Holocaust and resistance
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=275
A lesson plan for grade 9 Social Studies
In this lesson, students reflect on the Holocaust from the point of view of those who actively resisted Nazi persecution. After reviewing the history of the Holocaust, in order to understand the legal and bureaucratic authority with which the Nazis systematically enforced their policies, students debate the options for resistance and its likely outcomes. Working with the archives of the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and library resources, they gather facts about resistance activities during the Holocaust, preparing reports on incidents of rebellion at the Sobibor, Treblinka, and Auschwitz death camps and in the Warsaw Ghetto. Then, writing as relatives or friends of those involved in these incidents, students consider the value and significance of such actions in the context of the Holocaust and of the larger war against Nazi domination. Finally, students gather facts about non-violent forms of resistance to Nazi persecution, and reflect in a journal format on their own role in keeping this spirit of resistance alive today.
The goals of this lesson are:
- to learn how the Holocaust happened and understand the devastation suffered by its victims
- to examine the evidence of resistance to the Holocaust that has been preserved in official documents and by oral tradition
- to reflect on the responsibilities of individuals when confronted with social policies that violate human rights
- to consider the significance of the Holocaust in society today
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 9
- Goal 6: Patterns of Social Order - The learner will investigate social and economic organization in various societies throughout time in order to understand the shifts in power and status that have occurred.
- Objective 6.02: Analyze causes and results of ideas regarding superiority and inferiority in society and how those ideas have changed over time.
