Haileigh Finnerty

Caleigh Snead
SIOP Lesson Plan
The Holocaust

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3
Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which
explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text
leaves matters uncertain.

Theme: Social Studies

Lesson Topic: Holocaust

Objectives:
The students will be able to
1. Elaborate on the history involving the Holocaust (C)
2. Predict the reasons why the Holocaust existed (L)
3. Describe the events that made up the Holocaust (L)

Language Objectives:
The students will be able to
1. Explain the events in their own words by writing a letter as if they were
experiencing the Holocaust first hand.
2. Read their letter aloud to the class.
3. Recall the meaning of the vocabulary words to complete the quiz.

Learning Strategies:
Visual learners: images of the concentration camps
Auditory learners: the students will hear quotes that the teacher will read that were
said by holocaust survivors
Key Vocabulary:

● Auschwitz - the largest Nazi concentration camp, located 37 miles west of

Cracow, Poland. Established in 1940, it became a huge camp complex that
included a killing center and slave labor camps.

● Gas Chambers- an airtight room that can be filled with poisonous gas as a
means of execution

● Nazi – The abbreviation for Hitler’s political party, the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party. The Nazi Party was a right-wing, nationalistic, and
antisemitic political party formed in 1919 and headed by Adolf Hitler from
1921 to 1945.

● Racism – Belief in the superiority of one race over another. The racism of
the Third Reich was based on the idea that Jews were a subhuman race. Jews
were to be killed in a racial war to “purify” Germany and the rest of the
world of Jews. The racism of the Nazis also included people of African
descent, Mediterranean descent, Slavs, Poles, and Roma & Sinti (Gypsies).

● Anti Semitism- Prejudice towards, or discrimination against, Jews.

Antisemitism was not new to Nazi Germany or Europe; feelings of hatred
and distrust of Jews had existed there for centuries. (“Antisemitism” can also
be written with a hyphen, as “anti-semitism,” but the growing consensus is
to write it without a hyphen.)

Materials:
-Timeline
-Powerpoint
-Closure slip
-Blank letter sheet
Motivation:
In this lesson, we are planning on explaining the background of the Holocaust. We
are going to discuss the reasons why it occurred and who specifically was being
discriminated against. The people who were responsible for this horrific action will
be talked about in detail.
To prepare for the lesson, we introduced the vocabulary to the students. After
introducing the vocabulary, the students watched a video on the overview of the
Holocaust to introduce them to the idea of the time period and events.

Presentation:
Procedure:
Anticipatory set:
First, the word Holocaust will be posted on the front board. Each student will come
up to the board and write what they think of when they hear this word. Once all
students write their thoughts surrounding the main idea of this lesson, the teacher
will pick a few words to discuss with the class. The teacher will ask the author of
the word to explain why they chose to share that word.
During:
Next, the teacher will begin going over the powerpoint/timeline. The students will
learn about the Holocaust, the people involved, and why it occurred. From the
timeline, the students will learn specifically about concentration and death camps.
The teacher will emphasize the significance they had during the Holocaust.
Students will understand the impact this horrific event had on Europe. The teacher
will then show a video of a Holocaust survivor explaining their experience of the
Holocaust. After the students have an idea about the Holocaust and how the Nazi’s
treated innocent civilians, they will complete the Holocaust letter. Students will be
handed a blank sheet of lined paper. Using letter format, students will write a letter
to a family member or friend not being affected by the Holocaust. They will talk
about their experience either in a concentration camp, their fears, and what they
plan for the future. Students will date the letter in accordance to the events. The
teacher will ask the students if anyone would like to read their letter aloud to the
class. Following that, the teacher will show the class a video. The video will allow
students to reflect on the treatment of the prisoners in the concentration camp and
their outlook years later. The teacher will ask the students to share their thoughts
after reflection.

DURING:
Teacher Modeling
-The teacher will go over the timeline and point out the important events that will
be discussed during the lesson.
Check for understanding:
-The teacher will have the students complete a vocabulary quiz at the end of the
lesson. Based on what the students learned from the lesson, they will fill in the
lines for each word with the definition/what they remember.
AFTER:
Closure
The teacher will hand out the vocabulary quiz. The students will work on it
independently, and the teacher will collect and grade the quiz once the students are
finished. This will allow the teacher to see which students were able to understand
and recall the vocabulary.

Practice and application:

- The students will be handed a letter worksheet.
- They will read the prompt at the top of the page.
- Imagine that it is 1938 in Germany. Your family is Jewish and
concerned about the changing events in the country. Write a letter to
a friend telling them how life has changed and what you think about
it.
- Express your concerns for your family and your future. Remember
that you have no knowledge of the death camps because they are not
in operation yet.
- Use Complete Sentences. The letter should be about 200-250 words
in length for full credit.

- Once finishing their letters, students will be asked to share their letters
aloud.
Review and assessment:
Vocabulary quiz

Extension:
-After the vocabulary quiz, the teacher will ask the students to silently reflect on
the material they learned today. The teacher will ask students to share their
thoughts with their table partner after 2-3 minutes of silently gathering their
thoughts.
NAME:______________________________

HOLOCAUST LETTER

Directions: Imagine that it is 1938 in Germany. Your family is Jewish and

concerned about the changing events in the country. Write a letter to a friend
telling them how life has changed and what you think about it.
Express your concerns for your family and your future. Remember that you
have no knowledge of the death camps because they are not in operation yet.

Use Complete Sentences. The letter should be about 200-250 words in length
for full credit.

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Name:_________________________________

Holocaust vocabulary quiz:

Directions: Write the definition of each word in your
own words after learning about each in context of the
Holocaust.

1. Auschwitz:_________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_____________
2. Gas
chambers:__________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_____________
3. Nazi:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
____________
4. Racism:____________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_____________
5. Anti
Semitism:__________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_____________