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Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides

Collective Memory: Memorials and Monuments

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Activity Overview
This learning activity introduces students to a variety of Holocaust memorials and monuments, and asks them to examine the methods used to commemorate the events and explore the purpose of collective memory. Students will then conceptualize and design a memorial to one aspect of the Holocaust or other genocides.
Grade Level
7-12
ELA Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies:
RH7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
RH8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text. Identify and distinguish between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
WHST5: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
WHST6: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source by applying discipline-specific criteria used in the social sciences.
Social Studies Framework:
10.5 UNRESOLVED GLOBAL CONFLICT (1914–1945): World War I and World War II led to geopolitical changes, human and environmental devastation, and attempts to bring stability and peace.
10.5d Nationalism and ideology played a significant role in shaping the period between the world wars.
10.5e Human atrocities and mass murders occurred in this time period.
SEL Benchmarks
2A. Recognize and build empathy for the feelings and perspectives of others.
2B. Recognize and affirm individual identities as well as individual and group similarities and differences, including those rooted in culture, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ability, etc.
Objectives
Students should articulate how the physical and narrative choices in a memorial communicate intended messages.
Students should choose one under‑represented aspect of the Holocaust or another genocide (e.g., rescuers, children’s experiences, Roma victims, contemporary Uyghur crisis), draft a concise historical brief (50–150 words) justifying why this aspect deserves commemoration, citing at least one reputable source, and  sketch or digitally model an original memorial that embodies a clear theme, location rationale, material palette, and visitor interaction plan.
Students should write a brief reflection explaining how designing a memorial deepened their understanding of the Holocaust/genocide studied and how public memory shapes contemporary attitudes toward human rights.

Essential Question

How should we remember the past? How effectively do Holocaust memorials reflect and preserve the memory of the Holocaust?

Materials

Introduction to Memorials and Monuments
Book Burning Memorials
Rosenstraße Protest Memorials
Berlin Holocaust Memorials

Activity
  1. Have the students discuss the purpose of “public art” and the importance of monuments to commemorate historic event.  Brainstorm examples that students may be familiar with in the United States (e.g. Vietnam Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial). 
  2. Discuss the quotation from James Youngk found in the Introduction to Memorials and Monuments Reading.  Is it possible to translate our remembrance of the Holocaust into concrete form? 
  3. Read and discuss the memorials to the Book Burning and the Rosenstraße Protest. 
  4. Berlin Memorials Analysis: Among the many Holocaust memorials in Berlin, there are four major federally-funded ones, located in the center of Berlin, dedicated to the four groups of victims: Jews, Roma and Sinti, the “disabled,” and Homosexuals.  Divide the class into four groups and assign each group to research and prepare a presentation to the class.
Culminating Activity

Scenario: A committee of representatives of different European countries is sponsoring a competition to create new memorials to different aspects of the Holocaust.  You’ve decided to submit a proposal and will need to develop a model and rationale to present it to the selection committee.  You will need to answer the committee’s questions regarding your memorial and explain why it should be selected. 

Component 1:  Select an aspect of the Holocaust in Germany or another European country.  Your research should include the history of the event including a timeframe, individual(s) involved, and the event’s historical significance.   

Component 2: Design a memorial for your selected event and construct a model.  Consider the following as you develop your design. 

  • What would you like people to feel or think about when they visit the memorial you are designing? 
  • Who is it built for? What will the audience be? 
  • What is the message it will convey? 
  • How can your memorial be most effective in connecting the public to the point in the past you have chosen to remember? 

Write an artist statement to accompany your model that explains what event is memorialized and what the memorial represents 

Component 3: Present the model of your memorial design to the ‘selection’ committee (your classmates).  Your presentation should include the following: 

  • identify the event memorialized and provide a brief history of the event 
  • explain why the event should be memorialized 
  • identify the intended audience 
  • provide the reason behind the design.  Why does it look like it does?  
  • explain what message/feeling(s) you are trying to convey 
  • Finally, state why your memorial should be selected.   
Holocaust Memorial Model Rubric