Curriculum Resources
Please complete the Curriculum Evaluation Form for any materials utilized from this page during Texas Holocaust Remembrance Week.
Grades K-5
Children of the Holocaust
Lisa Barry
Grades 3-7
In this presentation Lisa Barry, the Maxine Cohen Educator Award winner of 2018, reads The Promise by Pnina Bat Zvi and Margie Wolfe. Mrs. Barry also provides a list of other books that can be used by K-5 educators to introduce the subject of the Holocaust to younger audiences.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading 1 (A-E), 6 (A-I), 7 (A-G), 8 (A-D), 9 (A-G), 10 (A-F)
HMMSA Curriculum Guide
Grades K-5
Lessons and resources for K-5 students. These lessons emphasize character education TEKS for each grade level.
Grades 4+
My Grandmother: Art and Resilience
Helen Pankowsky
Grades 4-12
In this presentation Dr. Helen Pankowsky shares the artwork of her grandmother, Sofia Davidson. Sofia was a Holocaust survivor who used her experience escaping from the Nazis during the Holocaust to inspire her painting.
TEKS: Art Historical and cultural relevance 3 (A-B), Art Creative Expression 2 (D), 3 (A,B), 4 (A, B), Critical Evaluation and Response 4 (A-B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Grades 5+
From the Ashes of Nazi Death Camps to Olympic Training Camps: A Holocaust Story of Redemption
Winslow Swart
Grades: 5-12
In this presentation Winslow Swart tells about his mother’s experience as a Holocaust survivor. Sonja van der Stam was born in the Netherlands and survived for two years in three different concentration camps before being liberated at 14 years old. After the war she lived in an orphanage where she discovered a love and a talent for track and field. She would go on to win medals for track and field in many countries and qualified for the Dutch Olympic team.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
My Mother and Grandmother: What They Endured
Ginny Wind (January 25th, 2021)
Grades: 5-12
In this presentation Ginny Wind describes the survival of her mother, aunt, and grandmother. Living in Poland prior to the war, the family was concerned about the threat of Nazi invasion and did their best to escape. They sent one of their daughters to live with family in Mexico while the rest of the family fled to Lithuania. However, the Nazis soon captured Lithuania as well and the family was sent to concentration camps.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Four Women from Bialystok: Four Stories of Survival
Liz Reichman
Grades: 5-12
In this talk, students will hear the stories of 4 women who survived the Holocaust in very different ways. They will also get to consider how women’s experiences during the Holocaust were often much different from those of men.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B) , English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
My Parents’ Holocaust Experiences
Robi Jalnos
Grades: 5-12
Watch to see Robi Jalnos describe how his parents survived the Holocaust in Poland. Both of Mr. Jalnos’ parents experienced life in the ghettos before being sent to die in concentration camps. Against all odds, his parents survived and were able to build a new family together.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
How My Mother Weathered the Storm
Varda Ratner
Grades: 5-12
In this presentation Varda Ratner describes how her mother, Ilona Haendel survived the Holocaust. Ilona was born in Hungary, and lived a normal life in Budapest while attending an all-girls Jewish school. She had hoped to go to medical school but anti-Jewish laws prevented her from pursuing that dream. After the Nazis invaded Hungary Ilona’s family was sent to the ghetto but were helped by several non-Jewish friends, and eventually received a Swiss letter of protection that kept the family safe for some time. After a period of time the Germans refused to honor the letter of protection and Ilona was forced on a death march from Budapest to Vienna. She escaped and then hid in the home of a non-Jewish friend, until the Russians liberated Budapest.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
The Liberation of Gardelegen: What My Father Saw
Roy Kamin
Grades: 5-12
In this lecture, Roy Kamin reviews what his father witnessed as a U. S. military doctor, when the army liberated a concentration camp at Gardelegen.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
The Untold Story of Regina Jonas: The First Ordained Female Rabbi
Rabbi Mara nathan
Grades: 5-12
In this presentation, Rabbi Mara Nathan tells how Regina Jonas became the first female rabbi. Rabbi Jonas lived through the Holocaust and emerged as an important religious leader for the Jewish community in the Theresienstadt ghetto, an unusual path for a Jewish woman at that time. She was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 where she was murdered and her story was only rediscovered in the 1990s.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Setting Differences Aside: Rescuers of the Muslim Faith
Nicole Munoz
Grades: 5-12
Watch as HMMSA staff member Nicole Munoz, discusses a number of individuals that earned the title of “Righteous Amongst the Nations.” Despite religious differences, these Muslims risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Ask a Question, Expect an Answer
Esther Feinberg
Grades: 5-12
In this presentation Esther Feinberg discusses what it was like growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors. Her parents were reluctant to tell her about their experiences when she was growing up and as an adult she reflects on the things she wishes she could have talked to them about.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
My Father’s Suffering
Dr. Anatole Trakhtenbroit
Grades: 5-12
In this talk Dr. Anatole Trakhtenbroit describes what his father went through in Romania during the Holocaust. Includes excerpts of his father’s first-hand accounts of the events.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
My Father and What He Withstood
Sharon Scharff Greenwald
Grades: 5-12
In this address, Sharon Greenwald describes how her father, David Scharff, used his wits and charm to survive the Holocaust. David was born in Poland and served in the Polish Army. He was captured by the Germans and sent back to the ghetto in his hometown and eventually deported to Auschwitz. He suffered slave labor, severe illness, and nearly died. As the Russians approached, he was sent on a death march but managed to escape.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Literary Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto: Emmanuel Ringelblum
Julie Tzucker
Grades: 5-12
In this lecture, former HMMSA staff member Julie Tzucker describes the efforts of Emmanuel Ringelblum to document the conditions inside the Warsaw ghetto.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Lessons Learned From Visiting the Camps
Tristan Bourgoin
Grades: 5-12
In this informal Q&A, Tristan Bourgoin discusses his experience on the 2018 Holocaust Study Seminar. During this seminar, Tristan and other local San Antonio teenagers traveled to Europe to learn about the Holocaust and visit the historical sites associated with this dark chapter in history.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Oscar Ehrenberg: Survivor
Laura Ehrenberg-Chesler
Grades: 5-12
Watch as Laura Ehrenberg-Chesler describes how her father Oscar Ehrenberg survived the Holocaust. Oscar was born in Czechoslovakia but shortly after World War II erupted, his parents arranged for him and his sister to be smuggled over the border to Hungary, in hopes of keeping them safe. There, he and his sister lived in hiding for several years before they were discovered and sent to Auschwitz.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
I Was a Child During the November Pogrom (Kristallnacht)
Ursala Kaplan
Grades: 5-12
In this address survivor Ursala Kaplan remembers what it was like in Germany during the November Pogrom, though the eyes of a child, and her family’s escape to safety afterwards.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Betrayal & Defiance: The Story of Lucien Moreau
Olivier Bourgoin
Grades: 5-12
In this presentation, Olivier Bourgoin tells how his grandfather helped a Jewish-owned business in occupied France, only to be betrayed by a close friend.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
Resistance: The Bielski Brothers and the Perseverance of a Family Camp
Nicole Munoz
Grades: 5-12
In this talk, former HMMSA staff member Nicole Munoz tells the incredible story of the Bielski brothers. These brothers led a partisan resistance group that helped to hide and protect Jewish refugees in the forests of Belarus.
TEKS: Social Studies 28 (A-E), 29 (A, B), 24 (A,B), World History Studies 12 (C), 20 (D), World Geography Studies 2 (B), 13 (A), 18 (A, B), English Language Arts and Reading Skills 1 (A-D), 6 (A-I)
6-8 Lessons
HMMSA Virtual Tour
The HMMSA Video Virtual Tour provides an overview of the Holocaust using images and content from the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, allowing viewers to “visit” the museum through the internet.
Please be advised that some of the images shown and topics discussed are graphic in nature and this video is not recommended for children under 11 years old. Parental discretion is advised.
The Virtual Tour Teacher Guide is to assist teachers in introducing the Holocaust and should be viewed prior to introducing the virtual tour to students.
The Middle School worksheet can be used by students while viewing the virtual tour.
HMMSA Introductory Exhibit
This exhibit explains the concept of genocide, the events that led up to the Holocaust, and the effects of Hitler’s rise to power on the Jewish people in Germany.
9-12 Lessons
HMMSA Virtual Tour
The HMMSA Video Virtual Tour provides an overview of the Holocaust using images and content from the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, allowing viewers to “visit” the museum through the internet.
Please be advised that some of the images shown and topics discussed are graphic in nature and this video is not recommended for children under 11 years old. Parental discretion is advised.
The Virtual Tour Teacher Guide is to assist teachers in introducing the Holocaust and should be viewed prior to introducing the virtual tour to students.
The High School worksheet can be used by students while viewing the virtual tour.
HMMSA Intermediate Exhibit
This exhibit focuses on what life was like for people of Jewish heritage during the Holocaust; particularly the effects of propaganda, the loss of citizenship, living conditions in the ghettos and killing centers, and acts of Jewish resistance.
6-12 Lessons
Introduction Lesson Slides
Teachers can utilize these slides to introduce the topics and ideas of the Holocaust. Images and information comes directly from the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio. The slides can be paired with any of our THRW Curriculum Resources or combined with your campus lessons on the Holocaust.
Speaker and Group Tour Lesson Plan
This lesson plan features guidance for teaching the Holocaust in your classroom and preparing for Texas Holocaust Remembrance Week. The introductory lesson provides students with a foundation for listening to a guest speaker or visiting the Museum for a tour. The closing lesson plan provides students with an opportunity to apply the lessons they learned from the speaker or tour and extend their learning on the Holocaust.
Virtual Tour Lesson Plan
This lesson may be taught on its own, or as an introduction to subsequent related topics. The goal of the lesson is to introduce students to the topic of the Holocaust using a KWL chart and through independent exploration of HMMSA’s permanent virtual exhibit. The provided worksheet guides students through some of the key parts of the exhibit and helps students to understand how the Holocaust happened.
Upstander Lesson Plan
This lesson focuses on historical Upstanders and asks students to think about the role of rescue and resistance during the Holocaust.
More Resources
Additional lesson plans from other Holocaust organizations
Grades K-2:
Grades 3-5:
Grades 6-8:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, foundational lesson plans
Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum “Resources for Grades 7 & 8“
Holocaust Museum Houston “Holocaust Remembrance Week Micro Lessons”
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust “The Story of Three Rings: A Memoir of Dana Schwartz”
Museum of Tolerance “The Hitler Letter,” “Remember the Children,” & “Media Literacy”