Students will read through resources by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the different types of camp systems established by the Nazi regime.
The term ‘concentration camp’ tends to be used incorrectly, becoming an all-inclusive name for the Nazi camps during the Holocaust.
Read through the resource, The Nazi Camp System: Terminology by USHMM with the class. Start at the top of the page with the overview and the three Key Facts before moving on.
After you go through the reading, ask students what is the importance is of using the correct terminology when talking about the Nazi camp system?
Then divide the class into groups of three or five and direct them to the resource, Killing Centers: In Depth by USHMM. Have groups read through it amongst themselves. They can all read silently or they can switch off reading out loud to their group. Once they finish reading, have the groups discuss and record their answers to the Critical Thinking Questions located at the bottom of the page.
Go over the Critical Thinking Questions with the class, giving students an opportunity to ask questions and clear up any confusion.
Finally, ask students why they feel it is important to differentiate and use the appropriate terminology when discussing the Nazi camp system. It may be worth pointing out that the term ‘concentration camp’ is used by some people in the U.S. to describe the Japanese American camps established during World War II, although the term used by the U.S. government was ‘Internment Camps’.
This lessons meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
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