The Holocaust
Notes for Teachers
Introduction:
These Internet Activities were designed for use with a
novel about the Holocaust. You may use these activities with
several novels or short stories. A list of books with short
summaries can be accessed by clicking on "Book
Recommendations" in the left column. The concept behind
these activities was to have students learn more about the
Holocaust using primary and secondary resources. Since most
school media centers don't have enough materials on the
Holocaust for an entire class, the Internet offered an ideal
solution. Also, the use of these resources gives the student
practice in reading for information and reading a variety of
sources. It enhances their understanding of the novel by
providing them with background information that closely
relates to the novel. As a starting point, I used
Teaching Holocaust Studies with the Internet from
Classroom Connect. Teaching Holocaust Studies with the
Internet provided web sites as well as some beginning
lesson ideas. The activities were created to be used in one
class period. Additional web sites are listed at the end of
each activity to allow students the opportunity to
independently explore web sites that have been previewed by
the instructor. You may wish to preview these sites to
determine if they are appropriate for your lesson and your
students. You may wish to review Guidelines
for Teaching about the Holocaust. It was created for
teachers. The guidelines include: rationale, methodological
considerations, and incorporating the Holocaust into
existing courses. During the creation of these activities,
ideas for a variety of activities or questions were
generated. However, I could not use them all do to time
constraints. They are included for reference and future use.
Activity 1:
Objective:
Students will use the
photographs to create an outline of a short story.
Additional questions:
1. What do you think is the most original title
for the photographs? What does it mean to you? Which
title don't you understand?
2. Can you arrange the photographs in order to create a
story? List the order and write a sentence next to each
photograph.
3. If you could show a friend only one of the photographs
which one would you choose and why?
Activity Two:
Objectives:
1. Students will compare
and contrast story elements in Memories of my
Childhood in the Holocaust by Judith Jagermann with
the novel they are reading.
2. Students will make connections between choices in
their lives and the choices made by the characters in the
story and novel.
(Activities Two and Four may be done off-line. You may
print the writings and use them in your classroom.)
Memories
of my Childhood in the Holocaust by Judith
Jagermann
Additional questions and
tasks:
1. Assign each student a chapter to read (1-23).
They should be prepared to share their chapter with their
classmates.
2. Put yourself in Judith's place and write a short
story telling what a day in the concentration camp might
be like.
Activity Three:
Objectives:
1. Students will show
their understanding of the primary source documents
through their writing assignments.
2. Students will create historical fiction articles based
on the photographs from other materials on the Holocaust
they have studied.
3. Students will make connections between choices in
their lives and the choices made by the characters in the
story and novel.
No additional questions or tasks.
Activity Four:
Objective:
1. Students will compare
and contrast story elements in Memories of my Childhood
in the Holocaust by Judith Jagermann with the novel they
are reading.
(Activities Two and Four may be done off-line. You may
print the writings and use them in your classroom.)
Read "The Ghettos". This is an excerpt from Abe's Story.
Abe's
Story: Excerpts Synopsis, by Joey Korn
Question: What
skills did people need to survive the horrible conditions
of the ghetto?
Question: Both Judith and
Abe drew strength from their parents. Tell of a time when
a parent, aunt, uncle, or teacher gave you the support
you needed to get through the event.
Activity Five:
Objectives:
1. Students will make
connections between choices in their lives and the
choices made by the characters in the story and
novel.
2. Students will be aware of the number of children who
perished and/or were imprisoned during the
Holocaust.
Additional task:
Create a large timeline from
1920-1950. Have students place significant dates about the
child they read about on the timeline.
Additional Activities beyond the
five :
Shoes.....
The images of "shoes" can be used to bring to life for
students the number of victims in the concentration camps.
Have the students put their shoes into a pile. Compare these
to the photographs below or others you can find in books.
Shoes from the camps
See picture of shoes from Activity One, "Roll Call"
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