Training and Workshops

Participants will have the opportunity to learn and access online and eyewitness testimony to enhance the use of primary resource instruction in the classroom and when conducting research. Teachers will practice, participate in, and be provided with instructional activities around these resources.

The Holocaust remains an unparalleled instance in human history of industrialized, systematic genocide. In this class, we will examine the causes and legacies of the assault on humanity and violation of human rights during the Holocaust Era. The meaning, impact, and aftermath of the Holocaust will be explored through readings, literature, film, and eyewitness testimony of survivors and liberators. We will explore and discuss the behavior and perspectives of perpetrators, victims, bystanders, and ourselves as students, while seeking to understand the nature of this twentieth century event and its significance.

Elie Wiesel’s philosophy, “...to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all,” is a testament to the power of responsibility. This philosophy stands as a summary of Mr. Wiesel’s view on life and is the driving force behind his work.Night is Elie Wiesel’s personal account of the Holocaust as seen through his eyes as a 15-year-old boy. This workshop will help teachers to contextualize history through a series of photos as it impacts the narrative of the memoir. Specific writing prompts and themes for the book will be explored.

This workshop will focus on the instructional use of the diaries of young people produced in this time of extreme crisis. Emphasis will be placed on the value of these literary fragments as part of the historical record of the Holocaust. Teachers will learn to use a collection of personal writings of children and adolescents who witnessed first-hand the brutality of the Holocaust in their history and language arts instruction. Writing activities for language arts classes as well as using primary source materials to write a document-based question will be explored as part of this seminar.

Participants will discuss different perpetrators and their responsibility in the Holocaust. Working together participants will clarify terms on a Likert-type scale and rank Holocaust perpetrator responsibility. The activity will conclude with a writing assignment based on the following quote by Holocaust Survivor Alexander Kimel: “Accepting of responsibility makes for better society. So, what must I do to make things better for people now and in the future? Is mere acknowledgement of a wrong and guilt with an expression of sorrow sufficient or is there more?”

This presentation will focus on comparing and contrasting two primary source documents using close reading strategies. The primary source documents contain eyewitness accounts of a transport from Dusseldorf to Riga during the Holocaust. Participants will be provided with historical background regarding the documents, facilitated discussion questions for use in the classroom, points to consider, examples of scaffolding techniques to use during close reading lessons, and steps for constructing multiple choice and extended response questions.

Through the use of case studies and archived documents, we will examine this
pivotal event of the Holocaust. The meaning and impact of Kristallnacht will be explored through readings, literature, and eyewitness testimony. We will explore and discuss the behavior and perspectives of the perpetrators, victims, bystanders, and ourselves as students, while seeking to understand the nature and significance of this event and our responsibility today. Content based writing activities using primary source materials introduced in this workshop will be explored throughout the session.

Participants will examine and analyze photographs from the Holocaust that may or may not be familiar to them. By examining the photographs, participants will see the behaviors of ordinary individuals and think about the pressures and motives that might have shaped the behaviors. Specific graphic organizers, writing prompts, and themes for exploration will be provided.

Participants will be introduced to some of the poetry and art of the Holocaust. The
ideas, imagery, dilemmas and contemplation inherent in these poems and pieces of art recovered from victims and survivors will allow for a deeper study of the subject. Participants will be provided with writing prompts, graphic organizers, and themes for exploration and deeper study.