Students will analyze the different types of Holocaust memorials that can be found around the world. Open up into a discussion about what purpose memorials serve, and what they signify. Allow students to create their own memorial.
Memorials and monuments commemorating the Holocaust have taken on different forms, all begging to answer the questions, “Why should we remember?” and “What helps us never forget?”
Ask students, what is commemoration? Then ask, what purpose do monuments and memorials serve?
As a class, read through the Visual Essay: Holocaust Memorials and Monuments by Facing History and Ourselves and look through the pictures of the memorials featured.
After you go through the reading, go over the Connection Questions found at the bottom of the page. You may choose to do these as a class or have the students discuss them in small groups of three to five people.
Distribute the Creating a Memorial worksheet to each of your students. As this last activity asks students to reflect in depth, you may consider giving students the opportunity to work on their memorial at home. You may also want to give students the option to create their memorials in pairs, allowing them an opportunity to share ideas and concepts. Some teachers will ask students to create a physical model of the memorial they have conceptualized. If able, provide materials such as construction paper, clay, or paint to work on their memorials.
Collect memorials created by your class as a class project. These memorials can then be used as examples when carrying out this lesson for future classes. If doing physical models, you may consider taking a photo of the model to collect instead of holding onto the physical ones.
This lessons meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
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