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RESCUERS
Portraits of Moral
Courage in the Holocaust
A Web Quest
“ … and you can always, always give something, even if it
is only kindness.”
Anne Frank
In this Web Quest you will read the first hand accounts of people who
risked their lives to save strangers, and learn about courage and compassion.
The readings will reveal the intolerance of human injustice shared by
all rescuers as well as the belief each had that what one person did could
make a difference.
“The rescuers are heroic because there were so few of them.
When a continent is filled from end to end with the compliant, we learn
what heroism is. “
Cynthia Ozick
Author
Reflect and Respond
Read the following quotes. Follow the teacher’s instructions given
in your LA or and history class and write a journal response to what the
quote means to you.
“It is not enough to be compassionate.
You must act.”
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama 1992
“ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret
Mead
“Whoever destroys a single life destroys the entire world;
whoever saves a single life, saves the world entire.”
Talmud
“To sin by silence when they should protest, makes cowards of men.”
Abraham Lincoln
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the
lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny
ripple of hope.”
Unknown
“First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out~~
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists, and I did not speak out
because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out~~
because I was not a trade
unionist.
And they came for me~~
And there was no one
left to speak out for me.”
Pastor Niemoeller
“The world is too dangerous to live in --- not because
of the people who do evil, but because of the people who
sit and let it happen.”
Einstein Albert
UNDERSTANDING by DESIGN:
CONTENT STANDARDS:
· Students will explain the strength of the human spirit
while examining the World War II Holocaust
· Students will recognize one person can make a difference
through individual choice and actions.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
· Despite the horrors like the Holocaust, the human spirit
does triumph
· True courage is revealed during difficult times, not
happy ones
· Rescuers risked their own safety to commit to their
beliefs and displayed hope in the darkest times.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
· Why did so few people choose to become rescuers while
most people did not?
· What challenges and risks did all rescuers face?
· How did the rescuers cope with the challenges and
risks?
· In what ways can we display courage and hope in times
of difficulty?
Student Page
The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students
In this interdisciplinary Web Quest you will complete tasks in U.S. History,
LA, and math that will increase not only your background information about
the events of World War II and the Holocaust, but also your awareness
of the extraordinary things that ordinary people did to “rescue”
persecuted groups, primarily Jews during the Holocaust. Throughout the
Web Quest you are expected to reflect on the essential questions below.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
· Why did so few people choose to become rescuers while most
people did
not?
· What challenges and risks did the rescuers face?
· How did the rescuers cope with the challenges and risks?
· In what ways can we display courage and hope in times of
difficulty?
Interdisciplinary Connections:
· Select Quick Show and preview the interdisciplinary
unit
· Select Quick Show and view the Holocaust Rescuers’
exhibit in the
Benton Museum
at the University of Connecticut
· Select the newspaper article entitled “Show Remembers
Victims of Holocaust "
LANGUAGE ARTS
· Select a novel from the classroom collection that you will
read independently
As you read, use the graphic organizer provided in class to be used for
class discussion and your Book Talk
· Select Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust
· Select Rescuers of Jews
· Select Rescuers’ Stories under the country of your
choice
Read several first hand accounts of the rescuers as a preliminary step
for choosing a particular rescuer that you connect to in a special way.
Many of the stories are also available in class.
· Select a particular rescuer and write a diary as an authentic
record of the rescuer’s extraordinary courage.
· Write the diary, a primary source, to summarize everyday
experiences, express personal feelings, insights and to record important
events and special experiences. Demonstrate comprehension, show
insight , and make connections to you personally or the world today.
· Address the Essential Questions in your diary entries
· Design and make the diary to honor your rescuer.
Be sure to include a
profound
statement or quote that truly defines this extraordinary human
being
· Publish the diary for display for your classmates
MATH
Read the personal narratives of extraordinary heroes:
· Dr. Eugene Lazowski
· Julian Bilecki a teenager who rescued Jews in Poland.
Select The History Place
· Complete the questionnaire about European Jewish population:
pre and post Holocaust statistics
· Calculate the percents column on the chart of Holocaust
statistics.
Select Statistics and Stories
· Use the information from the table, convert statistics
to percents, fill in your spreadsheet
· Create a circle graph using this data
· Visit Sites at the Yad Vashem Museum that honors
“The Righteous Among the Nations”.
· Read The Program to discover who is considered a “Righteous
Among the Nations”
· Write a paragraph to accompany your circle graph that
reflects specific facts about how the rescuers are recognized and the
medal and honors that are bestowed
U.S. HISTORY
· Select Timeline
· Record 1 event from each year 1933-1945 that you think
is a significant historical event for each year
· Explain in your spiral notebook why you selected
this event
· Be prepared to defend your reasoning in class discussion.
· Select The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students
· Write notes in your spiral notebook that reflect
key information about WW II.
· Compare this information on the site with the
information in your history
textbook
.
· Select The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students
Voyage of the St. Louis
· Reflect on the information you read
· Answer the question: Why did the U.S. government
turn these children away?
Explain
· Create a visual presentation of the rescuer selected in
your LA class
· Describe the rescuer’s activities on behalf of the
Holocaust victims
· Answer the questions:
WHO was the rescuer
WHEN did rescue activities occur
WHERE was the country and location of rescue activities;
include a map
WHAT was the rescue activity
WHY did the individual become
a rescuer
HOW was the rescue carried out?
· Write a reflection piece that addresses the essential
questions from a historical point of view.
What were the challenges and risks that rescuers
faced?
How did the rescuers cope with the risks?
Why did so few people accept the challenges?
What do we learn in history from the rescuers?
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