Instead of relying solely on assigned readings and tests to teach Clarkston schools? eighth graders about the Holocaust, the language arts department opted to steep the children in the horrors of the World War II concentration camps.
‘A lot of our kids have grandparents who fought in World War II, so they connect to this unit on a personal level,? said Sue Wilson, who teaches at Sashabaw Middle School.
By the end of March all eighth graders will have read The Diary of Anne Frank, made a presentation scrutinizing a certain area of the Holocaust and visited the Holocaust Memorial Center in Southfield.
‘The Nazis tried to destroy all the evidence of what they had done. I thought it was interesting how (the museum) was able to bring all the facts together,? said Davis VanderVeen, of CMS.
Clarkston Middle School eight graders went to the Holocaust Memorial Center in three groups. Sashabaw Middle School will take two trips in March.
‘What was most astonishing to me was how they made (the museum) look like a concentration camp,? said Taylor Benson, of CMS. ‘We were driving along and then all of a sudden there was this building that looked like it was out of the 40’s.?
After a guided tour of the museum, the children met a Holocaust survivor and were able to get a personal view of the atrocities committed.
‘What stuck out for me was the speaker there, who spoke about their experiences in the Holocaust. It was very, very emotional,? said Kellyn Carpenter, of CMS. ‘With the speaker everything that you read and everything that you saw was real. Soon there isn’t going to be any more Holocaust survivors.?
‘We’re just glad we got the opportunity (to meet a survivor),? added Benson.
Other students were struck by some of the exhibits.
‘They had a wall with all of the different countries on it showing how many people had died from each country,? said Kaycee Morra, of CMS. ‘Even though we had read about it and I had seen the numbers before, someone actually telling us and looking at the numbers gave them new meaning.?
The students were also moved by reading The Diary of Anne Frank.
‘Things like (The Diary of Anne Frank) are hard to read, but at the same time, you can’t put them down,? said Benson.
‘Especially because she was the same age as us,? added Carpenter. ‘Just to see what she went through, cooped up in that tiny room. (That) would really drive you crazy.?
The unit, especially the field trip segment, has left a lasting impression on the students.
‘Even though we’ve been learning about (the holocaust) for months, I don’t think we could ever learn enough about it. I want to keep learning,? said Morra.