The Shoah

After attending an October half term seminar at the Memorial De Le Shoah in Paris (France’s leading research centre, museum and memorial regarding the Holocaust) organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust (who also provided the resources on the Channel Islands) the History Department devised a series of tasks for Year 9 pupils on the school’s VLE. They were given a choice of various options involving cross curricular skills from Art, French, Religious Education and Geography to support their work in History.

Tasks involved research, reflection on memorialisation, the use of maps, sketch book preparation, translation and ICT presentational skills as well as engagement with the events on the only part of UK soil occupied by the Nazis, the Channel Islands. The latter work sought to emphasise how the Holocaust impacted on the UK and the response of ordinary British people to it as well as putting the work done earlier in the term into a wider historical context (alongside the French experience). In this way the boys have been encouraged to reflect on the complexity of these events and to see deeper levels of meaning which go beyond some widespread interpretations which tend to simplify the Holocaust into an event which saw a small number of evil men frightening and manipulating ordinary people into compliance.

The Holocaust Educational Development Project based at the Institute of Education has contributed hugely to the development of this approach at BGS providing training and resources to the History Department.

The piece by Ed Douglas and Danny Yanes may appear strange to some viewers as a result of the inclusion of an advert for Coca Cola from the 1950s. It is arguably inappropriate, however it does perhaps raise major questions about the nature of the modern world by making a useful juxtaposition of clashing and hugely contrasting images even if the boys did not intend this.

Presentation by Will C

Activity 2 by Will & Eddie

Drancy by Will & Eddie

Activity 2 by Michael D

‘Memorials’ by James T

Frida JAKUBOWICZ by James T

Comparisons with Memorials around the World by James T

Drancy by Paul LV

Maps by James A & Tom P