Holocaust Journal

Introduction

Journals and diaries capture many human experiences, trials, tribulations, and world events. As part of our project on journals this project will focus on The Holocaust and the events that led to it. Focusing on the suffering that over six million Jews endured, and the genocide that the world was shocked to learn was happening inside the concentration camps in Poland. Students will have to transport themselves to the year 1942, students will write a two-three page journal entry as if they were a person detained in one of the concentration camps in Poland. The purpose of this is to expose the students to journal writing, historical events, and developing their writing and listening skills. 

Task

The end product of this webquest will be for students to have produced a two-to-three page journal-style entry as if they were a person being held in a concentration camp. Students will have to provide dates, descriptions of the environment or setting, describe the people inside these camps, and provide an overall descriptive entry to transport the reader to what its like to be a Jew in a 1942's concentration camp. Students will gather their factual information from teacher provided resources and they will conduct their research via these resources. 

Process
  • Students will start this project by researching information on WWII and the Nazi concentration camps. 
  • They will construct a small timeline to helo them visually organize their data and notes.
  • The students will use this information to create a two-to-three page journal entry as if they were a Jewish person in a concentration camp. They will have to be descriptive in their writing and make the reader believe they are being transported to that time. 
  • The students will have to proof read their work for any grammatical errors. 

Resources:

The Holocaust Encyclopedia: The Holocaust and World War II Timeline The Holocaust and World War II: Timeline

The Holocaust Encyclopedia: AT THE KILLING CENTERS AT THE KILLING CENTERS

The Holocaust Encyclopedia: Auschwitz life at Auschwitz

Auschwitz-Birkenau Photographs Contains a video of pictures of Auschwitz.

Holocaust Footage 1945 youtube video of some footage from the end of WWII and the discoveries of the concentration camps. Graphic Content Warning.

Evaluation

Students will be assesed and evaluated using this rubic.

Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Mastery

The author’s purpose of writing is unclear. The author’s knowledge and/or experience with the topic is/are limited.

The author’s purpose of writing is somewhat clear, and there is some evidence of attention to audience. The author’s knowledge and/or experience with the topic is/are evident.

The author’s purpose of writing is very clear, and there is strong evidence of attention to audience. The author’s extensive knowledge and/or experience with the topic is/are evident.

 
Conclusion

Conclusion

After having successfully created their journal entries, students should have gained an understanding of the events of the Holocaust, especially, the concentration camps and the people that were killed by the Nazis. Student's should have also developed descriptive writing skills that showcased these events through a journal entry. 

Questions for Student Reflection:

  1. What aspect of the Holocaust impacted you the most? Why?
  2. Do you think the world has learned from the Genocide of the Jews during the Holocaust to never allow these things to happen again?
  3. What would you do to prevent acts like these from ever occurring?
  4. What discrimminations are we faced with today that you consider to be "inhumane"?

Credits

Picture credits:

Botman, Michel. Not Just a Number. Digital image. Http://michelbotman.com/2012/11/07/not-just-a-number/. 7 Nov. 2012. Web.

Holocaust. Digital image. Http://isurvived.org/cronology.html. 1 Jan. 2002. Web.

How Little We Discuss World Peace on Social Media. Digital image. Http://www.libertychat.com/2014/12/little-discuss-world-peace-social-media/. 14 Dec. 2014. Web.

Rosenberg, Jennifer. The Holocaust. Digital image. Http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/tp/holocaust.htm. 1 Jan. 2015. Web.

Teacher Page

This webquest was created by a pre-service teacher in Miami-Dade College's School of Education. It was incorporated into a thematic unit on Journal writing.