1. “Facing History and Ourselves
made me realize that my
choices matter. When I am
indifferent, the world loses and I
lose. The world needs me to act
And if my choices matter, then I
matter. That’s a very important
lesson to learn as a child and to
own as an adult.”
Facing History Alumnus
2.
3. Dear Teacher:
I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw
what no man should witness:
Gas chambers built by learned engineers.
Children poisoned by educated physicians.
Infants killed by trained nurses.
Women and babies shot and burned by high school
and college graduates.
So I am suspicious of education.
My request is: Help your students become human. Your
efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled
psychopaths, educated Eichmanns.
Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they
serve to make our children more human.
5. Facing History & Ourselves
Case Studies
• Holocaust and Human Behavior
• Race and Membership in American
History: the Eugenics Movement
• Armenian Genocide
• Choices in Little Rock
• Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Reconstruction Era
8. Six prompts to dissect
• "This is not a war...
• "A perpetrator is not the most dangerous enemy...
• Emerging democracy to dictatorship
• "Never doubt...
• Young people proved they had as much power
• Build another memorial
9. Relevancy of Evidence
▪CLAIM: Cell Phones should not be allowed in
school.
▫A. Cell phones distract from the learning environment.
Students who text or play games on their phones
during class do not hear directions or miss important
content.
▫B. Many students today bring cell phones to school.
▫C. Cell phones are more affordable now than they
were in 2000.
▫D. In surveys, some students report using their cell
phones to cheat on exams.
10. CLAIM: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
was largely responsible for
desegregating Central High School.
▪A. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education decision said that
schools should be desegregated with all deliberate speed.
▪B. President Eisenhower met with Governor Orval Faubus in
Rhode Island.
▪C.After Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National
Guard to block the Little Rock Nine from entering the
school, President Eisenhower eventually sent the 101st
Airborne Division to Little Rock to escort the students to
school.
▪D. President Eisenhower was really brave and was probably
one of the best presidents the United States has had.
12. Human Barometer Activity
▪ Anthropologist Margaret Mead said,
“Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful committed citizens can change
the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that
ever has.”
▪ Support, refute, or modify this statement based on specific
evidence from the history of the civil rights movement.
13. Human Barometer Activity
▪Miles Lehrman said,“a perpetrator is not
the most dangerous enemy.The most
dangerous part is the bystander because
neutrality always helps the killer.”
▪ Support, refute, or modify this statement based on specific
evidence from the history of the civil rights movement.
18. LA Network – online food for thought
▪"Powering up" series
▪Stereotypes of Asians in American comic books
– an exhibit at JANM
▪MoT – Anne exhibit
▪Teacher bloggers – middle school and high
school
19. Facing History & Ourselves
• Professional Development for Teachers
• Publications and Resources
• Community Conversations, Speakers for
Students
• Website: www.facinghistory.org
20. A Resource for you
▪www.facinghistory.org
▪Readings
▪Primary Sources and eyewitness accounts
▪Multimedia
▪Probing and discussion questions
▪Study guides/teaching ideas
▪Strategies to actively engage
▪On-line and face-to-face community
21.
22. Facing History student
Life used to be so easy. There always
seemed to be an answer to everything.
Everything fit into place, getting up at
seven o’clock, going to school at eight,
coming home at four, doing homework at
eight, and finally going to bed at eleven. In
my tightly scheduled life I left no time to
reflect. In these past four months, however,
I’ve been forced to think.