At the USHMM

Museum Exploration Partners are experts in Holocaust studies. Let us bring the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to life as we take students and teachers alike on an active learning journey into history, empathy, and identity. Integrating concepts developed by Facing History and Ourselves, students will realize how personal history is as they imagine themselves in the roles of victim, bystander, perpetrator, and resister. And they will be inspired by their own responsibility as they reflect repeatedly on the importance of empathy, ethics, and individual choices in their lives. Together we will engage in activities, such as:
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……….1. Exploring exhibits in small groups,
……….2. Composing personal reflections as poems and diary entries,
……….3. Drawing a portrait of someone whose face has captured their heart,
……….4. Making and revising time-lines,
……….5. Writing a letter to the US President from inside the Warsaw Ghetto.
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Unlike most historical events, the Holocaust is becoming MORE important as time passes.

Our goal is to inspire every student to walk out of this museum committed to making the world a better place.
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For those who would like to know more about this Exploration:
When we meet at the museum, we will begin with some questions so we can measure the students’ knowledge, and to prepare the students for the rich but challenging exhibits they will be experiencing. We will verify that everyone has a notebook and pencil(s), and then begin our inquiries:
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……….1. When did the Shoah begin?
……….2. Who were the Nazis? (nationalities, political parties, professions, economic status)
……….3. What is genocide? What genocides have happened in the last 100 years?
……….4. What is the difference between genocide and mass murder. Is one worse than the other?
……….5. What is the value of diversity in society?
……….6. The idea of race: what do the students know about this “scientific” idea?
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The museum has 4 floors, each of the upper 3 floors covering a specific time period. The 4th floor begins with a 5-video exhibit of Jewish life before the Shoah (the Holocaust), and then immediately moves into 1933, the election of Hitler, and the Nazi dismantling of Weimar democracy. It ends with the beginning of WWII. Important exhibits include:
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……….1. Video of early Nazi terror tactics
……….2. Images and video of book burnings
……….3. The Nuremberg laws legalizing oppression of Jews and minorities
……….4. Nazi expansionism before the war
……….5. Kristallnacht
……….6. War and dramatic Nazi military successes
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Students will actively engage with exhibits, developing a timeline, writing and drawing descriptions, and unpacking images though activities such as “what is this person thinking?” Before descending to the 3rd floor, students will have an opportunity to observe and reflect on the architecture of the museum.
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The 3rd floor is devoted to the “Final Solution,” the years 1941-45. Some important exhibits include:
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……….1. Life in the ghettos
……….2. A train car installation
……….3. The concentration camp rooms
………… with numerous installations and dioramas
……….4. The room of shoes
……….5. The shtetl tower
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Students will break up into small groups to characterize people in images based on Facing History concepts. They will continue working on, and critiquing each other’s timelines. They may draw a portrait, compose a poem and/or write a letter. They may also choose to listen to, and take notes on audio presentations by survivors.
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The 2nd floor covers the end of the war, belated acknowledgment of what happened by the world, Jewish trauma and rebuilding, 1945-47. Some important exhibits include:
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……….1. German collapse
……….2. Wall of rescuers
……….3. Behind enemy lines
……….4. Death marches
……….5. Liberation
……….6. The trials
……….7. Gates of Palestine

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Students will read and unpack two very famous poems. In the process of completing their timelines, they will consider the kinds of acts of resistance that were available to victims. They will then work in small groups to create a 2nd timeline showing the kinds of acts of resistance that were available to individuals, and how the forms of resistance changed over time. To complete their exploration, they will consider the surprising paradox that WWII has become less important over time but the Holocaust has become more important. As a class they will develop a list of impacts and changes in politics, law, and religion brought about by the Holocaust.
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Throughout the exploration, we will also talk about how we each face difficult choices in our daily lives, choices about empathy or insensitivity, about peer pressure and popular culture. We will look into ourselves and see that sometimes we look at the facts squarely, but sometimes we distort them to mask our questionable choices or to justify insensitive or unethical behaviors. What we will NOT do is passively wander through this museum, being shocked or appalled, but holding onto little or nothing.

Please understand and respect the fact that the curriculum on this page is the intellectual property of Museum Exploration Partners, and is copyrighted, 2012.