PUTTING A FACE TO THE NUMBERS:
Revealing First-Hand Accounts of Historical Genocide

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  Fine Arts, Geography, Global History, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Fighting Hate, Across Cultures and Generations, By COREY KILGANNON", January 16, 2004

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students learn about how hearing about experiences of genocide can make an impact on students. Then, students create a text on the history of genocide, using first-hand accounts and other primary sources as the focus of the text.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:
1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

1. Define "genocide"; discuss reasons why genocide occurs.
2. Learn about how David Gewirtzman and Jacqueline Murekatete teach the subject of genocide by reading and discussing the article "Fighting Hate, Across Cultures and Generations."
3. In groups, research various historical genocide.
4. Compile a chapter for a "History of Genocide" textbook.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

• paper
• pens/pencils
• copies of the article "Fighting Hate, Across Cultures and Generations" (one per student)
• computers with Internet access
• history textbooks, and other history resources

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Students respond to the following journal prompt, written on the board prior to class: "What is genocide? Why do you think genocide occurs? What are some examples of genocide in the past two centuries?" After giving students a few minutes to write, have some students share their answers with the class.
2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Fighting Hate, Across Cultures and Generations," focusing on the following questions:
   1. How did David Gewirtzman survive the Holocaust?
   2. When did Jacqueline Murekatete meet Mr. Gewirtzman?
   3. What did Murekatete and Gewirtzman decide to do together, and why?
   4. Acording to Elaine Weiss, what is the benefit of having Murekatete and Gewirtzman speak together?
   5. How did Ms. Murekatete survive the genocide in Rwanda?
   6. Who is helping Ms. Murekatete publish her book?
   7. According to Ms. Murekatete, how can students help her?
3. Divide students into groups of three or four, assigning each group a different historical genocide to research. (These might include the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, and the Native American genocide. Resources about historical genocide include (www.genocidewatch.org) and (www.ppu.org.uk). Groups research the genocide, focusing on first-hand accounts of the events, from the perspectives of both victims and aggressors. Groups should determine the answers to the following questions, focusing on the differences in points-of-view between various accounts, both primary and secondary:
   • What was the impetus for the genocide (e.g., desire for political power, religious persecution, etc)? What groups were involved, both as victim and aggressor?
   • What was the duration of the genocide?
   • What was the death toll of the genocide?
   • Were there particular events during the genocide in which a greater number of people died?
   • Were people simply killed, or were they tortured as well?
   • How did the aggressors feel about their role (e.g., did they see themselves as "just following orders", as morally justified)?
   • How were the lives of the survivors affected?
   • How did the international community respond to the genocide?
   After conducting research, each group creates a chapter in a "History of Genocide" textbook. The chapter should address each of the questions above, using the following format:
   • the juxtaposition of primary and secondary sources to reveal different aspects of the same event
   • charts, graphs, and other visual aids (including pictures of those involved, where possible)
   • at the end of the chapter, five review or reading comprehension questions, three critical thinking questions, and two analytical questions that prompt students to reflect on the personal accounts provided in the chapter.
   Groups should visit (www.nytimes.com/library) for ideas when creating their chapters.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: At home, groups finish their chapters. In a later class, groups compile all chapters to create. Chapters may be organized chronologically, regionally, or in another meaningful way.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Do you think you would be more impacted by hearing Gewirtzman and Murekatete speak together than you would by hearing either of them alone? Why or why not?
• Stalin once said "the death of one person is a tragedy; the death of a million is a statistic." How does this help explain how genocide is allowed to occur?
• The term "genocide" was coined in 1944. Do you think that it should be used retroactively, to describe historical mass killings that fall into this category? If not, what should such events be called?
• Have you ever met the survivor of genocide? How did this meeting impact you?
• Do you think that a person who has been through the type of trauma that Murekatete has should seek counseling? Are there other ways of learning to cope with the pain of such traumas?
• How do you think people could suggest (as some do) that the Holocaust never happened? What danger does this sort of belief pose?

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on completion of journal, participation in class discussion, participation in group research, and completion of chapter for textbook.

VOCABULARY:
Genocide, potential, relevance, theory, naïve, machetes, asylum, advocate, traumatic, transcends, race, ethnicity

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

1. Read one of Elie Weisel's books about his experience in the Holocaust, such as "Night" or "Dawn." Write a journal as you read, noting passages that you find particularly moving or relevant.
2. Read the comic series "Maus," based on the events of the Holocaust. Then choose another tragic event in world history and create a comic book to teach children about it. Remember that the book should impart the seriousness of the event, but not be inaccessible or overly frightening.
3. Invite a speaker to your school who has experienced a traumatic event about which you think your school community should be aware. The event may be genocide, a car accident involving a drunk driver, sexual assault, or any other event about which awareness should be raised.
4. Learn about the evolution of the term "euthanasia." When was this word created and in what context? How has its meaning changed since it was first introduced? After you research the term, write an opinion paper defending or challenging the concept of assisted suicide, keeping in mind the origins of the word itself.
5. Write a script for a play or film based on a personal account of genocide. The account could be one you read about (perhaps Gewirtzman's, Murekatete's, or both), or one about which you have heard directly from the person.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Current Events- Accounts of mass killings and torture that have taken place in Iraq during Sadaam Hussein's regime continue to surface. Keep a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and summaries of radio or television news interviews on this subject. After compiling your data, write a short analysis determining whether the evidence suggests genocide (as it is traditionally defined), or whether these events should be characterized by a different term.

Civics- The term genocide carries with it many political and social repercussions. Learn about how the term is officially used (e.g. in the United Nations and by individual nations), and what responsibilities various political and social bodies have when a situation is officially determined to be a genocide. Write a paper explaining this process, including your own thoughts about it.

Fine Arts- Many artists have created visual representations of traumatic events, both public and private (e.g., Picasso's "Guernica" or Munch's "The Scream"). Using these and other works of art as a model, create your own artistic rendition of a tragic historical (or personal) event.

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Copyright 2004
The New York Times Company