Week Twelve - Continuing the study of the Holocaust

This Week

On Monday and Tuesday we finished up our unit on the Armenian genocide. Students gained an understanding of how and why it happened and we began to see how the 8 Stages of Genocide were at work in the Ottoman Empire and (later) in Turkey as the genocide against the Armenians unfolded.

On Wednesday, we began our unit on the Holocaust. Students explored the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's website while taking an accompanying quiz over the materials contained therein. This quiz and other quizzes during this unit are formative assessments and are designed to ensure that students are reading and comprehending the material and are always revisable. Please advise students to revise if they receive a low grade on a quiz. A number of the questions asked them to analyze maps, which is a key skill for the upcoming Ohio Graduation Tests, which they will be taking this spring.

On Thursday students read about the killing centers that operated during the Holocaust and on Friday they analyzed the role of race and eugenics as examples of symbolization in the Holocaust.

Upcoming Week

Next week, students will be working on a project whereby they will analyzing the lives of families living in pre-WWII Europe. The goal is for students to compare and contrast their lives with the lives of Jewish families living in parts of Europe that were affected by Nazi takeover and the Holocaust. Students may be asking you to help them find photos of your family in similar situations. Any help you can give them in accomplishing this task would be a great way for you to talk with them about what they're learning. For a great example from one of my previous students, check out Vidur's Prezi.

Check out Vidur's Prezi here to get an idea of the kind of research students will be doing.

Students will be presenting these in class next Thursday and Friday and all Prezi assignments will be graded then.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who volunteered to join us on the field trip to the USAF Museum on Tuesday, November 25th! We have enough chaperones for the field trip now and will be leaving school at 9:30 and coming back from the museum at 1:25, so the trip will take place entirely during the school day.

Just to clarify a few things - students only need to pay for a lunch if a) they are buying a lunch from the cafe and b) they are not on free/reduced lunch. If they did order a box lunch but are on free or reduced lunch, they should pay whatever they normally pay for a school lunch (either nothing or the reduced lunch price). If you still have not turned in your money but need to pay, I will still be accepting lunch money past today's due date. Hope this clears up any confusion.

Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!

~ Mr. Grieve