This lesson is specifically designed around teaching the text ‘The Long Night’ by Ernst Bornstein, a Holocaust survivor who recounts his harrowing experiences in his autobiography. It is specifically, though not exclusively, aimed at English teachers who may wish to move from teaching problematic texts such as ‘the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ and towards using what may be seen as more ‘authentic’ texts. At this stage, materials are in a pilot version, and there will also be an opportunity towards the end to participate in a brief bit of research in the development of this resource.

‘UCL research shows that whilst many teachers recognise the importance of teaching about the legacies of the Holocaust, it doesn’t always gain the prominence it school curricula that maybe it should, partly because teachers can be unsure of what to teach about, and how to teach it. This free online CPD session will take you through some key ideas and resources from two of our teaching sessions that explore issues to do with Holocaust legacies; ‘Surviving Survival’ and ‘The Void’. Join Dr Tom Haward for an hour of practical and thought-provoking CPD

In the summer of 1942, a new camp was opened in German-occupied Poland. Located in a forest, north of the city of Warsaw, ‘Treblinka’ became – for a time – the deadliest place on earth, with around 900,000 people killed there. Despite this notoriety, Treblinka is unlikely to be the first camp which would come to mind for most people whilst our research shows it is beyond the consciousness of most young people. In this session, we will explore a moment in time in the history of the camp and ways in which the story of Treblinka can be explored with students.
Join Dr Andy Pearce for an hour of practical and thought-provoking CPD via Zoom. Password/login details for the session will be distributed to participants 24 hours before the session.

Tom Palmer’s novel ‘After the War. From Auschwitz to Ambleside’ tells the powerful story of the Windermere children.

‘After the War’ is a carefully researched novel based upon the testimonies and experiences of child survivors of the Holocaust. The novel allows students to explore the persecution suffered by these young survivors through a compelling story of friendship and hope.

Secondary teachers are invited to join us for this live online event with the author as we discuss this important work of historical fiction and model how the Centre’s new lesson materials can support you in exploring some of the issues it raises with your KS3 students.

Join the Centre’s Helen McCord for an hour of discussion, practical and thought-provoking CPD via Zoom this Holocaust Memorial Week. Password/login details for the session will be distributed to participants 24 hours before the session.

* * * This session is aimed at secondary teachers * * *

Within popular consciousness the Holocaust is often characterised by the application of modern industrial technology, the ‘factories of death’ for the purpose of mass murder.  As much as there is truth in this, the reality is more complex and more discomforting.  In this lesson students make a historical enquiry into Treblinka and discover the reality of genocide is not as straightforward as we would believe.

• How can we move young people without shocking or traumatising them?
• How can we capture students’ interest in the Holocaust?

In this workshop, through the interrogation of an authentic artefact, teachers first encounter Leon Greenman, an Englishman, living in the Netherlands, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau with his wife and child. Leon’s story provides a clear thread throughout our programme.

This one hour workshop can be run as a Twilight, INSET or short session at a time to suit your school.

What do most students think the British government did when it found out about the Holocaust? Come and find out at this session, and look at ways of using evidence from a range of archives with students to piece together this fascinating aspect of British and Holocaust history.

• How is it possible to punish crimes of genocide?
• What does it mean to seek justice for crimes of such magnitude?

This session presents four lessons for KS3 following the story of a single family, their murder at Sobibor and the trial almost 70 years later of former guard John Demjanjuk, accused of abetting the murder of some 27,900 people in 1943.

For most students, the word ‘resistance’ is associated with particular acts or modes of behaviour. In the context of the Holocaust, ‘resistance’ is commonly understood to constitute physical, usually armed and often violent forms of ‘fighting back’.  This lesson aims at complicating students’ thinking and inculcating more dynamic ways of thinking about ‘resistance’.

Our research shows that young people are often mystified by the targeting of Jews for mass murder – this activity shows how teachers can work with the film Roots of antisemitism to uncover the origins of this ‘longest hatred’, and to explore continuity and change from medieval anti-Judaism to modern antisemitism.

I wonder where I will be tomorrow (IWWIWBT) has at its core the principle that ALL learners are entitled to quality Holocaust education. The resource is intended for lower attaining learners in Key Stage 3 and those cohorts described as ‘hard to reach’.