Teaching Schindler's List
Help your students be thoughtful, engaged viewers of Schindler's List with these lesson plans that foster reflection and make contemporary connections to the history.
Resources
8Subject
- History
Grade
6–12Language
English — USPublished
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About this Unit
Schindler’s List tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a war profiteer and member of the Nazi party who saved over 1,100 Jews during World War II. The movie explores the human capacity for monumental evil as well as for extraordinary courage, caring, and compassion. It turns history into an opportunity for moral reflection.
As you consider whether to use Schindler’s List with your students, we recommend that you view the film yourself (even if you have seen it before). The film is available online from streaming services, and you can also borrow it from your school or public library.
Reviewing Historical Background Information
While the pre-viewing lesson includes historical background for students, we recommend that you spend time reviewing the complex history of the Holocaust in order to answer additional questions that students may have. See the “Context” section of Lesson 19, The Holocaust: Bearing Witness from the unit Teaching Holocaust and Human Behavior for a summary of crucial historical background information. For deeper background, read Chapter 9, The Holocaust of the resource book Holocaust and Human Behavior. As you review, consider what details of the history you think will be most important for students to understand before they watch Schindler's List.
How to Use the Unit
The Teaching Schindler’s List unit consists of eight lessons organized into three sections:
- Preparing to View the Film
- Lesson 1: “Take This Giant Leap”: Preparing to Teach Schindler’s List
- Lesson 2: Establishing the Historical Context for Schindler’s List
- Viewing and Responding to the Film
- Lesson 3: Watching Schindler’s List
- Lesson 4: Oskar Schindler and the Making of a Rescuer
- Lesson 5: Analyzing the Art of Schindler’s List
- Confronting Hate in the World Today
- Lesson 6: The Persecution of the Rohingya and the Persistence of Genocide
- Lesson 7: Responding to Hate In Our Communities Today
- Lesson 8: Building a Toolbox against Hate
How much of this content you can use will depend on the amount of time you have available. However, we recommend that—at a minimum—you spend at least one class period before viewing the film providing students with historical context and preparing them for what they will see, and then one or two periods after the film, reflecting on the film itself and exploring contemporary connections.
Teaching Notes
When presented in the context of a thoughtful, reflective, and safe classroom community, Schindler’s List can provide a powerful and transformative learning experience. In order to ensure your students have such a meaningful experience, you may want to consider:
Pre-Viewing: “Take This Giant Leap”: Preparing to Teach Schindler’s List
Students prepare for their study of Schindler's List by creating a contract establishing a thoughtful, respectful, and caring classroom community.
Pre-Viewing: Establishing the Historical Context for Schindler’s List
Students are introduced to the history of ideas, events, and decisions that shaped the world of Schindler’s List.
Viewing: Watching Schindler’s List
Students experience a thoughtful viewing of Schindler's List by completing activities immediately before and after watching it that help them reflect and process reactions.
Viewing: Oskar Schindler and the Making of a Rescuer
Viewing: Analyzing the Art of Schindler’s List
Post-Viewing: The Persecution of the Rohingya and the Persistence of Genocide
Post-Viewing: Responding to Hate in Our Communities Today
Students begin to relate Schindler's List to the contemporary world by examining recent stories of racial hatred in Charlottesville and Germany.
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