The Holocaust

Grade Level: 8th

Length: 2 Weeks
Central Concepts:
-

Understanding anti-semitism and why and how it spread across

Europe.
Being able to describe key events, such as Kristallnacht, and other
important events throughout the Holocaust.
Knowing what a concentration camp was and the experience that
people had there.

Central Questions:
-

Who was Adolf Hitler? How did he rise to power?

Who were the Nazis?
What were the ghettos?
What was a concentration camp?
Who was Anne Frank?
What was Kristallnacht?
How did different people experience the Holocaust?

Lesson Plans:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

5 Senses of a Concentration Camp

Kristallnacht
Photo Timeline
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Anne Frank Who Was She?

Learning Objectives:
SWBAT define the term anti-Semitism and give examples of how and reasons
why it spread throughout Germany.
SWBAT read a biography, memoir, or realistic fiction novel and engage in
discussion with peers.
SWBAT make a list of 25 things that they learned about the Holocaust, and
then turn that list into a project for assessment.
SWBAT research another genocide (past or current) to present to the class.
Students will create a model memorial for this genocide.

In small groups (3-5 students), SWBAT come up with three ways that they
can raise awareness within the school and community.

Week 1 Journal Response

Anne Frank, along with so many others, had to wear a yellow star on all of
her clothing to label her as a Jew.
Think about another time in history when people were labeled and/or
degraded in such a way. Compare the two and then reflect.

Week 2 Journal Response

Imagine that you and your family have just been taken from your home in
the ghetto and thrown into a train car with almost a hundred other people.
You are unsure of where you are going.
Write about the following:
What are you feeling?
What is happening around you?
Where do you wish you could be instead?
What do you think will be on the outside of the door when it opens?

Teacher
Candidate:

Date Taught:

Cooperating
Teacher:

School /
District:

Grade:

8th

Unit / Subject:

Social Studies

Field
Supervisor:

The Holocaust
Lesson Title /
Focus:

5 Senses of a Concentration Camp

I. Lesson Rationale (Why?)

Learning Goals and Focus (What students will be able to do):
Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with
other information in print and digital texts.
14.C.3 Compare historical issues involving rights, roles and status of individuals in
relation to municipalities, states and the nation.
Targeted Academic Language Function (e.g. identifying main idea, recording multiple ways to solve
problems):
- Using descriptive language to explain the five sense in a specific environment
Targeted Academic Language Demands (Vocabulary- every day, general subject specific words, and
subject specific word meanings/ Syntax- organizing words and phrases into structures- graphs,
sentences, formulae).
- Concentration Camp

II. Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks (How?)

Align with learning focus and state standards

Align with student learning needs of individuals and whole class
Specify differentiation approaches that will be used
Align with student academic development, social/emotional development, experiences

and/or interests
Align with the language demands of this lesson
Create a progression of learning through which students can monitor their own
progress toward the learning focus

Time
[Estimate
time to
complete
each
activity]

20-30
minutes

Learning Activities- What learning

activities do you have planned for the
students? Describe what may transpire
during the scaffolding of the lesson.
How will you hook the students into
the lesson? How will you model, and
provide opportunities for guided, shared,
and independent practice?

We will begin by looking through pictures

of concentration camps throughout Europe.
Students will be given time to use
computers/iPads to look up images of the
various camps and to read about what they
were like how they looked, what they felt
liked, the smell, etc.

15-20
After this, I will pull the class together to
minutes debrief and talk about what they found. I
will have 2-4 students describe a
concentration camp using the 5 senses,
while the rest of the class closes their eyes
and tries to imagine what the student is
saying.

Questions Posed: What

questions do you want to ask of
the students, and what do you
anticipate they will ask /raise as
their own questions and
answers?

How many camps were

there? How many people
were in each camp? Why
did this happen? Why
didnt people leave? Why
did no one help them?

Why did people describe

things the way that they
did?

I will give every one a sheet of blank paper

(or have supplies set up on a table,
depending on the class) and markers,
pencils, crayons, paint.
Students will make a 5 senses picture
25-30
minutes imagining they are standing in a
concentration camp. They will show and
describe what they feel, see, hear, taste,
and smell.
POSSIBLE STOPPING POINT TO
RESUME DAY 2 (If needed)

Why are we doing this?

How could we describe a
taste for a place?

30
When students are finished they will
minutes
present the pictures to their small group,
and then one student from each small
group will present their picture to the class.

20
minutes

Why did people describe

things differently?
Compare/contrast each
others pictures.

We will close with a discussion based on

the following question:
What part of being in a concentration camp
Why didnt more people
do you think you would dislike the most?

try to escape? Why didnt

more people try and help
them? How did the Nazis
even get away with this?

III. Assessment (How do you know?)

Assess learning (product and/or process) during lesson

Encourage students to self-assess their own learning
Assess learning (product and/or process) at end of lesson
Identify next steps/future lessons based on assessment data

Formative Assessment:
Summative Assessment:

IV. Instructional Materials, Resources, and Technology (What)

What materials will you need in order to teach this lesson?

What materials will students need?

computers/iPads
blank paper
markers, crayons, paint, colored pencils, glue, scissors, tape

Teacher
Candidate:

Date Taught:

Cooperating
Teacher:

School /
District:

Grade:

8th

Unit / Subject:

Social Studies

Field
Supervisor:

The Holocaust
Lesson Title /
Focus:

Kristallnacht

I. Lesson Rationale (Why?)

Learning Goals and Focus (What students will be able to do):
Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3
Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g.,
how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8
text complexity band independently and proficiently.
14.C.3 Compare historical issues involving rights, roles and status of individuals in
relation to municipalities, states and the nation.
Targeted Academic Language Function (e.g. identifying main idea, recording multiple ways to solve
problems):

Pulling evidence from text

Reacting and responding to a text

Targeted Academic Language Demands (Vocabulary- every day, general subject specific words, and
subject specific word meanings/ Syntax- organizing words and phrases into structures- graphs,
sentences, formulae).

Persecution- hostility and ill-treatment, esp. because of race or political or religious

beliefs.

Nationalism- a belief, creed or political ideology that involves an individual identifying

with, or becoming attached to, one's nation
Anti-Semitism- prejudice, hatred of, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected
to their Jewish religion or heritage
Retaliation- the action of returning a military attack; counterattack.
Final Solution- Nazi Germany's plan during World War II to systematically exterminate
the Jewish people in Nazi-occupied Europe, which resulted in the most deadly phase of
the Holocaust, the destruction of Jewish communities in continental Europe.

II. Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks (How?)

Align with learning focus and state standards

Align with student learning needs of individuals and whole class
Specify differentiation approaches that will be used
Align with student academic development, social/emotional development, experiences
and/or interests
Align with the language demands of this lesson
Create a progression of learning through which students can monitor their own
progress toward the learning focus

Time
[Estimate
time to
complete
each
activity]

10 minutes

About and
hour total

3 minutes

Learning Activities- What learning

activities do you have planned for the
students? Describe what may transpire
during the scaffolding of the lesson.
How will you hook the students into
the lesson? How will you model, and
provide opportunities for guided, shared,
and independent practice?

I will begin by going through some

content-specific vocabulary words with the
class (see above).

Questions Posed: What

questions do you want to ask of
the students, and what do you
anticipate they will ask /raise as
their own questions and
answers?

Students may ask for

clarification and/or for
words to be used in
examples.

We will then read the article about

Kristallnacht together. After reading the
first paragraph, I will pose the following
question:
Based on this paragraph, what do you
think well be reading about? (Discuss.)
After reading the section titled, Hitler and
Anti-Semitism, I will ask:

Students may ask what

Kristallnacht was. I will tell
them that we will find out
during our reading.

2 minutes

What are some major changes that were

happening at this point? (Discuss.)

Why did anti-semitism

begin? What are the
Nuremberg Laws?

After the second paragraph in the, From

Harrassment to Violence, section, I will
ask:
2 minutes

What caused this rage? (Discuss.)

3-5
minutes

After the third paragraph in the same

section, I will ask students to write down
their reaction, and then as a class we will
discuss.

Why did Nazi party

become so outraged at
this event? Does one
person being shot really
mean that they should
have just began rioting?

At the end of the section titled, U.S.

Reaction to Kristallnacht, I will ask:
2-3
minutes

10-15
minutes

5-7
minutes

10-15
minutes

What were the two reasons that the U.S.

would not accept Jewish immigrants from
Europe?
After reading, A Wake-Up Call to
German Jews, I will have the students
write down their reaction to the U.S.
response. Then in small groups, I will
have them discuss for a few minutes. After
small group discussion, I will pull
everyone together to hear some of the main
reactions that everyone had.
After the second paragraph of, A WakeUp call to Non-Jews, I will have students
write down if they would stay or go in a
similar situation.

Why wasnt the U.S. more

helpful to these people?
Why didnt the U.S. do
more from the beginning?

Why wouldnt she leave?

Why would she go?

At the end of the reading, students will

answer the following question individually
to be turned in:
Why is Kristallnacht an important event
from the Holocaust? Why is it important
in history?

5-10

Why were people in the

U.S. anti-semitic? What
are Nazi infiltrators.

I imagine some students

being lazy and asking for
answers. I will lead them
back to the text and ask
them to think of some

minutes

After they turn in their responses, we will

take a few minutes to wrap up.

other reasons that may

not have been explicit.

III. Assessment (How do you know?)

Assess learning (product and/or process) during lesson

Encourage students to self-assess their own learning
Assess learning (product and/or process) at end of lesson
Identify next steps/future lessons based on assessment data

Formative Assessment:

-Checking students understanding throughout reading.

-Students are using content-specific vocabulary correctly.
-Students can respond maturely to specific events read about.
Summative Assessment:

-Students written response at the end of the reading.

IV. Instructional Materials, Resources, and Technology (What)

What materials will you need in order to teach this lesson?

What materials will students need?

Articles (one for each student)

Vocabulary list (either already on board or poster or document cam)
Student journals
Blank paper to write final response to the reading
Writing utensils

Unit Project
Research and find a different genocide that either happened in the past or is
going on currently. Give a brief history and summary of the genocide the
people it affected/is affecting, why it happened/is happening, where it
happened/is happening. Write a 2-3 page paper, doubled-spaced, about your
finding.
Next, come up with a memorial for this genocide. Think about how you will
represent different important people and aspects for the world to see.
Create a 3-D model of this memorial (see me for supplies if needed).
Finally, come up with three ways that you will raise awareness about this
genocide either in the school community or the community in which you live.
This may be a typed up explanation of your plans. You are not required to
see this through, but it would be a nice way to show what you know and
what you have learned.

Final Assessment 50 Points

Come up with a list of 25 things that you learned about the Holocaust.
Please type this list to turn in. (25 points)
Find a creative way to model/express/portray these 25 facts/ideas. You must
also include a brief description of your model, explaining the 25 things and
how they are represented in the model. (25 points 1 point per idea
expressed and written explanation)

RESOURCES:
http://www.ushmm.org
http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org
http://piercemiddlelibrary.weebly.com/holocaust-links.html
http://www.history.com/topics/kristallnacht/print
-

computers/iPads
blank paper
markers, crayons, paint, colored pencils, glue, scissors, tape
Articles (one for each student)
Vocabulary list (either already on board or poster or document cam)
Student journals
Blank paper to write final response to the reading
Writing utensils