'Choiceless choices' during the Holocaust
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what it meant for Jews during the Holocaust to face ‘choiceless choices’.
Key learning points
- A major uprising occurred in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943.
- After the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was defeated, most survivors were murdered.
- Leaders in the Lodz Ghetto chose to comply with German orders.
- Many Jews faced 'choiceless choices' during the Holocaust.
- 'Choiceless choices' gave Jews little real control over whether they survived or not.
Keywords
Liquidated - to destroy something
Compliance - behaviour which obeys an order, rule or request
Common misconception
Leaders in the Lodz Ghetto made 'bad' choices for choosing to comply with German orders.
Leaders in the Lodz Ghetto, like many other Jews, faced multiple poor choices - or 'choiceless choices'. The decisions they made occurred in extreme circumstances where they had little real control over their own survival.
Teacher tip
Immediately before introducing the idea of 'choiceless choices' ask students how they would describe the leaders of the Lodz Ghetto. Some negative answers are likely to emerge (i.e. weak). Return to these after explaining choiceless choices. Ask why any negative descriptions may not be appropriate.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What was the name of the group of young women who were involved in smuggling and carrying messages between Jewish communities?
Q2.How many Polsih ghettos had their own armed underground movements?
Q3.Write the missing word. were often used for smuggling in Jewish ghettos.
Q4.What proportion of food consumed in the Warsaw Ghetto was smuggled in?
Q5.How did Henry Wermuth resist the Holocaust?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word. refers to behaviour which obeys an order, rule or request.
Q2.Which group was involved in the organisation of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising?
Q3.What happened to most of the survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising?
Q4.Write the missing word. Leaders of the Lodz Ghetto hoped that by making its factories it would ensure their survival.
Q5.What was the fate of Lodz Ghetto?
Q6.Why was the compliance of Lodz Ghetto's leaders with Nazi orders a 'choiceless choice'?
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: 'Choiceless choices' during the Holocaust, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: 'Choiceless choices' during the Holocaust, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The Holocaust: what was the Holocaust? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.