Laura Griner
grinerl@email.sc.edu
Pathfinder Assignment
July 3, 2012
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Introduction
73682…What does that number mean? Why is the number
tattooed on the elderly woman’s arm? Take a closer look at the rings
in the picture above…thousands of wedding rings. Whose wedding
rings are those? If we fail to learn about the past, the past may come
back to haunt us. Middle school teachers and students, please use
the variety of resources listed below to discover the true story of the
Holocaust and pass the story on so that we never forget.
Print Resources
Nonfiction
 Gottfried, Ted (2001), Children of Slaughter
Gottfried wrote a historical account of the holocaust from the viewpoint
of the children, both Jewish and Non-Jewish, whose lives were forever
changed. The book is an excellent historical resource of the rise and
fall of Hitler. Students especially will connect to this book because of
the focus on the children involved.
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
Metslaar, Menno, Van Der Rol, Ruud, and Pomerans, Arnold
(2009), Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures from the
Archives of the Anne Frank House
This is a scrapbook version of the The Diary of Anne Frank. Although
it is written for ages as young as nine, this book would be an excellent
resource for students who are not readers or who struggle with
reading. Truthfully ardent readers and adults will find it fascinating too.

Rogasky, Barbara (2002), Smoke and Ashes: The Story of the
Holocaust
Students grades 6-12 will find a comprehensive illustrated study of the
rise and fall of the Nazi Regime. The information is not only
interesting, but also extremely accurate. Teachers can use this
resource as background information when preparing lessons on WWII.
 Thomson, Ruth (2011), Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust,
One of the 2012 YALSA nonfiction nominees compiles testimonies of
the Jewish people who lived in Terezín, Czechoslovakia, a town that
the Nazi’s destroyed and turned into a ghetto and transit camp. This is
an authentic resource for students and teachers to learn about life
under Hitler directly from the people whose lives were forever changed
by the Nazis.
 Verlome, Hetty (2010), Hetty: A True Story
As the title suggests, this true story is an autobiography. The author
tells her experience of surviving while living in a children’s
concentration camp in Germany. This would be a valuable for a
teacher to read to a class aloud, or students could read this book
themselves or in conjunction with a project.
Fiction
 Gleitzman, Morris (2006), Once
This novel is about a Jewish boy who runs away from an orphanage to
search for his parents. The setting is Poland during the Nazi Regime.
This award-winning novel is a fascinating read for both boys and girls
ages twelve and up.
 Heuval, Eric (2010), A Family Secret
This award winning graphic novel is of a grandmother telling her
grandson her story of living in the Netherlands while it was under Nazi
control. The story teaches about this historical time period while also
telling a story about the loss of a friend. The graphic novel format is
perfect for middle school readers especially those who struggle with
reading. Teachers can use this as inspiration for school projects.
There is a second book also available called The Search.
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 Lowry, Lois (1989) Number the Stars
A Newbery Winner that is appropriate for grades 5-8. This is also a
story about a family hiding Jews during the Nazi control of Denmark.
This is an excellent read for students who are not ardent readers.
Teachers can also use this as a quick read aloud.
 Sharenow, Robert (2011), The Berlin Boxing Club
Calling guys and girls who love sports to read this novel. The story
combines boxing with history and the human spirit. A boy living in Nazi
Germany transforms his “artsy” reputation to tough sports guy when he
learns to box. Life drastically changes for the boy as Hitler becomes
more powerful. Teens will not realize that they are reading historical
fiction. The book is entertaining and educational.
 Zusak, Markus (2006), The Book Thief
This Printz Award winning novel is set in Nazi Germany. “Death,” the
narrator, tells the story of a girl whose family hides a Jewish man in
their basement. This is an excellent novel for students who are avid
readers. Throughout the book “Death” repeatedly describes various
colors of the sky. Teachers could read this novel to the class and
incorporate a variety of projects including the influence of art and color.
Magazine Articles

World history play: I want to live. The Diary of Eva Heyman, Junior
Scholastic, v113 i14, April 18, 2011.
This is a play that can be read in a middle school classroom. It was
written from a teenage girl’s diary, Eva Heyman. She writes about the
terrors of living in Hungary in 1944. Review questions are available at
the end of the play.

World history play: surviving the Holocaust, Junior Scholastic, v112
i15, April 26, 2010.
Junior Scholastic printed this play to teach middle school students the
development of hate for a group of people in the example of Hitler and
the Jews. The lesson is demonstrated by telling a story of a family
affected by the Nazis. There are review questions at the end of the
play.

A knock on the door, Kira Jarosz, Current Events, A Weekly
Reader publication, v100 i25, May 4, 2001.
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This article tells the true story of a teenage girl from Ukraine who was
taken from her family by the Nazis to work in a concentration camp.
This story has a happy ending. There are so many sad stories. This
article would be a small reprieve from many tragic stories. The article
mentions immigration and Ellis Island, which is useful in classrooms
also.

From Brilliant Hues to Shady Grays, Laura Tuson, Stone Soup, v27
i4, March, 1999.
This is a short story (fiction) about a Jewish family in Denmark who
was captured and taken to a concentration camp. The story is very
sad with a shocking ending. Although it was written a while ago, it
would be an excellent writing prompt. A teacher could also read this
story to introduce a holocaust unit or WWII unit.
Internet Sites
 http://www.annefrank.com/, The Anne Frank Center USA
This is a website of a new museum in America located in
New York City. The mission of the organization is to teach tolerance,
which is a very important issue in middle school. The prison diary
program is very inspirational and could be the springboard to projects
that students could design.
 http://www.hmh.org/Default.aspx, Holocaust Museum Houston, TX
This site is specifically fabulous because of the butterfly project. The
organization has designed several activities including a teacher lesson
plan inspired by the poem, I Never Saw another Butterfly. The
organization is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies to represent
the number of children killed in the holocaust. The materials are also
available in Spanish.

http://www.ushmm.org/, United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum
The museum in Washington DC provides a plethora of research
information and resources for students and teachers. The websites
answer the what, how, and why of teaching about the Holocaust.
This website continues to update information on the current issues of
anti-Semitism and other racial issues.
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 http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org/ Holocaust Survivors
This site has the stories of Holocaust survivors. In spite of all of the
death, there are some stories of hope, although there is a thread of
sadness and tragedy in each testimony.
Audio-Visual Materials
 Joe Fab (2004), Paper Clips
This is an amazing documentary of how a middle school in Tennessee
used paper clips to teach their students about the millions of people
killed in the holocaust. The project grew bigger than life as it
became nationally recognized, and it demonstrates how one person
can make a difference in the world.

Deborah Moggach (2009), The Diary of Anne Frank BBC five part
series
The story is broken into 5 30-minute segments covering Anne’s life
from age 13-16. The script follows Anne’s diary portraying her as a
developing teenage girl who was hopeful about the future and at times
opinionated and out spoken. This film is educational and engaging for
teens.
 Mark Herman (2008), The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
This movie is based on the award-winning book by John Boyne. The
costumes and setting will give students a visual for the time period.
The visual contrast between the Jewish boy and the non-Jewish boy is
telling. Teachers could use the movie and the book, but the students
will understand the movie without reading the novel.
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