Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Unit/Chapter Title: Unit 1: Intro to the Holocaust & Genocide
Studies
Unit Length: 10 Weeks
Course/Grade: 11/12
Interdisciplinary Connections: ELA/Technology
Unit Overview: – During this unit, students will be introduced to the language of genocide. They will also investigate the origins of
the legal concept of genocide as well as the historical origins of genocidal events. They will explore the role of the Holocaust and the
United Nations in the way the world community attempts to deal with the ongoing phenomenon of genocide. They will also identify
the roles played by individuals and groups in genocide, focusing in particular on the behavior of bystanders and nations.
Standards:
6.1 U.S. History: America in the World All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically about how past and
present interactions of people, cultures, and the environment shape the American heritage. Such knowledge and skills enable students
to make informed decisions that reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and
global communities.
6.2 World History/Global Studies
All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically and systematically about how past interactions of people,
cultures, and the environment affect issues across time and cultures. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed
decisions as socially and ethically responsible world citizens in the 21st century.
6.3 Active Citizenship in the 21st Century
All students will acquire the skills needed to be active, informed citizens who value diversity and promote cultural understanding by
working collaboratively to address the challenges that are inherent in living in an interconnected world.
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Strands:
A. Civics, Government, and Human Rights
B. Geography, People, and the Environment
C. Economics, Innovation, and Technology
D. History, Culture, and Perspectives
CCSS ELA/ Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from
specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
RH.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and wellstructured event sequences.
WHST.11-12.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL.11-12.1.D Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue;
resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or
complete the task.
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
21st Century Life and Careers Standards
9.1.12.A.3
Assess how a variety of problem-solving strategies are being used to address solutions to global problems by participating in online
discussions with peers from other countries.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
English/Literacy: CCSS ELA WHST 9-10.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Computer Technology: 8.1.12.A.2 Produce and edit a multi-page document for a commercial or professional audience using desktop
publishing and/or graphics software
Essential Questions
1. Why is genocide a universal human experience?
2. How has the world community begun to address the issue
of genocide in the post-Holocaust era?
3. How were Jews viewed because of their customs and
beliefs?
4. What is the derivation of the word Genocide?
5. How did anti-Jewish feelings originate and why did they
become so widespread?
Enduring Understandings
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Post-Holocaust research has given humanity
sociological and psychological as well as
historical perspectives, which are the basis for
the hope that the world community will
successfully address the issues of genocide in
the twenty-first century.
The effects of racism in today’s society as
compared to post world war one.
Customs of various cultures and their affect on
others.
When mass murder becomes genocide and who
determines if it is genocide.
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Student Learning Objectives
(What students should know and be able to do?)
What Students should know
What students should be able to do
6.2.12. A.4.d: Assess government responses to incidents of
ethnic cleaning and genocide.
6.3.12. A.2: Compare current case studies involving slavery,
child labor, or other unfair labor practices in the United States
with those of other nations, and evaluate the extent to which
such problems are universal.
6.3.12. D.1: Analyze current laws involving individual rights
and national security, and evaluate how the laws might be
applied to a current case study that cites a violation of an
individual's constitutional rights.
6.1.12.A.11.e: Assess the responses of the United States and
other nations to the violation of human rights that occurred
during the Holocaust and other Genocides.

Analyze the different responses from three separate
governments following genocide in their respective
countries.

Compare and contrast problems with labor in the U.S
and 2 European nations of your choosing.

Analyze today’s labor laws of the U.S then compare
them to the labor laws put in place by Nazi Germany.

Compare and contrast the responses of the U.S. with
other nations following the violations of human rights.

Assess the many types of victims that were involved in
the atrocities of the Holocaust.
6.1.12.D.11.d: Compare the varying perspectives of victims,
bystanders, survivors, rescuers, and perpetrators during the
Holocaust.
6.1.12.D.11.e: Compare the varying perspectives of victims,

Organize information into logical categories that
accurately reflect factual content.

Evaluate how the Nazi’s used the Jews as slaves under
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
the Nuremberg laws.
survivors, bystanders, rescuers, and perpetrators during the
Holocaust.
Instructional Strategies
Modifications/Extensions
Assessments
Resources/Technology
(How will the students reach the
(How will I differentiate?)
(How will the students
demonstrate mastery?)
(What resources and materials will
students need?)
Formative Assessments:
The Crime of Genocide: Terror against
Humanity Ch. 1 and 8.
learning targets?)
Reading
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Close Reading of Texts
Use Cornell notes
while reading
Use graphic organizer
to identify main idea
and supporting details
Compare and contrast
events using a Venn
Diagram
Summarize
Check for
Understanding
Exit Tickets
Scaffolds for Learning:

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Use a main idea
organizer to identify
the essential and
non-essential
information
Students will use a 9
column chart to
create the
connections between
the old German laws
with the Nazi
Nuremberg laws.
Pose questions
Weekly do now checks
Teacher Observation
Quizzes
Test
Logs
Journals
Constructed responses
Mein Kampf Chapters 1-5
Understanding the Holocaust Ch 1-4
Other Texts See Appendix D
Websites:
www.ushmm.org
http://www.ppu.org.uk/genocide/g_ge
nocide_intro.html,
Socratic Seminar Questions www.readwritethink.org
See Appendix A
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
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Vignettes
4 Corners
Debates
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Skim and scan an
assigned reading to
identify text features
and structure.
Pair students into
groups of 4 to
develop facts on the
numbers of victims in
varying countries
throughout Europe
during the Holocaust.
Extensions:

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Performance Tasks See
Appendix B
Ancillary Materials
Summative Assessment See
Appendix C
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Student Portfolio
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Notebook
Journals
Print and Online graphic
organizers
Open-Ended Response
Rubric
Word Walls
Internet
Various Writing Prompts
Student Portfolios
Feedback worksheets
NJ Holistic Scoring Rubric
Students will respond
to problems based on
the new Nuremberg
laws in Nazi
Germany by creating
a chart of the old vs.
the new laws geared
towards the European
Jews.
Students will research
Genocide as a whole
then find any
comparisons between
the governments of
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
those nations and
their laws to try and
find any similarities
that may play a part
in the atrocities.
Key Terms/Vocabulary Words:
Massacre, atrocity, genocide, Raphael Lemkin, United Nations Convention on Genocide, United Nations Convention on Human
Rights, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Shoah Foundation, Yad Vashem, perpetrator, collaborator, bystander, victim.
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Appendix A
Socratic Seminar Questions
Read Mein Kampf, and respond to the following question citing textual evidence.. Once you have responded to the questions
and found quotes in the book to support your responses, come to class prepared for a Socratic Seminar.
1. Adolph Hitler outlines his feelings towards the U.S involvement with the ending of World War One, how do his
feelings relate to the Jews of America and Europe? Does his opinion of the Jews change at all over the next few years
following the war?
2. In Mein Kampf Hitler mentions many other groups of people he blames for the worlds ills, explain his feelings towards
these groups. What is it about each individual group that had Hitler so disturbed by them? Does anti-Semitism spread
because of Hitler’s Mein Kampf? Why and How?
Grading: Refer to Socratic Seminar Rubric found under Common Rubrics
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Appendix B
Performance Task/s
1. Comparison Activity: The purpose of this activity is to find out the responses of several nations including the United States on the
violations of human rights caused by the Holocaust. Students will conduct a research on the different nations to find their respective
response to the Holocaust. They are to prepare their response using a ten-column chart. Then they will write a compare and contrast
essay indicating similarities and differences on how each of the nation responded. Students will report their finding in front of their
peers.
Steps:
 Students will be grouped in sets of four.
 Students are to research 10 specific nations including the U.S. to find their respective response to the Holocaust.
 Students are to find out if any of these nations helped in any way.
 Students are to compare and contrast the responses using a ten-column chart.
 Students will report their findings in a group setting
2. Task:
Student will write a reaction Paper based on the book, The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal
Steps:
Book Review: The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal
 Students are to read The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal
 Students smmarize important facts and details..
 Students are to write a reaction paper following the reading.
 Students should compare the reactions of the Nazi Soldier with the Jewish Rabbi.
 Minimum 4 pages, Times New Roman 12 font.
 Student must type the paper and submit to their teachers.
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Appendix C
Summative Assessment
Unit 1
Title: Origins of Genocide and Human Interactions
Subject: Introduction to the Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Grade Level: 11/12
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Instructional Focus:
Social Studies: (6.1, 6.2, 6.3 ) 6.2.12. A.4.d, 6.3.12. A.2, 6.3.12. D.1, 6.1.12.A.11.e, 6.1.12.D.11.d, 6.1.12.D.11.e:
Reading RH.11-12.1, RH.11-12.2, RH.11-12.3, RH.11-12.4
Writing W.11-12.2, WH.11-12.4
Speaking and Listening SL.11.1; SL11.2
21st Century Life and Careers Standards
9.1. A.1, 9.1. B.2, 9.1. C. 5, 9.1. D.1, 9.1. F.2, 9.4.A.11
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Essential Questions:
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What are the dangers involved when a governmental revolution occurs?
How has anti-Semitism spread?
Why did Hitler believe the Jews were the downfall of the world? Why did he want to rid Europe of all Jews?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Student Learning: Students will be able to complete the following:
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Students will take an empathetic role in writing the essay.
Students will organize the order of how Hitler put his plan into action.
Students will emphasize the role of anti-Semitism.
Students will analyze the reasons why Hitler and the Nazi’s perpetrated the events of the Holocaust.
Write a narrative that will score a 5 or better on the NJ Holistic Scoring Rubric.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction:
Welcome to the first unit of “Introduction to the Holocaust and Genocide Studies”. Students will be introduced to the language of the
Holocaust and humanity. Students will be completing a writing assessment about self-awareness during the Holocaust. Upon reading texts,
watching vignettes, debating, analyzing, and assessing the material from the unit students will have the information needed to now put
themselves in a role that is empathetic to what the Jews went through during the Holocaust. Everything the students have learned so far
throughout unit one will play a role in their responses in the essay.
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Task:
Narrative Writing Task
European Jews were given a slew of new laws that were put in effect by the Nazi party once Hitler became Chancellor of Germany.
Most of the laws were essentially the same in part because they all led to the stripping of everything Jewish including homes,
businesses, dignity, religion, clothing, jewelry, etc.…
You are to write an essay placing yourself in an empathetic role and answer the question; “What would I have done if that were me,
what could I have done if that were me?”
Before writing the essay try to keep in mind that everything you are and everything you have is about to be taken away from you and
nobody is there to help (bystanders). ). Share the events that you went through as a Jew and describe its impact on your way of life and
the life of others.
Texts: Here I Am a Jew in Today’s Germany
The Crime of Genocide: Terror against Humanity
Jewish Responses to Nazi Germany
Websites:
www.history.ac.uk
www.ushmm.org
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
http://www.ppu.org.uk/genocide/g_genocide_intro.html
www.readwritethink.org
www.yadvashem.org
www.holocausthistory.net
www.holocaustchronicle.org
www.holocaustsurvivors.org
Grading: Refer to the NJ Registered Scoring Rubric found under Common Rubrics:
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Roselle Public Schools
Holocaust Curriculum Units of Study
Appendix D
Other Texts/Resources
Title
Genre
Mein Kampf
Autobiography
The Crime of Genocide: Terror against Humanity
History
Understanding the Holocaust
History
Here I Am a Jew in Today’s Germany
Autobiography
The Jewish Catastrophe in Europe
Anthology
Jewish Responses to Nazi Germany
History
Hitler and Nazi Germany
Journal
The Sunflower
Autobiography
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