Pre- and Post-Visit Activities

The field trip is most meaningful when students have the opportunity to prepare for the visit and to reflect on the experience afterwards. Preparation and reflection are appropriate in three areas:

Background historical information:

It is not necessary for students to have completed a Holocaust unit prior to their visit. Some teachers prefer the field trip to be an introduction to their Holocaust unit. Others place it in the middle or make it a concluding activity. In any case, it is helpful for students to have some familiarity with the subject before their visit. Students should be knowledgeable enough to ask informed questions. A brainstorming session to create questions prior to the visit dramatically improves the quality of the question and answer session.

During a two-hour field trip, it is not possible to study the history of the Holocaust in depth. Much of what students will ultimately know about this history will be learned in the classroom before and after their visit. The elementary, middle and high school trunks contain activities and information to give students a thorough background.

Strategies for interpreting museum exhibits:

The following are a few suggestions for students who visit the museum. The goal is to create an understanding of the methods by which the museum tells the story of the Holocaust.

· Jewish victims of the Holocaust were persecuted because they were Jews, but how was this identity formed? Did it mean the same thing to the victims that it did to others? Did Jews agree among themselves as to its meaning? What other factors (besides Judaism) went into the formation of their personal and collective identities? Have students discuss their own identities. What factors will they consider to be important (age, gender, race, religion, nationality, family, personality, hobbies, etc.)? Will students agree or disagree as to the relative importance of each factor. Who has the right to define an identity for a person or group? With these questions in mind, explore the inadequacy of stereotypes to provide an understanding of complex human behavior and history.

· Have students construct a personal or family history using only photographs. Compare these with the pre-Holocaust photos of Jewish people on display at the Holocaust Center. Focus on the elements that they have in common.

· Ask students to identify a prized personal possession. Compare the responses with the types of items (such as the spoon in our artifact case) that were of value to those struggling to survive Nazi persecution.

· Have students make a list of pre-visit expectations. What do they think they will see and hear? What conclusions will be drawn? After the visit, have them reflect on the accuracy of their expectations.

· Information about the Holocaust comes from the victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and liberators. Ask students to consider how the quality and quantity of these sources will vary based on perspective and availability. When visiting the museum, ask students to categorize the items in the exhibits by source. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective in contributing to our understanding of this history?

· The museum displays are made up of primary sources, secondary sources, and artifacts. Each source type contributes to the understanding of the Holocaust in a different way. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each type? Some accounts date from the period of the Holocaust. Others are recollections given at a later time. How does this timing affect the nature of the information?

Strategies for interpreting memorials and art works:

· Have students list as many memorials as they can. How are they similar? How do they differ? Does the identity or experience of the subject affect the type of memorial? How?

· Have students create a memorial to an individual or group of their own choosing. Compare these to the memorial displays at the Holocaust Memorial Center.

· Ask students to respond to the following questions about the memorial function of the Holocaust Center:

1. What is the difference between study and remembrance? How can you “remember” something that occurred before you were born?

2. Why is it important to remember the victims of the Holocaust?

3. Should the victims be remembered primarily as victims or as “regular” people? What is the difference?

4. Are there any dangers or pitfalls involved in remembrance?

· Ask students to write/discuss their reactions to the field trip experience in personal terms. The following are a few sample prompts:

1. Which display evoked the strongest emotional response? Why do you think this was so?

2. Describe the display that most clearly revealed the tragedy of the Holocaust to you.

3. Has learning about the Holocaust changed your attitude toward others? Toward yourself? Toward society? Explain.

4. What personal responsibility does knowledge of the Holocaust impose on you?