Melissa Robichaud

Eng. 112B

Dr. Warner

W, 4-6:45

The Holocaust: A Lesson on Tolerance and Acceptance

The Holocaust was the twentieth century�s most devastating phenomenon of hate and prejudice. Over twelve million people were murdered. This is the largest concentrated effort to exterminate a race of people. The Holocaust is an important era in history. Although many suffered, many survived and because of them, we have many great works of literature that speak of their experiences and their triumphs. We learn not only historical fact, but human experience. This is what is most central and what should be taught. History isn�t just about dates and events, but emotion and the individual experience. This is what history text books are missing. The stories of the individual are what make learning interesting and significant.

I believe it is important to teach the Holocaust not only for its historical significance, but for its lessons in tolerance and acceptance, understanding and respect. Too many children are involved in hate crimes and are dependant upon adults to steer them in the morally correct direction. According to Dr. Mary Warner,

�English teachers, teachers who are the primary users of story, are those crucially poised to address these attitudes of bias, fear, and hatred, because we are the teachers most capable of reaching students with the literature that can inextricably link them to other human beings.�

By using the novels, biographies and short stories in this unit plan, a teacher can impart historical, contextual and creative knowledge regarding the time period of the Holocaust.

Launching the Unit

Begin the unit by telling the students some facts and statistics about the Holocaust and Hitler�s regime. For example, how many people died, who was targeted and how Hitler rose to power and the people who helped him along the way. Show them the documentary on Gerda Weissmann Klein by Kary Antholis. This depicts her six year ordeal as a Nazi camp prisoner. Weissmann Klein tells stories of horror as well as stories of acts of decency and generosity from the other prisoners during her period of internment. In the film, she remembers that her family was told they could only bring twenty pounds of belongings with them. Have an object that weighs twenty pounds available and let the students hold it to feel how little twenty pounds weighs.

As an in-class assignment, have the students begin an essay on what their twenty pounds of belongings would consist of. Have them answer questions like: Why did you choose what you did? What would they be forced to leave behind? How would they feel/react to the situation? Would monetary value mean more than emotional/sentimental value? Why? For homework, have the students fully develop the essay and think about questions their paper raised for them. (www.tolerance.org)

Read aloud the short story �The Last Day� by Henia Karmel-Wolfe. Begin a discussion about the effect of the point of view. Ask them how the story would change if told from the eyes of an adult. Make sure each student responds. If they don�t have an opinion, ask them what they liked about the story, how it made them feel, or talk about a power line they liked.

The students will have a good idea about what happened during the Holocaust at this point. Using PowerPoint, take them online to www.holocaustsurivors.org. Show them the audio/visual clips of interviews of Holocaust survivors. If possible, contact a Holocaust survivor and/or a German SS soldier to come to the class and speak to the students about their experiences inside the camps.

Extending the Unit

As part of the unit, the students will be learning about tolerance and acceptance. Assign each student five hours of community service to be completed at the end of the term. They must give their services to a non-profit organization that aides the community in stopping violence and hate crimes. Have them keep a journal of their experiences. Using the data they collected, have them write an 8-10 page paper on what they learned, what they witnessed and what they thought was important and what experiences they will take with them in their life. Have them turn in a visual aide such as photographs or film/audio recordings.

Readings

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank: This story is about a young Jewish girl who kept a diary of her daily dealings with Nazi�s and their overtaking of Germany. This diary was discovered in the attic in which she spent the last 9 years of her life. In her diary, Anne Frank recorded her thoughts and feelings, and events that transpired every day. This novel depicts human courage and a poignant recording of a young girl�s life in a cruel era.

Man�s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl: This autobiography of his time spent in Nazi death camps is Frankl�s amazing story of suffering, surviving and heroism. While he himself struggles with continuing his own existence, he manages to help save others.

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry: This is a novel about a young girl of about 10 whose best friend happens to be Jewish. Annemarie�s family struggles to help Ellen�s Jewish family as much as they can, but it is up to Annemarie to complete a dangerous mission to help save her friend�s life. This story is moving and powerful. It has themes of acceptance; courage and friendship which help students learn the value of each.

Night by Elie Wiesel: This is an autobiography about a young boy enduring the pain and hardship of Nazi slave labor camps. Elie was taken to Auschwitz when he was just a teenager. He had to witness the agonizing death of his entire family and struggle for his own survival.

1. Have the students choose one of these novels to read. Ask them to write a short essay on why they picked the novel, what it was about and how the story affected them.

2. Each student should do a short oral presentation of their novel and find other Holocaust resources such as art or poetry or film to compare their book to.

Concluding Activities

Show the film Schindler�s List in class. Use the game �Philosophical Chairs� to discuss the film. Use prompts such as: �Do you think the film was believable? Can you compare/contrast the film with some of the other readings we have done in class? What part of the movie was most powerful and why?�

1. Have the students do a search for newspaper articles covering the aspects of the Holocaust or WWII. Bring them to class and select articles for discussion and compare/contrast them to the movie Schindler�s List as well as the novels that were read. How do the newspaper articles differ from the stories of human experience?

Work Cited

Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. New York and Toronto: Bantam, 1993.

Frankl, Victor E.. Man�s Search For Meaning. New York: Washington Square Press,

1985.

Karmel-Wolfe, Henia. The Last Day. An excerpt from �The Reporter�

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. New York: Bantam, 1990.

Warner, Mary. Stories Moving Readers From Fear and Bias to Tolerance and Acceptance: An Unfinished Curriculum. �The Ohio Journal of the English Language Arts.� Spring, 2002.

Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam, 1982.