 will be punished with imprisonment
up to one year or with a fine, or with one of these penalties...
The Reich Citizenship Law
Article 1­
1. A subject of the State is a person who belongs to the protective union of the German Reich, and who
therefore has particular obligations towards the Reich.
2. The status of subject is acquired in accordance with the provisions of the Reich and State Law of Citizenship.
Article 2­
1. A citizen of the Reich is that subject only who is of German or kindred blood and who, through his conduct,
shows that he is both desirous and fit to serve the German people and Reich faithfully.
2. The right to citizenship is acquired by the granting of Reich citizenship papers.
3. Only the citizen of the Reich enjoys full political rights in accordance with the provision of the laws.
Article 3­ The Reich Minister of the Interior in conjunction with the Deputy of the Fuhrer will issue the necessary
legal and administrative decrees for carrying out and supplementing this law. Page 2 of 3
Prezi slide 9: Primary Source Activity­­­ Read the provided two documents (The Nuremberg Laws) and work with your group/partner to answer
the following questions...
­Choose one law from each document. What is the law? What is the meaning of this law?
­How might this law have influenced the attitudes and actions of the German people? How might their lives and beliefs have changed as a
result of this law?
­Summarize what you think the Nuremberg Laws meant for Jewish People.
­What do you find most disturbing about the Nuremberg Laws?
Teacher: Read slide 8, then introduce slide 9 (which is the English translation of Nuremberg Laws). Students will read the passages, and
work together to analyze the documents and answer the questions. As a teacher, really focus on the second question: How might this law
have influenced the attitudes and actions of the German people? How might their lives and beliefs have changed as a result of this law? Ask
students what they think of these laws, and why in Section 2­ Sexual relations outside marriage between Jews and citizens of German or
related blood are forbidden and in Section 3­ Jews will not be permitted to employ female citizens of German or related blood who are under
45 years as housekeepers?
Activity 4
Activity 5
Activity 6
Activity 7
Activity 8
Closure
Assessment/Evaluation
Diagnostic
Students use prior knowledge, make assumptions based on the provided material, use lecture information, and answer a
bell ringer to become familiar with the Nuremburg Laws and why they were put in place.
Formative
The knowledge the students learned could be evaluated through a test. However, we decided to break the class down
into groups so that they can learn in smaller environments and work together to learn. At the end, we bring the groups
together so that we can help them piece together the big picture and ideas we presented in our lessons. I also assesed
students by having them break down and discuss multimedia and primary sources.
Summative
Students will learn how Nazis legally defined who and who was not a Jew, how the Nuremberh laws isolated Jews from
Germans, and what rights the laws took away from German Jews.
Assessment/Rubrics
In order to assess students, we will have a general discussion and activity as an entire class (instead of broken up into
groups like the majority of the class day) to wrap up the day. I will also hold a discussion, providing primary sources and
questions, to spark student interest and conversation about the Nuremburg Laws and WWII.
SPLED/Accommodations
Physical
I gave this lesson in a pod room. It didn't affect how I gave the lesson, but shrunk the class size significantly, however,
we as a group split the classroom up into smaller groups. This made it easier to teach and break things down based on
personal questions.
Learning Styles
No accomdations are needed for different learning styles. This lesson started with a bell ringer to introduce a concept,
followed by lecture, discussion based on prior knowledge, the lecture, and provided primary sources. Special Needs
No accomodations are needed in this classroom. I provided primary source documents and a bell ringer to help introduce
the Nuremburg Laws, as well as lecture and discussion.
Lesson Analysis and
Reflection
I really enjoyed this lesson from start to finish. I used a bell ringer to introduce the feelings felt by those who were
restricted by the Nuremburg Laws. This allowed me to set the stage for my lecture and then for my primary source
activity. I thought my lesson went smooth, I was able to spark interest and communication with and among my students,
and that everyone walked away learning something they didn't know before. I would make some minor changes next
time I give this lesson, but overall, I felt it went well.
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