Genocide and Holocaust Curriculum Outline
From Rockford Public Schools District 205
Use this outline as you prepare for teaching about the Holocaust and Genocide. It contains several outstanding websites for additional information. |
The United States Holocaust Museum
In Washington, D.C.
"The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America's national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history." |
Yad Vashem
In Jerusalem, Israel
"Located in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, is the Holocaust memorial of the Jewish people." |
The Simon Wiesenthal Center
In Los Angeles, California
"The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international center for Holocaust remembrance, and the defense of human rights and the Jewish people." |
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The Young Soapmaker
A Complete Book Online
“A rebellious young teenager experiences the early part of the war as an adventure and an opportunity to defy the strictness of his orthodox Jewish upbringing. He survives through youthful energy and optimism, through dangerous and reckless risk taking with wit and cunning. As the losses mount and the dehumanizing experiences begin to erode his being he comes to say some fifty years later to his fellow congregants ‘... I survived because I had a tremendous desire to live... the cost of life however, was at a very high price because I am a witness...’” This book is based on the experiences of Leonard Lerer. |
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Classroom Activities
For Students
These activities are a response to studying about Anne Frank. |
The Holocaust Memorial Day
In London, England
"Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) commemorates the tragic loss of life in the genocides of World War II, in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. HMD is held on 27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) exists so that we learn the lessons of the past to build a better future now." |
The Holocaust Teacher Resource Center
In Newport News, Virginia
This "web site, is dedicated to the memory of the six million Jewish people slaughtered during the Holocaust and the millions other people slaughtered during the Nazi era. It strives to combat prejudice and bigotry by transforming the horrors of the Holocaust into positive lessons to help make this a better and safer world for everybody. This site is sponsored by the Holocaust Education Foundation, Inc. Educators, (kindergarten through college) will find at this site materials which can be brought into the classroom and studied. Whenever possible entire documents are included and may be downloaded for direct use in the classroom." |
A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust
From the Florida Center for Instructional Technology
“The content of the A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust is presented from three perspectives: Timeline, People, and The Arts. The Teacher's Guide is meant to be used as a resource by teachers. Holocaust study is a very sensitive subject, and the appropriateness of material is dependent upon individuals.” This site contains an overview of the people and events of the Holocaust through photographs, documents, art, music, movies, and literature. |
To Be or Not To Be
A Lesson Plan
Here is a lesson plan for the Poster/Poem: "To the Little Polish Boy Standing with His Arms Up" by Judy Luehm Junecko of Leesburg High School. |
"To the Little Polish Boy Standing with His Arms Up"
A Poem
This powerful poem is written by Holocaust survivor Peter L. Fischl in response to a 1943 photograph. |
Learning about the Holocaust through Art
Developed by World ORT
"This site provides high-quality reproductions of art works produced during the Holocaust. It also includes biographies of the artists and histories of the ghettos and camps in which they were interned. Study resources and lesson plans support its use in the classroom and an interactive section enables users to choose and annotate works for their own online collection." |
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The Anne Frank Center USA
In New York , New York
The "Anne Frank Center USA was founded in 1977 to educate people about the causes, instruments and dangers of discrimination and violence through the poignant and telling story of Anne Frank." |
The Anne Frank Trust UK
In London, England
"Inspired by the life and diary of Anne France, the goal of the Anne Frank Trust UK 'is to education and motivate people — particularly young people — to reject prejudice and injustice, and to build a society founded on mutual respect, human rights, and moral courage.'" On June 13, 1944, Anne Frank wrote: “One of the many questions that have often bothered me is why women have been, and still are, thought to be so inferior to men. It’s easy to say it’s unfair, but that’s not enough for me; I’d really like to know the reason for this great injustice!” |
The Armenian National Institute
In Washington, D.C.
Learn more about the Armenian Genocide at this site. |
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Rwanda Commemoration Project: Genocide In Our Time
From the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law
"April 7, 2004 marks a decade since the beginning of the Rwandan genocide, when nearly a million people were killed in ninety days while the international community largely stood by. The United Nations has now declared April 7th as the 'International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda.' The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law has developed the Rwanda Commemoration Project to encourage law schools, universities, NGOs, community groups and others to hold events to commemorate the anniversary of this modern-day genocide, and to use it as a lesson, reminder and warning about genocide in our time. |
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Resource Collections
From Facing History and Ourselves
Great resources for the Armenian Genocide, Civil Rights, Darfur, Genocide, The Holocaust, Immigration, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be found here. "The Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation is 'a national educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry.'" |
Five Million Forgotten
Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust
"Sponsored by the nonprofit Holocaust Forgotten Memorial, the goal of this Web site (and the organization) is 'to acknowledge and memorialize the millions of non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust.'" |
The Forgotten Camps
By Vincent Châtel & Chuck Ferree
"...This web site is a history of several small Nazi concentration camps, work camps, police camps, and transit camps: 'Great or small camps, all these places were designed to systematically destroy any opponent to the Nazi regime. If mass extermination happened only in the great camps, like Auschwitz or Treblinka, the atrocities were the same everywhere.'" |
Talking about Genocide
From Peace Pledge Union
"The Peace Pledge Union is the oldest secular pacifist organisation in Britain. Since 1934 it has been campaigning for a warless world."This site gives helpful information about the genocides in:
• 1904 Namibia
• 1915 Armenia
• 1932 Ukraine
• The Holocaust
• 1975 Cambodia
• 1982 Guatemala
• 1994 Rwanda
• 1995 Bosnia |
The Holocaust: A Tragic Legacy
From ThinkQuest.org
“Created and maintained by three students participating in ThinkQuest, this site ‘attempts to provide a unique set of resources to complement those already available on-line. There is a strong interactive element, asking visitors to consider the moral dilemmas of Nuremberg, consider the culpability of the Swiss, or examine the future implications of the Holocaust. An interactive timeline and a brief summary go over the events themselves, linking to a multimedia glossary with pronunciations and other related audio, images, and link to sites that expand on the basic definitions. Specific aspects of the Holocaust, such as why it happened and what came in its aftermath are also covered. To bring the Holocaust to life, there are accounts of survivors and a virtual reality camp. A guide to books and other resources allow visitors to learn more and a quiz allow users to spot-check their knowledge of the Holocaust. Users can also share thoughts and scanned artwork/photos. The more that is known, the more that is understood, the better we can work to promote tolerance and learn the lessons of the past.’”"We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present." Adlai Stevenson |
The Holocaust\Shoah Page
From Middle Tennessee State University
"Maintained by Ben Austin of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), this Web site provides a wide variety of information about the Holocaust, including a glossary and chronology of the Holocaust — as well as information on the Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht, the T-4 euthanasia program (murder of the handicapped), Jewish losses in the Holocaust, and the Holocaust. There are also links to other Holocaust-related Web sites." |
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Teaching the Holocaust
By Dr. Chaya Ostrower
"This program deals with the teaching of the subject of the Holocaust - a chapter in the study of World War II - through the use of authentic stamps, drawings made by Holocaust children, pictures, and historical and literary texts." |
Cambodian Auto-Genocide Page
From Cyber Cambodia.com
"In the loving memories of the Cambodian people who died under the Khmer Rouge Regime from 1975 to 1979, we, Khmers and concerned friends of Cambodia, have formed an ad hoc group to establish the Digital Archive of Cambodian Holocaust Survivors. We call upon you to participate in the preservation and protection of the memories of Cambodian holocaust survivors of Angkar." |
Fom Sideshow to Genocide: Tales of the Cambodian Holocaust
By Andy Carvin
This Web site is a virtual history of the Cambodian genocide, covering events in Cambodia from the turn of the century to the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. |
Armenian Genocide — History Does Not Fade Away
From ABC News
"Presented by ABC News, this multilingual, Flash-based Web site provides a time line, an overview of the Armenian Genocide, images, and survivor testimonies." |
Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-1933
From the Ukrainian Genocide Famine Foundation - USA, Inc
"Created and maintained by the Ukrainian Genocide Famine Foundation (USA), This Web site helps the Foundation fulfull its mission, including to 'further public awareness of the Genocide of 1932-33 through educational programs, lectures, public exhibits, media presentations, internet resources and cooperative ventures with governmental and education institutions, libraries and museums.'" |
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