Date: February 4, 2000

Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12

Subject(s):

• Social Studies/World History

Description: This lesson attempts to demonstrate persecution of the Jews in Europe before and during World War II. Students will be actively involved in a class experiment in persecution and then on research and presentation of findings regarding Jewish persecution

Goals: Students will demonstrate an understanding of how World War II and the events leading up to the war affected people from all walks of life.

Objectives:   Students will be able to:

1. define Anti-Semitism, explain its origins and the reasons for the persecutions of the Jews before and during World War II
2. identify with the concept of persecution and express their understandings in a written journal/letter.
3. improve computer and Internet skills.
4. improve cooperative learning and organizational skills.
5. improve public speaking and presentation skills.

• blue colored sticker dots
• list of websites regarding Jewish Persecution
• Book by Anne Frank (1993).  The Diary of a Young Girl.   Bantam Books; ISBN: 0553296981
• pre-tests and computers

1. As students enter the classroom, give those students with blue eyes a blue sticker dog to wear without explaining why. Have two students who are not wearing dots gather all the "dotted" students into one corner of the room.

2. Hand out pre-tests regarding Jewish persecution. Have students correct each others' papers, making sure that "non-dotted" students correct those of the "dotted" students. Instruct them to mark all of the answers wrong even if the answers are correct.

3. Explain to the students with dots that this persecution is because of their blue eyes and then more on without explaining any further.

4. Read a portion of Anne Frank without identifying the book to see if anyone recognizes it.

5. Return to beginning activity and explain about the Star of David patch that Jews had to wear and explain that your exclusion of blue-eyed students was done to make them feel what persecution might have been like for such an arbitrary reason.

6. Explain the assignment explained below in the assessment section.

7. Break students into groups and assign them a different website to research. They will present their findings in a group presentation to the class. Encourage the use of PowerPoint or overhead projector.

This will be concluded on the second day.

Assessment:

Assignment:

Students will write a journal entry/letter regarding persecution. They can either use the "blue-eyed" example from the beginning of class or they can take the perspective of persecuted Jew in Germany during the time of the war. Additionally, they may write their journal from the perspecive of a non-persecuted person watching how others are treated. This journal is part of a longer set of journal entries throughout this unit and will be collected at the end of the unit.
Total 25 points per entry.

Group presentation: Based on organization, participation of all group members and clarity of presentation.
25 points per group

Useful Internet Resources:

Jewish Student Online Research Center - The Holocaust
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/holo.html

About.com - Resources about the Holocaust
http://holocaust.miningco.com/education/holocaust/msub2.html

The Nizkor Project
http://www.nizkor.org/