Lesson Plan - The Children Who Escaped the Nazis

Build Background Knowledge

Have students watch the video “An Introduction to the Holocaust.” Then discuss these questions: What was the Holocaust? Why is it important to learn about it? What questions do you have about the Holocaust?

Preview Vocabulary

Use Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms Nazi, synagogue, World War II, Holocaust, prejudice, World War I, anti-Semitism, heritage, refugee, Axis, Allied, chancellor, and concentration camp. Have students refer to the Skill Builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud, have students read it independently, or have pairs read together, alternating paragraphs for the introduction and sidebars and each taking a part for the interview. As students read, ask them to jot down ideas in response to the “As You Read, Think About” question.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses or use the  Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• What was Kristallnacht? How did it affect Jewish people like Charlotte Keiderling? (Cause and Effect)
Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, took place on November 9, 1938. Nazis attacked Jewish people in Germany, Austria, and part of Czechoslovakia. They killed dozens of Jews and destroyed many Jewish homes, schools, businesses, and synagogues. The night of violence was a turning point that set off alarm bells throughout Europe and showed that the Nazis were intensifying their actions against the Jewish people. Charlotte Keiderling says she remembers the night and that it helped her parents decide to send her away to save her from the Nazis.

• What was the goal of the Kindertransport? Why did it mostly end once World War II began? (Analyzing Events)
The goal of the Kindertransport was to rescue children who faced Nazi violence or being sent to concentration camps in Axis-controlled areas. Between December 1938 and May 1940, it saved about 10,000 children, most of them Jewish, by sending them to Great Britain. Once the war started, only a few more rescue efforts succeeded. The rescues ended because crossing the English Channel became too dangerous when German planes started bombing ships.

• How did anti-Semitism affect Keiderling? (Domain-Specific Vocabulary)
Keiderling says she experienced anti-Semitism when a boy chased her shouting, “Jew! Jew!” It also affected her family when a Nazi asked her father to clean a bar. Ultimately, anti-Semitism resulted in Keiderling having to leave her home to escape the Nazis and never seeing her parents again. Her father survived a concentration camp, but her mother was killed.

• What was Keiderling’s attitude toward the Nazis? Did her answer surprise you? Why or why not? (Social and Emotional Learning)

Sample response: Keiderling says that she never felt hatred toward the Nazis, only “a great sadness.” This surprises me because the Nazis destroyed her family and committed such violence against the Jewish people. I think it would be hard not to feel angry about their prejudice and efforts to systematically murder all the Jewish people in Europe.

• What details from the interview stand out most to you? How do they help you understand historical events? (Key Details)
Sample response: Some of the details that stand out to me are Keiderling’s description of how people welcomed Adolf Hitler to Vienna. She says that people “gathered to yell as a big parade of soldiers, horses, and tanks came along.” That helps me understand how Hitler and the Nazis were able to take over so much of Europe and carry out many of their terrible plans because it shows that he was popular with many people. Other details that stand out are her description of her travels during the Kindertransport. When she says “each child was allowed to bring a little suitcase with some clothes, a little food, a blanket, and a toy,” it helps me imagine the scene on the train and understand how the events affected children.

• What are two other questions you would’ve asked Keiderling? Why? (Asking Questions)
Responses will vary.

• How does the map “Europe in 1942” support the interview? (Text Features)
The map supports the interview by showing how much of Europe was controlled by the Axis countries during World War II. Great Britain and the Soviet Union fought against them as Allied countries, along with the United States. Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey were neutral but almost all of the rest of the continent was under Nazi control.

Analyze a Timeline

Assign the Skill Builder Timeline: World War II to help students understand what happened during the conflict and analyze events that took place after the Kindertransport ended.

Enter This Year’s Eyewitness Contest

Use the Skill Builder Get Ready for Your Interview! to help students prepare for their conversations. Discuss the difference between open-ended and yes/no questions and brainstorm interview subjects together. Download the Eyewitness to History Contest Entry Form and Rules. The deadline has been extended. Entries must be postmarked by January 22, 2021.

Assess Comprehension

Use Quiz Wizard to assess students’ comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.