Teaching the Holocaust to Middle Schoolers with Graphic Novels
Help me give my students a class set of the Maus I & II graphic novels for students to learn how the Holocaust gradually happened over the course of several years and its generational affects.
I have always said that middle school is the best kept secret in education. Middle Schoolers are searching for who they are in this world and figuring it out as they go. They are still reachable and open to new ideas and enjoy responsibility and challenges; including challenges in their thinking. Yet, they still seek guidance from adults when they know there is a level of trust and mutual respect.
After 23 years of teaching middle school, I am constantly amazed at how much I learn from my students.
Professionally, they keep me on my toes. Personally, they keep me young. Middle school has its own unique challenges because of the complex social/emotional development of this age group. Our 7th grade Social Studies curriculum offers many opportunities for students to study world events and the philosophies behind them. My diverse group enjoys the complexities of those philosophies and how they continue to shape their lives today. Hopefully, they can take those ideals and use them to understand the world and make it a better place. More than half the students at my school are from low-income households and are struggling readers.
My Project
The early to mid 20th century is so far removed from today's Middle Schoolers that they have a hard time understanding how things like the Holocaust and segregation occurred. In today's political climate it is more important than ever that they learn how political entities use propaganda to shape governments and social reform. Vladek Spiegelman's story in Maus I & II are the perfect vehicles for my students to learn how the Holocaust subtly and gradually undermined various areas of daily life until it was too late to do anything about it. The graphic novel format allows all of my students, including English language Learners and struggling readers, to be fully engaged in a very necessary story.
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