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History and the Holocaust

A secondary education lesson plan from the WVU History Department provided in conjunction with the 58th James Morton Callahan lecture of Dr. Anika Walke and sponsored by the WV Humanities Council. This lesson plan was developed by WV History PhD candidate Celia Faux.

Lesson Plans

Both of these lesson plans provide a starting point for high school teachers to encourage their students to engage the experiences of Jewish people during the Holocaust. These sources, which are made available for public use by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, can be used to provide insight into the lives of individuals affected by the Holocaust across Europe. Teachers can use the included questions to start student discussions, as the basis for lectures, or in assignment prompts. Through asking and discussing these questions, students will gain the experience of engaging with primary sources in the manner of professional historians, and instructors can tailor the themes of the activity according to their preference. More information about all of these primary sources is available on the Experiencing History webpage of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and links to this website are provided in both lesson options.

Below is a preview of the individual lessons. Download the Complete Lesson Plan (GDOC)

Lesson 1

This lesson plan encourages students to engage with primary sources that shed light on the lives of Jewish Eastern Europeans during the Nazi regime.

View Lesson 1

Lesson 2

This lesson plan encourages students to read and respond to translated diaries of children who were refugees during the Holocaust.

View Lesson 2