Resistance to the Holocaust
Resistance to the HolocaustOverviewIn this two-part lesson, students explore resistance during the Holocaust through primary source case studies.Projected Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes (two 50-minute parts)Implementation time will vary across classroom contexts.Discussion Questions: ●On-ramp:What did you notice about the different acts of resistance, and why would people choose one type of resistance over another? ●Central Historical Question (CHQ):What is needed to resist an oppressive situation like the Holocaust? What factors deter resistance?●Off-ramp:How has this exploration of the Holocaust shifted your thoughts and feelings about resistance, and what have you learned about yourself in relation to it?Background Information: This discussion lesson is designed to be taught after students have already learned why, how, what, when, and where the Holocaust took place. It should not be used as an introduction to the topic, nor taught in isolation. For lessons that provide this necessary content knowledge, seeOER Project’s unit on the Holocaustor search for lessons created by experts in Holocaust education such as theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Preparation for Discussion Facilitation:●Establish classroom norms for discussion. If you've already established discussion norms this year, plan to revisit them briefly with your students. If you haven't yet set any norms for discussion, we suggest taking 5-10 minutes to ask students to brainstorm a list the class can agree to (e.g., active listening, sharing air-time, being respectful). Ask students, “What norms do you think we should have in class when we have discussions? How should we treat each other?” Give students a few moments to independently record their own thoughts, then solicit ideas from students. You could give each student a couple of sticky notes to write their ideas on and have them add them to a board in the front of the room, have them submit their ideas using a virtual poll, or just call on students to share their ideas aloud. Based on what studentsshare, generate a list of class norms for discussion. You may want to ask additional probing questions (e.g., how should we respond when someone has a different perspective than we do?).●Consider students’ social-emotional learning. When preparing for discussions, keep in mind that different topics can be sensitive for different students. As you plan, consider how you will support students’ social and emotional needs and address any misconceptions that could cause harm.●For further guidance and support facilitating discussion, see the Deeper Discussions PD Toolkit.Table of ContentsPart 1: Resistance to the Holocaust Primary Source AnalysisPart 2: Central Historical Question Discussion
Resistance to the Holocaust1Part 1: Resistance to the Holocaust Primary Source AnalysisStudents Will:●Discuss why people might choose one form of resistance over another and reflect on their own tendencies toward overt or covert resistance.●Analyze primary sources presenting case studies of decisions to resist (or not to resist) during the Holocaust. Materials: ●Resistance to the Holocaust Opener Worksheet(Google| Word)●Resistance to the Holocaust Source Set Worksheet: student version(Google| Word) and teacher versionOpener: Defining Resistance (~10 minutes)1.Hand out the Resistance to the Holocaust Opener Worksheet to students and have them follow the directions on the worksheet. Let students know that they do not have to put their name on the paper or share what they marked with anyone. The activity is just so they might learn different forms of resistance and get a sense of their own tendencies towards resistance. 2.Once students are done, have them turn and talk to a partner, “What did you notice about the different acts of resistance, and why would people choose one type of resistance over another?”3.Define “resistance” for students. Oxford Languages provides the following definition: “the refusalto accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument.” Note there are different kinds of resistance, including what’s often referred to as overt (unconcealed, in plain sight) resistance,which tends to be more obvious, and covert (hidden) resistance,which may not be noticeable to most people at all and can look like inaction at times. 4.Tell the students that one of the columns on the worksheet shows more overt resistance while the other shows more covert resistance. Can they identify which is which? (Answer: The left column is more covert and the right column is more overt.) Based on what they circled, they can get a sense of whether they tend to be more of a covert or overt resistor (or neither or both), which might give them an indication of how they might react to a situation that feels unjust. 5.Tell students that in this lesson they will learn about different types of resistance that people engaged in during the Holocaust so they can think about the different ways people respond to an oppressive situation. Activity:Primary Source Analysis (~35 minutes)6.Distribute the student version of the Resistance to the Holocaust Source Set Worksheet with accompanying annotation directions.
Resistance to the Holocaust27.Tell students they are going to read three sources that are first-hand accounts of how people reacted to oppression during the Holocaust to prepare for a class discussion on the Central Historical Question: “What is needed to resist an oppressive situation like the Holocaust? What factors deter resistance?”While reading, they are going to try to identify anywhere in the documents that they see either resistance, cooperation, or reasons why people did not resist. They will use the following key to mark up the documents. ○“R”: Resistance against the Nazis○“C”: Cooperation with the Nazis○“W”: Why people did not resist (reasons)8.Read the first source together as a class and model annotating the source (you can refer to the teacher keyfor suggested annotations). Then, have students separate into pairs and have them annotate the last two documents together.
Resistance to the Holocaust3Part 2: Central Historical Question DiscussionStudents Will:●Make a historical argument using primary source evidence to explain the factors that enable or deter oppressive situations like the Holocaust.●Reflect on and discuss the implications of action and inaction in their own life and for others.Materials: ●Resistance to the Holocaust Opener Worksheet(Google| Word)●Resistance to the Holocaust Source Set Worksheet: student version(Google| Word) and teacher versionPreparation:●Set up your classroom arrangement to support the discussion structure you’d like to use during the lesson (i.e., whole class, groups of four or more students).●Review the student reflection exit ticket questions and decide which you will use.Opener:Preparing for the Discussion (~5 minutes)1.Remind students that today you’ll be having a discussion. Tell students that at the end of the lesson, they will have an opportunity to share their feedback on the lesson with you. You’ll use their feedback to improve future class discussions. 2.Have students take a seat in your preferred discussion structure (i.e., whole class, groups of four or more students), and take out their sources and annotations from the previous day. 3.Take a few minutes to review your classroom norms for discussion.4.Ask students to identify one or two goals that they have for themselves during today’s discussion (e.g., bringing in evidence to support their points, being an active listener). Central Historical Question Discussion:What is needed to resist an oppressive situation like the Holocaust? What factors deter resistance?(~20 minutes)5.Tell students, “We are going to have a 20-minute discussion about the Central Historical Question:“What is needed to resist an oppressive situation like the Holocaust? What factors deter resistance?”During the discussion, I want you to engage deeply with the Central Historical Question, bring in evidence from the sources you’ve read and analyzed, bring in insights from your own background knowledge and life experiences, and really listen to the points that your classmates make and respond to them.”6.Give students 2–3 minutes to independently review their sources and annotations and jot down ideas of how they might answer the question at this point.
Resistance to the Holocaust47.Open the floor for a discussion on the Central Historical Question: “What is needed to resist an oppressive situation like the Holocaust? What factors deter resistance?”Remember to prioritize student voice over teacher voice; however, if the discussion has trouble starting or sputters, consider using some of the suggested facilitation moves below to support students in deepening their discussion. ChallengePotential Teacher Facilitation Moves If studentsaren’t engaging deeply with the CHQ,you might try ...●Probe for elaboration: Can you say more to the group about that? And can you tell us more about where you’re coming from? ●Return to CHQ: Let’s come back to our Central Historical Question. Where are we with that? If studentsaren’t engaging with each other, you might try ...●Uptake student comment:I’m hoping a few of you can share your reactions or questions to the group about what [student] just shared about ...●Expose the discussion structure:I’m hearing [student A] say [this], and [student B] say [that]. Can we do a show of hands onwhich argument you agree with at this point? ... Can you discuss with each other to see if you can come to an agreement, or at least figure out where you disagree? If studentsaren’t engaging with the sources, you might try ...●Pressing for textual evidence:Where do you see evidence for that in the text? ●Marking text:Let’s bring our attention to [specific place in the text]. If studentsaren’t bringing in their knowledge from outside of the text,you might try ... ●Pressing for broader evidence: Are there things in your personal experience, or any knowledge from outside of the texts, that supports or challenges what we’ve discussed so far about [historical topic or question]? ●Exploring student perspective:We’ve been connecting to the text a lot, and that’s really important, but I also want to hear your actual thoughts about [historical topic or question]. Off-Ramp Discussion:Reflecting on Resistance (~5 minutes)8.Ask students to reflect on and discuss the following questions: How has this exploration of the Holocaust shifted your thoughts and feelings about resistance, and the implications of our actions and inactions on others? What have you learned about yourself in relation to what you learned about the Holocaust today?
Resistance to the Holocaust5Activity: Independent Writing (~15 minutes)9.Tell students that now that they’ve had the opportunity to hear various arguments and discuss the evidence, they will write a paragraph sharing their own individual conclusion about the Central Historical Question. To build a strong argument, they should use evidence from as many sources as possible. Share this prompt:Write a paragraph responding to the following prompt. Make sure to support your claim with evidence from the sources you’ve analyzed: What is needed to resist an oppressive situation like the Holocaust? What factors deter resistance?Closing: Exit Ticket & Reflection (~5 minutes)10.Share the exit ticket questions you selected or adapted from the choices in the box on the next page and have students take a few minutes to reflect and share their feedback on the discussion. Tell them: “As you answer the exit ticket questions, I want you to think back to the goals that you set for yourself during the discussion. Please be honest and thoughtful in your reflections, because your answers will help improve the way that I might teach this lesson in the future and the ways that I decide to facilitate future discussion lessons.”
Resistance to the Holocaust6CategoryPotential Exit Ticket QuestionsWe suggest that you either pre-select one question from each of the categories below, or have your students pick one from each category that they’d like to answer. Historical content●How did today’s discussion deepen or change your understanding of [historical topic]?●If you could go back in time and ask someone from history a question based on today's discussion, who would you talk to and what would you ask them? Discussion experience●How confident did you feel contributing to today’s discussion? What helped or held you back?●What was one perspective shared by a classmate that made you think differently about the topic? How did it change your thinking?●Overall, how do you think the discussion went? Why did it go well or not go well?Planning for the next discussion●What is one specific goal you have for improving your participation in future discussions?●What could we do as a class and what could I do as your teacher to make the discussion better next time?
Resistance to the HolocaustThe creation of these materials was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A220457 to Digital Promise. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute orthe U.S. Department of Education.This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0.