Tragedies can be difficult to talk about in the classroom, especially if you’re teaching the Holocaust to high schoolers or other students who are old enough to truly grasp what happened. Here are just a few tips for handling the subject with tact as well as historical accuracy.
1. Be Factual
Sometimes, to keep things age-appropriate for their students, teachers misrepresent what happened in the Holocaust. You don’t want to do this. You don’t have to share gruesome details with very young children, but you can deliver facts without using euphemisms or dodging uncomfortable questions.
2. Look for First-Person Perspectives
No one knows the Holocaust like those who lived trough the experience. Whether it’s diaries, recorded interviews, or historical reports, you can find plenty of first-person accounts of this dark period in history. There are even lesson plans that have been developed by survivors specifically for teaching the Holocaust to high schoolers.
3. Utilize Existing Resources
You aren’t the first teacher to cover the Holocaust. Look at what others have done before you. Check out the tips and guidelines offered by places like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. You can find everything from unit objectives to entire articles centered around WWII, the Holocaust, and other relevant subjects.
These are just a few tips for teaching the Holocaust to high schoolers. It isn’t easy, but it’s necessary, and it deserves extra care and instructional planning to get it right. For additional information, check out the ZACHOR Holocaust Curriculum at ZachorLearn.com.
