Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Have you read any books or viewed any films that dealt with the Holocaust? If so, what did you learn? Why is it important to continue to learn about the events of the Holocaust?

Teaching Suggestion: You can use this exercise as an opportunity to gauge the class’s understanding of and readiness for the unit. If extensive misinformation exists in the class, or if the class’s shared knowledge of the events of WWII and the Holocaust are lacking, consider using the links below as a research-based activity to provide pre-reading context; this research can be conducted in class or as a homework activity. 

• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s online “Introduction to the Holocaust” is an excellent starting point. The site also includes this article on the indoctrination of youth in Nazi Germany. A “Resources for Educators” section gives tips for teaching this difficult history to young people.

Short Activity

Browse two articles about the Hitler Youth program that trained children to believe in the values of the Nazi Party, focusing on the images presented in each article and their captions.