Lesson Plan | The Years Make Their Own

Centropa lesson

Centropa film: The Years Make Their Own

Teacher: Biljana Shotarovska

School: Blaze Koneski Primary school – Skopje, Macedonia

Overview information

Type of school: Public school

Subject taught: Civic education

Grade level of students: 9th grade (aged 14-15)

Total durations: Two 40 minute lessons  

Lesson aims/objectives:

- To define the terms witness and dignity

- To increase students’ awareness for helping people when life and dignity is in danger

- To identify the conditions/reasons that put human life and dignity in danger

- To define/recognize righteous gentile

-  To understand that the Holocaust is a systematic destruction of human life and the worst example of basic human rights violation

-  To increase students’ awareness for empathy

Resources

- Centropa web page www.centropa.org

- Link for the Centropa film The Years Make Their Own

http://www.centropa.org/centropa-cinema/beno-and-roza-kamhi-years-make-their-       own?language=mk&subtitle_language=en

- Civic education text book

- Printed material for group work

- LCD Projector, computer, screen, speakers

- Flip Chart

Lesson one

Introduction

Activity 1: Teacher discusses with the students as a class International Human Rights Law and Geneva Convention. He/she writes the following questions on the board:

a)     When was the International Human Rights Law designed?

b)    How and why was the International Human Rights Law designed?

c)     When was Geneva Convention designed?

d)    Whom does the Geneva Convention refer to?  

Main part

Activity 1: The teacher introduces the film as a story from Bitola that happened before and during the Second World War which is an example of human rights violation.

Activity 2: The students are split in 5 groups. Each group is given printed material with words/hints related to the part of the film they will discuss as a group after watching the film.

Group one:  - Jewish life in Bitola life before the Holocaust

                       - Beno and Roza’s family life 

                      - Beno and Roza’s social life in Bitola before the Holocaust

Group two: - World War II in Macedonia

                      - Anti- Semitic measures of the Bulgarian authorities in Macedonia

                     - International Human Rights violation in Macedonia during World War II

                     -  The Holocaust as the most horrifying example of violation of all basic human rights

Group three - The terms witness and human dignity

                        -   The role of Stojan Siljanovski during the Holocaust

                        -  Stojan’s reward after the War

                        - Your role during the Holocaust?

Group 4        – Beno and Roza during the War

                        - Partisan movement in Macedonia

                        - Estreja Ovadija

Group 5 – Macedonian Jews after World War II

                 - The Jewish Community in ex-Yugoslavia

                 - The Jewish community in Macedonia today

Activity 3: The students watch the film

Activity 4: The students work in groups on their pre-watching given task

Conclusion

Activity 1: A representative from each of the groups presents the group work discussion to the larger group/the class

Homework: Students write short texts on the topic of their group work activity using Centropa web site bios and interviews from Macedonia. Students print Centropa old family photos related to the topic of the text.

Lesson two

Introduction

Activity 1: The teacher introduces the lesson and students tasks: the 5 groups of students from lesson one make a panel consisting of their homework texts and their printed Centropa old family photos.

Main part

Activity 1: Students work on their panels

Activity 2: Students present their work group panels to the class

Conclusion

Activity 1: The students together with their teacher display panels in the school hall as an exhibition.