Historians explain what happened during the Holocaust, but only primary sources portray the true horror of places such as Auschwitz. Using accounts from those who survived the camps, as well as a Nazi government official's memoirs, class members consider what each piece of evidence tells them about the infamous camp. Once complete, they discuss how to evaluate primary sources for reliability and how they aid the study of history.

Concepts

nazism, holocaust survivors, the holocaust, antisemitism, concentration camps, auschwitz, world war ii, primary source analysis, primary sources

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Have pupils jigsaw-read and share what they learn from primary sources using the included worksheet

Classroom Considerations

• Lesson is part of War in Europe series from the National WWII Museum
• Memoirs of Nazi officials included with the sources may not be appropriate for all learners

Pros

• Primary sources are gripping and engaging 
• Worksheet is ready to use to aid student analysis

Cons

• Does not include some resources mentioned in the lesson plan
  

Common Core

RH.6-8.1 RH.9-10.9 RH.11-12.9