Welcome to Facing History! For the past ten years I have been teaching Constitutional Law, which I truly love and will continue; however, when I was approached about delving back into teaching history I got excited. And particularly so for Facing History, which challenges teachers and students to dig deeply into an analysis of the Holocaust as well as the depths of human nature... this class calls for introspection... and that is a humbling challenge for all involved.
Week One: Introduction
Monday (08.08.22): Brief introduction to the class. Set up attendance and seating chart. Complete "Student Information Update" and "A Penny..."
Tuesday (08.09.22): Discuss assignment from yesterday... "A penny for your thoughts..."
Wednesday (08.10.22): Briefly discuss Bonhoeffer's life. Review/discuss syllabus. Complete "Syllabus Review" in TEAMS. Due Friday.
Thursday (08.11.22): Facing History video. Discuss "Ideological Survey." Complete during class. Tally up score - should be between 50 and 250.
Friday (08.12.22): Begin discussing the survey. Plot scores along the liberal/conservative continuum on the board.
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Facing History Syllabus (Fall 2022).docx Size : 15.859 Kb Type : docx |
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Ideological Survey for Students (2022-23).docx Size : 21.614 Kb Type : docx |
Week Two: Group Discussions
Monday (08.15.22): Complete "Tolerance and Pluralism" in TEAMS. Discuss "Ideological Survey." Focus on survey items 20 - 32 for class discussion.
Tuesday (08.16.22): Continue discussing the survey. Plot scores along the liberal/conservative continuum on the board
Wednesday (08.17.22): Plot scores on continuum on the board. Complete "Ideological Survey Closeout Form" in TEAMS. Due today.
Thursday (08.18.22): Complete "Middle Ground: Democrats vs. Republicans" and respond to questions in TEAMS... due today!
Friday (08.19.22): Read article from Washington Post and respond to questions in TEAMS. Due today.
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Ideological Survey - Closeout Assessment (2020).docx Size : 8.715 Kb Type : docx |
We will take time to read the article, posted to right, from The Washington Post. Please respond to questions in TEAMS. This article links our discussions concerning ideology to Facing History.
Week Three: Why Facing History? The Need for Civil Discourse.
Monday (08.22.22): Why Facing History??? A discussion concerning the need for civil discourse in the 21st century.
Tuesday (08.23.22): Take the "Holocaust Familiarity Diagnostic" during class in TEAMS today. Results are only for your own reflection.
Read article posted below and respond to questions in TEAMS. Due today - work diligently!
Wednesday (08.24.22): The Gerda Weissman story, "One Survivor Remembers," a short documentary... no written assignment today.
Thursday (08.25.22): Read article linked below: "American Anti-Semitism - Hate is on the Rise," and respond to question in TEAMS.
Friday, (08.26.22): View video linked below... "A New Generation Visits Auschwitz." View and discuss.... no written assignment.
Monday, we will take time in class to complete the diagnostic posted to the left. The results of this assignment are only for you to consider in preparation for our semester together. It's also meant to be a pre-reading assignment for the article below.
Please take time to review the article linked to the right. Respond to the review questions posted in TEAMS. Work is due Wednesday!
Posted below: An article from The Economist highlighting the race to document all 6 million victims of the Holocaust. This is an interesting read.
We will view the video posted to left during class Friday as a culminating event for the week. No written assignment.
Week Four: Introspection
Monday (08.29.22): Introduce next assignment, "The Bear That Wasn't." Complete reading and responses in TEAMS. Link found below. Due today.
Tuesday (08.30.22): Discuss "The Bear That Wasn't" briefly. Nature vs. Nurture. Read story of Ursula Martens and respond in TEAMS. Due today.
Wednesday (08.31.22): View interview of Ursula Martens. Finish work on article review in TEAMS. Begin working on Bonhoeffer assignment.
Thursday (09.01.22): Short lecture concerning Bonhoeffer. Facing History video. Complete assignment in TEAMS - due today.
Friday (09.02.22): "Identity in the Camps" from Facing History. Consider the story of Primo Levi and respond in TEAMS. Due today.
Please click on the link to right and read the story by Frank Tashlin. Log into TEAMS and complete the set of questions accompanying this story. We will use this story to begin the process of introspection.
If you're like me, sometimes thinking introspectively is a challenge. I am encouraged by historical heroes such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer's brutal honesty, particularly in times of peril, and I hope you will be as well. Please take time to read the biographical information and analysis beneath this poem. Also, there is a link to a short biography.
As a final consideration under this theme of identity, we will consider the story of Primo Levi, an Italian Jew who survived Auschwitz. Please respond to questions in TEAMS.
Week Five: Hitler's Rise to Power
Monday (01.31.22): "How did Hitler Happen?" We will be discussing Hitler's rise to power in Germany and responding to questions in TEAMS.
Tuesday (02.01.22): Please use class time to review the article posted below, "How did Hitler happen?" from the WWII Museum. Due in tomorrow.
Wednesday (02.02.22): View video from Facing History "Hitler's Rise to Power." Finish assignment in TEAMS. Due today.
Thursday (02.03.22): School Closed (Ice Storm)
Friday (02.04.22): School Closed (Ice Storm)
We will view this short documentary from Facing History concerning Hitler's rise to power in the early 1930s Germany. No written assignment. Just pay attention and be ready to discuss.
This is a great article from the World War II museum in New Orleans! Please take your time reading this article and responding to the questions in TEAMS. Due Friday.
Week Six: Fascism and The Hitler Youth
Monday (02.07.22): School Closed (Ice Storm)
Tuesday (02.08.22): Define and discuss purpose of satire. Begin viewing "JoJo Rabbit." No written assignment.
Wednesday (02.09.22): Review purpose of satire. Discuss first part of film. Finish "JoJo Rabbit" today and discuss tomorrow.
Thursday (02.10.22): Work on film review in TEAMS. Due tomorrow.
Friday (02.11.22): View "Confessions of a Hitler Youth - Alfons Heck." Discuss documentary and film. Finish film review - due today in TEAMS!
We will take time to review the film, "JoJo Rabbit." In preparation for viewing this film, we will read the article posted to left from Time Magazine. Respond to questions in TEAMS.
We will review this short documentary (linked to right) in order to further develop our understanding of the Nazi infiltration and attempted destruction of the German families. Will will discuss in conjunction with our review of JoJo Rabbit.
Week Seven: Anti-Semitism
Monday (02.14.22): Please take time today to begin work on the assignment "From Religious Oppression to Anti-Semitism" - due today in TEAMS.
Tuesday (02.15.22): Read article "From Religious Oppression to Anti-Semitism" and view short documentary - responses due in TEAMS.
Wednesday (02.16.22): Listen to piece from NPR at beginning of class. Review documentary "Why the Jews?" and respond in TEAMS - due today.
Thursday (02.17.22): Continue discussion of historical and 21st century Anti-Semitism. Read article, "Jewish Blood Libel" and respond in TEAMS.
Friday (02.18.22): Take time to finish work on "Jewish Blood Libel." Due today in TEAMS.
Take time in class Monday and Tuesday to work on this article and documentary review concerning the history of Anti-Semitism. Work is due Tuesday.
Wednesday, we will discuss Anti-Semitism and then take a look at the documentary posted to the right, "Why the Jews?" Respond to questions posted in TEAMS - due Wednesday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a terror threat bulletin warning that supporters of foreign terrorist organizations have encouraged copycat attacks following last month's hostage standoff crisis at Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.
We will begin class Wednesday by reviewing this short piece from NPR concerning a recent terrorist attack on a Texas synagogue.
Thursday, we will continue discussing the history of Anti-Semitism, and particularly look at the myth of Jewish blood libel. Assignment in TEAMS due Friday.
If we have time, or perhaps if you are all caught up on assignments for this week, please view the lecture, posted to the left, from Professors Magda Teter and David Meyers.
Week Eight: Anti-Fascism
Monday (02.21.22): President's Day! No class.
Tuesday (02.22.22): Read article "Hitler's First Speech" from Facing History. Respond to questions in TEAMS. Listen to Bonhoeffer's radio response.
Wednesday (02.23.22): View short video concerning the "Swingjugend." Then, complete assignment "Swing Heil!" in TEAMS. Due tomorrow.
Thursday (02.24.22): Complete assignment, "Swing Heil!" - due in TEAMS today.
Friday (02.25.22): Please take time to check grades in TEAMS and Powerschool today. Email me with any issues: fernandezwa@scsk12.org. Thank you.
If you are finished with your work for the week, please review the link below, "Jazz in the Third Reich," for a fascinating read!
We have spoken in class already about how Bonhoeffer's father quickly identified a psychologically disturbed man upon hearing Hitler's first radio address. Well, here it is in written form. Please read and respond to questions in TEAMS for Tuesday.
As we have discussed in class, Bonhoeffer spoke out early and boldly against Hitler in the early years of the Third Reich. He also understood the necessity of meeting the opposition head on in their chosen format of media: radio.
As we discussed in class, Hitler couldn't allow American music into Germany, because it would expose all of his lies concerning the Aryan race and the Fatherland. Great American black and Jewish composers and musicians were banned from importation. Read article to below. Pictured right: German "Schlurfs" celebrating American swing culture and listening to illegal swing on the radio! Click on image to read article!
We will take time in class to listen to some of the great American jazz masters - use the two links below to better understand why the Nazis might have been so against American jazz and swing music:
For those of you who have finished this week's assignments early, click on the links below to learn more about swing music and the Holocaust:
Take a few minutes to review the film posted to the right. During the early 1940s, Looney Tunes, produced cartoons mocking dictators overseas and promoting democracy, as well as the purchase of war bonds.
Weeks Nine and Ten
Monday (02.28.22): Introduce film, "Schindler's List." View "The Accidental Hero - Oscar Schindler." Responses due in TEAMS today.
Tuesday (03.01.22): Watch trailer. Interview of Rena Finder about Schindler. Read "The Real Story Behind Schindler's List." Questions in TEAMS.
Wednesday (03.02.22): Review poem, "Take This Giant Leap." Discuss. Respond in TEAMS. Begin "Schindler's List."
Thursday (03.03.22): Continue viewing "Schindler's List." No written assignment during the viewing.
Friday (03.04.22): Continue viewing "Schindler's List." There will be a follow-up written assessment. Pay careful attention.
Week Ten:
March 07-11, 2022: Finish Schindler's List. Complete film review assessment. Complete "The Difference Between Knowing and Believing."
Monday, we will view the short documentary concerning Oscar Schindler, "The Accidental Hero." Please respond to questions in TEAMS as we review it in class.
Tuesday, we will first review this short interview of Rena Finder, as she tells her story and shares her thoughts on Oscar Schindler.
Tuesday, in preparation for beginning the film, we will take time to read the article from Time Magazine posted to right. Complete questions in TEAMS.
Spring Break!!! March 14-18, 2022
Week Eleven: American Civil Rights -Historical Foundations
Monday (03.21.22): Guiding question: "Is America becoming increasingly or decreasingly divided by race over time?" Group discussion and analysis.
Tuesday (03.22.22): Discuss "Jimmy the Greek." Begin viewing "Race: The Power of an Illusion." Respond to questions in TEAMS. Due Wednesday.
Wednesday (03.23.22): Continue viewing documentary. Complete questions in TEAMS during class. Due today.
Thursday (03.24.22): Read "Growing Up With Racism." Respond to prompts in TEAMS. Due tomorrow.
Friday (03.25.22): View "Race: The Story We Tell." Complete assignment in TEAMS. Due today.
We will begin tackling the topic of race this week in class. After a brief introductory exercise, we will take the time to review the video "Race: The Power of an Illusion," linked to the right. You will be required to respond to a series of prompts in TEAMS.
Lisa Delpit is an educator who grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at a time when police officers patrolled the street that separated the city’s black and white residents. Although that time in history has passed, her experiences continue to shape Delpit’s views, including her hopes and fears for her child.
We will take time in class Friday to review the documentary posted to right. Please complete assignment in TEAMS as you view this thought-provoking history of race in the United States.
Week Twelve: The Scottsboro Boys - Lessons in Law and Equity
Monday (03.28.22): Take first part of class to complete make-up work. Then, begin pre-reading assignment in TEAMS for Scottsboro Boys case
Introduction from Emory University Professor Carol Anderson - link: https://universitywildcats.edlioschool.com/apps/video/watch.jsp?v=137705
Tuesday (03.29.22): Discuss terminology from the Scottsboro Case. Continue working on assignment in TEAMS "Pre-Reading." Due today.
Wednesday (03.30.22): Read and discuss article linked below from the ACLU. Respond to question in TEAMS. Due Thursday.
Thursday (03.31.22): Take time to complete article and questions in TEAMS - due today. Lecture "Jim Crow in the American South."
Friday (04.01.22): Begin reviewing documentary "The Scottsboro Boys." Answer "Guided Viewing Questions" in TEAMS.
We will take a couple days in class to review the article, linked to the right, concerning the tragedy of the Scottsboro Boys case in Alabama. First we will take time to complete the "Pre-Reading Assignment" in TEAMS. Secondly, we will read the article from the ACLU and complete questions in TEAMS.
Upon completion of the Pre-Reading Assignment, as well as the article review from the ACLU, we will be taking some class time to review the documentary linked to the right, "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy."
Week Thirteen: The Scottsboro Boys - Lessons in Law and Equity Continued...
Monday (04.04.22): Begin reviewing documentary "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy." Answer "Guided Viewing Questions" in TEAMS ( Links above).
Tuesday (04.05.22): Participate in poll "Racism in 21st Century America"... in TEAMS at beginning of class. Continue "Scottsboro" American Tragedy."
Wednesday (04.06.22): Finish "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy" and respond to "Guided Viewing Questions" in TEAMS (Links above).
Thursday (04.07.22): Review short documentary from Facing History, "Jim Crow." Written assignment in TEAMS, "The History of Jim Crow."
Friday (04.08.22): Complete "The History of Jim Crow" in TEAMS. Due today. View "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow" from PBS... no written assignment.
We will take class time to review the short documentary posted to the right from Facing History. This will give even more context to the tragedy of the Scottsboro Boys.
Review the website posted to right and respond to the questions in TEAMS. This will provide you a brief outline of American history involving Jim Crow, and lay a foundation of knowledge for viewing and analyzing "To Kill a Mockingbird" next week.
As you finish your written work in class Friday I will play the documentary from PBS linked to right. This will perfectly supplement your reading and prepare you for our lessons next week concerning the Jim Crow Era in Memphis.
Week Fourteen: Memphis, TN -Lessons in Law and Equity
Monday (04.11.22): Continue discussion of the history of lynching in America. Review article linked below and response to questions in TEAMS.
Tuesday (04.12.22): Review Ida B. Wells video assignment. Assign second article and complete assignment in TEAMS. Due Wednesday evening.
Wednesday (04.13.22): Take class time today to submit the three assignments from Monday and Tuesday... due this evening in TEAMS.
Thursday (04.14.22): Complete three pre-viewing assignments in TEAMS.
Friday (04.15.22): View short video and discuss the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till in Mississippi. Begin Mockingbird Monday.
In order to review a very detailed account of lynching in Memphis, TN, you can either read or listen to the story posted to the right. Please respond to the questions in TEAMS.
After completing an analysis of the article posted above, "People Grocery Lynching in Memphis (1892)," please take time to review the article posted to the left and respond to questions in TEAMS.
We will discuss the horrific lynching of Ell Persons (1917) right here in Memphis. Additionally, we will review and discuss the video posted to the right from Facing History.
After reading the two articles posted above and responding to questions in TEAMS, we will view the short documentary posted to the left concerning the impact this lynching had on Ida B. Wells, as well as her bold response to it in Memphis, TN (writing assignment in TEAMS).
Week Fifteen: The History and Long-Reading Impact of Lynching (STATE TESTING WEEK)
Monday (04.18.22): Ida B. Wells documentary review. Complete writing assignment in TEAMS for an "Assessment Grade."
Tuesday (04.19.22): State Testing
Wednesday (04.20.22): State Testing
Thursday (04.21.22): State Testing
Friday (04.22.22): State Testing
Week Sixteen: Memphis History and Long-Reaching Impact of Lynching
Monday (04.25.22): Introduce short research project: "The History of Lynching Sites in Memphis." Due in TEAMS by end of week.
Tuesday (04.26.22): Use class time to work on Part I of the project: An interview from Eric Barnes of the Daily Memphian.
Wednesday (04.27.22): Use class time to work on Part II of the project: Read an article about the "Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act."
Thursday (04.28.22): Use class time to work on Part III of the project: Review "The Lynching Sites Project of Memphis."
Friday (04.29.22): Use class time to work on Part IV of the project: Listen to podcast, "The Red Record: Say His Name."
Week Seventeen: The Civil Rights Movement
Monday (05.02.22): Read "Life After Lynching." from The New Yorker. View documentary, "Ashes to Ashes." Complete assignment in TEAMS.
Tuesday (05.03.22): Complete work on "Ashes to Ashes" in TEAMS.
Wednesday (05.04.22): Discuss significance of the murder of Emmett Till. View documentary and take notes in TEAMS. Due today.
Thursday (05.05.22): Begin working on "Brown v. Board of Education (1954)." Due tomorrow. View "Mendez v. Westminster: For All the Children."
Friday (05.06.22): Discuss Mendez v. Westminster School District (1948). Finish working on assignment in TEAMS - due today.
Monday, we will take time to read the article from The New Yorker, posted to right, and also to view the incredible documentary, "Ashes to Ashes," as the perfect segue into the Civil Rights Movement.
We will view the documentary, posted to left, in class concerning the murder of Emmett Till, and discuss the significance of this horrific event in initiating the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Use the link to Brown v. Board of Education (1954), posted to right, to complete the assignment in TEAMS concerning the beginnings of the modern Civil Rights Movement.
As you are working to complete the assignment concerning Brown (1954), we will also view the short documentary posted to left, concerning the groundbreaking case of Mendez v. Westminster (1946).
This documentary provides a thorough review of Topeka, Kansas, as well as the American South,in the 1950s. As you are working to complete your written assignment in TEAMS for this week, supplement your knowledge of this era by watching this documentary.
Week Eighteen: The Civil Rights Movement
Monday (05.09.22): Use class time today to get caught up on makeup work!
Tuesday (05.10.22): Introduce "Eyes on the Prize." Begin "Fighting Back (1957-62)" during class and respond to questions in TEAMS. Due today.
Wednesday (05.11.22): Review podcast from NPR, "Dr. King in Memphis." Complete questions in TEAMS. Due tomorrow.
Thursday (05.12.22):
Friday (05.13.22):
EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!
Thomas Jefferson argued that there was such thing as a "natural aristocracy;" a group who naturally emerge as leaders based upon virtue and talent. We will be discussing this idea as we consider The Twilight Zone episode entiteled, "Eye of the Beholder." Click on the link to right to read the article and respond to questions in TEAMS.
If you finish your responses early, please feel free to click on the bottom button to right and view the remake of the original episode.
There is incredible religious diversity at White Station High School. This assignment attempts to tap into that rich resource, leading us into some great dialogue about religion and its influence in American culture.
Please click on the link to right in order to complete the "Holocaust Museum: Short Project" in class Monday and Tuesday. If you finish the assignment early, take some time to review exhibits from the museum, which is located in Washington, D.C.