Grade Level
7th-12th grade

Subject
Language Arts/Reading
Social Studies

Time Needed
2 class periods. Preparation for this lesson could be completed as homework.

Introduction
Some Holocaust survivors shared memories of their experiences to help educate future generations. They are not historians, but rather important eye-witnesses to what happened to them at a given place, in a given time, in a given set of circumstances. By reading excerpts of several memoirs or biographies on a particular topic, the reader is able to form a broader view of what was happening across a spectrum of experiences during the Holocaust.

This particular lesson focuses on conditions in the Nazi camps. However, it can be adapted to look at any focused experience in the Holocaust such as life in the ghettos, children or women in the Holocaust, or methods of Jewish resistance.

When choosing literature excerpts, consider content that is age-appropriate for the social-emotional maturity of your students. This lesson allows teachers to scaffold for variations in students’ reading skills. Teachers also might choose to provide some students with note-taking grids that are partially filled-in.

Materials
Lesson Plan
Student Notetaking Grid
Teacher Notetaking Grid Key