Exploring The Holocaut

Literature Support for 5th -8th GradesBy: Nicki Pope

Literature in the Pre-K - 12 SchoolICL 7154

Instructor: Dr. Lee Allen

This presentation is designed to connect teachers with resources and activities to enhance the teaching of the Holocaust. While most of the content is best suited for 5th through 8th graders it can be modified for older students. Please remember that while the Holocaust must be taught there is no way to teach it without taking part of a student’s innocence. It would be wise to send a letter to parents informing them of the subject matter that you will be covering with your class. As with any unit or lesson make sure to preview all sites and materials before presenting them to students.

Slide #4 – Realistic Fiction Selections Slide #5– Number the Stars Slide #6 - Boy in Striped Pajamas Slide #7 - The Boy Who Dared Slide #8 – Jacob’s Rescue: A Holocaust Story

Slide # 9 – Non-Fiction and Biographies Slide # 10 – We Remember the Holocaust Slide # 11 - A Child’s War: World War II Through the Eyes of

Children Slide # 12 - Anne Frank: Life in Hiding

Slide # 13 – Movies and Documentaries Slides # 14 & 15- Websites Slide # 16- Other Resources Slide #17, 18, 19 -& References

Historical fiction is a powerful way to capture your students interest.

Historical fiction re-creates events in history in a format that entertains and relates to its intended audience.

Three captivating books for the Holocaust are Number the Stars, The Boy in Striped Pajamas, and The Boy Who Dared.

Number the Stars was written by Lois Lowery.

Students can read about a Danish family deeply impacted by the Holocaust.

An 11 year old girl helps save her Jewish friend from the Nazis.

The events of the book show how young children gained adult understanding through the sacrifices and choices that they had to make.

John Boyne is the author of The Boy in Striped Pajamas

It is the compelling story of a 9 year old boy who was the son of a Commandant that was in charge of a Nazi Concentration camp.

Boyne will take your students through one of the darkest moments in history.

The ending of the book will help any student understand the pain and suffering of an entire race of people.

The Boy Who Dared takes the reader on a brave and heroic journey.

Susan Campbell Bartoletti bases her book on the true story of a young German boy.

The book tells the remarkable story of a young boy who believed in the promises and visions of Adolf Hitler, and the trials that he faced when he realized that Hitler and Nazis must be stopped.

Bartoletti’s book exceeds expectation by helping the reader understand the anger created in Germany after the Great War.

The Holocaust cannot be explored or understood without the inclusion of non-fiction works.

There is a wide variety of non-fiction books available on the Holocaust.

Many of the non-fiction works available will allow students to experience the Holocaust through the eyes of children.

Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin tell the true story of Jacob Gutgeld.

This story should strike a cord with anyone who reads it.

Jacob escapes the Ghetto through a hole in the wall.

He is taken in by a Christian family that hides him from the Nazis.

Drucker and Halperin reveal the apprehension and fears that Jacob faces including those that arise because he is being helped by Christians.

David Adler uses first hand accounts of the Holocaust to describe the events and life in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power.

The book is illustrated with original photographs rarely scene by the public.

This book can be used in its entirety or through excerpts.

“They wanted everyone to know who the Jews were…”

“ I heard marching boots everywhere.”

Katie David shares images and details of World War II through the re-telling of her interviews with children who lived in Europe during World War II.

A powerful way to use this book would be to have students make a journal detailing their daily life for one week. Then each student should select a child from the book whom they can relate to in some way. From there they can use the journal they created to compare and contrast the life they lead to European children during World War II.

Johanna Hurwitz tells the story of Anne Frank.

In Lift in Hiding, the reader experiences Anne’s life in hiding, but continues her story in the concentration camp.

Hurwitz targets a younger audience. This makes the book more suitable for 3rd to 6th graders.

It should serve as an introduction to Anne Frank with the hope of leading students to the Diary of Anne Frank.

The Boy in Stripped Pajamas - http://www.boyinthestripedpajamas.com/#/trailer

This site includes a discussion guide and other resources.

The Paper Clip Documentary – This is wonderful project undertaken by a rural school in East

Tennessee to show its students the magnitude of the Holocaust.http://www.paperclipsmovie.com/synopsis.php

http://www.whitwellmiddleschool.org/homepage_pc.cfm?id=78

The Diary of Anne Frankhttp://Bookfolio and Lesson Plan

This site has reproducible lesson plans and activities.

Children of the Holocaust This website provides links to brief yet powerful biographies of children of the

Holocaust.

http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm The Museum of Tolerance

The Museum of tolerance is multimedia website that provides numerous resources for teachers and student. The site can be used to access virtual exhibits, educational activities, and teacher resources.

http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=gvKVLcMVIuG&b=358201

Belsen Concentration Camp Belsen is a wonderful webquest. The webquest challenges students

to read source documents and form opinions based on their findings to complete an assigned task.

http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/snapshots/snapshot26/snapshot26.htm

The Imperial War Museum London This link provides a direct link to the online Museum in London. Students and

teachers have access the virtual Imperial War Museum of London. http://london.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.1454

Teaching the Holocaust This is a wonderful site that includes lessons plans for using fiction and non-

fiction. Holocaust Lesson Plans by Teresa Morretta

The Holocaust This site links the user to numerous activates, lesson plans, and webquest. http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/holocaust.htm

Facing History and Ourselves Facing History is a wonderful website designed to help teachers educate

students about genocide and its causes including the Holocaust. http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/holocaust.htm

A Teachers Guide to the Holocaust This site offers numerous activities and tools to teach the Holocaust. http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/resource.htm

The Holocaust A Tragic Legacy It is a thinkquest designed by students to explore the Holocaust. Students are

educated through a summary, interactive timeline, interviews, and etc… http://library.thinkquest.org/12663/

SchoolHistory.co.UK This a wonderful resource for all teachers and students based

out of Great Britain. It includes numerous interactive lessons along with excellent activities and worksheet.

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/year9links/nazigermany_sheets.shtml

Examples of Content Young People in Nazi Germany].pdf – Handout that summarizes

the life and propaganda used on the youth of Germany. It includes source documents.

young_assessment.pdf – The task and questions designed to be used in conjunction with Young People in Nazi Germany.

Hitlersschools.ppt – This PowerPoint can be adapted for use in any classroom. It presents new rules about education. It purpose is show how school were used to promote Hitler’s agenda.

Holocaust PowerPoint- This a powerful PowerPoint that explores the Holocaust in detail. Content is graphic and is not suitable for younger students. More appropriate for grades 9th -12th.

Women- This activities illustrates the role of German women in society and the propaganda used to promote that role.

Adler, D. A. (1989). We remember the holocaust. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Anne Frank: The diary of a young girl lesson plan. (2009). In Literatureplace.com. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from Literature Resources Online, LLC: www.literatureplace.com/bookfolios/bookfolio.asp?

Bartoletti, S. C. (2008). The boy who dared. New York: Scholastic Press.

The boy in striped pajamas. (2008). Retrieved April 9, 2009, from Miramax films: www.boyinthestripedpajamas.com/#/trailer.

Boyne, J. (2006). The boy in striped pajamas. Oxford, New York: David Fickling Books.

Cheek, J., & S. (2005, July 28). The holocaust. In Jerrie's curriculum hotlist. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from Kennesaw State University: www.webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/holocaust.htm.

Children of the holocaust. In In search of heroes. Retrieved April 6, 2009, from Grace Productions: www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm.

Children's holocaust memorial and paperclips project at Whitwell middle school. (2009). In Whitwell middle school. Retrieved April 7, 2009, from www.whitwellmiddleschool.org/homepage_pc.cfm?id=78.

David, K. (1993). A child's war: World war II through the eyes of a child. New York: Basic Books.

Drucker, M., & Halperin, M. (1993). Jacob's rescue; a holocaust story. New York: Delacorte Press.

Facing history and ourselves; holocaust and human behavior. (1994). Massachusetts: Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation, Inc.

Field, A. (2006, October 2). SchoolHistory.co.uk. In Year 9 (Year 9/ Nazi Germany/ Worksheet) (Life in Nazi Germany). Retrieved April 9, 2009, from UnitedHosting: www.schoolhistory.co.uk/year9links/nazigermany_sheets.shtml.

The holocaust and curriculum guide, 7-12. (1995). New Jersey: New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education.

Hurwitz, J. (1988). Anne Frank: Life in hiding. New York: Avon Books, INC.

Lowery, L. (1989). Number the stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Morretta, T. (1997). Teaching the holocaust: Grades 4-12. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from www.remember.org/educate/moretta.html.

Paperclips movie. Retrieved April 7, 2009, from The Johnson Group: www.paperclipsmovies.com/synopisis.php.

Robbins, M. (2008). Perpetrator, collaborator, liberator: What do we tell the kids? The Looking Glass : New Perspectives on Children's Literature, 12(1). Retrieved July 1, 2009, from http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/53/46.

A teacher's guide to the holocaust. (2005). Retrieved April 9, 2009, from University of South Florida: www.fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/credits/credits.htm.

Teorey, M. (2008, Fall). Untangling barbed wire attitudes: Internment literature for young adults. Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 33(3), 227-245.

Museum. (1997). Retrieved April 5, 2009, from www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/.