Ms. Geyer’s 10th and 11th grade language arts students are currently immersed in a study of the Holocaust. To help gain a better understanding of the magnitude of the Holocaust and the lessons learned from this most epic tragedy and scar on humanity, students are researching information on the Holocaust Museum website, the Elie Wiesel Foundation http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum https://www.ushmm.org.
Students in 10th grade are reading the book, ‘Night‘ by Elie Wiesel. It is second only to the “Diary of Anne Frank” in terms of its genuine account of the Holocaust. They have also watched the Oprah Winfrey interview with Elie Wiesel at Auschwitz.
In addition, each day classes share a poem and quote that reflects the sentiments of the Holocaust. This unit of study is presented in a multidimensional approach so all learners have the ability to access the curriculum creatively.
Holocaust by Barbara Sonek
We played, we laughed
We were loved.
We were ripped from the arms of our
Parents and thrown into the fire.
We were nothing more than children.
We had a future. We were going to be lawyers,
Rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers. We had
Dreams, then we had no hope. We were taken
Away in the dead of night like cattle in cars, no
Air to breathe smothering, crying, starving,
Dying. Separated from the world to be no
More. From the ashes, hear our plea. This
Atrocity to mankind cannot happen again.
Remember us, for we were the children whose
Dreams and lives were stolen away.
