Essential Question: How was the Holocaust justified by the Nazi party and how was it allowed

to continue?

Objectives

Assessment

Critical Thinker: SWBAT analyze primary and

secondary sources to understand causes of
the Holocuast

Exit ticket (formal)

Communicator: SWBAT explain ideas

developed during activity verbally

Class discussions, beginning and end

(informal)

Collaborator: SWBAT work cooperatively in

groups

Successful completion of the activity (formal)

Creator: SWBAT explain fully the ideas

developed in a meaningful and constructive
way

Class discussion (informal)

Materials

Documents
Analysis of German society before the war
Anti-Jewish propaganda
Excerpt from Mein Kampf
Excerpt from The Nuremberg Interviews
Average Germans perspective on the concentration camps
Document analysis packet
white board
markers
lesson plan (with closure and focus annotations)
lined paper (for focus and closure)
writing implements (for students)

Focus: Each student will answer on a piece of looseleaf the question How do you imagine the
average person in Germany thought about the Holocuast?
Activity:
00

01
05
12

Students enter. Students are reminded that there is a focus question on the board to be
completed and that they need to sit in their project groups and take out a piece of
looseleaf to complete the focus.
Attendance taken, homework collected as students finish the focus.
Class discussion of the focus question.
Transition discussion to idea of the Holocaust generally and how it was allowed to
happen. Mention how class had previously discussed external factors (e.g. appeasement)

14

18
26
34
42
50
58
63

73
78

and that they have and will further discuss the horror of the Holocaust. The mentality of
why it happened is what the class will be discussing today.
Explain Step 1 of the assignment for the day. Students will rotate between stations every
8-10 minutes. They will use the analysis sheet for each document to analyze that
document. After analyzing each document, they will answer the main idea question for
the document.
Start of analysis of the first document. Teacher(s) will circulate to ensure students on task
and any questions answered.
Start of analysis of the second document. Teacher(s) will circulate to ensure students on
task and any questions answered.
Start of analysis of the third document. Teacher(s) will circulate to ensure students on
task and any questions answered.
Start of analysis of the fourth document. Teacher(s) will circulate to ensure students on
task and any questions answered.
Start of analysis of the fifth document. Teacher(s) will circulate to ensure students on task
and any questions answered.
Have class return to their seats to work on Step 2 of the assignment as a group. This is a
question on the front of the analysis sheet packet..
Begin class discussion of each document and then of the Step 2 question. Allow students
leeway, but hit home on the political lies told and the apathy and self-interest of the
people around which this was happening.
Transition to the closing question. Collect as students finish.
Bell rings, students exit.

Closing: Students will answer the following question: How was the Holocaust allowed to
happen?