Lesson Plans:
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Content Area: 9th - 12th grade American History Unit: Introduction to the Holocaust
Instructor: Andrew Rappaport
Lesson Goals/Unit Plan Objectives:
- Students will understand how the Holocaust began, by whom, why it went on, and how it ended.
- Students will be examining primary and secondary documents and websites related to a specific person of the Holocaust.
- Students will examine non-web based primary and secondary documents related to a specific person of the Holocaust.
- Students will watch a first-person eyewitness account primary source interview.
- Students will understand different perspectives about the Holocaust from two completely different sources.
- Students will synthesize information gathered and be able to write a one page reflection paper.
Essential Question: What was the Holocaust?
Procedures:
Day 1: Introduction to the Holocaust
Activity: KWL and then a brief introduction to the Holocaust
Activity: Read - To Live With Honor and To Die With Honor - Discuss the "Working Group" with the class
Activity: Watch French Documentary on the concentration camps
Ticket out the door: Little Green Man
Homework: Read the following articles before next class: Georgia Backroads, Survivors Story, Spielberg Film Archive, The Unheeded Cry, and Times of Dekalb (all links are on the content page unless it's a primary or secondary source that has not been digitized yet)
Day 2 & 3: Introduction to Andre Steiner
Activity: Brief introduction to Andre Steiner
Activity: Discuss the articles in class. Compare and contrast them to any previous information or misinformation they may have.
Ticket out the door: Little Green Man
Homework: The Working Group Interview
Day 4: Documentary
Activity: Watch Andre's Lives (I have the movie on DVD) - 55 minutes
Ticket out the door: Little Green Man
Day 5 & 6: Discussion
Activity: Answer discussion questions from Andre's Lives Teacher Guide - (link on content page)
Activity: Examine timeline using the Teacher's Guide (link on content page)
Ticket out the door: Little Green Man
Homework: Read the following articles beofre next class: Europa Plan, American Jewry During the Holocaust, Europa Plan-Jewish Virtual Library, primary source non-digitized letters between Mark Weber and Andre Steiner, the Professional Denier, Institute for Historical Review, Biographical Profile, and Southern Poverty Law Center.
Day 7: Activity
Activity: Newspaper Headlines
Day 8: Resources
Activity: Discuss the following days articles. Discuss how the Europa Plan failed and why. What could have been done differently? Read letters and articles on Mark Weber who has a very different perspective on the Holocaust and had direct contact with Andre Steiner as a graduate student.
Ticket out the door: Little Green Man
Day 9:
Activity: One page reflection paper
Sunshine State Standards
SS.912.A.1.1: Describe the importance of historiography, which includes how historical knowledge is obtained and transmitted, when interpreting events in history.
SS.912.A.1.2: Utilize a variety of primary and secondary sources to identify author, historical significance, audience, and authenticity to understand a historical period.
SS.912.A.1.3: Utilize timelines to identify the time sequence of historical data.
SS.912.A.1.4: Analyze how images, symbols, objects, cartoons, graphs, charts, maps, and artwork may be used to interpret the significance of time periods and events from the past.
SS.912.A.4.9: Compare how the war impacted German Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, Native Americans, women and dissenters in the United States.
SS.912.A.6.3: Analyze the impact of the Holocaust during World War II on Jews as well as other groups.
SS.912.A.1.2: Utilize a variety of primary and secondary sources to identify author, historical significance, audience, and authenticity to understand a historical period.
SS.912.A.1.3: Utilize timelines to identify the time sequence of historical data.
SS.912.A.1.4: Analyze how images, symbols, objects, cartoons, graphs, charts, maps, and artwork may be used to interpret the significance of time periods and events from the past.
SS.912.A.4.9: Compare how the war impacted German Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, Native Americans, women and dissenters in the United States.
SS.912.A.6.3: Analyze the impact of the Holocaust during World War II on Jews as well as other groups.
Rationale
The rationale for Holocaust education—as defined by the United States Holocaust memorial Museum and Holocaust centers nationwide--can be summed
up in these 5 points:
1. Holocaust education confronts the dangers of prejudice.
2. Holocaust education promotes tolerance and compassion.
3. Studying the persecution of minorities in a particular historical context helps students develop positive attitudes toward minorities in their own context.
4. Holocaust education gives students an opportunity to understand their own feelings toward issues such as peer pressure, stereotyping, bullying, and
discrimination.
5. Holocaust education promotes students’ awareness of the power of propaganda— and the urgent need for critical thought in the face of today’s propaganda overload.
up in these 5 points:
1. Holocaust education confronts the dangers of prejudice.
2. Holocaust education promotes tolerance and compassion.
3. Studying the persecution of minorities in a particular historical context helps students develop positive attitudes toward minorities in their own context.
4. Holocaust education gives students an opportunity to understand their own feelings toward issues such as peer pressure, stereotyping, bullying, and
discrimination.
5. Holocaust education promotes students’ awareness of the power of propaganda— and the urgent need for critical thought in the face of today’s propaganda overload.
Objectives
What are the Objectives of Holocaust Education?
The objectives—as defined by USHMM and Holocaust centers nationwide—can be summed up in these 12 points (Cripps, 2008):
1. Students will learn the history, geography, and political economy of 20th century Europe.
2. Students will comprehend the nature of prejudice and its likely development into discriminatory practices which may culminate in genocide.
3. Specifically, students will understand the complex way in which 2000 years of anti-Semitism led toward (but did not compel) the Shoah.
4. Students will understand how the Holocaust could and did happen--mostly in daylight.
5. Students will learn that no one is born a resister or a perpetrator, and it is up to the individual to choose his role.
6. Students will learn that to be educated is not enough. As Haim Ginottt writes,“Gas chambers were built by learned engineers. Children poisoned
by educated physicians.” Students will comprehend that education fails if it does not make the student more humane.
7. Students will internalize the moral imperative put forth by W.H. Auden: “We must love one another or die.”
8. Students will learn that, in the words of Oscar Wilde, “Disobedience…is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made.”
9. Students will comprehend that the Holocaust is unique among cases of injustice. It was the first case of a government using the means of industrial production to kill a people. It was also the first genocide which did not originate from and was not justified by a war, riot, or attempted revolution.
10. Students will explore the nature of “Genocidal Mentality.”
11. Students will learn the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, both local and international.
12. Students will be inspired to act on their learning in order to prevent future genocide. The bottom line is activism: all avenues of Holocaust learning
should guide students into active participation in genocide prevention.
The objectives—as defined by USHMM and Holocaust centers nationwide—can be summed up in these 12 points (Cripps, 2008):
1. Students will learn the history, geography, and political economy of 20th century Europe.
2. Students will comprehend the nature of prejudice and its likely development into discriminatory practices which may culminate in genocide.
3. Specifically, students will understand the complex way in which 2000 years of anti-Semitism led toward (but did not compel) the Shoah.
4. Students will understand how the Holocaust could and did happen--mostly in daylight.
5. Students will learn that no one is born a resister or a perpetrator, and it is up to the individual to choose his role.
6. Students will learn that to be educated is not enough. As Haim Ginottt writes,“Gas chambers were built by learned engineers. Children poisoned
by educated physicians.” Students will comprehend that education fails if it does not make the student more humane.
7. Students will internalize the moral imperative put forth by W.H. Auden: “We must love one another or die.”
8. Students will learn that, in the words of Oscar Wilde, “Disobedience…is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made.”
9. Students will comprehend that the Holocaust is unique among cases of injustice. It was the first case of a government using the means of industrial production to kill a people. It was also the first genocide which did not originate from and was not justified by a war, riot, or attempted revolution.
10. Students will explore the nature of “Genocidal Mentality.”
11. Students will learn the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, both local and international.
12. Students will be inspired to act on their learning in order to prevent future genocide. The bottom line is activism: all avenues of Holocaust learning
should guide students into active participation in genocide prevention.