The Terrible Things Unit

Principal Investigator:
Deanne Hampton LaRue

Faculty Advisor:
Adara Goldberg

Abstract:
In this unit students are introduced to the terms “bystander” and “upstander” as an introduction to our unit on the Holocaust. Students will define the terms and explore how the concepts apply to their everyday lives. Through reading and viewing a video read aloud of The Terrible Things, we will then apply these terms to antisemitism and racism as we deepen our understanding of the Holocaust, its origin, and its lasting effect.

Before beginning our unit on the Holocaust, students are given an exercise to explore their understanding of the themes of bystander and upstander as they relate to characters in The Terrible Things. Upon completion of our Holocaust unit, students are given the same exercise to determine if their attitude toward being a bystander vs. upstander has changed.

My goal is to show the importance of teaching the Holocaust because I believe that people are more likely to be upstanders after learning about the atrocities of the Holocaust and the importance of being an upstander.