I
recently attended MCHE’s summer course for educators entitled 1942 and the
Final Solution. This course helped me put the history of the Final Solution
into a clear, concise context through the use of maps, geographical
information, primary source documents, and photographs.
As an
English teacher, I felt comfortable using literature of the Holocaust with my
eighth-grade students. My participation in the teaching cadre and
classes/workshops/exhibits offered by MCHE helped me learn historical concepts
that I could share with my students as well. This recent class, though, really
showed me the importance of geography in the understanding of both the
literature and the history.
Although
I did share maps with my students, I certainly didn’t teach the geography of
the Holocaust in a meaningful and effective way. While I did require
that my students “learn” the map of WWII Europe, I didn’t use that information with
each historical activity we completed to supplement our literary studies. I would
encourage those of you who teach English to include the geography of the
Holocaust as an important area of study for your students no matter the length
of your unit. Take the time to include maps and a general overview of the
country/culture(s) at that particular time.
Holocaust – Maps and
Photographs (a
visual narrative by Martin Gilbert) is a compact, yet useful source of
interesting, content-laden maps. The following map titles are just a few of
those included: Two Thousand Years of Jewish
Life in Europe,
The Persecution of the Jews of Germany in the First Five Years of Nazi Rule
1933-1938, The Fate of the Gypsies Under Nazi Rule, The Desperate Search for a
Country of Refuge. The
author’s website, Sir Martin Gilbert Online, is an interesting source of
geographical information as well. Another engaging online source which consists
of interactive maps is found at USHMM.
In
literature the setting is always a key piece of discussion. In the study of
Holocaust literature, learning about the geography of that setting can truly
enhance student and teacher understanding of the people and the events.
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