Recommended+Database+Sources

Access provided through Attea Middle School
 * Database Accessed:** netTrekker

“netTrekker is a leader in the delivery of digital K-12 educational content and is dedicated to enhancing the education of today's youth with highly effective technologies that deliver rich educational content to every child in a safe, relevant, easy-to-use format. With the mission to help every child learn and a belief that technology can transform education, netTrekker was first to market with a standards-based educational search tool,” (netTrekker).


 * Source Selected:** New York Times Learning Network: The Holocaust

netTrekker Search Results: Holocaust. //netTrekker//. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from school.nettrekker.com/searchKeyword?nextService=%2FgoPage%3Fnp%3D%2Fhome.ftl%26pp%3D%2Fhome.ftl&level=Middle&np=%2Fwebresults.ftl&pp=%2Fwebresults.ftl&searchType=WEBCONTENT&pass=&context=&limit=8&goFPersonSearch=&al=Middle&pref_code_1=HOMEPAGE&pref_value_
 * Citation**

One of the most powerful articles I found on this site was an eyewitness account of the concentration camps, written by author Harold Denny for the New York Times, published on May 6, 1945. The title //The World Must Not Forget// states clearly the author’s message to Americans back home as he traveled with American troops throughout Germany. A vast collection of lesson plans of the Holocaust for various grade levels and subjects can also be accessed for teachers. One particular plan, “Let the Truth Be Known,” was particularly appealing to me in that it related closely to the concept behind my Big 6 research unit, questioning the authenticity of historical writings.
 * Rationale:** This resource was selected for its plethora of primary sources on the Holocaust. Original text articles and photographs from the New York Times publications are found in PDF files on the site. With student-friendly searching available, this site puts newspaper articles from the 1940’s in the hands of students. In their original format, the materials allow students to relate to what information Americans in the United States had access to during and after the Holocaust.

**Database Accessed:** BrainPOP Access provided through Attea Middle School

BrainPOP includes animated video clips for students on various topics in each of the core subject areas. A more detailed description of features in included in the Rationale section.


 * Sources Selected:** Adolf Hitler: Why Dictatorships Are a Bad Idea, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Holocaust: A Dark Moment in Human History

BrainPOP | Social Studies | World History. //BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids//. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from []
 * Citation**

Under the topic of the Holocaust, BrainPOP contains three videos: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Adolf Hitler: Why Dictatorships Are a Bad Idea and Holocaust: A Dark Moment in Human History. These clips average four minutes in length and begin with the hosts of the program, Tim and Moby, answering a student’s question. For example, the Holocaust BrainPOP begins with a student writing in to ask the question, “What is the Holocaust?” The clip begins by explaining how the Holocaust came to be, giving important historical background, which sets up the circumstance in which Hitler came to power. Throughout the clip, BrainPOP using vocabulary terms in dialogue and then pauses to define them in student-friendly language. Some of the words defined in the Holocaust BrainPOP include: genocide, Nazi, anti-Semitism, quotas, concentration camps and Final Solution. The clip concludes with the hosts encouraging students to talk with their teachers and families about the Holocaust, stating that it’s important to talk about the Holocaust and remember it so that it does not happen again. This point relates directly back to our study’s essential question, “Why is it important to remember?” Supplemental materials for the Holocaust video include related articles on specific topics related to the Holocaust, a visual timeline of events of the Holocaust and a short description of each, a worksheet for students to define the vocabulary terms they saw in the video clip, a short quiz where students can check their understanding of the Holocaust and a question and answer section where a collection of frequently asked questions from students are answered by the BrainPOP hosts.
 * Rationale:** I admit that initially, I would not have considered using BrainPOP as a resource for teaching the Holocaust; I see so much more benefit in using primary resources, such as photographs, for this study. However, two years ago when I worked with my seventh graders on their Holocaust unit in LA, I received a phone call from a parent who was concerned with the amount of graphic material her student was encountering in my classroom. The student had left class very upset by some of the materials we were working with in class and shared her concerns at home with her family. The parent had requested that I look into additional materials on the Holocaust that her student could work with that were not as graphic.

**Database Accessed:** CultureGrams Access provided through Attea Middle School

CultureGrams allow students to connect with people in regions across the world. Whether you are searching throughout the United States or throughout the world, students are able to gather information on the historical background, people, customs and courtesies, lifestyle and society of the region. Photos, videos, interviews, famous people from the region and popular recipes also add to the students’ research.

ProQuest LLC. CultureGrams Online Database: Subscriber Area Only. //CultureGrams Online Database//. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from http://online.culturegrams.com/index.php
 * Citation**

My favorite section of CultureGrams allows students to “Get a kid’s-eye view of daily life in countries around the world,” (CultureGrams). After selecting a country, students can look up generally the same information they could in researching the country; however, they are also connected to student information, specific to the country’s young people, including games and sports, holidays, food and schools. My favorite area is entitled “Life as a Kid,” where students read about what daily life is like for a student in that particular region. Through interdisciplinary discussions in Social Studies and LA, our building strives to connect our students to students around the world. One of the deepest concerns students recognize with the Holocaust is how quickly and severely people were willing to separate themselves from others. CultureGrams can be used to not only inform students about people around the world, but to make connections with the people around the world, specifically recognizing how many ways in which we are all the same. In relation to our essential question, “Could a Holocaust happen again?” through CultureGrams, students can recognize that by becoming informed of others, they are less likely to discriminate or distance themselves from people who are different, hopefully preventing a holocaust in the future.
 * Rationale:** Although this resource only briefly discusses the Holocaust specifically, I envision this site benefiting both Social Studies and LA classrooms at the completion of their Holocaust studies.

**Database Accessed:** Discovery Education United Streaming Access provided through Attea Middle School

United Streaming is a search engine through Discovery Education that provides teachers with video clips, and in some cases supplemental resources, for educational purposes. Videos can be searched by class subject, grade level and topic.


 * Sources Selected:** Witness: Voices from the Holocaust

PBS. Witness Voices from the Holocaust. //United Streaming//. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=FAB9F311-33E3-408D-9BF1-0026B2F2FA98&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
 * Citation**

Witness: Voices from the Holocaust is a PBS documentary that includes testimonials from Holocaust survivors and witnesses of the tragedy. Some of the earliest recorded interviews given from survivors on their horrific experience are included in this documentary. Video clips, photographs and other primary resources are presented throughout the film. Also unique to this documentary is the range of perspectives that are presented in the collection. A member of the Hitler Youth, a Jesuit priest, concentration camp survivors, resistance fighters and an American Prisoner of War all contribute their accounts of the tragedy. This is very important in allowing students to recognize the way in which this event impacted all different people. Many of the individuals who are interviewed on the documentary were young during the time of the Holocaust; therefore their experiences are from a time in their lives that students today can relate to. Their personal testimonies on film put a face to the tragedy. Students who cannot seem to connect to reading text or looking at photographs of these individuals may be able to connect to the visual of these survivors sharing their experience. Seeing and hearing from the survivors and witnesses once again relate to our essential question, “Why should we remember?” The entire collection is an hour and twenty-eight minutes; I would recommend breaking the film down into specific clips that students would best connect to.
 * Rationale:** I always try to supplement our Holocaust study with a presentation from a Holocaust survivor. Given that this opportunity is such a privilege and is not always available, I wanted to find a video that would provide students with a first-hand account of the Holocaust experience from a survivor.

**Database Accessed:** EBSCOhost Middle Search Plus Access provided through Attea Middle School

EBSCOhost Middle Search Plus is an Internet search engine which browses material suitable for students in the middle level grades. EBSCOhost servers work with thousands of libraries and other educational institutions, searching content in each of the core content subject areas.


 * Sources Selected:** Children of the Holocaust

EBSCOhost: Children of the Holocaust. //EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page//. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=17&sid=4b57e94c-a586-4c35-947b-0c9f9c64c7a0%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=mih&AN=36657516
 * Citation**

This edition in particular begins with an engaging introduction which presents readers with four Jewish children: Daniel, Ellen, Anne and Elie. At the conclusion of the introduction, readers are informed that Daniel and Ellen are fictional, Daniel being from //Center Stage’s// Daniel’s Story and Ellen from Lois Lowry’s __Number the Stars__. Anne is of course Anne Frank and Elie is __Night__ author Elie Wiesel. The issue continues with articles on each of the four children and their experiences, whether real or fictional, with the tragic Holocaust. EBSCOhost’s Middle Plus Search provides a full color PDF copy of the entire Weekly Reader edition, which could be printed and given to students or read online.
 * Rationale:** This EBSCOhost search provided access to the full edition of the February 2009 issue of Weekly Reader. The rationale for including this resource in particular is with ELL and lower-ability readers in mind. Primary documents including video clips and photographs are great for visual comprehension with these students. However, when it comes to comprehending textbook readings or reading through factual information on a website, some students struggle with the material. The Weekly Reader is broken down into easier to read, yet still educational valuable, articles for middle school students.