HMD09 Education Materials
Holocaust Memorial Day 2009 (HMD09) calls us to Stand up to Hatred. It provides an ideal opportunity to encourage young people to work towards a better future by becoming active citizens in their own communities, whilst engaging with the past and learning about the lessons it offers present day society. Schools and colleges are encouraged to involve students in active participation in HMD commemorations in order to remember the victims of Nazi oppression and the victims of more recent genocides. HMDT produces free resources on an annual theme.
This pack provides a basis for school and college activity. It contains an activity board, six case studies and lesson plans for primary, secondary and post 16 groups. It should be stressed that despite appearances the activity board is not a game. It is a device to draw attention to changing lives in Nazi occupied Europe. It draws students into discussions about chance, choices and actions. It illustrates how some were able to prosper as members of their community faced discrimination and persecution. Instructions for
completing the board activity can be found in the primary and secondary lesson plans. Ideas for collective worship/assemblies and discussion questions, based on the Stand up to Hatred theme, are also provided. You will find an additional unit containing suggestions for creative and cross-curricular activities, compatible with the new school curriculum on our website.
The actions of Nazi and other regimes are difficult to comprehend but they give insight into aspects of potential human behaviour. HMD09 provides scope for a focus on positive actions by studying in more detail those who stood up to hatred and defied such regimes.
By hearing these stories students can realise how the actions and convictions of individuals can make a difference to the lives of others. Examining questions of how and why people behave in certain ways links the past with present day debates on ethical issues. Prejudice and hatred still exist in our society. We can take action to stop it.
Thank you for commemorating HMD with your students.
HMDT thank Sanne Van de Goor, Anniek Van Wolfen, Jonathan Salt and Simone Arnold (www.alst.org) for their contributions to the case studies.
- Introduction_HMD09 (PDF document)
