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Current Connections
Many of us read our history books and take each word as truth. Show learners that history can easily be altered depending on who writes it. Your class will watch a series of videos, read a first person testimony, and discuss the...
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Arc GIS Project: Visualizing the Holocaust
A cross-curricular lesson for middle schoolers that covers language arts, social studies, geography, and math, this is a great extension activity if your class is reading The Diary of Anne Frank or learning about the Holocaust. Using...
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Compare and Contrast Night to Life is Beautiful
After reading Elie Wiesel's Night, watching the movie Life is Beautiful, and researching World War II, class members write a comparison essay on the book and film. This includes a prior knowledge activity, discussion in whole and small...
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The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Ninth graders visit the US Holocaust Museum to witness the actions of the Nazis against the Jews during World War II. A great lesson if you are located near the museum or are planning a trip to the DC area.
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Teaching About Genocide
Teaching children of any age about genocide or The Holocaust can be difficult, as the content is sensitive and often emotional. This academic article was written by an educator and is intended to help you consider multiple aspects of...
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Candles in the Dark
Middle schoolers read about and research the Holocaust using the Internet. They write poetry about an image of their choice and create a digital movie of their poetry readings.
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Anne Frank Quiz
Some very detailed questions are included in this quiz such as, "Between what hours of the day on August 4th, 1944 did an SS car pull up at the annex to arrest members?" Other questions are not so complex and focus on relationships of...
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Holocaust and Resistance
Students complete a unit of lessons that examine the Holocaust from the point of view of those who actively resisted the Nazis. They analyze a timeline, participate in a class debate, explore various websites, and write a letter.
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Modern Figure Sculpture
Alberto Giacometti is a renowned sculpture, made popular by his "tall, gaunt" figures. His sculptures have been interpreted in many ways: representing isolation, Holocaust victims, or of one standing against adversity. Giacometti says...
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Survivor Stories
Trace a survivor's story using a timeline, map skills, poetry and/or prose and photography, and make a visual representation of a survivor's journey through his or her life as a culminating activity for the class and the survivor. This...
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Introduction to The Diary of Anne Frank
Get a glimpse of Anne Frank's years in hiding with this activity, which introduces The Diary of Anne Frank. Readers complete a journal entry about how they would keep themselves occupied if they were forced into hiding (without personal...
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What Concepts are being presented
World War II, WWII, the Holocaust, the Rise of the Nazi Empire, Concentration Camps, the effect on children. The first 9 slides are of images and scenes of WWII, Black and white photography Slides 10 to 20 show present day photos of...
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Adolph Hitler
A collage of stark images from World War II compose the background of this presentation about Adolph Hitler. The infamous leader's childhood, rise to power, and eventual defeat are detailed in these slides, filling in many gaps that...
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World War II - The Holocaust
The Holocaust is the focus of this world history PowerPoint. Viewers are presented with important facts regarding the Holocaust, and the rise of Nazi Germany. They must answer questions such as: "Describe Nazi anti-Semitism in the...
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The Allies Win the War
This PowerPoint clearly outlines many elements that contributed to the Allied Forces winning WWII. Topics covered are wartime technology, D-Day, The Holocaust, Perl Harbor, the Atomic Bomb and how winning the war changed the face of the...
Judicial Branch of California
A “Commemorative” Bill of Rights
It's 1943, and Jewish people in Denmark are in hiding from the Nazis. What protection can the United States offer them? By examining the Constitution, specifically the Bill of Rights, scholars consider the protections afforded to those...
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Tunes for Bears to Dance to: Questioning Strategy, Discussion Web
Readers of Robert Cormier's Tunes for Bears to Dance to are asked to consider the morality of the central character's actions
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The Book Thief: The Power and Influence of Words
To culminate a study of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, individuals craft a persuasive essay in which they assume the voice of a member of one of the political parties during the early 1920s, and advocate that their party offers the best...
Novelinks
The Book Thief: Cubing Strategy
Whether used to review prior to a reading assessment or as a way to generate ideas for an essay, this activity is sure to encourage critical thinking about Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Kids create a six-sided question cube with each...
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The Book Thief: Anticipation Guide
Introduce the major themes in Markus Zusak's award-winning novel, The Book Thief, with an anticipation guide that asks readers to agree or disagree with a series of statements.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Graphic Organizer: Venn Diagram
Compare and contrast the characters in John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Using a Venn diagram, kids write in different traits to describe each person, and note their shared characteristics in the middle section.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Anticipation Guide
Let your learners voice their opinions on morals and human rights with an anticipation guide for Asa Butterfield's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Before reading the novel, kids read several statements that encourage them to agree or...
Novelinks
Maus: Bingo Vacabulary Strategy
The definitions for unfamiliar words drawn from Art Spiegelman graphic novel memoir, Maus, provide the clues for a vocabulary bingo game.
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Maus I and II: Pictionary
Why is visual literacy so important in understanding Maus? Introduce your class to basic elements of graphic novels with a game of pictionary. A list of 13 words are included, but you could potentially add some World War II-related terms...