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Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection
Undergraduate Scholarship
2016
How Can We Teach About the Holocaust to Seven
to Ten Year Olds?
Eleanor Hersh
Butler University, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses
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Recommended Citation
Hersh, Eleanor, "How Can We Teach About the Holocaust to Seven to Ten Year Olds?" (2016). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection.
Paper 331.
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HowCanWeTeachAboutthe
HolocausttoSeventoTenYear
Olds?
By:EllieHersh
Introduction
Determiningwhatistheappropriateagetoteachschoolchildrenaboutthe
Holocaust,ortobetaughtaboutotherdifficulthistoricalevents,isadecisionthat
hasbeendebatedamongmany.Someacademicsbelieveitisappropriatetostart
teachingthetopictostudentsasyoungasKindergarten,whileothersbelievethatit
ismoreappropriatetowaituntilstudentsareinhighschool.Ibelievethatthereare
lessonsthatcanbetakenfromtheHolocaust—acceptance,understandingand
appreciatingdifferences,andhelpingothers—whicharemorethanappropriateto
startteachinginaKindergartenclassroom.However,Idonotbelievethatteaching
thedetailsoftheHolocaustisappropriate.Ontheotherhand,Ibelievethatwaiting
untilastudentisinhighschooltoteachsuchanimportantandthought-provoking
topicisdetrimentaltothechild,theirdevelopmentandtheirlearning.By
understandingwhatachildiscapableofunderstandingandallowingthemsome
leadinthecurriculum,studentsarecapableofunderstandingpartsoftheHolocaust
andcanlearnhowtheycanmakeadifferenceinthisworld,bytheagesofsevento
ten(typicallysecondtofifthgrade).
ResearchPerspectives
SamuelTotten,aCollegeofEducationprofessorattheUniversityof
Arkansas,wroteanarticleentitledShouldThereBeHolocaustEducationforK-4
Students?TheAnswerIsNo.TottenbelievesthattheHolocaustshouldnotbetaught
untilhighschool.However,inthispaper,hediscussesanimportantpointonwhat
manyeducatorsentitle“HolocaustEducation”:“IsthetermHolocausteducation
reallythecorrecttermtoapplytothelattercomponents[moraldilemmas,
conscience,andpersonalresponsibility],especiallyifthehistoryoftheHolocaustis
nottaughtinconjunctionwithsuchgoals?IsitreallyHolocausteducation?”
(Totten,Samuel.).TheseideasarenotnecessarilyteachingtheHolocaust,asthese
componentscanbetalkedaboutinmanydifferenttopicsofstudy.Withthatin
mind,theseideas,moraldilemmas,conscienceandpersonalresponsibilitycanbe
taughtateachlevelofeducation,justinanappropriatewaythatcorrespondswith
theabilitiesofthestudent.Titlingthis“Holocausteducation”mayresultinparents
orschoolpersonnelarguingthestudentsaretooyoungbecausetheydonotrealize
exactlywhatyouareandarenotteaching,soitshouldnotbecalledHolocaust
educationwhenHolocaustinformationisnottaught.Byteachingaboutmoral
dilemmaandpersonalresponsibilityatthisyoungage,though,wewillprepare
themtobecomecaringadultsandensuretheywillbereadytostartlearningmore
whentheyareready.
RebeccaDalton,aneducatorwhoattendedaMidwestCenterforHolocaust
Educationcadremeetingin2012,questionedtheteachingofAnneFrank’sstoryin
theschools.Thethoughtisthatherstoryisuniqueamongstthoseofindividuals
wholivedduringthisperiod.SheciteswritingbyElaineCulbertsonwhoalso
indicatesthatmostofthevictimswerenotinhiding,andthatindividualswhohid
thevictimstypicallydidsoformoney.(Dalton,Rebecca).UnlikeTotten,these
educatorsbelievethatothersourcesshouldbeusedtoeducateabouttheHolocaust,
notthatthetopicshouldnotbetaught.AlthoughIagreethatwitholderstudentsit
isagoodideatobranchoutfromthisdiary,forstudentsagedseventoten,talking
aboutstudentsinhidingisanage-appropriatestory.
Althoughitisdetrimentaltoteachaboutterribleactswhenachildistoo
young,waitinguntiltheyareinhighschoolisjustasdetrimentaltotheircharacter
building.AstudybyTeachingToleranceconcludesthatchildrentodaydobelieve
weshouldnotexcludebasedonrace,ethnicity,orgender,butthatwhenitcomesto
makingfriendsthey“viewedfriendshipdecisionsasamatterofpersonalchoice”
(TeachingTolerance).Thestudyexpressedthatstudentsstudiedfeltitwasallright
toexcludeagirlfromaclubsolelybasedonhergender.Althoughchildrenfeltthat
inrealityitisnotappropriatetoexcludebasedonthesefeatures,inpracticethey
stillbelieveitisacceptable.Thisstudysurveyedstudentsin4thgradethrough10th
grade.Interestingly,althoughthesestudentsinitiallysaidthatweshouldnot
excludeothers,amajorityofthestudentsbelievedthistypeofdiscriminationwas
okay.Bynotteachingexplicitlyabouttoleranceandthenuancesoftoleranceuntil
highschool“ourtaskoffacilitatingasenseofjusticeandequalityinournext
generationismuchmoredifficult,”(TeachingTolerance).Themottoofmany
Holocaustsurvivorsandeducatorsis“Neveragain”,yethowcanwebelieveand
teachthisifwedonotteachchildrenhowtothinkandquestionwhentheyfeel
thereisintoleranceforothersuntiltheyareinhighschool?Genocidestillhappens
allovertheworld,andishappeningrightnow–elementary/middleschoolstudents
areawareaboutwhatisgoingonwithISISandBokoHaramrightnow.
DevelopmentalPsychologists’Perspectives
Accordingtovariouswell-respectedpsychologists(JeanPiaget,Lawrence
Kohlberg,andErikErikson),theagegroupofseventotenyearoldsisatimethat
kidscanunderstandhowothersfeel,arestartingtoreallymaketheirownfriends,
andcarewhatothersthinkaboutthem.Therefore,thisisthetimethattheycan
startlearningabouttheHolocaustorotherdifficultsubjects.Itisimportantthatthe
teachermeetsthestudentsatthepointwheretheyareat,rememberingthatevenif
theyareteachingaclassofthesameagelevel,theirstudentscouldallbeata
differentplaceintermsofbeingeducatedontheHolocaust.
JeanPiagetisawell-knownpsychologistwhodevelopedatheoryofthefour
stagesofcognitivedevelopment.Thefirststagestartsatbirthlastinguntilagetwo.
Thisstageisallaboutthechildandtheirrealizationthattheyaredifferentthanthe
objectsaroundthem.Asthechildgetsolder,theygrowthroughthestagesandgain
morecognitivefunctionsallowingthemtothinklogicallyaboutabstracttopics
(LearningAndTeaching).Piaget’stheoryisimportanttohowandwhentoteachthe
Holocaustbecausecomprehendingachild’scognitiveabilitywillhelpateacher
understandwhattheirstudentsarecapableoflearning.
AccordingtoPiaget’sstagesofCognitiveDevelopment,agesseventotenfall
withintheconcreteoperationalstage.Duringthisstage,childrencan“think
logicallyaboutobjectsandevents,”whichcanbeinterpretedtomeantheirbrains
arenowdevelopedenoughtounderstandwhatoccurredduringtheHolocaustand
beabletodiscussitlogicallyinaclassroomenvironment(LearningAndTeaching).
Studentsatthisagearebecomingmoresocialandarestartingtochoosetheir
friendsratherthanhavethembetheonestheirparentsmakeplaydatesforthem
with.Theyarestartingtoreadandanalyzesimpleideasontheirown.Theyare
awareofdifferencesbetweentheirpeersandcanunderstandthefeelingsassociated
withpeerrelationships.Thislevelofdevelopmentisall-importantfortrulylearning
andunderstandingwhathappenedduringtheHolocaust.Beingabletohavethe
cognitiveabilitytounderstandthehistoryandtheemotionalawarenessofhowthis
affectedothersisnecessary.
AccordingtoPiaget’stheories,astudentwhoisyoungerthansevenisinthe
pre-operationalstageandtheir“thinkingisstillgeocentric[andtheyhave]difficulty
takingtheviewpointofothers,”(LearningAndTeaching.)AccordingtoPiaget,kids
thisagearenotyetcapableofunderstandinghowsomeoneelsefeels,makingit
difficultforthemtorelatetothepeoplewhoexperiencedtheHolocaust.
Studentsolderthan10(andcontinuingthroughadulthood)fallwithinthe
formaloperational,orlast,stageonPiaget’sdevelopmentallevels.Thesestudents
“canthinklogicallyaboutabstractpropositionsandtesthypothesessystematically,”
(LearningAndTeaching).Whilestudentsatthisagearethemostreadytohear
aboutwhathappenedthroughouttheHolocaust,thisdoesnotmeanweshouldwait
untiltheyreachtheformaloperationalstagetoteachanythingabouttheHolocaust
tostudents.Aswithmosttopicsweteachourstudents,weintroducetheconcepts
withageappropriatelessonsandbuilduponthoselessonsasthestudent
progressesthroughtheireducation.Thesameconceptcanbeusedwhenteaching
theHolocaust;weshouldnotwaituntiltheycanheareverythingtostarttoteach
thetopic.
LawrenceKohlbergusedJeanPiaget’sstudyondevelopment,buthe
extendedandcontinueditbyfocusingonmoraldevelopment.Byusingastorywith
amoraldilemma,heaskedboysages10-16questionstodeterminetheirideasof
morality.AlthoughhearingtheanswertothequestionwasinterestingtoKohlberg,
he“mainly(was)interestedin….thereasonsgivenforthedecision.Hefoundthat
thesereasonstendedtochangeasthechildrengotolder,”(McLeod,Saul).Kohlberg
theorizedthatchildrenage9andbelowfallinthepre-conventionalmoralitystage.
Thesepeoplearestartingtolearnthat“thereisnotjustonerightview…different
individualshavedifferentviewpoints,”(McLeod,Saul).Thislevelofawarenessis
valuabletolearningabouttheHolocaustbecauseitrecognizesthatstudentsage
seventotenarenowabletorealizethatotherscanhaveadifferentviewonatopic.
Whenlearningaboutmoralissuesitcanoftenleadtodebatesintheclassroom.
AccordingtotheresearchKohlbergconducted,itcanbearguedthatchildreninthis
stagearenowreadymorallytoparticipateinaneffectivedebateorconversationas
aclass.
In1959,ErikEriksondevelopedhistheoryoftheeightstagesofpsychosocial
development.Throughthesestages,apersonhastheabilitytoeitherpassthe
“psychosocialcrisis”orfailit.Iftheyfail,itwillaffecttherestoftheirlifeunless
theycangobackandfixit.Thesestagesinvolvefriendsorfamilyandthe
relationshipsthepersonhaswiththem.
ChildrenagedseventotenfallwithinthestageentitledIndustryVs.
Inferiorityphase.Thebasicvirtuethatthechildisgoingthroughduringthisphase
isthevirtueofcompetency.Thisphasestartswhenchildrenareinschoolatagefive
andcontinuesuntilage12.Duringthisstage“thechild’speergroupwillgain
greatersignificanceandwillbecomeamajorsourceofthechild’sself-esteem,”
(SimplyPsychology).AccordingtoTeachingTolerance,manystudentsinthisage
feelitisacceptabletochoosefriendsbasedonraceorsex.Itappearsthatbynot
teachingabouttoleranceexplicitlythroughalessonsuchasteachingaboutthe
Holocaust,studentsmaynotlearnhowtohaveacceptablerelationshipswithothers.
ExploringOtherHistoricalEvents
Anotherwaytoconsidertheappropriateagetointroducealessononthe
Holocaustistolookatresearchonteachingdifficulttopicstochildren.Thereis
unfortunatelyaratherlargenumberofotherwaysthathumanshavetreatedother
humanshorrifically.Theseinclude,butarenotlimitedto9/11,Japanese
internmentcamps,theuseoftheatomicbomb,thevariouscurrentcivilwarsand
masskillings,othergenocidesincludingtheRwandaHolocaust,andISIS.Students
aged7-10aremostlikelyawareofmanycurrentevents,eitherfromseeingiton
television,theinternet,orconversationsathome.EducatorsforSocial
Responsibilitylookedatthisissuein1990anddevelopedlessonplanoutlinesfor
dealingwithcontroversialissues,whichmaycomeupintheclassroom.These
educatorsrecognizethatdifficultandcontroversialissuesgetbroughtupinthe
classroomandhaveideasforsuccessfullyhandlingthem.
DavidWalbert,aneducatorinNorthCarolina,wroteaboutteaching
controversialissuesasitrelatestoteachinghistorytofourthgraders.Usingthe
exampleofslavery,heindicatesthat“…Thesetopicsmakemanystudents–and
teachers-uncomfortable.Theyshouldmakepeopleuncomfortable.”Headdsthat
“Controversialissuesarealsokeytoteachingcriticalthinking,”.Walbertalsocites
literaturethatshowsthatteachingstudentsaboutcontroversialissuesleadsto
thembecomingadultswhoaremoreinvolvedinthewelfareofsociety.
Althoughaccordingtoresearchandtheoriesdevelopedbywell-knownchild
developmentpsychologists,childrenagedseventotenarecapableoflearningabout
topicsthatmaybedifficulttounderstand,includingtheHolocaust,somepeople
believethattheyshouldn’t.Theybelievethatthistypeoflessonboardersonchild
abuse,asitexposesstudentstotopicsthataretoodifficult.WhenIinterviewedDr.
Pangan,aCollegeofEducationprofessoratButlerUniversity,Iaskedherifshe
believedkidsageseventotenwereabletolearnabouttheHolocaust.Shestated,
“Ohyes,absolutely….Themorekidstalkaboutdifficultsubjects,themoreithelps
themthinkcriticallyintheirownlivesandhelpsequipthemhowtohandleit,”(Dr.
Pangan).Ifyoushunakidfromimportanttopics,theywillnotbeabletolearnfrom
thelessonsitteachesyou.Inordertomakesureeveryoneiscomfortablewiththis
unitofstudyDr.Pangansays,“Youreallyfollowthechildren.Youalsoconnect
reallydeeplywiththeparentssotheyknowwhatyou’reteachingandwhatyou’re
notteaching,”(Dr.Pangan).Itisimportanttokeepanopenlineofcommunication
sothatparentsunderstandwhatisbeingtaughtatschoolandfeelconfidenthelping
theirchildathome.
Inordertogettheperspectiveofaparent,IinterviewedNonieVonnegutGabovitch,amotherofcollege-agestudentsandanactivememberoftheJewish
faith.Whenaskedifchildrenagedseventotenshouldbetaughtaboutthe
Holocaust,shereplied“IthinkitdependsonwhatabouttheHolocaustyou’re
teachingthem….aslongasyou’reteachingconceptsabouttheHolocaustthatare
developmentallyappropriatefortheirage,thenyes,”(Vonnegut-Gabovitch).When
askedtoelaborateonwhatshebelievesisappropriate,sheadded,“youcanteach
howbigaproblemsomethingcanbecomeifyouallowprejudicetotake
over…you’retalkingaboutjustthebasicrightsofeveryone,”(Vonnegut-Gabovitch).
Thisisimportanttoremember,becausesometimesparentsorotherfaculty
membersdonotrealizethatthisisastudyonbasichumanrights.Today,basic
humanrightsaretakenawayfromotherminorities—eveninAmerica—andthisis
anopeningtodiscussthis.Asamother,Iaskedherwhenherchildrenlearned
abouttheHolocaust,whichoccurredinelementaryschoolandsheagreeditwasan
appropriateageforthemtobetaughtthesetopics.
PersonalConnections
Unfortunately,intoday’sworldbadthingshappen.Withallthetechnology
aroundus,everyoneisexposedtothebadnewsalmostinstantly.Asanexample,I
wasseven,almosteight,whentheattacksof9/11happened.Iwasinthesameage
groupIamaddressing,andIwantedtoknowwhatwasgoingon.Whenahorrific
eventhappens,childrenarecurious.Iwaseatingbreakfastbeforeschool,watching
TheTodayShowwithmymotherandbrotherwhiletheplanecrashingintothe
secondWorldTradeCenterBuildingwasshownlive.Althoughwedidnotdiscuss
everygruesomedetailofwhathappened,wetalkedaboutwhatwesaw.Mymom
“didtalkaboutitwithyou[mysisterandbrother]whileyouledtheconversation.”
(Hersh)Noniealsostatedthat,“Iansweredtheirquestionsratherthantellthem
morethanwhattheyasked.Asparentswewanttotellkidsthewholestorywhen
A)that’snotwhattheywantandB)theyarenotequippedtohandlethewhole
story,”(Vonnegut-Gabovitch).Whenyouletthechildleadtheconversation,youare
abletolettheircuriosityleadandthereforemakesurethattheyarereadyforthe
contentyouwillgivethem.Althoughthisishardertodowithaclass,itisstill
possiblebytalkingwithkidsseparately,anddoingsmallgroupworkwith
differentiationinadditiontothewholegroupactivities.Somearguethatanswering
questionstoachildrightafter9/11isdifferentthanteachingachildaboutanevent
thatoccurredalongtimeago.Iagree,becauseyouarealmostrequiredtotalkabout
thefirstevent,butifyoutalkandlearnabouttheHolocaust,whensomethingtragic
happens,thechildisbetterequippedtounderstand,learnfrom,andlivethroughthe
event.
On3/24/16,IinterviewedAbelFlessner.Heisanine-year-oldthirdgrader.
Lastyear,histeacherMrs.Shackleford,gavethemanassignmenttocreatean
independentstudy.Sheencouragedtheclasstodotheirindependentstudyonan
animal,butAbelhadadifferentidea—hewantedtolearnabouttheHolocaust.On
hisown,Abel—anon-JewwhodidnotknowanythingabouttheHolocaust—
decidedtobreakawayfromwhathisfriendswerelearningabout.Earlierinthe
schoolyeartheyhadaclassprojectandunitonpeoplewhoweren’ttreatedfairly,
andhewasintroducedtoAnneFrankwhentheyvisitedtheIndianapolisChildren’s
Museum’sPowerofChildrenExhibit.Heusedthisasaspringboardtolearning
moreabouttheHolocaustbecause“Ijustwantedtoknowwhathappenedandwhy
peopledidthattootherpeople…IwantedtolearnwhyHitlerhatedsomanypeople
andwhyhetreatedthemsodifferentandwhypeoplelethim,”(Flessner).Even
thoughhewaseightyearsoldwhenthisassignmentwasgiven,hehadtough
questionshewantedtoanswers.Whensomeonesaystheythinkstudentsthisage
aretooyoung,theydonotrealizethatsome—likeAbel—arealreadycuriousand
askingthequestionsthatevenadultscannotanswer!Whilehedidendupswitching
histopictotigers,withtheencouragementofMrs.Shackleford,heremains
interestedinlearningmoreabouttheHolocaust.WhenIquestionedhimonhis
reasoningtoswitchtopicspartwaythrough,hedidadmitthatthe“Holocaustkind
offreakedmeout,readingaboutit”butthathewas“sureIcouldhavelearned
more”(Flessner).Iagree—learningabouttheHolocaustateightyearscanfreak
someoneout.IknowthatAbelhasparentsthatweretheretohelp,butwiththe
helpofateachertoguidetheunitandpickoutappropriatematerials,hecouldhave
continuedtolearnabouttheHolocaust.Tothisdayheisstillinterestedandwants
toknowmore.Thisshowsthatwiththerightmaterials,evenchildrenseventoten
areeagertolearn,havetoughquestionstheywantanswered,andarereadytolearn
aboutcertainaspectsoftheHolocaust.
Resources
Oneofthedifficulttopicsthatistaughttoelementaryagechildrenisabout
whathappenedonSeptember11,2001intheUnitedStates.Aswithmanydifficult
topics,thereiscontroversyastowhatdetailsandatwhatagetoaddressthiswith
youngchildren.Onthe9/11Memorialpage,thereisdocumentationwhich
addressesthis,includinglessonplansforstudentsasyoungaskindergarten.The
lessonplansgivedevelopmentallyappropriatelessonsforthestudents.Thereis
alsoinformationonthewebsiteonhowparentscantalktochildrenaboutthis
disaster.
Anotherdifficulttopictoteachelementaryagestudentsaboutisthehistory
ofslaveryintheUnitedStates.Whiletherehavebeenrecentexamplesof
inappropriatelessonsinthenews(forexampleholdingamockslaveauction),itis
importanttoteachchildrenaboutourhistory.InaninterviewinBlogherwithDr.
AliciaMoore,anassociateprofessorofeducationatSouthwesternUniversity,aformer
educator,formerK-12teacherandschoolprincipalandco-editoroftheBlackHistory
Bulletin,thatteachingaboutslaveryconventionallycanbeginasearlyaspre-
kindergartenandalthoughtherearepainfulanddifficultissueswithinourUSand
worldhistory,weshouldnotignorethosetopicsintheclassroom.Withinthissame
article,BeverlyTatum’s)workisdiscussed(formpresidentofSpellmanCollegeand
aneducatorwhostudiesraceineducationand,indicatedthat“itisnecessarytobe
openandhonestabouttheracismofthepastandthepresentwhilealsoproviding
‘children(andadults)withavisionthatchangeispossible.’”Thisisthesametypeof
lessonthatcanbeusedwhenstudyingtheholocaust.AswiththeSeptember11
disaster,therearemultiplewebsitesthatprovideinformationonlessonplansfor
elementaryagestudentsonthetopicofslaverybothwithintheUnitedStates,and
theslavetradeinEnglandandhistoryofslaverygoingbackasfarasancienttimes.
SeveralHolocaustmuseums’websitesprovideinformationonhowtotalk
abouttheHolocaustwithchildren.Forexample,TheUnitedStatesHolocaust
Museumhaseducationalinformationthatcanbeusedinaclassroom.TheFlorida
HolocaustMuseumoffersteachingtrunksforgrades1-2,3-4,and5whichbeginthe
lessonsofDifferentandSame,CreatingCommunityandBeginningHolocaust
Studies.TheIllinoisHolocaustMuseumandEducationCenteralsohasa
bibliography,amongstotherresources,whichlistsbooksappropriateforeducators
touseinaclassroom.ManyotherHolocaustmuseumsacrosstheUnitedStatesalso
haveinformationonhowtoteachthistopictoelementarystudents.Finally,theYad
Vashem-HolocaustMemorialMuseuminJerusalemhasmanyresourceson
teachingtheHolocausttoelementaryagestudents.Thesemuseumshavehired
educatorstohelpfacilitatetheeducationalsideofthemuseum.Theseeducators,
likeme,believeintheimportanceofteachingthistoughsubject.Althoughtheyall
havedifferentideasofwhatshouldbetaughtineachagecategory,theybelievethat
startinginkindergartenwithage-appropriatematerialsandscaffoldinguptomore
difficultinformationinthecomingyearsisthebestplan.
SuggestionsfortheClassroom
BasedonmyresearchaboutteachingtheHolocaust,teachingcontroversial
topics,andchilddevelopmenttheories,mytheorythatteachingtheHolocaustto
childrenagesseventotenissupported.Teachingadifficulttopicalsorequiresthe
supportoftheclassroomteacherandtheparent(s)/guardian.AtthisageIdonot
believethatweshouldbeteachingthestudentsaboutalltheterribleactsthat
ensuedduringtheseyears.Instead,weshouldmeetthestudentsattheircurrent
levels—theiremotionallevel,theircognitivelevel,andtheirinterestlevel.In
general,theyareatanappropriateagetolearnaboutHitler’srisetopower,his
scapegoatingoftheJewsandanyother“inferior”group,Ghetto’s,childrenand
familiesinhiding,andpeopleescaping.Ingeneral,Idonotbelievethatyoushould
explicitlyteachabouttheconcentrationcamps,deathcamps,ormassmurders.
Thesearetoographicanddisturbingforchildrenthisage,butifachildbringsitup
ontheirown,youshouldworkwiththemtoanswerquestionstheymayhave.
Basedonmyresearch,childrenbetweentheagesofsevenandtenare
capableoflearningabouttheHolocaust,atanage-appropriatelevel,cantruly
understandandappreciatewhathappened,andbecuriousaboutit.Usingteaching
theoriesandmethodstaughttomewhileastudentoftheCollegeofEducationat
ButlerUniversityinIndianapolis,Indiana,aclassroomlessonplanfortheteaching
oftheHolocausthasbedeveloped.Theoverarchingmethodsforteachingthe
Holocaust,oranyotherdifficultsubjectinschoolaretobuildacaringandnurturing
classroom,settinguprulesfordiscussingthisdifficultproblem,provideasmall
amountofbackgroundtoshowthestudentshowthecountrygottothatpoint,to
discussinsmall,whole,andone-on-onethethemesandideasfromtheHolocaust,
andfinallytofigureoutwhatyouasaclassorstudentwilldotocombatthehorrible
aspectsoftheworld.
TheMorningsideCenterforTeachingSocialResponsibilitygaveten
suggestionsforbeingabletoteachcontroversialordifficultsubjects.Thefirst
suggestionistocreateasafe,respectful,andsupportivetoneinyour
classroom.Therefore,beforestartingaunitontheHolocaust,ateachermust
firstsetuptheclassroomtobeanacceptingandnon-threateningenvironment.
AlthoughTottenwenttotheextremebystating“schoolisaplacewherechildren
shouldbesafeandnotaplacewheretheyarebarragedandoverwhelmedby
somethingthatisconceptuallyandageinappropriateorsimplybeyondtheirken,”
(Totten,Samuel),Iagreethatschoolshouldbesafe,andalsoitshouldalsobeaplace
wherestudentsneedtohavetheirthoughtschallengedandtheiropinionsdebated.
Thiscanonlybedoneiftheyareexposedtosomethingthatisuncomfortableto
learn.Althoughitisimportanttobringupdifficultsubjects,itiseasiertodoso
whenyourclassroomissetupasanenvironmentwhereyoucanresponsiblylearn
andcommunicateaboutthesedifficultsubjects.
Buildingapositiveandnurturingfamilywithinaclassroomisimportant.To
dothis,theteachermuststartbuildingthiscommunityonthefirstday.According
toresearchbyMcMillianMcGraw/HillSchool(mhschool.com),itisalsoimportantto
maketheclassroomasafeplacetoaskquestionsanddiscussideas.Onewaytodo
thisistostartdiscussingpeople’sdifferencesandacceptingpeopleforwhotheyare.
ThistypeofunderstandingwillalsohelpwiththeteachingoftheHolocaustaspart
ofitsstudyisunderstandinghowpeoplewerediscriminatedagainstforbeing
different.AnidealtimetostudytheHolocaustwouldbeatthetimeYomHaShoah
(HolocaustRemembranceDay)whichoccurs,inAprilorMay,dependingonthe
JewishLunarCalendar.ThistimingforteachingaHolocaustunitthislateinthe
schoolyearshouldcoincidewithatimeatwhichthestudentsaremostcomfortable
withoneanotherandshouldbeabletohaveseriousdiscussioninarespectful
manner.
Tobuildthisnurturingcommunity,ResponsiveClassroom
(https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/)indicatesthataitisbestfortheclassto
partakeinmorningmeeting,thestudentsshouldfeellovedandcaredforbytheir
teacherandtheirpeers,andtheyshouldstarttoaddressdifferencesandbeing
heroesearlyonintheschoolyear.Amorningmeetingisimportantbecauseit
buildsasenseofcommunity,allowstheclasstosaygoodmorningtooneanother,
andbuildsocial-emotionalskillsneededforsuccessfullylearningaboutthe
Holocaustandtheassociatedlifeskilllessons.AccordingtoResponsiveClassroom,
therearefourpartsforthe20-30minutemorningmeeting:greeting,sharing,group
activity,andmorningmeeting.Duringthistime,thestudentsandteacherhavea
timetoworktogethertobecomeacommunity.Thisisaveryimportantaspectto
teachingtheclassabouttheHolocaust,becausewithoutacommunity,studentsmay
feelunsafediscussingthiseventtheirpeers.
Inordertohavethechildrenfeelloved,theteacherneedstotaketimefor
them.Theyneedtoknowthatyoucareaboutthemasindividuals.Sometimes,itis
evenmoreimportanttotakethetimetobuildrelationshipsthanteachevery
contentareainaday.Inordertohaveasafeclassroom,though,theyneedtofeel
safearoundtheirpeerstoo.Thismeansthatyouneedtofacilitatethemmeeting
andbecomingfriendlywitheveryoneintheclass,notjustthefriendstheycamein
with.Studentsneedtohaverespectforoneanotherandtheteacher,andthe
teacherneedstoshowrespecttowardsthestudents.
ClassroomActivities
Everyday,alongwithmorningmeetingsandmakingtimeforstudentstofeel
caredforandpartofacommunity,theteacherneedstodoareadaloudwith
purpose.Thiscanbeapicturebookthatisreadfromstarttofinishinonesetting,or
itcanbeachapterbookthattakesafewweekstoreadentirely.Theyshouldlet
theircommunityoffriends—theirstudents—helpthemdecidebasedonwhatthey
areinterestedin,butfocusonstoriesaboutpeoplewhoaredifferentfromothers.
Forexample,ifthestudentsarebringingupphysicaldisabilitiesorlearning
disabilitiesthroughtheconversations,theclasscanreadaloudFreakTheMightyby
RodmanPhilbrick.Thisbookisabouttwoteenageboys—onewhohasalearning
disabilityandonewhoisrequiredtouselegbracesandhasalotofphysical
disabilities.Againstodds,theybecomefriendsandhelpeachothersurvivethe
schoolyearandsummer.Ontheotherhand,ifthestudentsareinterestedinracial
differences,theclasscouldreadthebookThroughMyEyesbyRubyBridges.This
bookexploresRubyBridges’experiencesofracialprejudiceandherattemptto
desegregateaschoolintheSouth.Bookscanalsobereadaboutbeingacceptedasa
generalidea.Forexample,thebookAllKindsofChildrenbyNormaSimonisashort
picturebookshowingthereaderhowmuchchildrenaroundtheworldhavein
commonandhowwecanalllivetogetherinpeace.
Onceasafecommunityoflearnerswhoareinterestedinunderstanding
differencesandacceptingthemhasbeencreatedinyourclassroom,the
environmentisnowsettostarttheHolocaustunitofstudy.Withinaweekpriorto
startingthisunit,itisimportanttosendhomeanotetoparentslettingthemknow
thatyouwillbeintroducingthisdifficultunitintheclassroom.Inthisnoteor
newsletter,youshouldincluderesourcesfortheparents,talkingpointsforparentstudentdiscussionsandadditionalresourcesforthechildrenincasetheywantto
learnmore.Youshouldfocusontheage-appropriatelessonplansandthefocusof
thetopicbeingonHitler’srisetopower,hisscapegoatingoftheJewsandanyother
“inferior”groups,Ghetto’s,childrenandfamiliesinhiding,andpeopleescapingand
tolerance.Encouragetheparent(s)/guardianstocontactyoudirectlyaboutany
concernstheyhaveregardingtheirchildandtheselesson.
AsDr.Pangantaughtmeinclass,awaytohookthestudentsistostartwith
theHistoryMysteryactivity.Withthisactivity,youfindorreplicate“artifacts”from
theHolocaust.Whilesittinginacircle,youexplainthattheseareartifactsandthat
theyneedtofigureoutwhateventtheyarefrom.Thisactivityallowsyoutofigure
outwhatthekidsalreadyknowandgetsthemtothinkabstractlyabouttheartifacts
andbeexcitedtolearnmore.
Dependingontime,thenextactivitycaneitherbedoneonthesamedayor
thenextday.Thisactivityisaconversationmap.Startwithacircleinthemiddle
with“Holocaust”writteninitandaskyourstudentstohelpyouwritedown
anythingtheycanthinkof.Whilemanyeducatorsareworriedaboutthisbecausea
studentcanbringupdeathcamps,Dr.Pangansaid,youshouldrespondtothatchild
saying,“Thatisexactlytrue.Let’shaveaone-on-oneconversationtoaddressthat,”
(Dr.Pangan).Itisimportanttoacknowledgetothestudentthattheyarecorrect
andthatyouwouldlovetotalkwiththemaboutthis,yetatthesametimetryto
safeguardtheotherchildrenwhomaynotknowthewholetruthyet.Again,itis
importanttorememberthatatthisagethelessonshouldnotbeonthemorehorrific
aspectsoftheHolocaust.Whilethislessonisoccurring,makeamentalnoteasto
whichchildrenknowmoresothatyoucanplacethemtogetherduringtheliterature
circlesandsmallgroupactivities.
Althoughyouhavebeendiscussingbeingdifferentanddiscriminationall
year,itisimportanttonowbringitupagain.Thistimehavethemreflecton
everythingyouhavedoneasaclassinvolvingdiscriminationandbeingdifferent,
andaskthemwhattheyhavelearned.Dependingonyourlearningstyle,I
recommendeitheraThink-Pair-Sharemodelorareflectivejournalentrythatthey
turnin.TheadvantageofaThink-Pair-Sharemodelisthatitallowsthemtodiscuss
withothers,lettingyoueavesdroponthediscussion,whilethebenefitofareflective
journalallowsthemtoreallyreflectontheirownandallowsyoutoreallyseewhat
theyindividuallyarethinking.
Accordingtobestmethods,whichIhavebeentaught,priortobeginninga
lessonwithdifficulttopicsitishelpfultohavetheclassroomdevelopspecialand
specificbehaviorrules.Therefore,beforeyoustartteachingspecificsaboutthe
Holocaust,thisshouldbedone.Duringthismeeting,youmustbehonestandtellthe
studentsthatwewillbetalkingaboutsomereallytoughissues.Asaclass,youneed
tobrainstormonspecificclassrulesthatgoalongwiththisunit(i.e.howwillyou
behaveatrecess—willyoupretendtoplay“Holocaust”,howdowetalk
appropriatelytooneanother,andwhatshouldwedoifwethinkothersare
breakingtheserules).Bymakingthisatransparentclassdiscussion,youare
showingyourstudentsthattheyhaveavoice,andthatwhatyouareabouttotalk
aboutcanbesensitive.Remindthemattheendofthediscussionthatiftheyare
havingtroublelearningaboutsuchahorribletimeinhistorythattheycantalkto
you(theirteacher),aschoolcounselor,ortheirparents.Ifthereareanystudents
youfeelwillhavetrouble,makesuretocheckinwiththemthroughouttheunit.
Theinitiallessonmustincludeahistorylessonwithadiscussionabout
Hitler’srisetopower.Althoughitisdifficulttodiscusshisrisetopowerin1-3
lessondays,atthisagethisistheappropriateamountoftimetoaddressthekey
detailsofhowherosetopower.Includedinthishistoricaldiscussionishow
Germany,hishomecountry,feltfollowingtheirlossinWorldWarI(dejectedand
upsetbecausetheyfeltitwasunfairthattheyowedothercountriescompensation
fromthewar)andhowhewontheelectionwithoutreceivingamajoritysupportof
thosevoting.Hewontheelectionwithonly33%ofthevotebecausethiswasthe
mostanypartywon,resultinginhisbeingabletowinwithouthavingamajority
vote.
OncethestudentsunderstandhowfewpeopleactuallyvotedforHitler,the
nextlessonistohavethestudentsunderstandthepropagandaheusedtoconvince
orscareothersintobelievinghim.Itisrecommendedthattheuseofprimary
sourceswouldbethebestwaytoteachthishistory.UsingpropagandathatHitler
andhisSScomradescreatedcanmakehistoryseemmorerealtostudentswhofeel
sofarawayfromtheevents.Anotherperspectivetoexplorethiswiththestudents
isthroughthebookDr.Seusswrote,YertletheTurtle,onHitler’srisetopowerina
kid-friendlyway.Thisbookcanalsobeusedasajumpingboardtowardsadeeper
andmorethought-provokingdiscussionontheHolocaust.
Atthispointthestudentshavethebackgroundknowledgeneededtofully
understandtheHolocaustinanage-appropriateway,soitistimetosplittheclass
intosmallergroups.Thefirstwaytosplitintogroupsisduringyourreadingblock
(suggestedtimewouldbe90minutes)andhavingthestudentscompletealiterature
circle.Youshouldsplittheclassintogroupsof4-5studentsbasedontheirprevious
knowledgeoftheHolocaust,theirreadinesstolearnmore,andtheirsocialemotionalleveltolearnthingsthatarethisdifficult.Onceyouhavegroupsmade,
bring3bookstoeachgroupandasagroupletthemchoosewhichbooktheywant
toread.Thisallowsthestudentstohaveachoice,whilealsoputtingstructureinto
ensurethattheyarewithpeersthatareatthesamereadinessasthem.Theuseof
differentiatedlessonsisimportantwhenmakingupthereadinggroups.Whileitis
importanttokeepinmindastudent’sreadinglevel,itwouldalsobeimportantnot
toletthislimittheirplacementifthestudentishighlyinterestedinthetopic.
Alternativeteachingtools,suchasfindingthebookontapeorhavingthestudent’s
parent(s)/guardian(s)readtothemcanbeutilizedinthesesituations.
Whiledoingliteraturecircles,makesuretomeetwitheachgroupatleast
onceaweek.Additionally,setupyourliteraturecirclessothattheyknowhow
manypagesorchapterstoreadbeforeeachmeetingandhowtheyshouldbe
prepared.Dependingonhowtheteacherhassetuptheclassroomexpectations
fromthebeginningoftheyear,thiscouldbestudent-ledorteacher-led,andthe
preparednesscouldbepaperworkornotesinthemarginsofthebooks.Student-led
andorganicpreparationsarethemostbeneficial,butthisskillneedstobetaught
priortothisliteraturecircle.
DuringSocialStudiestime,theappropriatelessonwouldbetodiscuss
childrenhidingtoescape.Dr.Pangansuggestslearningthroughtheeyesofone
persontomaketheeventsmore“real”.WewilllearnaboutAnneFrank,andcreate
atimelineofherlifeinrelationtoGermany’stimeline.Thistimelinewillbehungup
fromonesideoftheroomtotheotherandthestudentswilladdmoreinformation
throughoutthelesson.Alsoinordertomakeitmorereal,eachstudentshouldadd
oneeventfromafamilymember’slife(i.e.grandparent’sbirthday).
Oncewehavelearnedaboutchildreninhidingandtheheroesthatsavedor
triedtosavethem,wewilllearnaboutghettos.Thiscanbemoregruesome,soitis
recommendedthatthisislearnedthroughthelensofartwork.Inordertostudylife
intheghettos,studentswilllearnaboutEvaKor,asurvivoroftheHolocaustandan
inhabitantoftheghettoinSumleuSilvaniei.EvaKorisabigproponentinforgiving,
sothiswillleadtoadiscussiononforgivenessandhoweveninthefaceofhorrible
acts,weshouldforgiveandmoveon.Theuseofprimarysources,andlearning
abouttheHolocaustthroughoneperson’seyesmakesitmorerealandmore
manageable.
Manypeoplereadingthismaystillwonderwhyitisimportanttoteach
someoneofthisyoungageaboutthesehorrificdetailsoflife.Otherthanthereasons
Ihavelisted—theneedtoteachmorals,understanddiscrimination,andtobeableto
thinkcritically—theyneedtoknowinordertotrytostopitfromhappeningagain.
ThemottoofHolocaustEducationis“NeverAgain”,butsimilarsituationsare
happeningeventoday.Manykidsbelievethattheyaretooyoungandtoo
insignificanttohelpanyone.ThepurposeofteachingtheHolocaustcomestowards
theend,whenweculminatethelessonwithaproject.Thisisnotatypicalproject
thatwouldbedoneinordertoearnagrade,butaprojectforhumanity.Theyneed
totakewhattheyhavelearnedandlearnthattheycanbesomeone’shero.Toquote
BillWilson,“Totheworldyoumaybeonepersonbuttoonepersonyoumaybethe
world”.Studentswillworktogethertofigureouthowtheycanbecome“theworld”
anddoaprojectthatwillhelpanother!Dependingontheclass,youcanhavethisbe
awholeclassproject,smallgroupprojects,orindividualprojects.Examplesinclude
afoodcollectionforafoodpantry,ausedclothingdriveforahomelessshelter,etc.
Nomatterwhat,theyneedtousewhattheyhavelearnedandhelpothers!
ThispaperisaboutteachingtheHolocaust,butitisimportanttonotethat
mostofthesemorals,lessons,andideascanbemorphedintoteachingaboutalmost
anyhorrificact—slavery,9/11,Rwandagenocide,thelistgoeson.AlthoughIfeela
strongconnectiontotheHolocaustandbelieveitisimportanttoteach,theteacher
andhisorherstudentsneedstofeelastrongconnectiontothetopicaswell.This
meansthatitisimportantfortheteachertolookatthegroupofstudentssittingin
frontofthemandfigureoutwhateventfromhistorytheselessonsandmoralscan
bewovenintothatgrabstheirstudents’attentionbest.
ThedebateforwhentoteachaboutthetragedythatistheHolocaustisanonexhaustivedebate,buttheansweristhatitcanandshouldbetaughttostudents
agesseventoten.AccordingtoPiagetandEriksontheyareablecognitivelyand
social-emotionallytolearnandunderstandthetragedy.Theimportantthingto
remember,though,istomeetachildwheretheyare.Althoughtheycanlearnabout
theHolocaust,itisnotappropriatetoteachthemaboutmassmurderandthegas
chambers.Itisimportanttoteachthesestudentsaboutthespecificdiscrimination
becausethelateryouwait,theharderitistoun-teachwhattheymayhavelearned
onthestreets.Studentsageseventotenarecapableandwanttolearn,sowhy
shouldwewait?
“Forthedeadandtheliving,wemustbearwitness,”EliWiesel.
Anotetoteachers:
Yes,teachingtheHolocaustishard,andyes,teachingtheholocaustis
necessary.WhilemanyteachersbelievethattheHolocaustistoodifficultofa
subjecttoteachtostudentsthatare7to10yearsold,Ibelievethatitcanbedone
successfully.Youjustneedtohavesetupyourclassroomtoallowforthissuccess.I
believethatteachingstudentstheimportanceofacceptingeveryone,helpingthose
inneed,andstickingupforthosethatcannotstickupforthemselvesareall
importantlessonstobeteachingmystudents,eveniftheyarenotonmylistof
standardstoteach.Eachandeveryoneofthese“standards”Ihavecreatedcanbe
taughtthroughteachingtheHolocaust,alongwithshowingthemthatthereisa
reasontoteachboththese“standards”andourhistory.Asteachersoftheadultsof
thefuture,itisourresponsibilitytohelpthemgrowtobecaringandaccepting
adults.
Idonotbelievethatatthisageweshouldbeteachingaboutdeathcamps—
thoughIdobelieveinnotstiflingastudents’curiosity.Ibelievethatatthisageyou
shouldbeabletoteachaboutthediscrimination,theinjustice,andtheeveryday
heroesthatyourstudentscanalsobecome.Everydayyoucangoonlineandfinda
personofanyagewhohasdonesomethingremarkable,sowhynotaimforoneof
yourstudentstobethatremarkablepersonwhohaschangedother’slivesso
greatly?ByteachingabouttheGhettos,aboutthehiddenchildren,andaboutthe
heroesthatsavedthem,weareteachingthemthattheytoocanbecomeheroeseven
iftheyareconfrontedwithsomethingsmallorsomethingscary.
BecauseIteachabouttheghettos,IteachthisunitinApril,whenYom
HaShoah(HolocaustRemembranceDay)occurs(April15in2016).Thisalsogives
metheluxuryoftime—timetogetmygroupofstudentsalreadycaringabouteach
otherandbeabletoprepthemaboutdifferencesandhelpingothersregardlessof
whattheylooklikeorwhattheycando.
MyclassandIspendSeptemberthroughAprillearningaboutdifferencesand
similarities,learningaboutwhatmakesusspecial,andlearningabouthelpingeach
other.Wetalkaboutwhywemaybedifferentandwhatitreallymeanstobe
different(race,religion,strengthsinschool,weaknessesinschool,gender,physical
differencesetc).Iletthemleadthedirection,butImakesurewealwaysareaware
thatwearedifferent,andtoknowthatisapositive!Whenweareready,Ithenask
whywearedifferentandwhatweshoulddoaboutbeingdifferentfromothers.I
wantthemtounderstandthatbeingdifferentisgreatandthatwecanuseeach
other’sdifferencestomakeourclassthebestitcanbe.Wecanuseourpeers’
differencestohelpusbettercompleteaprojectortowinagameatrecess.Itryto
tieatleasttwoofmyread-aloudstothisidea,butusetheirconversationstochoose
whichonestoread.Asanexample,IwouldreadFreaktheMightybyRodman
Philbrick,iftheystarttalkingaboutphysicaldifferences.
AlthoughIamstartingallofthiswithmyclassatthebeginningoftheyear,
PLEASE,donotwaituntilnextyearifyouarereadingthisinNovember.Itisnever
toolatetobuildaclassofcaringindividualsanditisworththesmallamountoftime
youhavewiththem!Pleaseletmeknowifyouhaveanyquestions/comments!
From,
Ms.EllieHersh
SequenceofLessons:
Introduction:HistoryMysteryandConversationMap:Thisissuggestedasafirst
lessontodeterminewhatyourstudentsalreadyknowabouttheHolocaustandto
buildinterestinthelessonstofollow.BasedonwhatIlearnedduringmyeducation
classesatButlerUniversity,theseareeffectivemethodstoaccomplishthis.
Beingdifferent:Nowthatyouhaveanideaofwhatthestudentsknowandhave
gottentheminterestedinlearningabouttheHolocaust,theselessonswillprovide
yourstudentswiththeopportunitytobeginthinkingaboutdifferencesbetween
theirpeersandhowitfeelstobedifferent.Theselessonspermitthestudentsto
internalizehowindividualsfeltduringtheHolocaust.Thistypeoflearningis
consistentforstudentsofthisagebasedonPiaget’sstagesofCognitive
Development.
Stereotypes/Discrimination:Thislessonbuildsonlearningaboutbeingdifferent
andhelpsthestudentslearnaboutstereotypesanddiscriminationandtheireffects
onothers.Theseinitiallessonspreparethestudentstobeabletoempathizewith
thosewholivedthroughtheHolocaust.Thisisbeingaddedtothiscurriculumbased
onresearchofhowtohandledifficulttopicsandfrominformationprovidedbythe
AntiDefamationLeague.
Classrules/Expectations:AsindicatedbytheresearchbyMorningsideCenterfor
TeachingSocialResponsibilityandMcMillianMcGraw/HillSchool,itisbeneficialto
haveaclassmeetingtocomeupwiththeappropriatebehaviorandruleswhen
learningaboutadifficulttopicsuchastheHolocaust.Thisisbeingrecommendedto
helpthestudentsfeelsafewithintheclassroomandtoknowhowtogethelpfrom
adultsshouldtheyneedto.
Hitlerandhisrisetopower:Thisisthehistoricalbackgroundneededforlearning
abouttheHolocaust.Thislessonwillprovidethestudentswithanaccurateaccount
ofwhathistorysaysabouttheperiodoftimeinGermanyandgiveinsighttothe
studentsastohowtheHolocaustcouldoccur.Itisimportanttoprovidethe
studentswithaccuratehistoricalinformationandhistoricaldocumentstohelpthem
understandwhatoccurred.
YertletheTurtle:Thislessonisafunwaytobringthehistoricalinformationofthe
Holocaustthroughtothestudentsbyusingliteraturethatisoftenthoughtofasa
justchild’sbook.Notonlydoesthispermitthestudentstothinkcriticallyaboutthe
Holocaust,butitwillalsointroducethemtowaysthatauthorscanwritesomething
thathasatotallyulteriormeaningthanwhatitseemslikeonthesurface.Thiscan
leadthestudentstoamorethoughtprovokingdiscussionoftheHolocaustandcan
drawstudentsintothinkcriticallyaboutwhattheyreadinothersituations.
PeopleinHiding—HavingaHerosaveyou:ThislessonintroducesAnneFrank
andherstorytothestudents.AnneFrankisoneofthemostrecognizable
individualsfromtheHolocaustandasshewasachild,sheisonethatstudentscan
relateto.AccordingtolessonsIlearnedfromDr.Pagan,itishelpfultoput“aface”
onthestorybeingtaught.Thisisalsoawaytoshowthestudentsthatthereare
helpfulpeopleallaround.
Ghettos:Thislessonisanotherhistoricallessonwhichteachesthestudentshow
livingconditionswereduringtheHolocaust.Thislessonteachesthestudentshow
termshavedifferentmeaningsastimegoeson,forexamplethemeaningofaghetto
wasdifferentduringtheHolocaustthanitisnow.Thislessonisimportanttohelp
thestudentsunderstandwhatlifewaslikeduringthistime.MorningsideCenterfor
TeachingSocialResponsibilityindicatesthatwhenteachingaboutdifficult
situations,itisimportanttohavestudentstrytofindoutasmuchaboutthe
situationandtotrytoseehowtheirownlivescanrelatetotheevent.
WarsawGhettoUprising—BeingaHerowhenyou’rehavingtrouble:This
lessonextendsthelessonontheghettotohowanindividual(s)canmakea
differenceinthefuture.Thislessongivesthestudentstheabilitytoseethattheir
behaviorcaninfluencetheirfutureandthatoftheircommunity.Thisisanextension
ofthelessononGhettosandexpandsthestudentsefforttotrytofindoutasmuch
aboutasituationastheycan.
Howyoucanhelppeopletodayandbeahero:Thislessonscaffoldsfromthe
lessonsontheGhettoandtheWarsawGhettoUprising,asitgivesthestudentsthe
opportunitytomakeadifferenceintheircommunity.Thislessonisapositiveend
tothestudyoftheHolocaust,asittakesthestudentbeyondjustlearningabouta
historicaltimetousingthatknowledgetomakeadifference.Thislessonhelpsthe
studentsunderstandthattheirbehaviorcaninfluenceothers.Again,the
MorningsideCenterforTeachingSocialResponsibilityhasindicatedthatthebest
wayforstudentstolearnfromadifficultsituationistohavethemdosomething.
Introduction—HistoryMysteryandConversationMap
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies3.3.7Comparetheculturalcharacteristicsoftheircommunitywithin
communitiesofotherpartsoftheworld.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
WhatistheHolocaust?
WhatdoyouknowabouttheHolocaust?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
•
Studentswillexploreobjectstotrytofindoutwhateventtheyarerelatedto.
Theteacherwilldeterminewhatthestudentsalreadyknow.
KeyTerms:
•
artifact
Materials:
1. “Artifacts”(Youcreatetheseorfindreplicas):Shabbatcandleholders,Mein
Kampf,YellowStar,smallTorah,andswastikaarmband
2. Butcherpaperorotherbigpaperyoucankeep
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
None
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
•
•
Startaconversation
FindoutwhatthestudentsalreadyknowabouttheHolocaust
SparkinterestintheHolocaust
Activity
ExplainwhatHistory
Mysteryis
HistoryMysteryActivity
ConversationMap
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Explainthatyoufound
Listening
ancientartifactstoshow
toallyourstudents.You
Askanyquestions
willshowthemoneata
time.Explainthatthey
areinaplasticbagto
preservethem.Theycan
lookatandyoucanpass
aroundtheartifactsbut
theymustremaininthe
plasticbags.Oneitemata
timeyoucanshowthem
anartifact.Afteryou
showanartifact,askyour
studentsiftheycanfigure
outwhateventthe
artifactsarefrom.
Haveallofyourartifacts
Sitinacircle.Carefully
inbox.Pulloutoneata
lookateachartifact.
time(examplesof
artifacts:Shabbatcandle
holders,MeinKampf,
YellowStar,smallTorah,
andswastikaarmband).
Whenchoosingartifacts,
focusonthosenotdealing
withtheactual
concentrationcampsor
death.Startoffwiththe
lessobviousartifactsand
movetowardsthemore
obviousones.Saya
sentenceornothingatall,
thenpasstothechild
sittingnexttoyou.Afterit
goesaroundtheroom,ask
iftheyhaveanyguesses
onwhateventitisfrom.
Oncetheyfigureoutthat
wearetalkingaboutthe
Listen
Holocaust,askthemwhat theyknow.Onthe
Raisehandsandhelpfill
butcherpaper,write
intheclasschart
Holocaustinthemiddle
andaskthemtohelpfillin
theconversationmap.
Somestudentsmaybring
upthedeathcamps.Tell
themnicelythatyouwill
discussitwiththemlater
iftheywouldlike,and
bringthembacktomore
appropriatetopicsforthe
entireclass
Writedownwhatyour
studentstellyou.Keep
thischarttoreferenceat
theendofyourlesson.
Lesson:BeingDifferentDay1
IndianaStandards:
LanguageArts
2.3.7.–AnalysisofGrade-Level-AppropriateLiteraryText:Identifythemeaningor
lessonofastory.
2.4.1.–OrganizationandFocus:Createalistofideasforwriting.
2.4.5.–ResearchProcessandTechnology:Useacomputertodraft,revise,and
publishwriting.
2.5.7.–WritingProcessesandFeatures:Writeresponsestoliteraturethat:
demonstrateanunderstandingofwhatisread;supportstatementswithevidence
fromthetext.
2.7.2.–Comprehension:Askforclarificationandexplanationofstoriesandideas.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
Whatdoesitmeantobedifferent?
Whataredifferenttypesofbeingdifferent?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
•
Gainknowledgeofwhatdiversityis
Visualizeandlearnnewwaysofbeingdifferent
KeyTerms:
•
•
Diversity
Different
Materials:
•
•
•
ButcherPaper
It’sOkaytoBeDifferentbyToddParr
Tapeonthefloorasabigline
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
None
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
•
Noticeandacceptdifferencesinpeople
LearnaboutHitler’sdislikeofcertainpeople
PointstomaketoconnecttotheHolocaust:
•
•
Hitlerdidnotlikepeoplewhoweredifferent
Somedifferencesaremoreobvious,somearelessobvious
Activity
Onesideoftheline
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Inthisactivity,the
studentsaregoingtobe
Everyoneshouldbe
abletolearnabout
standingononesideof
differenttypesofdiversity thelineonthefloor.
andseehowtheirfriends Whentheteacherasksa
comparetothem.Askthe question,anyonewho
followingquestionsoneat matchestheanswerwill
atime:
moveovertotheother
• Ifyourwearing
side.Beforethenext
tennisshoesgoto question,everyonewillgo
theothersideof
backtothesamesideof
theline
theline.
• Ifyouareagirl,go
totheothersideof
theline
• Ifyouplayasport,
gototheotherside
oftheline
• Ifyouarenot
white,gotothe
othersideofthe
line
• IfyouareaJew,go
totheothersideof
theline
Then,askifanystudents
haveanyotherideasof
differencestheymayhave
fromtheirpeers.Make
suretothinkofyourclass
make-upduringthis
activitytochoose
appropriatequestions.
It’sOkaytoBeDifferentby Oncethekidshavehad
ToddParr
theexperienceofvisually
seeingdifferencesand
diversity,readthebook
It’sOkaytoBeDifferentby
ToddParr.Askquestions
throughout.
Think-Pair-Share
Onceyouhavefinished
thebook,havethe
studentswrite1-5
sentencesonwhat
diversitymeanstothem.
Setatimerfor5minutes
sotheyhaveanendtime.
Thenhavethempairup
withoneperson.The
sharepartwilloccuron
anotherday.
Listenandanswer
questionsasappropriate
Intheirnotebook,write15sentencesonwhat
diversitymeanstothem.
Next,pairupanddiscuss
whattheywrote.Make
suretokeepthissafe,
becauseifwillbeused
duringthenextlesson.
Lesson:BeingDifferentDay2
IndianaStandards:
LanguageArts
2.3.7.–AnalysisofGrade-Level-AppropriateLiteraryText:Identifythemeaningor
lessonofastory.
2.4.1.–OrganizationandFocus:Createalistofideasforwriting.
2.4.5.–ResearchProcessandTechnology:Useacomputertodraft,revise,and
publishwriting.
2.5.7.–WritingProcessesandFeatures:Writeresponsestoliteraturethat:
demonstrateanunderstandingofwhatisread;supportstatementswithevidence
fromthetext.
2.7.2.–Comprehension:Askforclarificationandexplanationofstoriesandideas.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
Whataredifferentwaysofbeingdifferent?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
•
•
•
Understandingdifferentwaysofbeingdifferent
Creatinganon-fictionstory
Listeningwhileotherssharetheirstory
Workingwithpeerscollaboratively
KeyTerms:
•
•
Diversity
Different
Materials:
•
•
It’sOkaytoBeDifferentbyToddParr
Computersoraccesstocomputerlab(Ifyouhavenoaccesstocomputers,
thiscanbedonewithpaper/pencil)
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
•
Differentwaysofbeingdifferent
Understandingoftechnology—(Filipbook)
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/flipbook/
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
•
Noticeandacceptdifferencesinpeople
LearnaboutHitler’sdislikeofcertainpeople
PointstomaketoconnecttotheHolocaust:
•
•
Hitlerdidnotlikepeoplewhoweredifferent
Somedifferencesaremoreobvious,somearelessobvious
Activity
Re-readIt’sOkaytoBe
DifferentbyToddParr
Brainstormforbook
Makethebookonthe
computer
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Re-readIt’sOkaytoBe
Listen
DifferentbyToddParrto
remindthemwhatweare
learningabout
Withthepartnerfromthe previousday(theThinkPair-Sharepartner),come
upwith5waysofbeing
different.
Explainthewebsite.Each Startbybrainstorming
pageneedsonesentence
what5differenceyou
onawaytobedifferent,
wanttotalkabout.
withatitlepagefirst.
Oncetheyhavewrittenall Gotothewebsiteand
thewordsonthepages,
createthebooktogether.
theywillprintit.Onceit
Taketurnstyping.
isprinted,explainthey
willcutoutthepagesand
addillustrations,then
stapleittogether.
Showanexample.
Goaroundandhelp.
FinishtheBook
Goaroundandhelp.
Share
Itisimportanttolearnto
sitandlistentoeach
other’sbooks.Bydoing
thisinpairs,thisshould
nottakeaslong,butitis
animportantpartthat
shouldnotbeskipped!
Whilekidsaresharing,
keeptrackofwhich
differenceskeepcoming
upasaclass.
Cutoutthebookand,asa
pair,addillustrationsto
eachpage,andthenstaple
ittogether.Oncethebook
iscomplete,decidewho
willreadwhichpages
whensharingthebook.
Listenasfriendsshare
theirbook.
Withyourpartner,share
yourbookwiththeclass.
Lesson:DiscriminationandStereotypes(UsingGender)
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies5.1.20Usingprimaryandsecondarysourcestoexamineanhistorical
accountaboutanissueofthetime,reconstructtheliteralmeaningofthepassages
byidentifyingwhowasinvolved,whathappened,whereithappened,whatevents
ledtothesedevelopmentsandwhatconsequencesoroutcomesfollowed.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
•
Whyaretherestereotypes?
Doyouagreewiththem?
Whatcanyoudotofightthestereotypes?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
•
Understandwhatstereotypesare
Understandwhystereotypesareharmful
KeyTerms:
•
Stereotypes
Materials:
•
•
Picturesofgenderstereotypes(attheendofthislesson)
LittleMommy(LittleGoldenBook)bySharonKane
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
Whatdogirlsdo?Whatdoboysdo?
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
•
Hitlerusedstereotypestoscapegoatpeople
StereotypeswereamajorwayHitlerscaredpeopleintoelectingand
followinghim
PointstomaketoconnecttotheHolocaust:
•
DiscussJewishstereotypesandhowHitlerusedthemtoturnpeopleagainst
Jews
Activity
LittleMommy
Whatarestereotypesand
discrimination?
Holocauststereotype
Whyarestereotypesbad?
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
ReadLittleMommy
Discussthestereotypesin
thebookbasedongender.
Onceyoufinish,askyour
studentswhattheynotice
aboutwhatthegirlsare
doing
Asaclass,discusswhat
Lookatthepicturesand
stereotypesare.Show2
discussasaclasswhat
photosontheoverheadof yousee.
stereotypesforgender.
Discusswhatyousee.
Nowbringitbacktothe
Withapartner,discuss
Holocausteducationby
whatyouseeinthe
showingapictureofa
picture.
stereotypeusedduring
theHolocaust.
Endwithashort10Completeyourwriting
minutewritingactivity
activity
withtheprompt:Whyare
stereotypesbad?They
canwriteordrawto
demonstratethis.
Lesson:ClassConversationandRules
IndianaStandards:
N/A
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
•
Whatisappropriatetotalkabout?
Whencanwetalkaboutit?
Whatshouldwedoifwearehavingdifficultieswiththetoughtopics?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
Creatingasafespace
KeyTerms:
•
None
Materials:
•
•
ButcherPaper
Pens/Markerstoallsignclasscontract
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
None
PointstomaketoconnecttotheHolocaust:
•
Makesurethatstudentsrealizewearehavingthisconversationaboutthe
Holocaust,notaboutgeneralclassroomrules/etiquette
Activity
Bringtheclasstogether
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Bringallthestudents
Sitonthefloorwiththe
togetheronthecarpet.
class
Discussthatweareabout tostartreallygettinginto Listen
theunitontheHolocaust.
Thisisadifficulttopicand
weneedtosetupsome
veryspecificclassrules
Comeupwithrules
Signthecontract
andprocedures.Youneed
tobehonestbecausethen
thestudentswillrealize
howimportantthisis.
Asaclass,comeupwith
Helpmaketherules
rules/expectations.Here
aresomeleading
questionstohelp:
Whatshouldyoudoifyou
feeluncomfortable?
Shouldyourole-playthis
duringrecess?
Haveeveryonesignthe
Signthecontract.
contract.
Lesson:Hitler’sRisetoPower
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies3.1.5Createsimpletimelinesthatidentifyimportanteventsinvarious
regionsofthestate.
SocialStudies3.2.1Discussthereasonsgovernmentsareneededandidentify
specificgoodsorservicesthatgovernmentsprovide.
SocialStudies4.1.16Identifydifferentopinionsinhistoricaldocumentsandother
informationresourcesandidentifythecentralquestioneachnarrativeaddresses.
SocialStudies4.2.2Describeindividualrights,suchasfreedomofspeech,freedom
ofreligion,andtherighttopubliceducation,whichpeoplehaveunderArticle1of
theIndianaConstitution.
SocialStudies5.1.20Usingprimaryandsecondarysourcestoexamineanhistorical
accountaboutanissueofthetime,reconstructtheliteralmeaningofthepassages
byidentifyingwhowasinvolved,whathappened,whereithappened,whatevents
ledtothesedevelopmentsandwhatconsequencesoroutcomesfollowed.
LanguageArts3.RN.1/4.RN.1Readandcomprehendavarietyofnon-fictionwithina
rangeofcomplexity.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
•
WhoisAdolfHitler?
Howdidherisetopower?
TimelineofHitler’slife
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
•
UnderstandhowHitlerrosetopower
StarttheclasstimelinewithHitler’simportantdates
KeyTerms:
•
•
•
•
AdolfHitler
Stereotypes
Election
WWI
Materials:
•
Miniarticleforeveryone(2paragraphspergroup;5groups)
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
WWI
PointstomaketoconnecttotheHolocaust:
•
HitlerwastheleaderofGermanyduringtheHolocaust,sowithoutHitleritis
probablethatthisHolocaustwouldnothaveoccurred.
Activity
DivideandConquer
Presentfindings
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Splittheclassinto5
Getintotheirgroupand
groups.Giveeachgroup
readthearticle.
onepage(2lifeevents)of AdolfHitler/Germany.
Figureoutthedateslisted
Tellthemwhiletheyare
andwriteonetotwo
reading,tofillintheirown sentencesonthatevent.
timeline.(blanktimeline
Bereadytotelltherestof
onnextpage)
theclassaboutit.
Groups:
1:BirthandChildhood
ANDDownandOutin
Vienna
2:Fightingforthe
FatherlandANDTreatyof
Versailles
3:DerFurherANDMein
Kampf(explainhewasput
injailbecauseIskipped
thisevent)
4:LeaderofGermanyAND
NurembergLaws
5:Appeasementand
ExpansionANDDefeat
andDeath(explainthata
lothappenedinbetween!)
Walkaroundthe
classroomtomakesure
everyoneisontask
Onceeveryonehasfilled
Listen
Startaclasstimeline
intheirtwosectionsofthe
timeline,comebackasa
class.Inorder,haveeach
grouppresentontheir
sectionsofthetimeline.
Haveacopyonthe
overheadandfillinas
theypresent.Attheend,
everyoneshouldhavea
filledintimeline
worksheet.
Nowisthetimetostart
yourclassroomtimeline.
Acrossoneentirewall,
youwillputupimportant
eventsfrom1889untilthe
endofthewarin1945.
Giveeachgroupasmall
squarepapertowritean
entryforeachoftheir
eventstheyjust
presented.
Telleveryonethatfor
homeworktheyneedto
figureoutsomethingin
theirfamily’slifethatthey
canputonthetimeline
(grandparentbirthday,
whengrandparentsmet,
etc)sothatitdoesnotfeel
likeancienthistory!
Presentasappropriate
Fillintherestofthe
timelineworksheet
Apr 1889
Birth and childhood
Hulton Archive/Getty
Adolf Hitler, pictured as a child circa
1889.
Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April in the
small Austrian town of Braunau am Inn,
in Upper Austria on the Austrian-German
border.
His father, Alois, was a customs official
while his mother, Klara, came from a poor
peasant family. Life was financially
comfortable for the Hitler family but
Alois was a domineering character and
young Adolf frequently found himself on
the wrong side of his father's short temper. At primary school Hitler was a clever, popular
child. At secondary school he withdrew psychologically, preferring to re-enact battles
from the Boer War than study. He left school with no qualifications at 16.
Feb 1908
Down and out in Vienna
Hugo Jaeger/Getty Images
Adolf Hitler's drawing of the
Austrian Parliament Building,
Vienna.
Hitler dreamt of a career as an artist.
His father had rejected the idea but
after he died in 1903 Hitler would try
to make his dream a reality.
He applied to the Vienna Academy
of Fine Arts but was promptly
rejected in October 1907. Shortly after, Hitler's beloved mother died. He moved to
Vienna and scratched out a precarious bohemian existence sleeping in hostels and
painting postcards. Here he began to develop many of the views, which would later
characterize his ideology and desire to unite Germany and Austria. The anti-Semitic
politics of Vienna's mayor, Karl Lueger, were particularly influential.
Aug 1914
Fighting for the Fatherland
Getty
Hitler and his distinctive toothbrush
moustache.
Hitler hated the multi-ethnic composition of
Austria's ruling Habsburg Empire.
Determined to avoid military service, he
moved to Munich in 1913.
Hitler was keen to prove his loyalty to
Germany. In August 1914 the world plunged
into a war unlike any seen before. Hitler
quickly enlisted. In the army he finally
found purpose; a cause with which he could
wholly identify. Serving in both France and
Belgium, he was twice decorated for
bravery. In 1916, Hitler was wounded at the
Somme, one of the bloodiest battles of the
war. Convalescing in Germany, he affected a distinctive toothbrush moustache.
Jun 1919
Treaty of Versailles
Getty
Protests in Germany against the
Treaty of Versailles.
To the victors the spoils: when
the Treaty of Versailles was
signed in summer 1919,
Germany was forced to accept
sole responsibility for the war.
Just as damaging, the peace
obliged Germany to pay large
amounts in reparations. The
huge loss of territory it also
dictated came as a devastating
blow. Hitler bitterly resented it.
Defeat and then humiliation at Versailles challenged his whole sense of worth. Still in the
army, Hitler was sent to report on an emerging far-right group, the German Workers'
Party (later renamed the Nazi Party). Finding he agreed with their nationalist, antiSemitic beliefs, he joined.
Jul 1921
Der Führer
Getty
Hitler giving a speech during his
election campaign.
Hitler’s oratory skills helped him
rise quickly through the ranks of his
new party. In February he spoke
before a crowd of nearly 6,000 in
Munich.
To publicize the meeting, he
engaged in propaganda tactics –
sending out party supporters in
trucks with swastikas to leaflet the
area. But the party executive,
including founder Anton Drexler, were uneasy at Hitler's growing popularity. In an effort
to weaken his position, they formed an alliance with a socialist group while Hitler was in
Berlin visiting other nationalist parties. It backfired spectacularly. Hitler promptly
resigned and rejoined only when he was handed sole control.
Jul 1925
Mein Kampf
Getty
The 1938 edition of Hitler's
Mein Kampf.
Hitler served just nine
months of his sentence in
the Bavarian fortress of
Landsberg am Lech. Here
he wrote Mein Kampf,
defining his political vision.
For him, the state was not
an economic entity but
racial. He declared the
superiority of a white Aryan
race, with particular vitriol
reserved for the Jews he
viewed as "parasites". Their elimination, he said, "must necessarily be a bloody process".
Mein Kampf outlined the central tenets of a Germany under Nazi control – military
expansion, elimination of "impure" races and dictatorial authoritarianism. After its
publication in July 1925, the book saw more exposure for Hitler’s views.
Jan 1933
Leader of Germany
Getty
German President Paul von
Hindenburg in a car with Nazi leader
and Chancellor of Germany, Adolf
Hitler in Berlin.
Now a German citizen, Hitler led the
Nazis to become the largest party in
Germany with over 37% of the
popular vote in the elections of July
1932.
German President von Hindenburg's
concern at growing Communist support persuaded him to give Hitler the post of
Chancellor in January. Hitler quickly consolidated his position. By March he had
dictatorial powers courtesy of the Enabling Act, which allowed him to pass laws without
Reichstag approval. Political parties, organizations and unions unassociated with the
Nazis were soon disbanded. But Hitler still needed the support of the army to fulfill the
vision he had outlined in Mein Kampf.
Sep 1935
Nuremberg Laws
Photo 12/UIG via Getty Images
Adolf Hitler delivers a speech during the
Party Congress at Nuremberg in 1935.
Since 1933 the Nazis had tried to exclude
Jews and other 'undesirables' from public
life. In 1935 a new phase began – enforced
biological segregation.
At the annual Nuremberg rally Hitler
announced laws denying Jewish people
citizenship and prohibiting marriage or sexual relations with people of "German or
related blood". Anyone with three or more Jewish grandparents was affected, irrespective
of their own religious identity. Hitler characterized the laws as an effort to "achieve the
legislative regulation of a problem which, if it breaks down again, will then have to be
transferred by law to the National Socialist Party for final solution".
Sep 1938
Appeasement and expansion
Getty
German troops march into
Czechoslovakia, occupying the
Sudetenland.
With his vision under way
domestically, Hitler set his
sights beyond Germany's
borders. Lebensraum –
territorial expansion – was
next on his agenda.
In March Hitler triumphantly
led Nazi troops into Austria,
achieving his goal of unifying
the country of his birth and the country he ruled. His next target was the Sudetenland in
Czechoslovakia. Convinced that neither Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister,
nor his French counterpart Edouard Daladier wanted war, Hitler pressed his demands. At
a conference in Munich organized by Chamberlain, those demands were met. Nazi troops
marched into Czechoslovakia and took the Sudetenland.
Apr 1945
Defeat and death
Getty
Red Army soldiers raise the
Soviet flag over the Reichstag in
Berlin on 30 April.
As Soviet troops closed in on his
bunker in Berlin, Hitler accepted
the inevitability of his defeat. He
set into action his plan to take his
own life.
Hours beforehand, he married Eva
Braun, who had remained by his
side for 11 years. They were wed
early on the morning of 29 April.
The next day, at a little after 3.30 pm, they bit into thin glass vials of cyanide. Hitler then
shot himself through the head. The man responsible for untold suffering, who had almost
single-handedly brought the world to the very brink of destruction, was dead.
TimelineofHitler’sLife
Date
April1889
February1908
August1914
June1919
July1921
July1925
January1935
September1935
September1938
April1945
Event
Lesson:Hitler’sRisetoPowerusingYertletheTurtlebyDr.Suess
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies4.1.16Identifydifferentopinionsinhistoricaldocumentsandother
informationresourcesandidentifythecentralquestioneachnarrativeaddresses.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
Whodoesthisremindyouof?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
StudentswillrealizethisisanallegorytoHitler’srisetopower
KeyTerms:
•
Allegory
Materials:
•
YertletheTurtleByDr.Suess
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
Hitler’srisetopower
Activity
Discussionpriortothe
book
ReadYertletheTurtleby
Dr.Suess
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Askquestions:
Youcaneitheraskthese
1. Howdoessomeone
questionsasawhole
risetopower?
group,asathinkpair
2. Howdoessomeone
share,asaquick-write,or
keephisorherpower? astablegroups.After
3. Doyouthinksomeone askingaquestion,the
hastobemeantobe
studentsshouldbe
powerful?
answeringthemin
whicheverwayyoutell
Writetheclassesanswers them.
onalargepieceofpaper.
Explainthatwhileyouare Listentoyourexplanation
readingthebook,allofthe ofthegraphicorganizer.
studentsareexpectedto
filloutagraphic
GraphicOrganizer
Reflection
organizer.Splittheclass
intwo.Giveeveryonea
graphicorganizerand
havehalftheclassfillit
outwithMackinmindand
havetheotherhalffillit
outwiththeYertlegroup.
Theyhavethesame
graphicorganizer,butthis
waytheclassasawhole
willhaveboth
perspectives.
Whilereading,makesure
thatallthestudentscan
seethebook.Thismay
meanwalkingaround
withit,havingeveryone
sitonthecarpet,orshow
itontheoverhead.
Stopthroughoutthestory
tomakesurethatthe
studentsarefillingout
theirgraphicorganizers.
Dependingonyourclass,
youmayhavethemstop
andtalkwithapartnerto
makesuretheyareboth
onthesamepage.(just
makesuretheytalkto
someonetakingnoteson
thesamegroup!)
Telleveryonethatfilled
outtheirgraphic
organizeronthesame
persontogroupupand
writeitupasagroup.
Onceyouhaveoneofeach
graphicorganizer,show
anddiscussthemasa
class.Lookatbothsides
anddiscusswhytheyeach
Listentothestory.
Filloutgraphicorganizer.
Getingroups.Participate
withtheirgroup.Create
onegraphicorganizer
withinformationfrom
everyone.
Listen.Participate.Take
notes.
Finalreflection
didwhattheydid.
Askthequestionsyou
Participate.Answer
startedthelessonoffwith: questions.Payattention.
1.Howdoessomeone
risetopower?
2. Howdoessomeone
keephisorherpower?
3. Doyouthinksomeone
hastobemeantobe
powerful?
Writethenewanswerson
thesamebigsheetsbutin
adifferentcolormarker
thanbefore.
Ihavealsoattacheda
questionpagethatyou
cangivethestudentsfor
homeworkoryoucanask
ifyouwantalonger
discussion.
Talkabouthowthisbook
isaboutHitlerandhow
Hitlerwasamanin
Europewhowantedto
ruleandtakeoverthe
world,untilpeoplefought
againsthim.
Character Map
Thought
Felt
Loved/Hated
Character
Saw
Heard
Went
Said
YertletheTurtleQuestions
“Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility.”UncleBentoldthistoPeterParkerin
Spiderman.Whatdoesitmean?
DidYertleusehispowerresponsibly?
WhydoyouthinkallturtlesobeyedYertleandmadeaturtlestack?
WhywouldwereadthisstoryasanintroductiontoTheRiseofDictatorsandWorld
WarII?
Whatplacedoes“Mack”haveinTheRiseofDictatorsandWorldWarII?
Lesson:MargaretandH.A.Rey(CuriousGeorge)
IndianaStandards:
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
HowdidMargaretandH.A.Reysurvive?
Whydidtheyneedtoleave?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
InthislessonstudentswillunderstandhowCuriousGeorgesurvivedthe
Holocaust
KeyTerms:
•
Holocaust
Materials:
•
•
CuriousGeorgeBook
Thebookontheirescape
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
•
•
KnowledgeofCuriousGeorge
Nazi’s
Activity
ReadaCuriousGeorge
book
Brainstorm
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
ReadCuriousGeorgebook Askwholikesit
Tellthemthattheauthors
ofthebookareJewishand
wereinEuropeduringthe
Holocaust.
Asaclass,brainstorm
whattheRey’scouldhave
Readthebook
doneinordertosurvive—
alongwithGeorgeandthe
ManwiththeYellowHat
Lesson:IntroducingAnneFrank
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies4.1.16Identifydifferentopinionsinhistoricaldocumentsandother
informationresourcesandidentifythecentralquestioneachnarrativeaddresses.
SocialStudies5.1.20Usingprimaryandsecondarysourcestoexamineanhistorical
accountaboutanissueofthetime,reconstructtheliteralmeaningofthepassages
byidentifyingwhowasinvolved,whathappened,whereithappened,whatevents
ledtothesedevelopmentsandwhatconsequencesoroutcomesfollowed.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
•
WhoisAnneFrank?
Whyisshefamous?
Whydidshehide?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
StudentswilllearnaboutAnneFrank
KeyTerms:
•
•
Hidden
Materials:
•
AnneFrankandtheRememberingTreebyRabbiSandySasso,illustratedby
ErikaSteiskal
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
Hitler’sRisetopower
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
AnneFrankisawell-knownchildthatlivedduringtheHolocaust.Her
journalisrelatableandthechildren’sbookthatwillbereadduringitgivesa
newperspective.
PointstomaketoconnecttotheHolocaust:
•
•
AnneFranklivedduringtheHolocaust
ThereasonsheandherfamilyneededtohidewasbecausetheNazi’swanted
tokillthem.
Activity
IntroonHiding
ReadAnneFrankandthe
RememberingTree
Think-Pair-Share
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Explainthattherewere
somepeoplethatwere
luckyenoughtofind
someonewhowouldhide
themsothatHitlercould
notfindthem.Explain
thatthesepeoplewere
heroesandsavedpeople’s
lives.
ThisbookisaboutAnne
Frankbasedontheview
oftheinfamoustree
outsideherhidingspot.
DiscusshowMiepGies
(thewomanwhohelped
hideAnne)savedherlife.
Howdidshesaveherlife?
Doyouthinkshewas
scared?
Whydoyouthinkshe
helpedsaveherlife?
Lesson:IntroonGhettos
IndianaStandards:
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
Whatisaghetto?
Whywerepeopleplacedinghettos?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
•
Studentswilllearnwhypeoplewhereplacedinaghettoandwhytheycould
notleave.
Studentswillexploretheterm“ghetto”andlearnthedifferenceoftheword
tohowitisusedintoday’ssociety
KeyTerms:
•
•
•
Ghetto
Jew
VennDiagram
Materials:
•
ButcherPaper
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
•
Stereotype
Activity
IntroduceVennDiagram
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Onthebutcherpaper,
Asaclass,helpcomplete
makeaVennDiagram.
onesideoftheVenn
Thenwrite“Ghetto”over Diagram
onecircleandask
studentstotellyou
everythingtheyknow
aboutwhataghettois.
Typicallytheywilltellyou
aboutmodern-day
ghettos—aplaceprimarily
withAfricanAmericans
whoarebelowthe
povertyline.Ask
questionstogetmore
information—howcan
theyleave?Wherein
theredotheylive?What
dothekidsdoduring
school?
Readaone-pagearticleon Handoutthearticle.
GhettosduringWWII
Partnerupthestudentsto
havethemreadthearticle
Fillouttherestofthe
Usingtheinformation
VennDiagram
fromthearticle,fillout
theotherside(labeled
WWIIGhetto)
Asaclass,determinewhat
isthesameandputthatin
themiddle
MinireminderofOneSide Toremindthemofour
oftheLineActivity
activityondifferences,
haveallthestudentsstand
upononesideofaline
andaskafewquestions—
oneatatime.Ifthey
answeryes,havethegoto
theothersideoftheline.
Ex:Gototheothersideif
youhavebrownhair;go
totheothersideifyoulike
bacon.
QuickWrite
Havethemthinkofhowit
wouldbetobeputintoa
ghettoandnotbeableto
leave.Givethemthe
prompt:Howdoyoufeel
aboutbeingforcedtolive
intheghetto?Havethem
starttheirquickwrite
with“Iwasplacedinthe
Read
HelpfillouttheVenn
Diagram.
Followthedirectionsof
thegame
Completethequickwrite
intheirnotebookorblank
sheetsoyoucanhaveit
turnedin.
ghettobecause_______”
(Havethemcomeupwith
areasonsoitismore
relatable).
Lesson:ArtworkfromtheGhetto’s
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies4.1.16Identifydifferentopinionsinhistoricaldocumentsandother
informationresourcesandidentifythecentralquestioneachnarrativeaddresses.
SocialStudies5.1.20Usingprimaryandsecondarysourcestoexamineanhistorical
accountaboutanissueofthetime,reconstructtheliteralmeaningofthepassages
byidentifyingwhowasinvolved,whathappened,whereithappened,whatevents
ledtothesedevelopmentsandwhatconsequencesoroutcomesfollowed.
FineArts2.1.1Identifyconnectionsbetweenworksofartandartifactsandtheir
cultureoforigin
FineArts4.5.1Discoverpersonalmeaninginworksofartandrecognizealternative
responsesofpeersindeterminingpersonalsignificanceinformingconvincing
interpretations
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
HowdidpeopleuseartworktohelpthemduringtheHolocaust
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
StudentswilllearntheimportanceofartworkduringtheHolocaust
KeyTerms:
•
•
•
•
•
Jew
Holocaust
Poem
Music
artwork
Materials:
•
•
•
Picturesattached
http://apparentlynotderanged.blogspot.com/2011/05/to-little-polish-boystanding-with-his.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAO-TCHOd9s
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
Writingpoems
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
•
Theghetto’swerethefirststoptotheFinalSolution(whichwearenot
talkingabout)
ItdiscusseshowHitlersegregatedthosethataredifferent
PointstomaketoconnecttotheHolocaust:
•
Althoughthereareghettostoday,theseghettosweremadespecificallyfor
Jewsandotherundesirablesandtheycouldnotgetout,unliketoday
Activity
Lookat
pictureof
little
PolishBoy
WhattheTeacherisdoing
ShowthepictureofthelittlePolishBoy
(attached).Explainhowthisphotohas
aboystickinghistongueoutatthelittle
boywhoisbeingtakenout.Thepicture
wasgiventoHitlerasabirthday
present.
“Tothe
Readthepoem(attached)thatPeter
Little
Fischlwroteinresponsetothepicture.
PolishBoy Listentohimreadingthepoem
Standing
http://apparentlynotderanged.blogspot.
WithHis
com/2011/05/to-little-polish-boyArmsUp” standing-with-his.html
TheLast
Explainthatthiswasoriginallyapoem,
Butterfly writtenbyayoungboynamedPavel
Friedmannabouthowhemissedseeing
thesimplethingssuchasabutterfly.
Readthepoemasaclass
Listento
Afterthewar,thepoemwasfoundand
thesong
thepoemwassettomusic.Listentothe
music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA
O-TCHOd9s
Write
Tellthekidstobrainstormonesimple
yourown thingtheywouldmiss,(tocelebratethe
poem
littlethingsyoudon’trealizeareso
important)andtellthemtowritea
shortpoemorstoryusingTheLast
Butterflyasamentortext
Whatthestudentsaredoing
Discusswhatyounotice
Readandlisten
Readtogether,discusswhat
notseeingabutterfly
symbolizes
Listen
Writetheirownpoemona
simplethingtheywould
miss
Lesson:WarsawGhettoUprising
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies4.1.16Identifydifferentopinionsinhistoricaldocumentsandother
informationresourcesandidentifythecentralquestioneachnarrativeaddresses.
SocialStudies5.1.20Usingprimaryandsecondarysourcestoexamineanhistorical
accountaboutanissueofthetime,reconstructtheliteralmeaningofthepassages
byidentifyingwhowasinvolved,whathappened,whereithappened,whatevents
ledtothesedevelopmentsandwhatconsequencesoroutcomesfollowed.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
•
Howcanyoufightevil?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
Evenwhenthingsseemhard,youcanstillbeahero
KeyTerms:
•
Ghetto
Materials:
•
1pagereading
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
whatareghettos?
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
•
toshowthatyoucanfightbackevenwhenitseemshopeless
importantaspectoftheHolocaust
Activity
Brainstormwhatyoucan
dotobeahero
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Firstremindthestudents Answerthequestion
whataghettois,thenask ifyouareinaghetto,what
canyoudotobeahero?
WarsawGhettoUprising
ReadabouttheUprising
ShowwhereWarsawis
andexplainthattheJews
andothersintheghetto
decidedtofightback.
AsaThink-Pair-Share,ask
howyouthinktheycould
fightbackintheirposition
Asaclass,readthe
attacheddocumentonthe
uprising
Withapartner,
brainstormwaystofight
back
Readasaclass
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
ManyJewsinghettosacrossEasternEuropetriedtoorganizeresistance
againsttheGermansandtoarmthemselveswithsmuggledandhomemade
weapons.Between1941and1943,undergroundresistancemovementsformedin
about100Jewishgroups.ThemostfamousattemptbyJewstoresisttheGermansin
armedfightingoccurredintheWarsawghetto.
Inthesummerof1942,about300,000JewsweredeportedfromWarsawto
Treblinka.Whenreportsofmassmurderinthekillingcenterleakedbacktothe
Warsawghetto,asurvivinggroupofmostlyyoungpeopleformedanorganization
calledtheZ.O.B.(forthePolishname,ZydowskaOrganizacjaBojowa,whichmeans
JewishFightingOrganization).TheZ.O.B.,ledby23-year-oldMordecaiAnielewicz,
issuedaproclamationcallingfortheJewishpeopletoresistgoingtotherailroad
cars.InJanuary1943,WarsawghettofightersfireduponGermantroopsasthey
triedtoroundupanothergroupofghettoinhabitantsfordeportation.Fightersused
asmallsupplyofweaponsthathadbeensmuggledintotheghetto.Afterafewdays,
thetroopsretreated.Thissmallvictoryinspiredtheghettofighterstopreparefor
futureresistance.
OnApril19,1943,theWarsawghettouprisingbeganafterGermantroops
andpoliceenteredtheghettotodeportitssurvivinginhabitants.Sevenhundredand
fiftyfightersfoughttheheavilyarmedandwell-trainedGermans.Theghetto
fighterswereabletoholdoutfornearlyamonth,butonMay16,1943,therevolt
ended.TheGermanshadslowlycrushedtheresistance.
Lesson:BecomingAHero
IndianaStandards:
SocialStudies4.2.7Useavarietyofresourcestotakeapositionorrecommenda
courseofactiononapublicissuerelatingtoIndiana’spastorpresent.
SocialStudies5.2.10Useavarietyofinformationresourcestoidentifyandevaluate
contemporaryissuesthatinvolvecivicresponsibility,individualrightsanda
commongood.
KeyQuestions/IssuesAddressed:
•
Howcanyouhelpothers?
LessonGoals/Objectives:
•
Studentswilllearnthattheycanhelpothers
KeyTerms:
•
Hero
Materials:
•
Backgroundforlesson(ifnecessary):
•
TheunitontheHolocaustandhoweveryonecanbeahero
Whythislessonisincluded:
•
ItisgreattolearnabouttheHolocaust,butthenyouneedtodosomething
aboutit
Activity
Lookatthequote
WhattheTeacherisdoing Whatthestudentsare
doing
Readthequote“Tothe
Discussthequote
worldyoumaybeone
person,buttooneperson
youmaybetheworld”
(BillWilson)andaskthe
classwhatthismeans
ClassProject
Timelinefordoingthe
project
Nowthatwehavelearned Brainstorm
aboutheroes,wewillall
becomeone.Weneedto
brainstormonatleastone
classprojecttohelp
othersinneed.Ithasto
beadoableproject,but
canhelpsomeoneinthe
schoolorintheworld.
Createatimelineand
Partakeintheproject.
assigntasksfor
completingtheproject
Lesson:LiteratureCircles
IndianaStandards:
Thisinanongoinglessonthatshouldbestartedrightafterlearningaboutthe
historyofHitler’srisetopower.Youshouldsplittheclassintogroupsof4-5people
basedontheirexperienceandsocial-emotionalleveloftheHolocaust.Oncethe
groupsarecreated,giveeachgroupachoiceof3booksfortheliteraturecircle.
It's1942.Thirteen-year-oldKorinnaRehmeisan
activememberofherlocalJungmadel,aNaziyouth
group,alongwithmanyofherfriends.Shebelieves
thatHitlerishelpingGermanybyinstitutinga
programtodealwithwhathecallsthe"Jewish
problem,"aprogramthatshewitnessesasher
Jewishneighborsareattackedandtakenfromtheir
homes.Korinna'sparents,however,aremembers
ofasecretundergroundgroupprovidingameans
ofescapetotheJewsoftheircity.Korinnais
shockedtodiscoverthattheyarehidingarefugee
familybehindthewallofherbedroom.Butasshe
comestoknowthefamily,hersympathiesbeginto
turn.WhensomeonetipsofftheGestapo,loyalties
areputtothetestandKorinnamustdecidewhat
shereallybelievesandwhomshereallytrusts.
Filledwithadventure,BehindtheBedroomWall
helpsreadersunderstandtheforcesthatdroveso
manytoturnontheirneighborsandthecourage
thatallowedsometoresist.
AstheGermantroopsbegintheircampaignto
"relocate"alltheJewsofDenmark,Annemarie
Johansen’sfamilytakesinAnnemarie’sbestfriend,
EllenRosen,andconcealsheraspartofthefamily.
Throughtheeyesoften-year-oldAnnemarie,we
watchastheDanishResistancesmugglesalmost
theentireJewishpopulationofDenmark,nearly
seventhousandpeople,acrosstheseatoSweden.
Theheroismofanentirenationremindsusthat
therewasprideandhumandecencyintheworld
evenduringatimeofterrorandwar.
Inthisgentle,poeticyounggraphicnovel,Dounia,a
grandmother,tellshergranddaughterthestory
evenhersonhasneverheard:how,asayoung
JewishgirlinParis,shewashiddenawayfromthe
Nazisbyaseriesofneighborsandfriendswho
riskedtheirlivestokeepheralivewhenher
parentshadbeentakentoconcentrationcamps.
Hiddenendsonatendernote,withDouniaandher
motherrediscoveringeachotherasWorldWarII
ends...andayounggirlinpresent-dayFrance
becomingclosertohergrandmother,whocan
finally,afterallthoseyears,tellherstory.With
wordsbyLoïcDauvillierandartbyMarcLizano
andGregSalsedo,thispicturebook-stylecomicfor
youngreadersisatouchingread.
ANewberyHonorBookauthorhaswrittena
powerfulandgrippingnovelaboutayouthinNazi
GermanywhotellsthetruthaboutHitler
BartolettihastakenoneepisodefromherNewbery
HonorBook,HITLERYOUTH,andflesheditoutinto
thought-provokingnovel.When16-year-old
HelmutHubnerlistenstotheBBCnewsonan
illegalshort-waveradio,hequicklydiscovers
Germanyislyingtothepeople.Butwhenhetriesto
exposethetruthwithleaflets,he'striedfortreason.
Sentencedtodeathandwaitinginajailcell,
Helmut'sstoryemergesinaseriesofflashbacks
thatshowhisgrowthfromanaivechildcaughtup
inthepatriotismofthetimes,toasensitiveand
matureyoungmanwhothinksforhimself.
Itisthestoryofthechangesinthe
relationshipoftwoveryclosegirlfriends,one
Jewishandonenot,livinginNaziGermany.
Thestoryshowsthepropagandathat
infiltratedtheschoolsandtheimpactonthe
children.Kristallnacht,"nightofthebroken
glass"isalsodescribed.
ThisisthestoryofayoungJewishgirl,
Miriam,whoissenttolivewithanon-Jewish
familyinthecountrysideofHolland.She
needstohideinacupboardwithlilies
paintedonittobesafefromtheNazisoldiers.
Forstrugglingor
apprehensivereaders,youcan
havethemreadonepicture
bookaweek:
Toldinachild'svoice,thisstoryofayoung
German-Jewishgirlwho,in1939,iscarriedtoa
new,safelifeinaforeigncountrytranscendstime
andoffersanimmediate,intimateglimpseintoa
worldonthebrinkofwar.
ThedramaticstoryofneighborsinasmallDanish
fishingvillagewho,duringtheHolocaust,sheltera
Jewishfamilywaitingtobeferriedtosafetyin
Sweden.Itis1943inNazi-occupiedDenmark.
AnettandherparentsarehidingaJewishwoman
andherson,Carl,intheircellaruntilafishingboat
cantakethemacrossthesoundtoneutralSweden.
Thesoldierspatrollingtheirstreetaregrowing
suspicious,soCarlandhismamamustmaketheir
waytotheharbordespiteacloudyskywithno
moontoguidethem.Worriedabouttheirsafety,
Anettdevisesacleverandunusualplanfortheir
safepassagetotheharbor.Basedonatruestory.
AfewbravesoulsinaNazicamparedeterminedto
gatherninespoonstomakeamenorahfor
Chanukah.
Inthemiddleofthenight,childrenwonderabout
thestrangecomingsandgoingstheywitnessin
theirapartmentbuilding.Whythemysterious
knocksandwhisperedexchanges?Whydothey
neverseesomeoftheirneighborsagain?Toldwith
brevityandillustratedwithsubduedcolors,this
booksencapsulatestheuncertaintyandintensityof
thetimes.
WhenthecitizensofWarsawhearthatthe
GermanshavelearnedofaplottosmuggleJews
throughthetraindepot,anunlikelyplotishatched.
Thecitizens,mostofthemchildren,gatherallofthe
city'sstraycatsandbundletheminlargesacks.
Thesecatsarelaterreleasedatthestation,
confoundingtheNazidogsthatwerebroughtinto
sniffouttheJews.Iwasshockedtoreadthefinal
pageanddiscoverthatthiseventactuallyoccurred!
Studentsareamazedtolearnthatkidstheirage
couldactwithsuchbraveryinsuchadesperate
time.
Moniqueawakensonenightandimaginesthatshe
seesaghostinherroom.Shelaterdiscoversthat
theghostisactuallyayoungJewishgirl,being
hiddenfromtheNaziswhooccupytheFrench
town.Althoughthesymbolofabutterflyas
freedommayseemtoofamiliartoadults,students
willenjoyidentifyinganddiscussingthe
metaphoricalmeaningofthebook'stitle.Thisbook,
too,isbaseduponactualevents,thistimeinvolving
relativesoftheauthor.
WhenDenmarkisoccupiedbytheNazis,King
ChristianXisallowedtoremaininoffice,andhe
faithfullyrides,unguarded,throughthestreetsof
Copenhageneachday,greetinghissubjects.When
thispopularkinglearnsthattheNazisplantoforce
DanishJewstowearstars,thekingenlistshistailor
tosewaStarofDavidonhistunic.Thefollowing
daytheking,whoisnotJewish,proudlywearsthe
starashetakeshismorningride.Hissubjects,
inspiredbythisactofbraveryandresistance,
followhisexample.Unfortunately,theauthor
explainsatthebook'send,thisstorydidnot,infact,
happeninthisway.But,sheasks,whatifithad?
Whatifthekinghadsummonedthecouragetodo
this?Andwhatifeveryoneintheworld,when
facingunfairnessandprejudice,werebraveenough
tostandupforwhatisright?
Basedonthegrippingreal-lifestoryoftheauthor,
thispoignant,suspensefulmiddle-gradenovelhas
beenafavoriteforoverfortyyears.Perfectfor
HolocaustRemembranceMonth.
AnnaisnotsurewhoHitleris,butsheseeshisface
onpostersalloverBerlin.Thenonemorning,Anna
andherbrotherawaketofindherfathergone!Her
motherexplainsthattheirfatherhashadtoleave
andsoontheywillsecretlyjoinhim.Annajust
doesn'tunderstand.Whydotheirparentskeep
insistingthatGermanyisnolongersafeforJews
likethem?
BecauseofHitler,Annamustleaveeverything
behind.
ThemagictreehousehastakenJackandAnnie
backintimetoEnglandin1944.Englandisfighting
foritslifeinWorldWarII.Beforelong,Jackand
AnniefindthemselvesparachutingintoNormandy,
France,behindenemylines.ThedateisJune5.Will
thebravebrotherandsisterteambeabletomakea
differenceduringoneofthedarkesttimesin
history?Theydon’tknow,buttheyhavetotry!
InDangerintheDarkestHour,MaryPopeOsborne
introducesreaderstoavitallyimportanthistorical
subject.
Otherbookstoread
PictureBooks:
MySecretCamerabyFrankDabbaSmith,PhotographsbyMendelGrossman:In
1940asNazitroopsrolledacrossEurope,countlessJewishfamilieswereforced
fromtheirhomesintoisolatedghettos,laborandconcentrationcamps.IntheLodz
GhettoinPoland,MendelGrossmanrefusedtosurrendertothesufferingaround
him,secretlytakingthousandsofheartrendingphotographsdocumentingthe
hardshipandthestruggleforsurvivalwoventhroughthedailylivesofthepeople
imprisonedwithhim.Someday,hehoped,theworldwouldlearnthetruth.My
SecretCameraishislegacy.•Animportanthistoricalrecordoflifeduringthe
Holocaust
The Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting;
illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Copyright. 1980 (originally published by
Harper & Row). Copyright, 1993. The Jewish Publication Society:
Philadelphia.
Brief synopsis: (F)
This allegory is probably the most widely used picture book to introduce
children to the Holocaust. It is the tale of animals living in the forest peacefully
until the "Terrible Things" come. Each group of animals is taken away one by
one by these "Terrible Things", who represent the Nazis. None of the remaining
animals speak up for the victims, and even begin to rationalize about their
demise. It is truly a story about speaking up for what is right, and not to be a
bystander.
Nine Spoons: A Chanukah Story by Marci Stillerman; illustrated by Pesach
Gerber. Copyright, 1998. Hachai Publishing: New York.
Brief synopsis: (NF)
This story takes place during Chanukah when a grandmother shares with her
grandchildren her true story about a Chanukah celebration in a Nazi slave labor
camp. The tale revolves around the gathering of nine spoons from different
prisoners to make a menorah for the holidays, and how the prisoners lit the
menorah each night of Chanukah. One of the Holocaust survivors actually kept
this menorah and brought it with her to America after the war.
Read-AloudChapterBooks:
TheDiaryofaYoungGirl:AnneFrank
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