Dreyfus Accused
Read through a translation of the famous text J’Accuse! and answer questions based off of the text. Students will learn about bias, perspective, and the construction of history.
Wisconsin Academic Standard: BH4.a: Progression of Technology
Progression of Technology
Lesson Plan
The Devil’s in the Details
Students will explore just how complex the Nazi effort was to destroy European Jews, as well as the vague or subtle language used to describe how to implement a systematic genocide within Europe.
Enduring Understanding
The genocide of 6 million Jews stemmed from gradually escalating violence beginning in the 1930s. It required the cooperation of numerous facets of German government and society, and took its final organized form from a 90 minute meeting. Using data gathered from previous experiments, the meeting discussed how to best approach mass murder with the lowest monetary and psychological cost.
Essential Question
- 1How could so many parts of society be interested in actively participating in genocide?
Readiness
Teacher's Note
Because of the specialized nature of the Wannsee Conference, teaching this lesson with another lesson within the Holocaust domain is recommended. Students should have a basic understanding of the Holocaust prior to this lesson.
Ask the students how extensive they believe the planning and execution of the Holocaust may have been – i.e, what kind of organization and resources they believe Nazi authorities used to make the Holocaust a reality.
Input
Walk the students through the resource, Wannsee Conference and the Final Solution by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Have each student take notes on the different examples of government departments they may or may not have expected to have attended the meeting, the goals of the attendees, as well as euphemisms (words used as a less problematic substitute for terms such as “evacuation to the east” instead of “extermination”, etc), aspects or details that were discussed within the meeting that they may or may not have expected to come up.
Output
Lead the class in a discussion about the different actors at play during the Wannsee conference. Depending on how much time you have for this discussion, answer some (or all) of the questions below.
- Which participants may have surprised them and why?
- What was the range of occupations and professions required to implement the Holocaust?
- What does it say about how broadly participation in the genocide must have been, not only by the government but also by those working for different departments and the military?
- Did the planned size and location of the Holocaust, such as inclusion of Irish or UK Jews within their planned genocide, surprise them?
- Did they expect that things such as distinctions for decorated WWI soldiers or Jews of “mixed descent” to come up?
- What kind of subtle language did Heydrich use to hide their plans, and why?
- What are some outcomes that we can see from this conference taking place, such as the implementation of Zyklon B gassing as the primary method of murdering people during the Holocaust?
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.
Lesson Plan
Rising From The Ashes
Students will learn the devastation caused by World War I and its equally devastating aftermath. Enter Hitler, a fresh face with the charisma to work his way into a position of power; the perfect platform to spew his extreme views.
Enduring Understanding
World War I was a devastating blow to Germany’s economy, politics, and ego. The result was a struggling society desperate for stability.
Essential Question
- 1How does political or economic instability create an opening for extremist views?
Readiness
Tell students that they will be watching a video on the aftermath of World War I. Ask students why they think it is important to study World War I when setting the groundwork for Holocaust education.
Input
Watch the video, Chapter 1: Aftermath of World War I and the Rise of Nazism, 1918-1933 by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
While the students watch, have them answer the following questions:
- What was the political and economic scene like after World War I?
- What did Hitler do while in jail? How might his incarceration have helped his public image?
- How did Hitler get into a position of power? Was he elected?
- How did the emergency decree get signed? What impact did it have?
Go over the questions as a class, clearing up any points of confusion any of the students may have.
Output
Open up a class discussion with the questions below using pre-writing or pair-and-share if appropriate for your students.
- Advances in technology meant that war became more destructive, the video mentions the introduction of poison gas. What advancements in war have been made since World War II that cause more destruction? Are there any advantages to the new methods of war?
- Why do you think it was so hard for Germans to accept that they had lost the war?
- Were there any signs you noticed that could have foreshadowed what was to come?
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.
Lesson Plan
The Power of Nazi Propaganda
This lesson focuses on the power and influence of propaganda in the Third Reich through use of a multimedia source.
Enduring Understanding
When people are given messages repeatedly with no dissenting views to oppose them, they can become more receptive to those messages.
Essential Question
- 1Why was propaganda so effective in Germany and how was it used?
Readiness
Ask students what they already know about propaganda. What is it? What purpose does it serve? How is it similar and different from other efforts to persuade people?
Input
Watch the 6 minute video – The Power of Nazi Propaganda with students. Replay the video if necessary
While they watch the movie, have students answer the following questions:
- What was the logic behind using red in so much of Nazi propaganda?
- How were the Jews portrayed in Nazi propaganda?
- Hitler believed that the spoken word, rather than the written word, was responsible for all the great events in history. How did his public speaking feed into this?
Output
Divide the class into groups of three to five to discuss the questions below. Have one person in the group be responsible for taking notes and writing down their answers. Pull up the images of Nazi propaganda below for the groups to look over while in their groups. These images come from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Why did the Nazis use propaganda to advance their political aims?
- Where do you find propaganda in your life today? Consider advertising, political messaging, and other examples.
- When does propaganda become dangerous?
- What is the best weapon against being manipulated?
- How do you think learning about Nazi propaganda can help us today?
If time permits, reconvene as a class to go over the answers the groups came up with. Have students add to their notes with responses from their classmates.
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.