Teaching the Holocaust In the Middle School ELA and Social Studies Classroom

“If you want to become a better teacher, become a better teacher of the Holocaust.”

Teaching the Holocaust to middle schoolers is no small feat. It's a heavy topic, but it's also a chance to teach important lessons about history, humanity, and empathy. Here are some key takeaways from a recent workshop I attended on teaching the Holocaust, put on by the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida (Click here for their website).

Tackling Tough Questions

Answering students' tough questions about the Holocaust can be daunting. The best way to handle this is one conversation at a time. Create an environment where students feel safe to ask questions and express their feelings.

Fighting Hate in the Classroom

Combatting hate starts with effective communication. Teaching tough content doesn’t mean “watering it down”; it means explaining it in a way that’s right for your students’ understanding and maturity. And please, don’t romanticize history—teach it as it was, with all its messiness and complexities.

Building an Emotional Toolbox

Equip your classroom with an "emotional toolbox" to handle tough topics. This includes:

• Discussing Emotional Reactions: Help students recognize and name their emotions, whether they feel scared, sad, angry, or uncomfortable. Emphasize that all these feelings are normal.
• Creating Safe Spaces for Expression: Encourage students to write about their feelings. They can toss these writings afterward to create a safe space. Alternatively, provide a comment box or email option for those who wish to share privately.
• Using Routines and Structures: Use discussion circles, class meetings, and authentic anti-bullying programs to build a supportive classroom environment.
• Collaborating with School Counselors: Inform counselors about upcoming difficult topics to ensure additional support is available.

Promoting Kindness and Action

Teach a lesson on kindness and reinforce it constantly. Encourage students to "stay in kindness," especially during tough conversations. Share stories of activists to inspire a call to action. What can your students do today and tomorrow to heal the past's wounds?

Understanding Student Reactions

Understand that teaching the Holocaust can trigger strong emotional responses. Allow time and space for students to process their emotions. Be prepared to answer the inevitable question: “Why do we have to learn this?” with a thoughtful and meaningful response.

Embracing Complexity

Acknowledge that there are no simple answers to complex historical questions. It's okay to say, "I don't know," and look things up together with your students. Knowing your own “why” for teaching the Holocaust is crucial.

Resources and Continued Learning

• Echoes and Reflections: Provides teacher resources, professional development, and video testimonies
• iWitness: Offers assignable activities for teachers
• USHMM: Contains numerous resources, including videos and lesson plans
• Defiant Requiem: Register for access to resources and materials.

Personal Reflections

This week of professional development left me feeling empowered, yet with more questions than answers. I have a better understanding of how to approach Holocaust content with care. As teachers, we must remind ourselves to teach all tough topics with this level of care, despite the daily grind. I know how hard it is to get lost in the piles of papers, parent emails, admin observations, and test prep, but this is important. And it's more important than ever that educators really give topics like this one delicate and focused attention.

During this PD, I found a lot more "whys" for myself. Hearing the stories from Holocaust survivor family members was truly gut-wrenching. I kept asking myself, "How could something like this happen?" It made me feel physically sick, angry, and sad. Why do I feel so passionately about teaching the Holocaust? Because I don't want anything like this to happen ever again. Because so many people suffered and are still suffering. Because Anne Frank and Petr Ginz and Elie Wiesel and Joane Holzer Schirm and Rafael Schächter and so, so many more. Because we have to learn from this, the good and the bad.

Recommended Reading List Post-Conference

• Rescue, by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Middle grades historical fiction)
• Resistance, by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Middle grades historical fiction)
• Adventurers Against Their Will, by Joane Holzer Schirm (Nonfiction)
• Beneath White Stars, by Holly Mandelkern (Poetry and nonfiction)
• I Never Saw Another Butterfly, Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 (Poetry)
• The Diary of Petr Ginz, by Petr Ginz (Nonfiction)

Looking for teaching resources for The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank? Be sure to check out my bundle! It has quizzes to use throughout the novel, a poetry project, and a short answer test!