Humanization & Peoplehood Tools

Eugenics & Immigration in the United States: Case Studies of Jewish Immigrant Experiences: A lesson resource that examines how eugenic ideology shaped U.S. immigration policy, using Jewish immigrant experiences to help students analyze racism, xenophobia, and systemic discrimination in historical context. This resource supports critical thinking and historical understanding by connecting ideology, policy, and lived experience in developmentally appropriate ways.

Power of Testimony: Teacher Guide (Museum of Tolerance): This lesson guides students in exploring firsthand testimony from the Holocaust and the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, using reflective writing and discussion to deepen historical and moral understanding.

Building Resistance Teacher Guide: A resource from the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation that introduces students to the concept of resistance during the Holocaust, including study questions and historical context.

Aron’s Story: A Virtual Museum of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe: An interactive virtual museum and lesson series that follows the lived experience of a Jewish child in Eastern Europe, helping students explore Jewish life before the Holocaust, antisemitism, persecution, and survival through a human-centered lens. This resource supports responsible Holocaust instruction by grounding learning in narrative, historical context, and inquiry rather than shock or simulation.

Cambodian Genocide: Recipes for Survival: A classroom lesson plan in which students explore how food, memory, and cultural preservation intersect in the aftermath of genocide by engaging with excerpts and recipes from Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss and Family Recipes to reflect on cultural identity, resilience, and resistance.

Teaching the Human Story of the Guatemalan Genocide: A seven-lesson sequence that examines the Guatemalan Genocide and civil war through an integrated study of historical context, structural inequality, lived experience, and post-conflict justice.

Community Connections: Valuing Differences: In this Mindful Exploration, students reflect on the value of individuality within a community by engaging with testimonies from a Holocaust survivor, witness to contemporary antisemitism, and witness to the violence in the Central African Republic.

Universe of Obligation: In this Facing History & Ourselves lesson, students will learn a new concept, universe of obligation — the term sociologist Helen Fein coined to describe the circle of other individuals and groups within a society “toward whom obligations are owed, to whom rules apply, and whose injuries call for amends.” Understanding the concept of the universe of obligation provides important insights into the behavior of individuals, groups, and nations throughout history. It also helps students think more deeply about the benefits of being part of a society’s “in” group and the consequences of being part of an “out” group.