HIDDEN PAGES
educator guide
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Hidden Pages is a historical webquest. Through a series of web-based puzzles, learners unlock and discover hidden Holocaust histories. CONTENT OVERVIEW
PURPOSE Hidden Pages introduces understudied narratives of the Roma, disabled, homosexual, political, African, and Jewish victims of Nazism. WHY A WEBQUEST? To engage students through different modalities of learning, Hidden Pages puts each learner in the shoes of an investigator. Each learner becomes a historian and researcher, searching for clues to solve puzzles of history. CONNECTIONS TO TODAY While Hidden Pages addresses Holocaust history and a number of different communities targeted and persecuted under Nazism, analysis of each puzzle can lead to conversations about enduring prejudices and the ongoing persecution of many of the same community groups today. TRAIN While the webquest is a stand-alone educational experience, it was designed to address the history within the historical novel Train by Danny M. Cohen. AUDIENCES
Hidden Pages is recommended for ages 13 and up. The feature is suitable for students and the general public. TIMING
Hidden Pages takes approximately 50 minutes to complete if working in pairs or small groups. Working solo usually takes longer. In a larger group, if discussion is integrated within the experience, more time will be needed. IMPLEMENTATION & ACTIVITY IDEAS
Suitable for in-person and distance learning
GROUP EXPERIENCE Hidden Pages is a highly-interactive experience. The webquest is intended as a group experience. Pairs or small groups are ideal, including giving the webquest as a homework assignment for students to complete with their families or friends. It can also be completed by a large group working together. The webquest can be completed alone, but we strongly recommend that learners work with others, to minimize time and to encourage conversations about Holocaust history. SOUND Sound effects are embedded within Hidden Pages. While these sound effects are not required for the completion of the experience, they add to a particular atmosphere, so turning on sound is recommended. WRITING To support deep engagement with historical content, students can write about their experiences of completing Hidden Pages through written reflections. Students can write about the webquest experience as a whole or focus on certain puzzles, elements, or themes from the webquest to develop essays, written projects, and focused presentations. RESEARCH To help complete Hidden Pages, we recommend learners use only credible sources. For example, we recommend the search feature of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Holocaust Encyclopedia. TRAIN If used as an educational experience alongside the novel Train by Danny M. Cohen, we recommend using Hidden Pages after studying the novel (but it can also work before or during the study of the novel). GUIDING QUESTIONS BY PUZZLE
GENERAL QUESTIONS
What histories and stories within Hidden Pages are surprising? Which parts of the webquest are most compelling and powerful? Why have the narratives within Hidden Pages become marginalized or forgotten altogether? How does the design of some puzzles draw attention to the "hidden" stories of the webquest? WEBQUEST INTRO
Why is it important that we place Holocaust history within the context of broader cultural history? How does the quotation by Heine relate to Holocaust history? The poem contains the line "Papers, buried in the ground" - What questions does this raise for the Hidden Pages experience we are about to begin? PUZZLE 1
What does the image tell us about Nazi propaganda? Why are stories of Germans of African descent often marginalized from Holocaust commemoration? PUZZLE 2
What stands out about Lichtenberg's story? What is surprising about the story? PUZZLES 3, 4 & 5
Why are Sophie Scholl and her comrades somewhat unknown by the general public outside of Germany? The members of the resistance can be considered victims of Nazi politicide. Why must we differentiate between politicide and genocide? PUZZLE 6
Why is the history of the T4 Program often excluded from Holocaust education and commemoration? What does the year of the T4 memorial's unveiling tell us about Holocaust memory? What does Wagemann's story tell us about Holocaust victimhood? PUZZLE 7
Who are the individuals on this list? If we were to conduct online research about each individual, what should we expect to learn? And if we conduct such research, what do we learn? Why is the list made up only of men? Why are their stories so often excluded from Holocaust commemoration and Holocaust education? Why was the Nazi camp constructed in this shape? PUZZLE 8
What does this timeline tell us about Holocaust memory? In what ways does the timeline explain how certain groups became marginalized within Holocaust memory? PUZZLES 9 & 10
Why are the Nazis' Sinti and Roma victims so often excluded from Holocaust commemoration and Holocaust education? How does the true story The Hidden Pages of Auschwitz expand and change how we think about Holocaust history and memory? FURTHER READING
The following webpages are for educational purposes only Bernhard Lichtenberg's Story (Yad Vashem) Nazi Propaganda (USHMM) The Nazis' Persecution of Homosexuals (USHMM) Robert Wagemann's Story (USHMM) Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum (official site) The T4 Program (USHMM) The White Rose (Center for White Rose Studies) The White Rose Leaflets (Center for White Rose Studies) The Camp for Roma Prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau (auschwitz.org)
Hidden Pages accompanies the novel Train by Danny M. Cohen. Hidden Pages was created by Danny M. Cohen and Dara McGreal. Copyright 2016. Unsilence. All Rights Reserved. Hidden Pages Educator Guide was written and designed by Danny M. Cohen and Sammi Oberman. Copyright 2020. Unsilence. All Rights Reserved. | ||||||
