Pre-War Jewish Life
Examine what Jewish life was like prior to the rise of Nazism. What was culture like and what challenges did they face?
Wisconsin Academic Standard: Inq3.c: Elaborate how evidence supports claim
Elaborate how evidence supports claim
Lesson Plan
Creating a Divide
Learn about the impact that restrictive laws and propaganda had on dividing the Jewish and non-Jewish population in Germany.
Enduring Understanding
Within the first six years of Nazi rule there were aggressive steps taken to separate the Jewish people from society. Restrictive laws and combative propaganda were commonplace.
Essential Question
- 1How did the Nazis create divisions between the Jewish and non-Jewish populations in Germany?
Readiness
Explain to students that before the Nazi rise to power the Jewish community was well integrated into German society, meaning that many Jews worked, went to school, and were part of the same social scene as their non-Jewish counterparts.
There are two short clips (1:45 and 1:29) that help illustrate this for students. Go to the iWitness website by USC Shoah Foundation and show them the clips from Margaret Lambert. It should be the first two clips on the page. Play the one where Margaret speaks about her childhood in Germany first. Next, play the clip where Margaret speaks about segregation and exclusion from anti-Jewish laws.
Ask students the following questions after they have viewed both clips:
- How did Margaret describe her childhood and her feelings about her being Jewish?
- What changed for Margaret after 1933?
- Do you notice a change in her behavior or attitude from one video to the next?
Input
Explain to students that during the first six years of the Nazi regime, more than 400 legal restrictions were imposed on Jews and other groups. Ask students to pull up the resource on Antisemitic Legislation 1933-1939 from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. This resource will show 29 examples of antisemitic legislation.
In groups of 2 or 3, assign one of the years from the list. Multiple groups can have the same year, especially years that have multiple items under it. In these groups, students will pick a specific law to learn more about. You can either assign them a specific law or let them pick one themselves under their designated year.
Have students go to the digital exhibition, State of Deception, by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Show them the different pages of the exhibition. As a class, go through the “What is Propaganda?” page. Show them how to get to the page showcasing the 1933-1939: Dictatorship section. This is where they will be working for this activity.
Provide this worksheet for students as they navigate the time frame 1933-1939.
Output
Discuss the following questions in your small groups, then come back together as a class and share.
- How did the laws and decrees, paired with the propaganda, pave the way for further violence and persecution during the Holocaust?
- For what purpose did the Nazis control all aspects of media and culture?
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 Effect of Deportation
Hear the testimony of a man forced out of his home country during the Nazi’s program of mass deportations. This lesson will also introduce students to an ongoing debate about whether or not genocide was always Hitler’s intention, or the result of a failure to expel the Jews from Europe.
Enduring Understanding
Before killing centers and concentration camps Nazi Germany tried expelling the Jews to remove them from Germany.
Essential Question
- 1Was genocide always going to be the Final Solution to the Jewish Question?
Readiness
Write down the word, “Deportation” on the board. Ask students what comes to mind when they think of it.
You might expect students to say things such as: separation, returning to their home country, people being sent away unwillingly.
Re-introduce the term scapegoat, noting that deportations are often the result of scapegoating.
→ scapegoat: a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.
Ask students if they have ever thought about why someone might get deported and what this might do to them and their family.
Input
Teacher's Note
It might be useful to address the Nuremberg Laws in this lesson if you haven't done so already.
Show the class Part 1 (the first 3:34 minutes) of the Yad Vashem video, The Development of the ‘Final Solution’.
Then, ask the class whether they lean toward the perspective of the Intentionalists or the Functionalists and why.
Then, watch Bert Flemming’s testimony from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The testimony is quite long, the part that will be used in this lesson is starting at 5:45 and ending at 9:33. Before playing the testimony, read through the overview featured at the top of the page to introduce Bert Flemming and provide some background information.
It may be beneficial for students to read the testimony as the video goes along. The transcript for this video can be found here and the portion of video you will watch begins on page 2 right after 1:06:01.
After you watch the video, take a few minutes to ask the students what they thought of Bert Flemming’s testimony. Allow the students to ask some questions, to provide comments about what they heard. If you are having some trouble getting the conversation started, try asking the following questions:
- What do you think was going through Bert Flemming’s mind when he saw the men with bayonets on both sides?
- Did it seem like either side, Germany or Poland, had a plan as for what to do with the Jews?
- How did Bert Flemming help organize once they arrived in Zbasyn?
Output
Finally, return to the question of the scapegoat.
Ask students why they thought Nazi Germany was trying to push the Jews into Poland. Then, dig a little deeper: what is the end game for the Nazis? Would mass expulsion ever really work to meet the interests of the Nazi party?
Finally, prompt them to consider in writing the following question:
Does scapegoating naturally lead to the worst possible outcomes for the targeted group in a given situation?
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 Popular Choice
Explore the rise of Nazism in the early stages and see the road that allowed Adolf Hitler to climb the political ladder in Germany.
Enduring Understanding
The rise of Nazism was aided by a depression that plagued Germany after the stock market crash of 1929, which left German citizens vulnerable to the rhetoric of a leader who promised to improve their lives.
Essential Question
- 1How can a dictator gain control of a democracy without winning the vote of the majority of the people?
Readiness
Teacher's Note
Students should have an understanding of the Weimar Republic prior to this lesson. If necessary, go back to a lesson on the Weimar Republic before moving forward. Alternatively, you can go to the teacher primer and create a condensed overview to help students better understand the lesson.
Explain to students that Nazism became increasingly popular during the Great Depression and during a time of political crisis in Germany’s Weimar Republic. Ask your students to think critically about why they think this could be the case. What was it about the struggles of German life during this time that made the extremist views of the Nazis more appealing?
Input
Print out the article by Facing History and Ourselves titled, Hitler in Power. Break people into small groups and have them read the page, underlining and making notes for each paragraph before moving on. After reading through, have students discuss the Connection Questions found at the bottom of the page.
After they go through the first resource, give them the resource, “Restoring” Germany’s Civil Service by Facing History and Ourselves. Let them do the same thing with this reading in their small groups. Have students go through the Connection Questions at the bottom of this page as well.
Devote approximately 15 minutes to each reading.
Output
In an open discussion, ask students what they learned from going through the readings. What surprised them about the relationship between Adolf Hitler and President Paul von Hindenburg?
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
BH1.a: Individual Cognition, Perception, and Behavior
BH2.a: Relationship of People and Groups
Hist1.a: Cause
Hist1.b: Effect
Hist3.a: Connections
Hist3.c: Current Implications
Hist4.a: Historical Context
Hist4.c: Purpose
Hist4.d: Point of View
Inq2.b: Evaluate Sources
Inq3.a: Develop claims to answer inquiry question
Inq3.b: Cite evidence from multiple sources to support claim
Inq3.c: Elaborate how evidence supports claim
Inq4.a: Communicate conclusions
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.
Lesson Plan
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.
Enduring Understanding
Antisemitic racism was alive and well in Europe well before the Nazis came to power.
Essential Questions
- 1How does racism affect situations that should otherwise be fair?
- 2What impact do biases have on a person's ability to get a fair trial?
Readiness
Provide students with a brief overview of the Dreyfus Affair. A presentation with important dates and facts can be found here. Go over this with your students if you feel it necessary and time permits.
In brief, explain to students that Alfred Dreyfus was accused of stealing military secrets with weak evidence and was sentenced to prison. Tell students that the document they will be reading is a newspaper article written by a Dreyfus supporter, Emile Zola, who accused the French military of a conspiracy against Dreyfus.
Input
Read through the translation of J’Accuse! provided by the University of Pennsylvania Library as a class.
As you read together collectively, ask students to take notes utilizing the 3Ps Method; taking note of things they find a) Powerful b) Puzzling and c) Propelling.
Once you’ve finished reading, attempt to clarify the sections that students found puzzling.
In order to familiarize yourself, and your class with this model, please look over this guide: 3Ps: A Critical Reading Guide.
Output
Divide students into pairs or groups of three before directing them to the Reading Road Map questions at the bottom of the reading. Give students approximately 10-15 minutes to jot down their answers.
After everyone has had a chance to write down their answers, go over the questions as a class. Finally, address the essential questions directly to the class and open up a class discussion on whether biases still exist in justice systems today.
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.