Choose-Your-Own-Adventure: Student creates interactive biography of Oskar Schinder

Katie W. from Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, knew little about Oskar Schindler.

"Everyone has seen the movie, 'Schindler's List'," she explains, "but few people actually know much about this person. I wanted to create something that would get people involved and would show them that he had many options open to him. He had to make decisions each step of the way."

Katie's teacher at Charles Wright Academy, Nick Coddington, is credited with giving her the time and inspiration to create this project, which was entered in the National History Day Contest. Katie won the regional competition and placed 4th in the state.

Katie recently presented her work to teachers at the Holocaust Center's teacher training workshop in Tacoma last week. Her outstanding work, her dedication to this project, and her creativity greatly impressed everyone.

Katie created and designed the entire website herself by writing the html code. All of her facts have been checked and double-checked. She provides links to definitions and biographies and even includes short video clips to enhance the story and experience.

http://www.hemispheredm.com/~oskar/

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Do you know the definition of the Holocaust?

Look in textbooks, in the dictionary, and you will find a myriad of different definitions - most of which are incomplete, and some are just plain inaccurate.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, generally regarded as one of the authorities on the Holocaust, officially defines the Holocaust as:

The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and destruction of European Jewish people by the Nazis and their collaborators between the years 1933-1945. While Jews were the primary target of Nazi hatred, the Nazis also persecuted and murdered Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Poles and people with disabilities. Six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Of these 6 million, 1.5 million were children.

How do textbooks define the Holocaust? We'd love to know the definitions you find (and the sources in which you find them). Please considering sharing them here!

Website resources used nationwide

Just yesterday we received two requests – one from Alabama and one from Kentucky – for resources created by two of our Master Teachers - Jo C. and Julie S.

To view the resources from these outstanding educators and others, visit http://www.wsherc.org/teaching/handouts.aspx (You will see Jo’s lessons here if you scroll down a little bit).

These are only two of the many requests we have received for these materials from around the country. Other places include NJ, TN, AK, and others. It’s wonderful to know that when teachers are looking for materials on Holocaust education, they are finding our site and using the materials we are providing!

If you look at our new facebook fanpage, you will also see that people from around the country are becoming fans.