Sample Lesson Plans

7th Grade Language Arts
(Note: Should a substitute teacher be present in the room, this plan would be replaced with the butterfly tribute lesson as this district does not allow students to use internet technology without a building teacher present to actively monitor the student's online movements.)

Life Comparison Engagement (Class time: 1 week)
Students will compare the lives of European Jews pre and post Holocaust. The comparison will be constructed in the following manner:

Students will bring a picture of themselves with family or friends from home.

Next students will complete the life comparison activity recommended by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum located at the following link:
http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/prodev/beli/2003/lesson.php?content=young
In this activity, students will comb through the national archives looking for pictures that are similar to theirs. While browsing for a similar picture, students will read about the lives of European Jews and the changes they experienced due to the prejudice of the Nazi regime.
When students find a picture that is acceptably similar to theirs, they will investigate the information available on the people and city represented in the picture.
Using the museum online archives and Google search, students will determine what life was like pre-Holocaust and how it changed for the individuals and town after the war was finished.

Once students have completed the comparison activity, they will use the Gliffy program
( http://www.gliffy.com/ ) to construct a concept map that represents their understandings of the changes. This map will supplement the final written and pictorial work of the museum activity.

Finally, students should share their work in small groups where they will not only share the history discovered, but also their conclusions based on their exploration of life during this event.


High School Sociology

Comparative Exploration (Class time: 1 week)

In an attempt to better understand the impact a group can have on societal and individual behaviors, students will explore genocidal events that have occurred since the Holocaust of World War II. They will create comparisons of various events in order to identify trends in society that promote these actions. In additions to trends, students should develop personal conclusions about the continued occurrence of these types of events in history.

As this is a pair or independent study and students may require assistance, helpful hints have been provided. These should be used only when students request or require help in searching for information.

First provide students with a definition for the term “genocide”. Discuss this concept as a class.

Next students will work with a partner to outline the Holocaust as an attempt at genocide. If they require additional information after lesson 1, they should search for Holocaust information specifically regarding European Jewish citizens.
Helpful Hint: Potential source United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Next student partners will work to identify genocidal events around the world since the end of the Holocaust. Students should use Google, Ask.com, or other search engines they find useful to identify these events.
Helpful hints if needed: Events to consider - Croatia, Bosnia, Darfur. Possible sources – United Nations, and Amnesty International.

The next step of this work is conducted solo in that students should choose one genocidal event post-Holocaust to study in depth. Areas to consider in their work:
-Parties involved (perpetrators and victims)
-Motives of perpetrators
-Bystanders present and their motives for remaining passive
-Results of attempted genocide
-Overall impact on culture or society where the event took place
-Impact on world society if any
-Any other issues of importance identified by the student

Based on their findings, students should then create a concept map that provides a visual presentation of their understandings and conclusions of these types of events. Students may choose to complete a concept map using a technology tool such as Gliffy (http://www.gliffy.com/ ) or they may complete an artistic presentation of this information.