Adolf Hitler was elected as Chancellor of the Reich in a 1933 victory of the Nazi Party in Germany. Many people celebrated, but they did not know the ultimate consequences of Hitler's rise to power. . . . World War II and the extermination of millions of Jews and other "undesirables" in what known as the Holocaust.
“Prelude to the Holocaust” is a video conference that describes how Hitler's Nazi Party acted against the Jews, first by stirring up anti-Semitism, then by actively persecuting them, and eventually moving to the mass murder of millions of Jews and others in Hitler's "Final Solution."
Students will analyze the impact of "Kristallnacht" meaning “ Night of Broken Glass” . They will study the reasons why Jews were singled out by Hitler and the Nazis. Students will explore the ideas the Nazis had about race and how people around the world responded to the Nazis' racial policies.
“Prelude to the Holocaust” looks at the wider picture of life in Nazi-controlled Europe at a time when a person's nationality or religious, cultural, or political beliefs could mean imprisonment and even death. This video conference explains the impact of Nazi rule on every aspect of daily life, from work to leisure time, and looks at how the lives of men, women, and children were affected.
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OBJECTIVES:
Students will
- read biographies
- write letters
- research print and online resources.
- construct histories of individual victims and survivors
- examine primary- and secondary-source documents to determine the fate of individuals during the Holocaust.
ACTIVITIES:
Biographies of Children of the Holocaust
Link to: http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm
(These letters can be printed if students do not have computer access.)
- 1) Ask each student to select and read one biography
- 2) Write a letter to that child, telling how the biography affected him or her.
- 3) Students should include specific details about this period in history and about the child's story.
National Standards (to which the lesson is aligned)
Social Sciences:
NSS-WH.5-12.8
Language Arts:
NL-ENG.K-12.1
NL-ENG.K-12.2
NL-ENG.K-12.6
NL-ENG.K-12.7
NL-ENG.K-12.8
NL-ENG.K-12.9
- History of Human Civilization: 7a. Understand the development and role of religion in early civilization. They will be able to discuss how religion established a code of conduct for the people and influences it had in different societies.
- Government/Civics: 1a. Acquire critical thinking and analytical skills; that is, they will use visual and mathematical data presented in various forms to assist in interpreting historical events. Students will chronologically organize significant events and people who form the foundation of early history.
- Geography: 4a. Understand that geography enables people to comprehend the relationships between people, places, and environments over time.
- Economics: 2b. Understand there are many influences on economic systems all over the world and the importance of their functions.
