Helping students understand the complex and painful truths of the history of genocide and the Holocaust is not always easy. The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and its partners have many resources available to Maine educators to support them personally and professionally in this work.
Follow the links below to learn more and get access to high-quality resources on teaching the history of genocide and the Holocaust:
- The MOOSE Project previously partnered with the Holocaust and Human Rights Center (HHRC) of Maine to develop learning modules for grades PreK-12. These modules help students transition from learning about empathy and care in early grades, into learning about the events contributing to and characterizing genocides (including The Holocaust), and finally into the moral and ethical discussions that help students process their thoughts and emotions and become active architects of a world where these atrocities no longer occur. Check out the multi-day workshops the HHRC has scheduled this summer that can earn educators up to 12 CEUs upon completion.
- Maine Shared History is a collaboration between the Maine State Archives, Maine State Library, and Maine State Museum to help educators use local historical articles, documents, and other artifacts with their students. Primary source sets and teaching materials related to Genocide and The Holocaust are provided across grades 3-12 in sections related to Freedom & Captivity and Maine’s Bicentennial.
- The Maine Solutionaries Project, a collaboration between the Maine Department of Education’s Interdisciplinary Instruction team and the Institute for Humane Education (IHE), increases educator’s capacity to facilitate solution-oriented learning with their students. In addition to the cohorts that are being trained this summer, IHE has materials on their website to support educators, which includes around issues related to Human Rights.
Remember that you can always contact the Maine DOE for resources and support on your professional learning journey! For more information or questions, contact Jennifer Page at jennifer.page@maine.gov.
