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Grade 5 Social Studies · World 5: Another World War · Level 51
The Holocaust
Explain what the Holocaust was, who was targeted, and why people remember it.
Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.
For grown-ups
This lesson teaches that Nazi Germany murdered six million Jewish people, and millions of others. It has no pictures of harm, and it doesn't describe the camps. Georgia's standards include the Holocaust in Grade 5, though the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum writes its own materials for grade 6 and up. We suggest reading it together.
What children learn in Level 51
- This lesson is about one of the saddest things that has ever happened. Take your time. You can stop whenever you need to, and it's a good idea to read it with a grown-up you trust.
- Hitler's Nazi government spread hatred of Jewish people, and falsely blamed them for Germany's troubles. It began with unfair laws. From 1933, Jewish people in Germany lost their jobs, their rights, and their citizenship.
- During the war, Nazi Germany and those who helped it forced Jewish families from their homes across Europe, and sent many to camps. They murdered six million Jewish people. That was nearly two of every three Jews in Europe. This is called the Holocaust.
- The Nazis also persecuted and murdered millions of others, including Roma people, people with disabilities, Poles, and Soviet prisoners of war.
- Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who hid with family in Amsterdam for two years. Anne kept a diary. Anne didn't survive, but those words are read around the world.
- Many people went along or looked away. Some were brave. Rescuers hid Jewish families, at terrible risk. People who survived built new lives, and many spent years telling their stories.
- Why do we remember? To honor those who were murdered, and because it started with words and unfair laws. When people are treated unfairly, we can speak up. If this lesson stays on your mind, talk with a grown-up you trust.
Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:
- SS5H4.b — Describe major events in the war in both Europe and the Pacific; include Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, D-Day, VE and VJ Days, and the Holocaust.