Teacher Notes
http://www.newc.com/pj/holocaust/finalsol2.html
Nazi Germany Through An Examination of the Holocaust
You are a new staff member of your local newspaper. Your Series Editor (your teacher) has called together a team of writers, researchers and networkers for an important series of stories that is developing. You are delighted to find that you are a key member of that team.
The project is described in a memo from the Managing Editor, as follows:
The Task
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FROM: THE MANAGING EDITOR Recently our newspaper has received a lot of extremist calls and letters, related to an article we ran about events in the Middle East and Israel. These calls and letters include derogatory references to various minority groups and religions, and deny that the Nazi Holocaust-- the extermination of Jews, Catholics, Gypsies and other minorities occurred. Recently there has also been an increase in the number of physical attacks (i.e., smashed windows, arson, bombings) on synagogues, churches and homes of minority groups in our state and elsewhere. |
Your Group Report and Presentation
The final group report is a 10-15 minute presentation to the Series Editor (your teacher and class). The report may take any shape the teacher feels is appropriate. Your group may produce a newspaper style layout, modeled on an actual newspaper. Your group might also simply produce a report, which they present to the class using visual aids. In any event, you will need to make use of technology to support your research, including resource references, pictures, maps, charts, models, and other acceptable means which reflects serious research has been done.
Resources
Resources on the World Wide Web:
Although there are far more sites related to this area of study available through the SCORE Web Pages, the following will give a basic set of helpful resources to get started.
Nazi Holocaust Unit: Selected Sites of Interest
The Process
Brainstorming:
Before you get started, the following three questions will be brainstormed with the class, to set up the problem, familiarize you with the terminology and historical background. The Series Editor (teacher) will facilitate, making notes, concept-mapping at the chalkboard. The result should be saved, for reference by your group, to remind you of the various aspects of the problem.
Task Definition With the Series Editor (Your Teacher):
Your job as a member of the Series team is to locate and examine the "Denialist" arguments. Then research the facts of history to determine if there is any basis for the "Denialist" claims. You may also note any similarities between the beliefs of the "Denialists" and the perpetrators of the Holocaust (i.e., the Nazis).
You will, of course, need to produce the highest quality documentation for your work. You will be using the Internet/World Wide Web (including the online archives of other newspapers,) as major resources, as well as other electronic and print resources (books, magazine articles) of our library.
Your grade will be based on these criteria:
Time is of the essence, so good planning is very important. Before you get started you will need to create a list of the most effective and useful places to do your research. Make a list of the questions to be answered, and kinds of information you will need to answer them. Keep accurate documentation of your sources, so that they can be checked in the event that you are challenged.
You will be expected to report your progress in our daily editorial briefings, so that we can react to new facts and data that are uncovered.
Assignment into Groups:
Due to the complexity of events related to the Holocaust, you will be assigned to groups. Each of the groups will focus on various aspects of the problem. One will zero in on:
This approach is used because each group will contribute something special to the total learning experience, and allow you to teach each other, while the teacher guides and coaches from the side.
You are in groups of 4-5, and assigned roles as reporters, writers, researchers, or other related roles. You should all contribute to the project work, and your individual contributions highlighted during the regular briefing sessions.
Briefings:
Regular briefings of the groups by your Series Editor (your teacher) will be used to check and guide your progress. Both the research progress and your approach to the problem will be reviewed, making sure that all students are contributing; that they are making use of the resources, and are focused on the solution of the problem.
Learning Advice
It is important that your work meets the criteria outlined in the Memo from the Managing Editor, and outlined in the Process section. The basic questions must be answered. Your use of a variety of information resources, the citation of the resources used, and use of technology for presentation must be observed or documented.
Evaluation
The final group report is a 10-15 minute presentation to the Series Editor (your teacher and class). The report may take any shape the teacher feels is appropriate. Your group may produce a newspaper style layout, modeled on an actual newspaper. Your group might also simply produce a report, which they present to the class using visual aids. In any event, you will need to make use of technology to support your research, including resource references, pictures, maps, charts, models, and other acceptable means which reflects serious research has been done.
Before the final presentation, both the teacher and students need to identify the criteria for a “good” presentation and research process. The product and the processes, procedures, and efforts should be examined with these criteria in mind. From this list of criteria develop a rubric for scoring the presentations and research.
Reflection
Ask yourself the following questions about the research process and the presentation that you did for the Series Editor
Conclusion
Now that you have examined the Holocaust and Nazi Germany, and connected it to the Holocaust denialist arguments of today, you should have an opinion about the possibility that it could happen again. What are the forces that produce such events? Are they present today? How do we know? What does one do about preventing it?
Grade Level/Unit:
Grade 10 Totalitarianism in the Modern World
H/SS Content Standards
10.8 Students analyze the causes and consequences of the Second World War, in terms of:
Lesson purpose:
Students will be enabled to understand the events of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany in the context of current events and sociopolitical movements (i.e., Holocaust Denialists or revisionists.)
Students will use computers, online databases, and print materials to gather information. They will read, analyze, evaluate, synthesize and present their ideas through multi-media.
Lesson length:
7-10 class hours for research, 3-4 for presentations (plus outside research by students.)
Teacher Resources on the World Wide Web:
Although there are far more sites related to this area of study available through the SCORE Web Pages, the following will give a basic set of helpful resources to get started.
Nazi Holocaust Unit: Selected Sites of Interest
Teaching Steps:
Introduction
Teacher asks the class to imagine that they work for a local or regional newspaper, in the Editorial Department (where the editors, writers, reporters create the "news" stories.
Teacher introduces the problem (assuming the role of Series Editor), by reading the Memo below, from the Managing Editor to the Series editor and Research-Writing Team.
Introduction (sample):
"You are a new staff member of the local newspaper. Your Series Editor (me) has called together a team of writers, researchers and networkers for an important series of stories that is developing, and you are delighted to find that you are a key member of that team."
The project is described in a memo from the Managing Editor given above.
Help Students Define the Task
Tell students, that their job as members of the Series team is to locate and examine the "Denialist" arguments. Then research the facts of history to determine if there is any basis for the "Denialist" claims. You should also note any similarities between the beliefs of the "Denialists" and the perpetrators of the Holocaust (i.e., the Nazis).
Tell them that they are expected to produce the highest quality documentation for their work. Explain that they will be using the Internet/World Wide Web (including the online archives of other newspapers,) as major resources, as well as other electronic and print resources (books, magazine articles) of our library.
Time is of the essence, so good planning is very important. Before students get started they will need to create a list of the most effective and useful places to do research. Make a list of the questions to be answered, and kinds of information that will be needed to answer them. Keep accurate documentation of sources, so that they can be checked in the event of a challenge.
Brainstorming
The following three questions should be brainstormed with the class, to set up the problem, familiarize students with the terminology and historical background. Series Editor should facilitate, making notes, concept-mapping at the chalkboard. The result should be saved, for reference by the groups, to remind them of the various aspects of the problem.
It may be necessary to reread the Memo document to them, and perhaps post it on a bulletin board, or even make copies for each group to keep.
Discussion
A discussion of problem-based learning may be necessary. The teacher should explain that they will need to work as teams, and will have to report regularly during "briefings" on their progress. This schedule should be set by the teacher, and carefully followed, since many students are unused to group projects. (Teacher can meet separately with the each group, or as a class, or a mixture of both, depending on how their work progresses.
Assignment into Groups
Due to the complexity of events related to the Holocaust, groups focus on various aspects of the problem. One will zero in on Krystallancht, the death camps, while another covers mass psychology of the Nazis, while another reviews the theory of Aryan Superiority or the reaction of the U.S. to Holocaust reports from the scene. This approach is recommended, since each group will contribute something special to the total learning experience, and allow them to teach each other, while the teacher guides and coaches from the side.
Students are assigned to groups of 4-5, and assigned roles as reporters, writers, researchers, or other related roles. They should all contribute to the project work, and their individual contributions highlighted during the briefing sessions.
Briefings
The regular briefings that the groups provide should be used to check their progress. Both their progress and their process should be watched, making sure that all students are contributing, that they are making use of the resources, and are focused on the solution of the problem.
Product and Evaluation
The final group report is the product, and may take any shape the teacher feels is appropriate. They may produce a newspaper style layout, modeled on an actual newspaper. They might also simply produce a report, which they present to the class using visual aids. In any event, they will need to make use of technology to support their research, including resource references, pictures, maps, charts, models, and other acceptable means which reflects serious research has been done.
It is important that their work meets the criteria outlined in the Memo from the Managing Editor. The basic questions must be answered. Their use of information technology, the citation of resources, and use of technology for presentation must be observed or documented.
The evaluation should be approached by both the teacher and student. Both their product and the processes, procedures, and efforts should be examined. What worked and what didn't? Was time effectively used, ideas well-presented? What could have improved their work? These are the sorts of questions that should be asked.
Credits
Name: Peter Milbury
Location: Chico High School, 901 Esplanade, Chico CA 95926
Last Revised 3/23/06