

At a Glance
Language
English — USSubject
- History
- Social Studies
Grade
6–8Duration
One 50-min class period- The Holocaust
Overview
About This Lesson
In the previous lesson, students examined the concept of race and learned how it was created by society in order to justify unequal power and status between different groups. This lesson continues the study of “We and They” in the Facing History scope and sequence by introducing antisemitism, another historical example of how humans have created “in” groups and “out” groups. Students will explore the long history of hatred and discrimination against Jews, and they will see how anti-Judaism, a religious prejudice, was transformed in the nineteenth century into antisemitism, a form of racism. Learning about the development of antisemitism will provide students with important context for the worldview of the Nazis. It will also help students recognize and understand the impact of stereotypes and myths about Jews that persist today.
A note on terms:
- The term anti-Judaism refers to religious prejudice against Jews before the historical emergence of the concept of race.
- The word Semitic does not actually refer to a group of people. It is not a “race” but rather a linguistic term that refers to a group of languages traditionally spoken in the Middle East and parts of Africa, including Amharic, a language spoken in Ethiopia, as well as Hebrew and Arabic. Because there is no such thing as a Semitic race, Facing History & Ourselves uses the alternate spelling antisemitism.
Preparing to Teach
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Before teaching this text set, please review the following information to help guide your preparation process.
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The Concept of Race
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