Discovering the Holocaust

Transcription

1 Discovering the Holocaust For the next 2 days, you will spend time discovering the Holocaust with a group. Take your time at the various stations around the classroom. Your group may visit these in any order, but you need to make it to all of them by the end of day 2 of this activity. As you make your way from station to station, answer the following questions. Station 1: Children s Literature read the stories carefully and study the illustrations. 1. What is the message of Who Was the Woman Who Wore the Hat? How is that message relayed to the reader? 2. What is the message of Terrible Things? How is that message relayed to the reader? 3. What is the message of The Sneetches? Do you think Dr. Seuss intended to draw similarities between his story and the Holocaust? Why/why not. 4. What is the message of Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen? Do you believe it is a true story?

2 Station 2: Poetry by Child Prisoners read the following poems from I never saw another butterfly at this station. All were written by children who were imprisoned in the concentration camps. Most of these children died before the end of the war. 5. Read Terezin on page What is this child s wish? Why does he feel this way? 6. Read The Butterfly on page 39. What is the tone of this poem? 7. The title of this book is based on this poem. Why do you think the editors choose to use this poem, rather than another one? What makes the poet s message so powerful? 8. Read Night in the Ghetto on page 52. In this poem, the poet says, darkness, too, is kind / To weary eyes that all day long have had to watch. What is the poet saying in these lines? What message is s/he trying to convey? 9. Read Fear and I am a Jew on pages 55 and 57. These poems have a different tone than the others you have read so far. What is the difference? What message are the poets sending in these poems? 10. Read The Garden on page 70. The author says the boy will not be able to see the blossoms bloom. What is she inferring will happen to him before spring? What does this tell you about her attitude? 11. Read Tears on page 74. The poet claims that without [tears] / there is no life. What does she mean by this? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? 12. Now, read Never Shall I Forget on page 42 of Holocaust Poetry. Create an illustration of the poem on the back of your answer sheet.

3 Station 3: Photo Study look at these photos carefully. Be sure to read the information on the back of each photo. 13. Which of the photos is the most disturbing to you? Explain your choice. 14. Why do you think people voted for Hitler? Why didn t they revolt when they realized their mistake? 15. Explain the examples of propaganda? How would these be effective? 16. How did Hitler and his soldiers (the Gestapo and SS) tell the difference between different types of people? Provide at least 3 examples. 17. List 3 surprising facts you have discovered at this station. 18. List 2 questions this station has made you think about.

4 Station 4: True Stories, Real People Spend some time reading about actual accounts of the Holocaust from the book Voices of the Holocaust. 19. Who was Alfrons Heck? Read his story (pg ). How is this account unique? Make a list of terms/vocabulary words that you think are important in the study of the Holocaust. 20. Who was Berek Latarus? Read his story (pg ). How is this account unique? Make a timeline of events for the story. 21. Who was Kitty Hart? Read her story (pg ). How is this account unique? Turn her story into a free verse poem (any form of poem, can rhyme but it doesn t have to, no set rules). 22. Who was Simon Wiesenthal? Read his story (pg ). How is this account unique?

5 Station 5: In the News review the articles on the table. These articles were taken from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. 23. Read the article Women in the Holocaust. Explain the role of women during the Holocaust. Provide at least 3 specific examples. 24. Read the article The Ghettos in Poland. Describe what life in the ghettos would have been like. Write a diary entry from the perspective of a Jewish person living in a ghetto. 25. Read the article Resistance Inside Germany. How did Germans resist Nazism in Germany? Provide at least 3 specific examples. 26. Name and describe at least 5 different acts of discrimination / violence / terror towards Jewish people, as reported in these newspapers. 27. What would it have been like to be an American citizen during this time, waking up and seeing these types of news articles every day? 28. How would life have been different if you were a European citizen?

6 Station 6: The Holocaust, Part 1 (Newspaper) use the newspapers at the station to answer the questions. 1. Who were some important Jewish authors who had their books burned? 2. Why were Austrian and German Jews trapped at Kristallnacht? 3. Who were the Semites? 4. What is a shtetlekh? 5. What is Yiddish? Describe this culture. 6. Give 2 examples of religious persecution faced by the Jews. 7. What is Zionism? 8. Explain the Treaty of Versailles. 9. Explain the inflation table on page Explain the Christian Social Party s poster on page When was full legal equality granted to Jews in the USA? Who was the last country equalize Jews? When did that happen? 12. Compare/Contrast Eastern European Jews and Western European Jews.

7 Station 7: The Holocaust, Part 2 (newspaper) use the newspapers at the station to answer the questions. 1. Why was survival painful? 2. Who was Henry Morgenthau, Jr.? 3. Describe the picture on page What were DP camps? 5. What was the Truman Directive? 6. How was The Final Solution accomplished? 7. What was language control? Give an example. 8. Describe 2 Jewish rescue missions. 9. What was the US s view on what was happening in Germany? 10. Describe the living conditions within the ghettos. 11. How many were murdered at Auschwitz? What made Auschwitz unique? 12. What is Zyklon B? 13. Describe the living conditions within the concentration camps. 14. Explain the origin of ghetto. 15. What is an einsatzgruppen?

8 Station 8: Holocaust Newspaper Articles- use the newspaper articles at the station to answer the questions. 1. Read Grief, reflection behind somber gates of Auschwitz (LJS 1/23/05). Explain what this means: For me, this is a grave, not a museum. 2. Explain what Piper means when he says that there is no contact with beauty. 3. Read Keeping the memory alive (LJS 1/27/05). Why would telling your story be a painful experience? 4. Read Survivors remember Auschwitz (LJS 1/28/05). According to the article, survivors and families are celebrating 60 years of freedom. What do you think families/survivors of Nazi criminals do on the anniversay of the liberation of Auschwitz? 5. How do you think survivors/families of Nazi criminals react to the Holocaust? 6. Read Exhibit details Nazi persecution of gays (LJS 3/31/08). What does the word draconian mean? 7. Why do you think we focus on the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, rather than discussing the other many minority groups that were affected by Hitler s laws and persecution? 8. Are there countries today who have banned homosexuality? 9. Why do you think there is still prejudice and discrimination in the world today? 10. If prejudice/discrimination is still occurring the world, how do we prevent another Holocaust?