Is 5th grade too young to teach about the Holocaust?

No because two years from then they will probably be having sex and smoking so no…

No. Not too young. You can teach about it as a horrible tragedy without getting into the terrifying specifics, that honestly many people never learn about at all. It can be taught to fifth graders (or younger!) as long as it is taught appropriately.

I’m fairly certain I’d already learned about it by then. I know we learned about the Trail of Tears in first or second grade.

It’s never too young to start learning about the Holocaust. Being the product of the Jewish day school system, I started learning about the Holocaust in kindergarten. Obviously the teachers were sensitive to our age and taught less sensitive material and didn’t show us graphic images until we were old enough to handle it. Each year we learned more and more until around 7th or 8th grade when we started very in-depth studies with much more graphic images and movies.

5th grade is a great age to start teaching it, just be sure not to over-expose the kids to gruesome things and be aware that each kid is different and one might be much more sensitive than another.

I remember watching Schindler’s List in 6th grade, and it was fine for use. I do remember, though, that a letter was sent home to our parents asking them that if they did not want us to watch it, we would be excused. But that was a fairly graphic movie. Having people from a museum and survivors come to talk to your class would be a great learning experience.

As long as it’s done in an age appropriate way, anything at all can be discussed, at any age.

I agree fully with @omfgTALIjustIMDu.

Personally, I remember first learning about the Holocaust in 7th grade. I was a fairly sensitive kid, but I don’t think the Holocaust made a real impact on me until we re-covered it again in H.S.

They are old enough to know.
Schindler’s list is a must, but I would also recommend The Counterfeiters, if you haven’t seen it, go get it :)

I think it is fine w/ age appropriate content as mentioned previously.

One thought I would add….as a parent, I would like to know that you are teaching this unit, just so that we can talk about it at home too…..and be prepared w/ thoughtful answers should the child have any questions.

Yes, as Snoopy said, make sure the parents know so they can provide a support system at home.
You might want to invite them to come listen to the survivor speak too.

I think that 5th grade is not too youg. However, when I was in Hebrew School (around 3rd grade to 7th grade), our teachers showed us movies that were way too graphic—documentary-type stuff that went well beyond the realm of Schindler’s List. As a result, every year, I feared going to Hebrew School in the spring (around the time of Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Memorial Day.)

Nope.

The “Diary of Anne Frank” movie (the one with Melissa Gilbert) would be appropriate for 5th graders, I think.

@answerjill: That’s a great suggestion.

@answerjill Great suggestion! I think I recall reading that at around that age. Also obviously a great way for the kids to be able to relate a bit due to Anne Frank’s age…..

5th graders weren’t too young to be victims of the Holocaust, so they aren’t too young to learn about it. I do agree that age should be a factor in choosing what materials are used in teaching about it, but if we want to be certain that we will never forget it needs to be open knowledge.

I knew about it very early because some of my family died in the camps (no, they weren’t Jewish; a total of 12 million died in the camps, of which half were not Jewish). When I was in 5th grade we were shown a copy of one of the films made during camps being liberated. It didn’t give me nightmares at all but created a thirst in me to try to understand how a whole country of otherwise good people could allow something like that to happen.

Then I married a man who had been born in an American internment camp because his grandparents were Japanese. He spent the first 5 years of his life behind barbed wire because otherwise good people allowed those in power to do that. No country is exempt from being bamboozled into doing something unthinkable, and I think every American should know what has happened in the past so they can watch out in case it should start to happen in the future.

And if you think America is exempt, ask an American citizen who is also a Muslim what has been happening to people’s attitudes since 9/11.

My niece read ” Diary of Anne Frank” in third grade and we had some really great conversations about the Holocaust. It’s not too young.

@Darwin: That reminds me that whenever I learned about it, it must have been by 4th grade because I already knew the general subject when we read a (heartbreaking) story in English about a girl in the American internment camps.

Both of my children learned of the holocaust in 5th or 6th grade. It was not in depth but rather broad in scope. Focusing more on the scale and tragedy than on individual events. My son, in 8th grade, was assigned Diary of Anne Frank for reading and in turn sought out more information. It is daunting for children to try and understand the horror, but a valuable lesson nevertheless.

@Bythebay: It’s daunting for adults to try and understand the horror. I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau while in Poland as a part of my summer studying abroad. We happened to visit on the 66th anniversary of the day the first prisoners arrived. It is mind-boggling frightening/sobering even now. But! Trivia of the day: There are monks who go every year on that day to pray for world peace.

If you aren’t the type to appreciate the historical significance of just being in a place like that, they have the personal items of the last group of people to be killed in the camp on display. Like hundreds and hundreds of empty, used shoes. Hair. Glasses. Pots and pans. Helpfully making it impossible not to be utterly disturbed.

Empress: You are so right; I struggle to explain what I cannot justify nor comprehend. I think you were so fortunate (that word seems inappropriate here – but you know what I mean.) to be able to see the camp. Seeing, touching, feeling, it all serves to increase awareness & compassion. I was in NYC 2 days after 9–11. The rubble, the dust, the sounds & smells; it was horrifying and gut wrenching. Even worse though, were the people searching for their loved ones. Strangers clinging to each other, everyone with a look of disbelief. I wonder everyday what lessons my children will take away from that day and others that will surely leave their mark during their lifetime. Education and awareness are the keys to so many doors.

No, not too young.
Three years ago my husband and I were in France touring the American WWI museum at Normandy. There were young children on field trips there listening attentively to indepth lectures about the war. Our
son was home on a field
trip to a pumpkin patch. What’s wrong with that picture?

I do not think that children should learn about this until at least 6th grade, and even then they should be censored from parts of it, until the 7th grade. I don’t think that the earlier they learn about this kind of thing, the better! There are still things in this world that children shouldn’t know until they are mature enough in the mind to understand that this attitude is not right, nor is it accepted.

In any World History class that teaches about wars, or World War II specifically, then it isn’t such a leap to talk about that travesty. Waiting till they’re older isn’t bad either, but they’ll learn it eventually.

I wonder how many 5th graders died in the Holocaust? It’s important for them to know, and can be taught in an age appropriate way.

@binary, yes they will learn about it eventualy, but too much too soon, can sometimes prove to be a very bad thing.
@Judi, I agree with the age appropriatness of teaching them.

I wonder how many babies were masacred, but I don’t think that would be a necessary thing to teach them about. I hate that something so horrific even took place in history.

tiggersmom – I disagree, many babies died, and that is something that we cannot get away from. Our children would be learning about humans who were killed by other humans, that includes babies. I do think it should be age appropriate. Death is never an easy thing to explain to anyone, let alone a child, especially deaths that occurred deliberately.

It is something that we should never forget, and the earlier our children learn about this, the better. It has happened again, Croatia is only one example. Our children are the ones who will be in a position to prevent this happening again in the future. The sooner this is engrained in them, the more chance this world has.

If you wait until they are in sixth grade they probably won’t be listening. They are thinking about other things at 12 & 13. My niece picked out that book herself because she had heard the term and was interested. I would rather her learn about it earlier than to learn about it from someone else who may not know what the hell they are talking about. @tiggersmom- Why would it be bad to teach a younger kid?

I would recommend the book rather than an Anne Frank movie. Reading her diary is more personal and since it takes longer than a 2 hour movie, it provides a better opportunity for reflection and discussion.

I would start by talking generally about how things were very bad in Germany and they wanted to find someone to blame so they picked on the minority group-the Jews. Kids get that concept. Then if you explain how the Frank family tried to escape but had to go into hiding when they were caught in the Netherlands when war broke out. Then you could assign chunks of reading for homework and discuss and/or journal about what they are reading.

There is a collection of artwork by children in the camps that might be available to show the students after you explain how the Franks were arrested and sent to the camps. Finally you might explain what happened to the family-they were separated and mother killed almost immediately, Anne and Margot surviving for almost a year but died from starvation and disease less than two months before the war ended and then the father making it back to the Netherlands and finding he was the only survivor. For an assessment, I would have them do posters of Anne’s story.

You want them to understand what they can but not overwhelm them with horror and cruelty beyond their comprehension. That will come later in world history.

I learned about the Holocaust probably before I was in school. My dad was very sick and knew he was dieing when I was born and I think he felt he only had a few years to teach me as much as he could. It was all part of teaching me why we believe the way we do and why it is so important to stand up against in justice. I don’t think I was scarred for life for knowing at 5 or six how evil mankind can be. I actually think it helped me be a better person.

Not too young, but I agree with answerjill about the documentaries. We must have seen the same ones in high school I would think Number the Stars would be a good book study for this age group.

@AP: Number the Stars is a fantastic book for that age group. And, if by the most amazing circumstances Lois Lowry happened to be available to speak, she has some amazing stories to tell and if a fantastic public speaker. She’s probably my public-speaker crush. I saw her once and it was just… she’s great. Just great.

@EP, I saw Lemony Snicket at an author’s lecture last year and he was pretty cool; he stayed in character the whole time and was delightfully droll.

No. I read the book Number the stars in 4th. So that proves it.

It is never too early to start learning about history, any part of it in fact. Just as long as its taken in the appropriate measures and not taken too far. Their still in 5th grade.

I think anything can be tought in an age appropriate manner. We are big on the history channel in my house and my son has seen some of the truly horifying pictures. It opened up a geat dialog for us. if my family had not emigrated to the US in the early 1900’s they would have been killed in the camps. Way back then my family was considered “gypsies” and they were devistated in the Holocaust. SO, one thing can lead to another and we did not “focus” on the terrible things that happened. I felt he was too young at the time to fully comprehend them.

No, tell it as soon as you can. Do you have your child in a padded room till they are 18 to avoid skinning their knee? The Holocaust is a life lesson. And the sooner they understand history is the story of man’s actions the better prepaired the will become to avoid these mistakes from hapening again.

They should be taught about it many times. They can’t absorb it properly just once. And 5th grade is a good time to start.

I think that the Holocaust should be required material in High School. But I do not allow my 11 year old daughter to watch any show or movie rated over PG. I would approve if the school can put together a curriculum that would pass the movie guidelines. Giving nightmares to my daughter is unbelievable.

Also I dont believe that the school system should impose on the guidelines I have set for my Daughter. She dont watch movies with voilence, sex, or drugs (that material is not in the 5th grade curriculum) Which is as real as the Holocaust.