Teaching Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Through Computer Technology

Web Quest:

Elie Wiesel’s Night:

Racism and The Holocaust - Could It Happen Again?

By J. Wolfson, JFK HS English Dept.

Beyond race
Beyond religion
Beyond culture
There lies beauty within us all!

World consciousness, even toward the 21st century, has not yet grown out of its infancy. Let's widen our perspective and see each other as we are:
"E Pluribus Unum...Out of many, one"

Racism: People will always hate others for their skin color, culture, traditions, customs, religion, language and dress. That’s probably quite normal. And, it’s nothing to worry about? After all, we’re a civilized people, God’s creatures; so, it could never lead to anything more than an isolated crime – a mugging or murder, perhaps – nothing more.

The Death Gate

“The cherished objects we had brought with us thus far

were left behind in the train, and with them, at last, our illusions” (27).

So says Eliezer, the fifteen-year-old boy and narrator of Elie Wiezel’s Night, as he views the entrance to Birkenau, above, from the train’s unloading platform, at night. He and the many others have held onto the lingering hope of life getting better, even as they were crammed into boxcars, starving, for their long journey to the death camp. But, those “illusions” of hope disappear, "As the train stop[s], [Eliezer, his family, and the Jews of Sighet] [see] flames…gushing out of a tall chimney into a black sky"…"There [is] an abominable odor floating in the air"…"Some odd-looking characters, dressed in striped shirts and black trousers leap onto the wagon"…"They [begin] to strike out to the right and left"…"We jump out"…"In front of us flames. In the air that smell of burning flesh. It must [be] about midnight. We [have] arrived -- at Birkenau, reception center for Auschwitz" (25-26).

An SS has just sent the woman with the infant to join those being sent to the crematoria; her hair is covered in the tradition of the Orthodox Jewish wife. A man is standing between the columns missing his pants and one shoe; this was a common occurrence in the overcrowded boxcars. On the left stand inmates in striped camp clothing. The main gate to Birkenau camp under which the trains pass is at the rear left of the photograph.

Photo Credit: National Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau; courtesy of USHMM

You will travel backward in time, to stand with Eliezer, as he tells his story, looking, as if through his eyes, at the horrible images of human rights violations - racism, cruelty and horror. You will use the Teaching Interdisciplinary Problem Solving (TIPS) approach to examine how such massive human rights violations spiraled so out of control for so long. You will then focus on examining ways to stop or prevent something like that from ever happening again.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it...”

TASK Y

Members of the Sonderkommando at Auschwitz-Birkenau burn corpses in open pits during the summer of 1944. When the crematoria ovens were not functioning properly, or were insufficient to dispose of the huge volume of corpses, the bodies were burned and then buried in ditches. Eliezer walked past one of these pits along side his father, not knowing if he would live or die. These photographs from Birkenau were made secretly by members of the Polish resistance, and several of them were smuggled to England.

Photo Credit: National Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau; courtesy of USHMM

“’Poor devils, you’re going to the crematory’…He seemed to be telling the truth. Not far from us, flames were leaping up from a ditch, gigantic flames…A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered its load – little children in the flames…So this is where we were going” (30).

You will have to create a 7-slide PowerPoint show based on the following social problem: “Hate crimes and worsening human rights violations for Jews, as seen under the Nazis:” Each of your 7 slides must follow the Public Policy Analysis approach:

1. What is the social problem? (Given)

2. What is the evidence of the problem?

3. What are the causes of this problem?

4. What were the existing public policies that addressed the problem?

5. What are your 3 original public policies that would address the problem?

6. What is your most effective and feasible public policy that would address the problem?

7. Credits slide

“T “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it...”

The victims would enter this door, which would be hermetically sealed. The victims would then be in the gas chamber. There was no undressing room, and the victims had to be paraded in sight of the whole camp, which had a demoralizing effect. These defects would be corrected in crematoria II, III, IV and V, which were located in remote areas of the Birkenau camp.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it...”

PROCESS

Oval: Follow the guidelines to complete your power
Point presentations.

Guidelines:

¶ Answer all the research questions

¶ Re-read sections from Elie Wiesel’s Night

¶ Complete all 6 worksheets that follow the public policy analysis approach below: 1. define the social problem, 2. gather evidence, 3. identify causes, 4. evaluate existing public policies, 5. find at least 2 of your own public policies and 6. choose the most effective and feasible public policy

¶ This link will show you how to be a Public Policy Analyst

¶ Using the PowerPoint application, create 7 slides based on your research and the PPA model

¶ Present your slide show to our class

Research Questions

Identify things the Nazis did and wrote, which gave the Jews false hope, using the resource websites below and the book, Night?

Explain the theme of silence, giving specific examples from resources websites below and the book, Night?

Define and explain the “Final Solution”?

Define and explain the effects of Nazi propaganda?

Explain some of the historical causes of anti-Semitism or Jewish racism and hatred in Europe prior to WWII?

Describe the role of the Nazi SS or the Gestapo and the death camps?

7. Describe who Dr. Mengele was, and what he did?

“But we had been marching for only a few moments when we saw the barbed wire of another camp. An iron door with this inscription over it: ‘WORK IS LIBERTY’ Auschwitz” (38).

AND

RESOURCES:

Text:

<     Night by Elie Wiesel

The following websites can be used for completing the PPA worksheets: 2. Gathering Evidence 3. Identifying Causes for the Social Problem, “Hate crimes and worsening human rights violations for Jews, as seen under the Nazis:”

q   TIPS Website for better understanding each of the 6 steps of the Public Policy Analyst

q   This Website gives a brief history to and causes for Jewish racism and the holocaust

q   This Website describes the Arian myth, a main reason for Nazis’ hatred of the Jews

q   An Essay on Holocaust Denial – How is Holocaust Denial related to theme of silence and how is it a cause to the problem?

q   This Website describes modern-day Jewish persecutions echoing Nazi anti-Semitism

q   Click on this link to view photos of the Holocaust – Use pictures as evidence of the problem

q   Glossary or vocabulary of the Holocaust – This Website includes definitions of terms, i.e.

Propaganda: “2 : the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person” (Webster’s). Nazi propaganda included the posters below to help sway popular public opinion against the Jewish people, increasing racism and strengthening the Nazi cause, which ultimately was to build a superior Arian race and take over the world

Racial Discrimination or Racism: To treat differently a person or group of people based on their skin color or race. Power is a necessary precondition, for it depends on the ability to give or withhold social benefits, facilities, services, opportunities etc., from someone who should be entitled to them, and are denied on the basis of race or skin color.



Left Picture: Like other Nazi propaganda its style was simple and repetitive, as illustrated in the common, anti-Semitic cartoons of Philip Rupprecht. Jews were physically portrayed with huge hooked noses, bulging eyes, large ears, swollen lips, unshaven beards, long hairy arms and hands, and short crooked legs. The dominant behavioral characteristics were swindling, stealing and hording money and sexual perversion. Right Picture: Protocols of the Elders of Zion: A false document that reveals the supposed Jewish plan to take over the world, under the rule of a Jewish conspiracy. It first appeared in the US and Britain in the 1920s, and was used as a Nazi "warrant" for exterminating Jews. This document continues to be published today to cause hatred of Jews.

q   Website on Nazi Propaganda – This Website describes propaganda, which turned a great many adults and especially children against the Jews, increasing hatred and human rights violations by almost 50%

q   Propaganda Posters – This Website lists some anti-Semitic posters and pictures used by the Nazis in news newspapers and other media, effectively turning people to hate Jews

q   The most notorious Nazi anti-Semitic, propaganda newspaper called Der Sturmer (The Attacker) This link includes some propaganda posters used in and facts about the newspaper

These websites can be used to find existing public policies for preventing the given SOCIAL PROBLEM, Hate crimes and worsening human rights violations for Jews, as seen under the Nazis:

q   This website will give ideas on how to raise public awareness of the Holocaust and so prevent it from happening again

q   This website focuses on ways to preventing a recurring holocaust, such as in Rwanda, Africa

q   This link takes you to the Florida Holocaust Museum website – read its mission statement

q   Anti-Defamation League About Us Page – Read ADL’s mission statement

q   History of the Anti-Defamation League –ADL’s fight to stop anti-Semitism, such as exposing groups who promote Holocaust denial and Nazi white-supremacy propaganda, while lobbying for Civil Rights Laws

q   An Essay on Holocaust Denial – Look toward the bottom of this page, where existing public policies, such as laws combating Holocaust Denial on the Internet – are discussed

q   White House Hate Crimes Conference – This site talks about some of the recent laws against hate crimes

q   Partners Against Hate – This page lists organizations and their policies for combating racism, hate crimes

“All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”

- Anonomous

Evaluation

You will be judged on the quality of your 7-slide PowerPoint show and your oral presentation. The guidelines below have been created to give you a clear understanding of what is expected. Your originality and creativity counts. Allow your creativity to shine through your slide show and your oral presentation!

GUIDELINES: Students, who have access to a computer, must complete the PowerPoint slide show, as described below and in the TASK above. All other students, without a computer, will have to write an essay or editorial, in which each paragraph describes one of the 6 steps of the PPA model: This editorial will tackle the social problem given, arguing, finally, for the best public policy solution as can be found in worksheet 6.

Create 6 slides that correspond to each of the 6 worksheets

A 7^th slide will list the minimum 5 websites used for research

Each of the first 6 slides must follow the Public Policy Analysis

Each slide must have a color background, text and a picture

At least 3 slides must use Word Art

Slide boards must be printed for peer review and editing

Refer to at least 5 websites

Slides 1 and 2 must include evidence and causes from Elie Wiesel’s Night, using at least 3 quotes from the book

An oral presentation that accompanies your slide show is required

"The same day I saw my first horror camp, I visited every nook and cranny. I felt it my duty to be in a position from then on to testify about these things in case there ever grew up at home the belief or assumption that the stories of Nazi brutality were just propaganda."
-General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force

This web quest focuses on the following English Language Arts Performance Standards:

E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a: Produce a report of information.

E3a: Participate in one to one conference with the teacher.

E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

E3d: Make informed judgments about TV, radio, film.

E4b: Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

This web quest focuses on the following New York Sate Standards:

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

A band was made up of Auschwitz prisoners to help calm incoming Jews, raising their hopes

This web quest focuses on the following Social Studies Standards:

Standard 2: World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

"He who saves just one life..."

Rubric

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______, 2004

BEGINNING

DEVELOPING

ACCOMPLISHED

EXEMPLARY

SCORE

Power

Point

Presentation

-exhibits lack of

knowledge of P.P. application

-Presents a minimum amount of data to support the alternative policy

-Does not use the conventions of standard written English

-exhibits little knowledge of the uses of P.P.

-presents audience with several sources of data in a logical format to support the alternative policy

-exhibits an inconsistent usage of the conventions of standard written English

-exhibits an acceptable amount of knowledge of the uses of P.P.

-presents the audience with enough data in a logical, creative, and organized format to support the alternative policy

-exhibits an acceptable and independent usage of the conventions of standard written English

-exhibits a superior knowledge of the uses of P.P.

-presents the audience with an exceptional amount of data to support the alternative policy

-exhibits a superior and independent usage of the conventions of standard written English

Rubric

Score=

______

Web Sites

Research

-two references

(sites) that are relevant to the alternative policy

-three references

(sites) that are relevant and support the alternative policy

-four references (sites) that are relevant and support the alternative policy

-excellent use of a variety of references( at least 5 sites) that are relevant and support the alternative policy

Rubric

Score=

______

%= ___

References

from Jiang’s

Red Scarf Girl

-does not use any specific references from Jiang’s

memoir

-uses few specific references from Jiang’s memoir

-uses some specific references from Jiang’s memoir

-uses many specific and detailed references from Jiang’s memoir

Rubric Score

%= ___

Sample Slide Boards