Holocaust

A Web Quest for 5th Grade Social Studies

by Meagan King
king6064@pacificu.edu

Introduction

Learners

Describe the grade level and course that the lesson is designed to cover. For example: "This lesson is anchored in seventh grade language arts and involves social studies and math to a lesser extent." If the lesson can easily be extended to additional grades and subjects, mention that briefly here as well.

Describe what the learners will need to know prior to beginning this lesson. Limit this description to the most critical skills that could not be picked up on the fly as the lesson is given.

Curriculum Standards

What will students learn as a result of this lesson? Describe the outcomes succinctly. Use the language of existing standards. For example:

Social Studies Standards Addressed
Describe effects of diversity. Examples may include but are not limited to the following:
--Diversity fosters a variety of points of view, new ideas, and fresh ways of looking
at and solving problems.
--It helps people appreciate cultural traditions and practices other than their own.
--People sometimes discriminate unfairly against others on the basis of their age,
religious beliefs, race, or disability.
--Members of different groups sometimes misunderstand each other and conflicts
may arise
-- Examine an historical narrative about an issue and distinguish the differences
between statements of opinions and those that are factually grounded.
--Order events found in historical narratives (e.g., autobiographies,
biographies, diaries, journals, historical fiction).

Curriculum Agreements:
Gather, use and document information from multiple sources (e.g. print, electronic,
human, primary, secondary).
Gather and use information from a variety of resources: diaries, letters, periodicals,
literature, oral histories, artifacts, art, documentary photographs, and films.
Identify and study two or more points of view of an event, issue or problem.
Identify events from different historical perspectives.

• Recognize the relationships among the various parts of a nation's cultural life.
• Learn about the mythology, legends, values and beliefs of a people.

Most lessons don't just teach a block of content; they also implicitly teach one or more types of thinking. In addition to describing learning outcomes within traditional subject areas, describe what kind of thinking and communications skills were encouraged by this lesson. Inference-making? Critical thinking? Creative production? Creative problem-solving? Observation and categorization? Comparison? Teamwork? Compromise?
-district, state or national

Process

Activity 1: The Child

1. Select a group of two or three classmates with whom you can work well.

2. Visit the Children of the Holocaust site and read at least three of the biographies.

3. Choose which child you are going to adopt to remember.

4. Create a quilt square that will inform people about "your child." Just as before you can use words, pictures, symbols or colors that you feel represent the child. 

Activity #2 - The Rescuer

1. Visit the following site. Read about two different people that assisted the Jews.

2. Select one rescuer you would like to honor.

3.Write a short story in the voice of you as a rescuer, including at least two of the following questions. How would you feel? What would you have seen? What would you do? What would be the first three thing that you would get from home?
 

Choose either the child or the rescuer and write them a letter as if they were a classmate. What would you say? Or ask them?

Since the students have already read the Number of the Stars and we will be studying the holocaust during the end of February.

I will put the children into groups of 8, because that is how many computers that are available and guaranteed with Internet access in our classroom. We will be looking at and discussing the holocaust time line prior to the web quest. The children will have one literacy period  (45 minutes) to complete the computer portion of the web quest along with taking notes. Then the following day they will create their quilt square, write a store and the letter to their person of choice. This process will probably take 3 to 4 days to finish and will allow the other students to finish the computer portion. There is a good chance that we will only be making this rotation twice, because if I am doing during literacy flooding, then there are only 15 students that I will be working with on the web quest.


At the beginning of the holocaust unit we will start a KWL chart so we can look for specifics and each individual will think of something they want to learn. Then after this certain lesson we will add what we've learned to the chart. So for instance they could share a feeling that a survivor had or a historical memory that the child they adopted had.

Resources Needed

Describe what's needed to implement this lesson. Some of the possibilities:
need:web quest, Internet access for ___ students
what do the teachers need- if they are using this. mozilla, word processor, access to the library, time,

• Internet access
• Word processor, or paper to write in
  
• Quilt square, coloring tools
  

Human resources: none