What a great talk, thanks for starting this thread Eric Schulz . I would like to start with the second question I love bringing objects into class for students to study. I have a Mr browns Museum activity that I think I have shared with this group before. I bring in a collection of items, new, old authentic, fake, primary, and secondary. I have the students inspect the items and ask me questions before making predictions and testing the claims I have made about the items. I also use student-created objects to tell their stories as well as the stories they want to share about projects we do in class together. We are turning this year's Ancient Civilization Museum into a Virtual experience complete with voiceovers. 

My approach to teaching about the holocaust is to focus on resistance and resistance throughout the holocaust. I feel like many students do not understand the extent of resistance to the policies and practices of the holocaust. Early last year I was lucky enough to be accepted on the Gandel Holocaust Studies Program for Australian Educators. This is an amazing program that involves an 18day residential study program at Yad Vashem, followed by an ongoing fellowship to support me in the delivery of professional development and create resources. My specific participation was premised on my creating Virtual Resources and first-hand survivor interviews to share with holocaust educators.

I was unable to go to Jerusalem as planned this January but my professional development has gone virtual for this year.  The latest Virtual Holocaust Education Series is an opportunity to have my questions answered by Prof. Yehuda Bauer. https://www.yadvashem.org/research/about/bauer.html. I am hoping that this year I can elevate my understanding and skill in teaching about the holocaust. I also hope that the program will return in person sometime in the near future.

Thanks Eric, 

Interesting title of this thread!!  I use a lot of different ways and resources to teach the Holocaust.   One of the best sources is IWitness- https://iwitness.usc.edu/sfi/  It has actual testimonials from survivors of the Holocaust, It has a wonderful index where things are cross referenced and has a build in movie maker where the students can take video clips and create a video and submit it to the site.  Students love it and learn so much!!! Another wonderful resource is Echoes and Reflections https://echoesandreflections.org/teach/?src=hp which has wonderful lesson plans broken down into topics like " Anti-Semitism" "Nazi Germany" and "Jewish Resistance" and lots more.  It has lots of great visuals, too.  

I also teach from the resistance perspective.  I start out with clips from the movie, Defiance- which is a  based on a true story of 1200 resistance fighters who survived in the forests of Belarus for over 3 years.  (Daniel Craig is in it - so that draws in the kids."  I use a clip featuring a Rabi deciding whether or not to go into the woods with Daniel Craig.  Then there's a another section called " We're family:" in which people have to decide who to let into their camp in the woods.  These clips generate a lot of discussion.  The whole movie is great- but it's rated R - and there's a lot of violence.  We always read a novel-like Number the Stars for middle school- or the Book Thief for high school.  Students always do a project on it- create a play based on the book, an i- movie, or use an artifact from 1 of the books and explain it and make it relevant to our lives.  

Here are some other resources:

The Breman Museum ihttps://www.thebreman.org/ n Atlanta has wonderful resources for teachers and an amazing Institute for teachers in the summer. Yad Vashem https://www.yadvashem.org/ is also a great resource as is the National Holocaust Museum https://www.ushmm.org/information/visit-the-museum/admission-tickets. Also the I Think series is great, especially World History, the Holocaust https://www.teachersdiscovery.com/product/i-think-world-history-activity-book-set-of-18/social-studies    

Let me know how it goes!!  P.S.  I am not making any money from mentioning these resources - haha!

Honestly- about the object- I always start off the school year, on the 1st day telling them the story of the orange.  From then I encourage the students to bring in an object that's meaningful to them.  I encourage them to bring in 1 with multiple meaning and 1 that a lot of people can connect to- like with the orange.  

Hayden Brown Thanks for your interest Hayden,  That Gandel Holocaust Studies Program sounds really interesting!!  

I posted this in response to Eric's comment but thought you might like to see it too.  

Interesting title of this thread!!  I use a lot of different ways and resources to teach the Holocaust.   One of the best sources is IWitness- https://iwitness.usc.edu/sfi/  It has actual testimonials from survivors of the Holocaust, It has a wonderful index where things are cross referenced and has a build in movie maker where the students can take video clips and create a video and submit it to the site.  Students love it and learn so much!!! Another wonderful resource is Echoes and Reflections https://echoesandreflections.org/teach/?src=hp which has wonderful lesson plans broken down into topics like " Anti-Semitism" "Nazi Germany" and "Jewish Resistance" and lots more.  It has lots of great visuals, too.  

I also teach from the resistance perspective.  I start out with clips from the movie, Defiance- which is a  based on a true story of 1200 resistance fighters who survived in the forests of Belarus for over 3 years.  (Daniel Craig is in it - so that draws in the kids."  I use a clip featuring a Rabi deciding whether or not to go into the woods with Daniel Craig.  Then there's a another section called " We're family:" in which people have to decide who to let into their camp in the woods.  These clips generate a lot of discussion.  The whole movie is great- but it's rated R - and there's a lot of violence.  We always read a novel-like Number the Stars for middle school- or the Book Thief for high school.  Students always do a project on it- create a play based on the book, an i- movie, or use an artifact from 1 of the books and explain it and make it relevant to our lives.  

Here are some other resources:

The Breman Museum ihttps://www.thebreman.org/ n Atlanta has wonderful resources for teachers and an amazing Institute for teachers in the summer. Yad Vashem https://www.yadvashem.org/ is also a great resource as is the National Holocaust Museum https://www.ushmm.org/information/visit-the-museum/admission-tickets. Also the I Think series is great, especially World History, the Holocaust https://www.teachersdiscovery.com/product/i-think-world-history-activity-book-set-of-18/social-studies    

Let me know how it goes!!  P.S.  I am not making any money from mentioning these resources - haha!

Honestly- about the object- I always start off the school year, on the 1st day telling them the story of the orange.  From then I encourage the students to bring in an object that's meaningful to them.  I encourage them to bring in 1 with multiple meaning and 1 that a lot of people can connect to- like with the orange.  

Thanks, Jane Moore for your talk.

I especially like what you spoke of at the end with having students line up chronologically with their representative objects. That is a great way to practice sequencing in literary texts, and a super way to look at timelines of historical events whether via fiction or non-fiction texts. I will borrow that gem!

Thanks Donnetta!!

It's interactive and helps keep the kids engaged.  So great for the kid who struggles, too.  They can learn it from their peers.

Jane 
Mooreactions.com

Thank you, Jane Moore Your resource suggestions are fantastic and so is your approach to holocaust teaching. I really like the idea of teaching from the perspective of resistance. The movie defiance is one of my favorites and I will be giving using this year with my year 11's.

Thank you Jane.  I hope you got the intent of my tittle, to grab attention just like your object.  I'm at a point in my life where I can not resist a pun or a dad joke.  

Hey Eric- I didn't understand it at first- but then I did.  Honestly- I want people to view it and hope and think people will

Ms. Jones,

I am a Montessori teacher and our methodology utilizes key experiences, spark the imagination stories etc to begin discussions and activities surrounding our integrated curriculum.  Your talk was perfect, and hits so many areas of impressions for the child/student.  These added dimensions assist in experiencing , learning and understanding an important yet sensitive topic.  Our peace curriculum embraces this and I appreciate your approach.  Our current curriculum includes the themes of perseverance and peaceful resistance.  The connection of Anne Frank who was a Montessori student and drew wonderful mandalas through her studies in geometry, of course her diary and other facts we know is always a unique discussion.

Jane - I'm so excited to see you sharing about Echoes & IWitness!! Be sure to check out my talk this year on why we need Holocaust education now more than ever.