This lesson is designed to introduce The Holocaust to students before reading The Diary of Anne Frank.
Before: The teacher will direct students to work in pairs in order to complete the Bellringer (attached). This is designed to serve as a this-is-what-I-already-know exercise. The teacher should not teach the terms before the students attempt the exercise. Allow students to discuss aloud as they try to decide which word matches which example. The teacher should walk around the room and listen to the conversations, but not acknowledge answers as being correct or incorrect. After a sufficient amount of time has passed, the teacher should use the document camera or an interactive whiteboard to go over the answers to each example with the students (answers attached). At the same time, the teacher will go over the correct definitions of the terms with the students (definitions attached). This will serve as the first "direct teaching" part of the lesson.
During: The teacher will show the following PowerPoint from AuthorStream that introduces Anne Frank and the Holocaust to the students.
While viewing the PowerPoint, the teacher should stop after each section and allow students to reflect with their neighbors about what they are learning. If the teacher wanted to, she could have the students do an index card-sized brief connection or reflection of what they've learned. I chose to just have them talk since they wrote for the Bellringer and will for the "After" section as well.
After going over the PowerPoint, the teacher can click on the following links or go directly to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the Internet, where he/she will find the following information.
1. An animated map of World War II and the Holocaust. Show the students this video and allow time for student discussion. Clarify any questions they may have about what they learned.
2. Timeline of Horror - The teacher can choose any of the links on this page to show the students, depending on how indepth the teacher wants to take the lesson. I show "Nazi Propaganda and Censorship," "Life in the Ghettos," and "Auschwitz." After showing each part, allow for class discussion and check for understanding.
After: Distribute the handout entitled "The Holocaust: How Could This Happen?" (see attachment). Students should fill out this handout individually as a means of refining their own understanding of today's lesson.
After an appropriate period of time, the teacher could allow the students to compare answers. Then, he/she would go over the answers with the class (see attachment). However, there are many correct answers to these questions, not just the ones listed.