Children Speak Classroom Lessons

Children Speak Classroom Lessons Rationale: The purpose of these lessons is to explore the stories of four survivors who were children in Europe during the Holocaust, as presented in the Shoah Foundation s Online Exhibit: Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak. These lessons provide educators opportunities to incorporate primary source material, critical thinking activities, and creative, personal responses into lessons which focus on history, language arts, and geography curricula and standards. Lesson Objectives: Students will use visual history testimonies to augment their study of history, language arts, and geography Students will use primary source material to examine issues of history, culture, and geography and the impact these issues have, not only on the Holocaust, but on today s contemporary society Through evaluating the experiences of survivors, students will examine their own life experiences and those of their family and friends Students will develop empathy by drawing parallels between their lives and the lives of child survivors of the Holocaust Students will define key vocabulary terms related to the Holocaust, as used in the visual history testimony Students will enhance their understanding and appreciation of various cultures Students will use geographic skills to identify and locate once existing ghettos and concentration camps Students will describe the qualities, characteristics, and conditions of these ghettos and concentration camps Students will use geographic skills to identify and locate major cities within four European countries Time: These lessons are modular and can be adapted to meet any time requirements between 30 minutes and four hours Appropriate Age Range: These lessons are primarily written for students in Middle or Junior High School. They may be used with students of other grade levels, at the teacher s discretion Materials Required: Online Exhibit: Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak Computer Lab with internet access and student headsets Chalkboard or chart paper Classroom set of student atlases, almanacs, and geography textbooks Student Handout: Web of Life Survivor Student Handout: Web of Life Personal Student Handout: Children Speak Glossary Student Handout: European Outline Map Student Handout: Geography of the Holocaust Then and Now 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 1 of 16

[NOTE: If the class has not briefly studied the Holocaust before exploring the Online Exhibit: Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak, an introductory lesson on the Holocaust will be necessary. Some general resources are available on the Shoah Foundation website, at www.vhf.org/forteachers. For a video that provides an overview of the Holocaust, the Shoah Foundation s classroom video One Human Spirit is available through United Learning, at www.unitedstreaming.com.] 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 16

Activity I: The Web of Life 1. Begin the class by writing the names of the following four survivors on the board: Max Margot Rose-Hélène Morris 2. Divide the class into small groups, with four students in each group. From the list above, assign each group of students one survivor. Depending on the size of the class, the number of students in each group may need to be modified, or the names of the survivors may need to be repeated for more than one group. 3. Once each group has been assigned a survivor, inform students that they are going to watch video testimony from survivors who were children in Europe during the Holocaust. Although the survivors are now grown adults, the experiences they share in their testimony are detailed accounts from when they were children. 4. After students navigate through the introductory information provided for the Online Exhibit: Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak, the first screen students will access is an outline map of Europe showing the countries of France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland. As students slide the mouse across these four countries, the picture, name, and date of birth of the survivor born in that country appears. Through this brief exercise, students will have an opportunity to initially associate their assigned survivor with a picture and country of birth. 5. As students explore the map, draw their attention to a small Menu icon near the upper left side of the screen. Instruct students to select the Theme button that appears under the Menu icon. 6. Students will be taken to a screen displaying 18 themes along with individual pictures of the four survivors. Explain to the class that as they slide the mouse across the survivors current photos, childhood photos of the survivors appear in their place. 7. Distribute one copy of the Student Handout: Web of Life Survivor to each student. Instruct students to write the name of their assigned survivor in the center of the handout. Allow students a moment to familiarize themselves with the eight themes listed on the handout. Students should note that the themes on the handout are taken directly from the Theme screen that is currently on their computer monitor. 8. Once students feel comfortable with the handout, as a whole class, instruct all groups to select the theme Before the Holocaust. Students will notice that once the theme is selected, the names of the four survivors appear in red beneath the theme. Students are now ready to begin learning about their survivor by watching the testimony segment that is associated with this theme. 9. Instruct students to select the name of their survivor and to begin watching as they describe their life before the Holocaust. As students watch the survivor testimony, they should take notes on the survivor s story in the space provided on the handout. 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 3 of 16

10. Once all groups have watched their survivor speak about the theme Before the Holocaust, groups can then individually decide what theme they would like to explore next. The order in which students navigate the themes does not matter, as long as they begin with the theme Before the Holocaust and end with the theme After the Holocaust. These two themes provide an introduction and a conclusion for the rest of the material and should be used for this purpose. 11. Allow all groups enough time to watch each of the eight themes and write about their survivor s experiences. 12. As a whole class, conduct a debriefing session using the following chart. Teachers may choose to recreate the chart on a chalkboard or on large piece of chart paper. Begin discussing the first theme and solicit examples from the class for each of the survivors. As students discuss their survivor s experiences, write these experiences in the appropriate column, under the survivor s name. At the end of the exercise, the chart will reflect the experiences shared by all four of the survivors. THEMES Max Margot Rose-Hélène Morris Before the Holocaust Coping Family Responsibility Powerlessness Taking Action Identity After the Holocaust 13. Facilitate a large group discussion about the chart just created. You may want to use all or some of the following questions to help guide the discussion: How were the survivors experiences before the Holocaust similar? How were they different? What characteristics about their families were similar? What characteristics were different? What types of actions did these survivors take in order to care for themselves and others? How did these survivors retain their identity during this incredibly dangerous time? In spite of the fact that each of these survivors lived in four different countries during the war, what common experiences did these child survivors share, based on the chart we just created? After the Holocaust, how did the survivors attempt to regain their lives? Looking at the chart of survivor experiences, which survivor would you most like to learn more about? 14. For homework, or as an additional classroom assignment, distribute the Student Handout: Web of Life Personal. Instruct students to select a person whose life they would like to explore. The person may be themselves, someone in their family, a friend, a teammate, or even a teacher or community member. Students should choose a subject they will be able to interview in a relatively easy environment. Using the eight themes on the handout as a guide, have students ask their subject to reflect on and speak about the eight 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 4 of 16

categories. Students should begin the interview by having their subject describe their life five years ago; they should conclude the interview by having the subject reflect upon their life today. Once the student has completed the handout and feels they have gathered enough information about their subject, instruct students to use the handout and their notes to write a one-page narrative on their subject, constructing a story of related experiences, similar to the one told by their survivor in Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak. 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 16

Name Coping Identity Before the Holocaust Coping Taking Action Family Survivor: Powerlessness After the Holocaust Responsibility 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 16

Name Identity Life Five Years Ago Coping Taking Action Family Survivor: Your Subject: Powerlessness Life Today Responsibility 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 7 of 16

Activity II: Children Speak Glossary 1. After students navigate through the introductory information provided for the Online Exhibit: Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak, the first screen students will access is an outline map of Europe showing the countries of France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland. 2. As students explore the map, draw their attention to a small Menu icon near the upper left side of the screen. Instruct students to select the Glossary button that appears under the Menu icon. 3. Students will be taken to a screen showing photos of the four survivors and a glossary of terms on the right-hand side. 4. Instruct students to slide their mouse across the scrolling glossary. Explain to the class that as the glossary stops scrolling, whatever term the mouse is on top of will be highlighted. When students click on that term, the definition of the term, and sometimes a representative picture further describing the term, appears. 5. Distribute the Student Handout: Children Speak Glossary to each student. Allow time for the students to read and familiarize themselves with the content of the handout. Inform students that the bold terms in the far left column appear in the glossary and are also referenced within the survivors testimony segments. 6. Depending on the size of the class, students may need to work in groups or pairs to complete the second and third column of the handout. If this is the case, divide the class into small groups consisting of an equal number of students. 7. Once groups are established, instruct students to begin scrolling the glossary and selecting the terms that appear in the far left column of the handout. The first term students will define on their handout is Antisemitism. Instruct students to read the glossary definition of the term and write a summary of the definition in the space provided on their handout. After the first term in defined, students will progress vertically through the column until all 13 terms are defined using the scrolling glossary. 8. Upon completion of the column, students will leave the scrolling glossary and access the Theme screen. Students will access this screen by selecting the Theme button that appears under the Menu icon near the bottom left corner of the screen. 9. In order for students to complete this column, they will need to navigate the Theme screen according to the instructions provided in the far left column of the student handout. Again, the first term students will use the survivors testimony to define is Antisemitism. Students are instructed to watch Max speak about this term in the theme Antisemitism. Based on Max s use of this term in his testimony, students will write an additional definition of this term in the space provided on their handout. After the term Antisemitism is defined, students will progress vertically through the column until all 13 terms are defined by utilizing the survivors testimony segments. 10. After both columns have been completed, students should begin the fourth and final column of the handout. Inform students that they are to compare the definition provided in the glossary with the definition provided in the survivors testimonies. In the final 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 8 of 16

column, students are to write what they were able to glean from the survivor s definition that they could not from the definition they acquired from the glossary. If students have difficulty completing the last column, you may want to use some or all of the following questions to help guide them to their responses: Which method of defining the terms did you most like using? Why? Which method of defining the terms did you learn most from? Why? How did the survivors define these terms? What examples might the survivor have provided that helped to define the terms? How does defining with examples help convey the meaning of the terms? How does watching a survivor speak about the term differ from reading the definition of the term? If you close your eyes and visualize the image or the meaning of one of the terms, which definition of the term helps you in this visualization? The glossary definition or the survivor s description of the term? Why? 9. Once students have completed the final column, facilitate a large group debriefing discussion. Allow students time to share their responses with the rest of the class. You may want to use some or all of the following questions to help guide the discussion: How did Max learn to deal with the struggles of food rationing? How did Margot distinguish the difference between an SS soldier and a German soldier? How did Morris describe the physical characteristics of the ghetto in his testimony segment? What are some events that Morris experienced during his time in the ghetto? What did his family experience as a result of moving to the ghetto? Margot was able to leave Auschwitz and travel to another camp. What happened to Margot s family once she left the death camp? How did Margot s description of Auschwitz affect you? Why? Did you know the meaning of any of these terms before this activity? If so, how were your initial definitions of the terms different from what you learned through either the glossary or the survivors? How were your initial definitions of the terms similar to what you learned through either the glossary or the survivors descriptions? 10. For homework, or as an additional classroom assignment, instruct students to research contemporary meanings for the following terms: Ghetto Refugee Rations Underground Antisemitism These five terms are used often in today s society, yet the terms do not always utilize the same definition. Have students use their creativity to craft either a mini-dictionary or an informational booklet that describes and illustrates the contemporary uses of these five terms. Allow students the freedom to be creative, while still maintaining the following criteria in their submissions: Students will need to define the term, both formally, with a dictionary, and informally, via a discussion of the term with a friend or family member. 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 9 of 16

Students will also need to include either a news story, article, advertisement, internet clipping, citing the specific reference, song lyric, or book passage whose contemporary use of the term is evident. Students must be sure to cite all of their sources, including the names of the individuals with whom they spoke, as well as where they acquired their supplemental materials. 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 10 of 16

Name Term Antisemitism (Max speaks about this term in the theme Antisemitism) Yellow Star (Rose-Hélène speaks about this term in Antisemitism) Nazi (Rose-Hélène speaks about this term in War Through a Child s Eyes) Kristallnacht (Margot speaks about this term in Antisemitism) Ghetto (Morris describes this term in Separation) Children Speak Glossary Definition Based on the Glossary Definition Based on Survivor Testimony What did you learn from the Survivor s definition that was different from the glossary? Refugee ( Rose-Hélène speaks about this term in Helping Others) Rations (Max describes this term in Resourcefulness) Cattle Car (Margot speaks about this term in Survival) Selection (Margot uses this term in Separation) Death Camp (Margot describes this term in Separation) Auschwitz (Margot speaks about this place in Identity) SS Troops (Margot uses this term in Helping Others) Underground (Max describes this term in Separation) 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 11 of 16

Activity III: Geography of the Holocaust 1. After students navigate through the introductory information provided for the Online Exhibit: Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak, the first screen students will access is an outline map of Europe showing the countries of France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland. As students slide the mouse across the four countries, the picture, name, and date of birth of a survivor who was born in that country appears. Through this brief exercise, students will have an opportunity to associate the survivors with their picture and their country of origin. 2. Distribute the Student Handout: European Outline Map to each student. Allow time for students to familiarize themselves with the layout of the map and the instructions that appear at the bottom of the handout. Inform students that the first two columns at the bottom of the handout are a list of 10 cities within the countries of France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland. The third column is a list of two concentration camps, one in Germany, the other in Poland, and two ghettos, one in Czechoslovakia, the other in Poland. 3. Depending on the size of the class, students may need to work in groups or pairs to complete the outline map. If this is the case, divide the class into small groups each consisting of an equal number of students. 4. Once groups are established, instruct students to begin plotting the designated cities, camps, and ghettos on their outline map. In completing this activity, students should consult the following resources for guidance: Atlases Geography textbooks Historical maps Internet resources (Of the 14 locations students have been asked to plot on the outline map, all but Brussels, Dresden, Paris, and Vilna can be located by referencing the Concentration and Death Camp Map located on the Internet at http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/blmap.htm) 5. After all groups have completed the outline map exercise, distribute the Student Handout: Geography of the Holocaust Then and Now to each student. Allow time for students to familiarize themselves with the content of the handout. Inform students that the first column on the handout will help guide them as they complete the second and third columns. 6. Instruct students to return to the first screen of the Online Exhibit: Voices of the Holocaust: Children Speak, the screen that displays the map. Draw students attention to a small Menu icon near the upper left side of the screen. Have students select the Theme button that appears under the Menu icon. Students will be taken to a screen displaying 18 themes along with individual pictures of the four survivors. Explain to the class that as they slide the mouse across the survivors current photos, childhood photos of the survivors appear in their place. Just as they did in the glossary activity, in order for students to complete the second and third columns, they will need to navigate the Theme screen according to the instructions provided in the first column of the Student Handout: Geography of the Holocaust Then and Now. 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 12 of 16

7. Instruct all groups to select the theme Powerlessness. Students will notice that once the theme is selected, the names of the four survivors appear in red beneath the theme. Instruct students to select Margot s name. Students are now ready to watch Margot s testimony segment and learn about the Theresienstadt Ghetto. As students watch Margot s testimony, they will write, in the appropriate space provided on the handout, the examples Margot uses to describe life in the Theresienstadt Ghetto. 8. After students watch and write about Margot s experiences in Theresienstadt, they are ready to learn about Vilna, Bergen-Belsen, and Auschwitz-Birkenau, the remaining three sites listed in the first column. Instruct students to follow the directions provided in the first column on their handout as they complete column two. 9. Once students have had an opportunity to complete the second column and watch the four designated testimony segments, they will be ready to conduct further research of their own. In order for students to complete the third column, they should reference some or all of the following materials: Almanacs Current newspaper and magazine articles Internet resources 10. Inform students that their task is to discover and describe life in these places today. If students need more direction, you may want to use some or all of the following questions to help guide them through their research: Who are the people currently living there? How many people? How many visitors come to this place each year? Why? If you were to buy something at one of these places, what form of currency would you need? What one piece of current information do you think people should know about this place? Describe the culture that is associated with this place. Consider the local food, music, industry (factories, agriculture, etc), and language. 11. While students continue to research these four locations, it is important to ensure that the information they gather is not only accurate, but also reflects the efforts that have been made in these places to promote healing and resolution of the past. The histories of Theresienstadt, Vilna, Bergen-Belsen, and Auschwitz-Birkenau were tumultuous. However, students need to understand that the museums and current preservation efforts occurring in these areas are important as well. 12. As the lesson concludes, you may wish to conduct a brief class discussion using all or some of the following questions: How was Deeta important to Margot s life and survival in Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz-Birkenau? Why is it important that we learn about Auschwitz-Birkenau? Why do people still visit Bergen-Belsen and Theresienstadt? 13. For homework, or as an additional classroom assignment, instruct students to select and research one of the following locations plotted earlier on their outline map: Warsaw Brussels 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 13 of 16

Dresden Nuremberg Łódz Hamburg Once students have selected the location they wish to research, they can begin to gather their information. Inform students that they will be creating a three-column comparison chart, similar to the Student Handout: Geography of the Holocaust Then and Now. However, instead of the first column listing several cities, it will list the specific research topics provided below. The second column allows students to address the research topics from column one as they apply to the year 1945. The third column allows students to address the topics, with current research, as it applies today. A sample of how students may wish to organize their chart is provided below. Describe the city s political environment 1945 Today Describe the city s ethnicity and population Describe the city s main industries Identify the city s main languages Research topics should include, but will not solely be limited to, the following: Describe the city s political environment. Describe the city s ethnic population. Describe the city s main industries. Identify the city s main languages. Identify the city s total population. Identify the city s currency. Describe the city s major exports. 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 14 of 16

Name University of Alabama 2004 Use an atlas, geography textbook, historical map, or the Internet to plot the following places on the outline map: 2004 University of Alabama Warsaw Munich Bergen-Belsen Krakow Nuremberg Vilna Ghetto Berlin Paris Auschwitz-Birkenau Brussels Łódz Theresienstadt Dresden Hamburg 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 15 of 16

Name Geography of the Holocaust Then and Now Ghettos/Camps Theresienstadt (Watch Margot speak about this ghetto in the theme Powerlessness) According to the Survivor, what examples were used to describe life in this place during the Holocaust? According to your research, what examples did you find to describe life in this place today? Vilna (Watch Morris speak about this ghetto in the theme Taking Action) Bergen-Belsen (Watch Margot speak about this camp in the theme Terror) Auschwitz-Birkenau (Watch Margot speak about this camp in the theme Friendship) 2004 Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Page 16 of 16