Recommended
Readings
and
Activities
for
the
Classroom


On
Genocide,
Human
Rights,
and
More

Grade
Levels:
9th‐12th






Teaching
About
Genocide



Confronting
Genocide:
Never
Again?
(Available
for
purchase
online)

http://www.choices.edu/resources/detail.php?id=36

Created
By:
The
Choices
Program

Themes:
Traces
the
evolution
of
the
international
community's
response
to
genocide
and

examines
how
the
United
States
has
responded
to
five
cases
of
genocide.
The
evaluation
of

multiple
perspectives,
informed
debate,
and
problem
solving
strategies
that
comprise
this
unit

enable
students
to
develop
their
own
policy
suggestions
concerning
America's
response
to

future
genocide.

Includes:






Student
Text

Teachers
Guide

Five
Lesson
Plans

1. Day
One's
lesson
helps
students
to
define
genocide.


2. Day
Two
asks
students
to
examine
five
different
cases
of
genocide
from
the
twentieth

century,
followed
by
a
class
activity
on
The
New
York
Times
coverage
of
the
Armenian

Genocide
in
1915.


3. Days
Three
and
Four
are
devoted
to
a
simulation
in
which
students
act
as
advocates
of

the
four
options
or
take
on
the
role
of
members
of
the
Senate
Committee
on
Foreign

Relations.


4. Day
Five
asks
students
to
design
their
own
'Option
Five'
and
apply
their
views
to

hypothetical
cases.


5. An
optional
lesson
is
also
included
in
the
unit
which
asks
students
to
construct
a
model
of

a
public
memorial
to
a
genocide.



Teaching
About
The
Definition
Of
Genocide
And
Its
Development
Over

Time



Raphael
Lemkin:
Identifying
Lemkin’s
Outrage—Lesson
One
(Available
for
free
online)

http://www2.facinghistory.org/Campus/reslib.nsf/lessonsnew/3A35B5EA501C2779852572970
068F09A?opendocument

 

Created
By:
Facing
History
and
Ourselves

Themes:
Understanding
the
phrase
"crimes
against
humanity",
describing
basic
information

about
the
Armenian
Genocide
and
the
trial
of
Soghomon
Tehlirian,
recognition
that
in
1921

there
was
no
legal
precedent
for
prosecuting
perpetrators
of
crimes
against
humanity,
gather

information
from
primary
and
secondary
sources.

Summary:
In
his
early
adulthood,
Raphael
Lemkin
did
not
set
out
to
change
the
world.
He
was

inspired
to
act
by
his
own
outrage
when
he
learned
about
the
crimes
the
Ottoman
Empire

committed
against
Armenians
during
World
War
I—
and
outraged
that
the
perpetrators
of

these
crimes
went
unpunished.
He
could
not
believe
that
there
was
no
legal
precedent
for

punishing
perpetrators
of
such
terrible
crimes
against
humanity.
The
purpose
of
this
lesson
is
to

help
students
understand
Lemkin’s
outrage
so
that
they
can
identify
what
motivated
Lemkin
to

take
action.



Raphael
Lemkin:
Exploring
Lemkin's
Actions‐
The
Invention
of
the
Word
"Genocide"—Lesson

Two
(Available
for
Free
Online)

http://www.facinghistory.org/Campus/reslib.nsf/lessonsnew/D0E8FA7B9AAA6B0F8525729700
68374A?opendocument
Created
By:
Facing
History
and
Ourselves
Themes:
Understanding
the
concept
of
sovereignty
as
it
applies
to
international
law
in
general,

and
crimes
against
humanity
in
particular;
the
power
of
language
and
why
Lemkin
felt
the
need

to
invent
a
new
word
to
describe
crimes
against
humanity;
Understanding
what
Lemkin
meant

by
the
term
genocide.
Summary:
This
lesson
focuses
on
how
Lemkin
turned
his
moral
outrage
into
action.
Upon

learning
about
the
trial
of
Tehlirian,
Lemkin
became
educated
about
international
law.

Following
Lemkin’s
path,
students
will
explore
the
concept
of
sovereignty
that
made
it
difficult

to
prosecute
perpetrators
of
genocide.
Lemkin
was
also
frustrated
by
the
fact
that
people,

including
politicians
such
as
Winston
Churchill,
did
not
have
sufficient
language
to
represent

horrible
crimes
against
humanity
and
civilization.
Indeed,
Churchill
referred
to
Nazi
atrocities
as

a
“crime
without
a
name.”
Lemkin
took
it
upon
himself
to
invent
a
new
word—genocide—to

represent
acts
committed
with
the
intent
to
destroy
a
group
of
people.
In
this
lesson,
students

will
begin
to
understand
Lemkin’s
notion
of
what
genocide
is,
as
they
also
consider
their
own

definitions
of
crimes
against
humanity
and
civilization.


Raphael
Lemkin:
Continuing
Lemkin’s
Legacy‐What
Can
We
Do
To
Stop
And
Prevent
Genocide

(Available
for
free
online)

http://www2.facinghistory.org/Campus/reslib.nsf/sub/onlinecampus/lessonunit/lemkin_contin
uing_legacy

Created
By:
Facing
History
and
Ourselves

Themes:

Expand
their
knowledge
of
the
United
Nations
Convention
on
the
Prevention
and

Punishment
of
the
Crime
of
Genocide;
Understand
the
limits
of
the
Genocide
Convention
in

stopping
and
preventing
genocide;
Explore
the
politics
of
making
change;
Gain
basic

background
information
about
the
genocide
in
Darfur;
Identify
actions
that
can
be
taken
to

 

prevent
and
stop
genocide;
Gather
information
from
primary
source
documents
(a
United

Nations
treaty
and
a
speech.

Summary:
Raphael
Lemkin
was
instrumental
in
the
drafting
and
the
adoption
of
the
United

Nations
Convention
on
the
Prevention
and
Punishment
of
the
Crime
of
Genocide.
With
the

ratification
of
this
treaty,
Raphael
Lemkin’s
original
goal
was
realized.
Now
there
was
an

international
law
that
nations
could
draw
on
to
prosecute
and
punish
perpetrators
of
genocide;

now
leaders
like
Mehmed
Talaat
could
be
brought
to
trial
in
International
Criminal
Court
and

men
like
Soghomon
Tehlirian
might
not
feel
compelled
to
take
justice
into
their
own
hands.
Yet,

since
the
Genocide
Convention
was
adopted
in
1948,
genocides
have
continued
around
the

world.
Activists,
such
as
Rebecca
Hamilton,
continue
the
struggle
for
genocide
prevention
that

Lemkin
began
in
the
1920s.
While
Lemkin
worked
to
create
a
law
when
one
did
not
exist,

today’s
activists
focus
on
pressuring
politicians
to
use
this
law
as
a
means
and
prevent

genocide.



Teaching
About
Human
Rights



Human
Rights:
Where
do
you
stand?
(Available
for
free
online
if
member
of
Facing
History

and
Ourselves)

www.facinghistory.org

Created
By:
Facing
History
and
Ourselves

Created
By:
Adapted
from
Understand
the
Law,
Part
I:
The
Individual
and
Society,
SCDC

Publications/The
Law
Society,
(Published
by
Edward
Arnold,
1988);
further
developed
by
Mike

Pasternak
and
by
Susan
Patterson,
who
introduced
it
at
the
International
Festival
of
Tolerance,

Terezin,
Czech
Republic,
1998‐2000.

Themes:
Understanding
the
concept
of
universal
human
rights,
relating
principles
of
UDHR
to

variety
of
situations
and
moral
dilemmas,
deepening
abilities
to
listen
and
respond
to
different

views,
importance
of
consensus
building

Summary:
This
activity
focuses
on
the
fundamental
concepts
embedded
within
the
Universal

Declaration
of
Human
Rights
(UDHR),
and
helps
students
relate
these
ideas
to
issues
and

situations
in
their
own
lives.



Teaching
About
Identity



Individuality
and
Stereotyping:
“Hand”
Identity
Charts
(Available
for
free
online
if
member
of

Facing
History
and
Ourselves)

www.facinghistory.org

Created
By:
Facing
History
and
Ourselves

Themes:
explore,
illustrate
and
articulate
identities,
reflect
on
the
differences
between
the

ways
in
which
we
see
ourselves
and
the
ways
in
which
others
might
see
us,
reflect
on
the

significance
of
identity
and
on
the
influence
our
sense
of
our
identity
can
have
on
our
choices,

Explore
the
language
of
imagery
and
symbol

 





Teaching
About
Race

Race:
Origins
and
Legacies
of
a
Modern
Construct
(Available
for
free
online
if
member
of

Facing
History
and
Ourselves)

www.facinghistory.org

Created
By:
Facing
History
and
Ourselves

Summary:
This
lesson
outline
explores
the
complicated
philosophical
roots
of
the
concept
of

"race,"
and
traces
its
legacies
to
the
eugenics
movement
in
the
United
States
during
the
early

20th
century.


Themes:
Explore
the
evolution
of
“race”
as
a
social
construct,
examine
the
influence
of
the

Enlightenment
era
on
the
creation
of
modern
definitions
of
race,
examine
how
“race”
evoloved

into
a
justification
for
the
political
and
social
institutions
of
the
18th
and
19th
centuries,
examine

the
role
of
science
in
shaping
ideas
of
race,
examine
how
preconceived
notions
and
judgments

shaped
the
“scientific”
discoveries
of
the
late
18th
and
mid
19th
centuries.




Teaching
About
20th
Century
Genocides


Armenia:
1915‐1923

iWitness:
Oral
and
Visual
Documentation
of
Survivors
of
the
Armenian
Genocide
(Available

for
free
online)

http://www.teachgenocide.org/teachingguides/index.htm

(PDF
Version)
http://www.teachgenocide.org/files/iwitness_Photo_Activity.pdf

Artists:
The
Genocide
Project
‐
Ara
Oshagan
and
Levon
Parian

Created
by:
The
Genocide
Education
Project
(www.GenocideEducation.org)

Themes:
Armenian
Genocide,
survivor
testimony,
the
power
of
photography

Includes:

Short
Introduction
on
Armenia
Genocide

Explanation
of
photo’s
by
the
Artists

8
Survivor
photos
and
brief
stories
from
their
point
of
view

Student
Activities:

1. Identify
themes
in
all
photos

2. Investigate
one
photo
and
then
read
text

3. Investigate
one
photo,
imagine
their
life
after
the
fact,
questions
for
survivor

4. For
school
or
homework:
write
about
own
photograph
and
story


 

 

The
New
York
Times
and
the
Armenian
Genocide:
A
Lesson
Plan
for
High
School
Students

(Available
for
free
online)

http://www.teachgenocide.org/teachingguides/index.htm

(PDF
Version)

http://www.teachgenocide.org/files/The%20New%20York%20Times%20and%20the%20Armeni
an%20Genocide.pdf

Created
by:
The
Genocide
Education
Project

Themes:
Armenian
Genocide,
the
definition
of
genocide,
US
complacency
during
the
Armenian

genocide,
media
as
an
advocacy
tool

Includes:

1. “The
New
York
Times
and
the
Armenian
Genocide”
reading
and
guided
questions

Reading:
Describes
how
New
York
Times
covered
the
Armenian
Genocide,
a
little

background
on
the
genocide,
a
little
background
on
the
creation
of
the
term
including

about
Raphael
Lempkin.

2. The
International
Definition
of
Genocide
and
the
Armenian
Case:
Student
Worksheet

One

Asks
students
to
compare
the
definition
with
the
facts
included
in
a
New
York
Times

article
during
that
time.

3. Overhead
for
Class
Discussion:
Definition
of
Genocide

4. Worksheet
Two:
Writing
a
Letter
to
the
Editor

Asks
students
to
write
a
letter
to
the
New
York
Times
telling
them
the
role
that
media

can
play
in
stopping
genocide
and
uses
a
current
reference
from
ushmm
Committee
on

Conscience.


5. 6
New
York
Times
newspaper
articles
during
the
Armenian
Genocide

6. Additional
Resources:

Committee
on
Conscience
at
the
United
States
Holocaust
Memorial
Museum

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/

Themes:
Keeps
tabs
on
current
situations
around
the
world
where
genocide
could
or
is

occurring.

The
New
Yorker,
“Dept.
of
Style:
Word
Problem”

Issue
of
2004‐05‐03

Posted
2004‐04‐26

www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040503ta_talk_bass

Themes:
Examines
the
issues
around
calling
the
Armenia
a
“Genocide”
and
The
New

York
Time’s
reluctance
to
use
the
word.

The
Letters
Editor
and
the
Reader:
Our
Compact,
Updated,
by
Thomas
Feyer

www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/opinion/23READ.html?ex=1127534400&en=f60bee04cf
c9046c&ei=5070&oref=login

Themes:
Answers
frequently
asked
questions
about
Letters
to
the
Editor.



Genocide
and
the
Human
Voice:
An
interactive
online
classroom
for
students

 

“Nicole’s
Journey”
(Available
for
free
online)


www.LearnGenocide.org

Created
By:
The
Genocide
Education
Project

Summary:
This
interactive
online
classroom
provides
students
a
background
to
the
history
of

the
Armenian
Genocide
and
the
effects
of
the
denial
of
the
Genocide
on
subsequent

generations.
Nicole’s
real
life
journey
to
the
village
of
her
grandmother,
now
in
Eastern
Turkey,

illustrates
the
continued
pain
that
genocide
brings
and
the
fortitude
of
those
searching
for

truth.

The
tutorial
is
divided
into
five
sections.
Each
section
includes
an
assignment
composed
of
short

answer
questions
and
a
writing‐based
assignment.
Teachers
will
be
able
to
create
classrooms

within
this
interactive
plan
where
they
will
list
their
students
(not
personal
information
about

students
will
be
collected)
obtaining
for
each
a
user
name
and
password
to
access
the
lesson.


As
students
progress
through
the
plan,
the
assignments
they
complete
will
automatically
be

saved
under
their
user
name
for
teachers
to
view
at
a
later
date.

Bosnia:
1992‐1995



Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo. (Book available for purchase online)
http://www.amazon.com/Zlatas-Diary-Zlata-Filipovic/dp/0140242058
Author: Filipovic, Zlata.
Penguin Books, 1995.
Summary: Almost a parallel to The Diary of Anne Frank, this collection of diary entries from an
eleven year old gives an important perspective on life in Sarajevo. Organized by entry, the book
is a great read for junior high to high school students, or passages from it could easily
supplement a general discussion of the former Yugoslavia. ISBN: 0140242058.


Rwanda:
1994



Defying
Genocide:
Movie
and
Classroom
Guide
(Movie
and
guide
available
for
free
online)

Created
By:
Committee
on
Conscience
of
the
United
States
Holocaust
Memorial
Museum

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis/details.php?content=2007‐01‐
05&menupage=Central+Africa

Themes:
Definition
of
genocide,
Rwanda
genocide,
rescuers,
aftermath
and
reconstruction,

student
activism

Includes:

15
minute
DVD

Preparation
and
Debriefing
Resources
and
Activity
Questions

1. What
is
Genocide?

2. Timelines

3. Historical
Background

4. Preparation
Activities

5. Debriefing
Questions

6. Rwanda
and
Genocide
Today

 

7. Ethnicity
in
Rwanda


Ghosts
of
Rwanda:
Movie
and
Lesson
Plan
(Movie
available
for
purchase
online,
lesson
plan

available
for
free
online)

Lesson Plan: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/ghosts/

Movie:
http://teacher.shop.pbs.org/home/index.jsp

Created
By:
PBS
Teachers
Center

Summary:
In
addition
to
interviews
with
key
government
officials
and
diplomats,
the
two‐hour

documentary
offers
groundbreaking,
eyewitness
accounts
of
the
genocide
from
those
who

experienced
it
firsthand:
from
Tutsi
survivors
who
recount
the
horror
of
seeing
their
friends
and

family
members
slaughtered
by
neighbors
and
coworkers;
to
the
UN
peacekeepers
stationed

amid
the
carnage
who
were
ordered
not
to
intervene;
to
those
holding
positions
of
power
at

the
White
House.
Through
these
accounts,
FRONTLINE
illustrates
the
social,
political,
and

diplomatic
failures
that
enabled
the
slaughter
of
800,000
people
to
occur
unabated
and

unchallenged
by
the
global
community.
Students
will
also
have
the
opportunity
to
learn
about

both
the
International
Military
Court
of
Justice
and
the
gacaca,
the
grass‐roots
level
courts
for

those
who
participated
in
the
genocide
but
were
not
leaders.

Includes:

1. Pre‐Viewing
Lesson
Plan:

Learning
about
Rwanda

Students
will
learn
about
key
events
in
Rwandan
history,
terms
used
in
the
film,
and

the
basic
principles
of
the
United
Nations.
They
will
discuss
the
meaning
of
genocide

and
explore
different
points
of
view
in
reporting
an
historical
event.

2. Viewing
Lesson
Plan:

Student
Viewing
Guide

Students
will
be
assigned
to
take
notes
from
a
particular
perspective
while
viewing

the
film.
As
a
large
group,
the
class
will
discuss
the
impact
of
the
film.

3. Post‐Viewing
Lesson
Plan:

The
Big
Picture

Students
will
explore
the
different
actions
and
reactions
of
people
and
groups
who

were
involved
in
Rwanda.

4. Lesson
Extension:

The
Aftermath
of
Genocide

Students
will
read
articles
and
consider
what
happens
after
genocide.



Darfur:
2003‐Present



Sudan:
Staring
Genocide
in
the
Face
(Available
for
free
online)

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/darfur/staring_genocide_in_the_face/

Created
By:
United
State
Holocaust
Memorial
Museum

Includes:

1. Picture
and
Slideshow
with
audio
commentary
by
Jerry
Fowler

 

Shows
photos
from
Darfur
and
Chad
from
a
trip
Jerry
Fowler
took
their
in
2004.
Jerry

explains
the
photos
and
gives
us
a
look
into
the
daily
lives
of
Darfur
refugees.

2. In
Sudan:
Staring
Genocide
in
the
Face
by
Jerry
Fowler

Article
that
gives
some
historical
context
to
the
current
situation
and
talks
about
the

necessity
of
action
to
end
the
conflict,
and
whether
or
not
it
is
a
“genocide.”

3. Sudan:
Death
by
Designation
by
Jerry
Fowler

Audience:
Students:
7th‐12th


Discusses
the
issues
surrounding
the
naming
of
Darfur
as
a
“Genocide.”

4. Possible
Activities

a. Questions
about
Slideshow:

1. What
feelings
do
these
photos
conjure
up?

2. What
kinds
of
struggles
do
Darfurians
have
to
deal
with
in
the

camps?

3. In
what
ways
have
the
Darfurians
demonstrated
strength
and

hope
for
the
future?

4. What
happened
to
them
before
they
reached
the
camps?



Darfur
Now:
Movie
and
Lesson
Plan
(Movie
available
for
purchase
online,
Lesson
Plan

available
for
free
online)

Lesson
Plan:
http://www.takepart.com/darfurnow/studyguides_darfur.html

Movie:
http://www.takepart.com/darfurnow/index.html

Created
By:
Melissa
Robinson
and
Take
Part

Themes:
origins
of
the
conflict
taking
place
in
Darfur
and
eastern
Chad,
Analyze
the
conflict

through
a
human
rights
lens,
Identify
the
major
players
of
the
conflict,
Demonstrate
an

understanding
of
the
human
rights
violations
being
committed
in
the
conflict,
To
identify

rape/sexual
violence
as
a
tool
of
war,
To
demonstrate
an
understanding
of
the
situations
and

needs
of
refugees
and
IDPs,To
examine
personal
accounts
of
the
conflict
by
women
and
girls,

and
by
refugees
and
IDPs,
To
encourage
students
to
brainstorm
conflict
resolution
options
that

could
translate
into
action

Includes:

•
Lesson
1
is
an
introduction
to
the
conflict

•
Lesson
2
examines
how
the
conflict
affects
women
and
girls

•
Lesson
3
examines
how
the
conflict
affects
refugees
and
internally

displaced
persons
(IDPs)



Congo

–Present



Ripples
of
Genocide:
Journey
Through
Eastern
Congo
(Available
for
free
online)

http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/congojournal/

Created
By:
United
States
Holocaust
Memorial
Museum:
Committee
on
Conscience

 

Themes:
Events
in
DRC,
efforts
to
prevent
genocide
elsewhere,
first
hand
accounts
and

photographs,
causes
of
genocide,
role
of
human
rights
organizations
in
addressing
genocide,

challenges
to
preventing,
how
students
can
raise
awareness,
displacement
and
hunger,
child

soldiers,
militias
and
armed
groups,
attacks
on
villages/collapse
of
coping
systems,
rape
and

counseling.

Includes:






Activities
based
on
web
resources
provided
by
Ripples
of
Genocide
at
USHMM
website

1. Comparing
Accounts

2. Interpreting
Images

3. Alternative:
Poster
to
inform
students
about
DRC

4. Discussion
Questions

5. News
and
Watch
Journal