Explain to students that the Nuremberg Laws were the first official step in systematic persecution of Jews in Germany. Creating this definition was not an easy task, it took years for German officials to agree on what being Jewish meant. This initial step in identifying and separating Jews from society was essential to carry out the persecution that followed.

Take the students through the resource, Nuremberg Race Laws by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. With a partner, ask the students to go through the resource and take notes using the 3Ps method, jotting down what they find a) Profound b) Puzzling and c) Propelling.

In order to familiarize yourself, and your class with this model, please look over this guide: 3Ps: A Critical Reading Guide.

Have the pairs partner up with another group to form groups of four. As they gather in these groups, provide them with the following instructions:

1. Go over what you and your partner took notes on as part of their 3Ps. Perhaps the new pair can clear up your puzzling section, if not be sure to ask the teacher to go over it.
2. Discuss the three critical thinking questions located at the bottom of the resource.
3. Come up with your own thought-provoking question with your group. The question should attempt to take what we learned from this lesson on the Nuremberg Laws and relate it to something in the present day.

Give students 20 minutes to complete these tasks and use the last 10 minutes to hear what the groups came up with for their questions.

Begin by asking your students if they have heard of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. What does it state? What was the theory applied to?

Show students a YouTube video titled, Key Historical Concepts in Holocaust Education: Race Doctrine by Yad Vashem. Before starting the video, give students the list of questions. Let them know they will have a chance to watch the video a second time.

1. What did the Nazis base the categorization of races from?
2. What did this theory state?
3. How did Hitler alter this theory to fit his preconceived notion of the division of races?
4. Where did Jews fall in his hierarchy of races?
5. What did Hitler say would happen if Aryans were to mix with the lesser races?

Give students a few minutes to finish writing down their answers. Watch the video a second time if needed and then go over the questions as a class.

Divide the class into groups of four. Provide them with this quote by American novelist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Toni Morrison, “There is no such thing as race. None. There is just a human race – scientifically, anthropologically.”

In their groups, ask students to have a discussion with the questions below:

1. The video placed heavy influence on the importance of race and hierarchy of humans. How does this quote combat that view?
2. In what ways is race still an important part of society today?

Reconvene as a class to open up the discussion. Were there any disagreements within the groups?

Ask students what they might already know about Kristallnacht, “The Night of Broken Glass.”

Provide a brief overview of Kristallnacht with the students. Use the resource, Kristallnacht by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Holocaust Encyclopedia article as a resource for this. You do not need to go over the entire article, merely use it as a reference to provide some background information.

Divide the class into groups and ask them to watch the video Confessions of a Hitler Youth.
Ask them to answer these questions:

1. Why do you think Alfons Heck believed so strongly in Hitler and the Nazi’s message? Why do you think he continued to believe in this message even after witnessing Kristallnacht?
2. Do you think it would have been possible to prevent the events of Kristallnacht?
3. Based on what Alfons Heck tells us about what he witnessed, why do you think he said, “From now on, not one of us could ever maintain that we did not know what was in store for the Jews”?
4.  What was meant by the comment, “Children are like empty vessels”? What is the danger in this?

Ask students, “What happened on November 10, 1938?”

Show students the video, Kristallnacht: The November 1938 Pogroms by Facing History and Ourselves.

Divide the class into groups of three to five and assign a reading to each group.

Group 1: The Night of the Pogrom
Group 2: Opportunism during Kristallnacht
Group 3: A Family Responds to Kristallnacht
Group 4: Thoroughly Reprehensible Behavior
Group 5: A Visitor’s Perspective on Kristallnacht
Group 6: World Responses to Kristallnacht

Ask students to complete these steps after they read their group assigned reading as outlined in the Facing History lesson:

1. Who was the author of this reading? Who was the audience (if it is stated)? What kind of document is this?When was it created or written?
2. Based on the background information you gather, what was the document’s significance or purpose? What new information does the document contribute to your understanding of this historical moment?
3. Discuss one of the “Connection Questions” found at the bottom of your resource with your group.

Once completed, pose the question again, “What happened on November 10th, 1938?” What can they now add to this question? Where did they get this information?

Ask students what they might already know about Kristallnacht.

For the younger grades, or if the students are newly being introduced to Holocaust education, include some additional information. For example, tell students the name “Kristallnacht” is translated as “Night of Crystal” but is often referred to as the “Night of Broken Glass.” Some may know this name more than the official one. If they are not sure, have them guess what it could be based on the name.

Direct students to the resource, Kristallnacht by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Read through the document as a class. Start with the three key facts at the top of the page so students understand the main points as they go through the reading.

In a class discussion, go over the following questions:

1. What led up to the event of Kristallnacht?
2. How did the events of Kristallnacht compare to previous anti-Jewish actions and violence in Germany under the Nazis?

Divide the class into groups of three to five and ask them to answer these questions about the reading. Ask students to take notes on their answers.

1. How did Kristallnacht propel the Nazi agenda forward?
2. What steps were taken to help the Jews by the German government and by other countries following that night and the next months?
3. What do you suppose the response from other nations was to Hitler and the Nazi party?

If time permits, come together as a class to go over the answers the groups came up with.