Victims and perpetrators
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess different experiences of and responses to the Holocaust.
Key learning points
- Six million Jews from many different backgrounds were murdered during the Holocaust.
- Many people acted as perpetrators during the Holocaust.
- Many more people knew about the Holocaust but did not intervene.
- There were Holocaust perpetrators and collaborators across Europe.
Keywords
Collaborator - a person or group who works together with others for a particular purpose
Perpetrator - someone who has committed a crime or a violent or harmful act
Bystander - in the context of the Holocaust, a person who did not intervene to help Jews or resist their persecution
Common misconception
Only German Nazis were involved in the Holocaust.
Examples such as the Vel' d'Hiv Raid in France, carried out in 1942, show that other Europeans collaborated and helped to perpetrate the Holocaust.
Teacher tip
Tell students that it was not until 1995 that the French government accepted responsibility and apologised for the Vel' d'Hiv Raid. Ask whether they find this surprising and why they think it took the French so long to do so.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
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 name did the Nazis give to their plans to murder all European Jews?
Q2.Write the missing word. Gas chambers were constructed in camps like Belzec.
Q3.What happened to the number of Jewish people living under Nazi rule during the first two years of World War Two (WW2)?
Q4.How many factories did the Nazis set up in Lodz ghetto?
Q5.Roughly how many Holocaust victims were murdered outside of gas chambers?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word best describes a guard involved in shooting or gassing Jews at extermination camps during the Holocaust?
Q2.The Holocaust murdered Jews of what age?
Q3.Which country did the Vel' d'Hiv Raid take place in?
Q4.Which statement about Rudolf Höss is most accurate?
Q5.Identify the most appropriate example of a Schreibtischtäter.
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Victims and perpetrators, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Victims and perpetrators, 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.