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Holocaust Education & Resources

This year for Holocaust Education in Schools we are making and sharing a range of resources to support teachers and school students, both those learning in the classroom and those at home. We understand that it is a very varied experience with some school pupils at school and others learning remotely at home, with a variety of experiences, some enjoying having time and digital devices to read more and get creative.

On these pages you'll find tabs to the right with a variety of films of Michael 'in conversation' sharing his story in the 'Missing' and also top tips on how to write createively. All these films and worksheets are provided to support primary KS2 teachers and students learning about the Holocaust and writing poetry and song lyrics in response; plus secondary teachers and students learning about the Holocaust in History; studying the 'Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' in English; and responding to the witness testimony in Drama, Art, Dance, Music, PSHE.

Please freely use these resources produced by HistoryWorks, because many new poems have been recorded and filmed interviews with Michael Rosen and Eva Clarke to support school teacher and students for home and school learning, quickly made in 2020 and 2021, so do please use these not just around Holocaust Memorial Day, but for PSHE and English and History and Drama and Music year-round to inspire students to be creative.

We aim to also produce an event on behalf of Cambridge City Council across schools to mark International Refugee Week in June 2021 when there will be an opportunity for students to showcase work with Helen Weinstein and Michael Rosen, made between now and then. We plan exhibitions and a big online arts show to be a fundraiser for Cambridge charities supporting Refugees and people experiencing homelessness. So we ask students to please use our safe Dropbox at Historyworks to share the artworks HERE or if you are unable to access Dropbox ask teachers submit work directly via email to Historyworkstv@gmail.com

Michael Rosen Poetry & Picture Brief for HMD2021 HOPE & Voices of Hope

1. FOR KS2 AND KS3 & KS4 ONLINE LEARNING THIS TERM: POETRY BRIEF TO WRITE A POEM ABOUT HOPE IN 2021 WITH TITLE 'VOICES OF HOPE' (ALSO ASKING FOR PICTURES TO ILLUSTRATE FILM OF MICHAEL PERFORMING HIS NEW POEM 'VOICES OF HOPE')

As our Poet in Residence, Michael Rosen, has recorded a poetry collection about his journey to find out about his family's experience in the Holocaust, and poems to challenge racism and prejudice. We've run workshops in Cambridge schools and encouraged over 4,000 young people to write their own poem, song, rap in response to these themes.

To find the resources with Michael Rosen's poems which Historyworks has recorded for our schools to use as a resource, you can find this group of readings on the Audioboom channel at Historyworks here:

https://audioboom.com/playlists/4613930-michael-rosen-poems-hmd

This year, it is harder to visit schools in person, because of the covid situation during lockdowns, so instead at Historyworks we've made a series of films, where a Michael Rosen shares top tips on how he goes about starting a poem about a subject that involves feelings, painting pictures in his mind, and then thinking up phrases and things he could say, like words of comfort, almost writing a letter to another person, and many examples, which you can see in this video we've made:

This year, the theme we've chosen is HOPE. We are inviting young people and school children, and the general public to please respond to this theme, and to write your own poem or song or rap and share it with us! For our civic event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, our title is VOICES OF HOPE and for this special occasion, Michael Rosen has a new poem commissioned which starts:

HOPE lyrics by Michael Rosen

Hope is in the eyes of love

Hope is in the smiles we see

Hope is in the trees that grow

Hope is in the heart of me

When the slow sad times come

you need a place to go

When the slow bad times come

you need someone to know

Michael Rosen's Poetry Resource: Audio Collection for free use by schools

2. MICHAEL ROSEN POETRY PROJECT AND OUR ETHOS TO ASK STUDENTS TO RESPOND TO WHAT THEY LEARN, DIGESTING THE TESTIMONY, BY WRITING POETRY, SONG, RAP. LIST OF POEM'S RECORDED BY HISTORYWORKS FOR CAMBRIDGE TO USE AS RESOURCE.

Michael Rosen's Poetry Recorded in Cambridge as a Resource for Schools and the Public to be inspired to learn about the Holocaust and to write their own Poetry in response is freely available.

We ask all KS2 and KS3 who attend our Holocaust Education talks and participate in workshops with Michael Rosen and talks with Eva Clarke, to digest what they've heard and to think deeply about the issues and their feelings by responding with their own piece of poetry or song or a rap, related to the HMDT theme.

This year in 2021 we ask older school students to write poems on the theme of 'Be the Light in the Darkness' and for KS2 and KS3 students to write poems on subject 'Voices of Hope'.

https://audioboom.com/playlists/4613930-michael-rosen-poems-hmd

Michael Rosen Poetry Workshop for Cambridge Schools

3. MICHAEL ROSEN POETRY WORKSHOP 'HOW TO GET STARTED' AND MICHAEL'S TOP TIPS FOR RHYTHM AND RHYME, MARIO'S BODY PERCUSSION DEMONSTRATED. Please feel free teachers and students to use this film, dip into it, get some support and inspiration when you are asked to write a poem or song lyric. It is a conversation between the Poet and Author, Michael Rosen; the Creative Director of HistoryWorks, Helen Weinstein; and the Music Director for HMD in Cambridge, Mario Satchwell. You can download the film and share it, and use it for school or home remote learning, or family viewing may be good too:

Michael Rosen 'The Missing' reading his book & teacher notes and family and home learning notes

4. MICHAEL FILMED READING HIS BOOK 'THE MISSING' WITH CHAPTER MARKERS FOR STUDENTS, AND A TEACHER RESOURCE WORKSHEET FROM WALKER BOOKS.

The film is made by HistoryWorks and Michael kindly recorded it for us during the lockdown so that school students and teachers who do not have access to new books because of the pandemic with library and school closures, can listen to the book in full. It is brilliant having Michael read it, and it just all makes sense! We've put chapter markers on the vimeo so you can keep a note of where you've got up to in the book when you need a break:

Here are the teacher notes that accompany The Missing kindly published by Walker Books:

MIchael Rosen's The Missing Teachers' Notes.pdf

Here are briefing notes for Primary Teachers made by the Holocaust Educational Trust:

A_Guide_for_Primary_School_Teachers.pdf

Here are briefing notes for Families made by the Holocaust Educational Trust:

HMD family_learning_pack.pdf

Also available are very useful HOME learning guides for KS3 and KS4:

HMD KS3 & KS4 Home_learning_pack.pdf

KS2 Michael Rosen on film talking about 'The Missing'

5. KS2 MICHAEL ROSEN TALKING ABOUT 'THE MISSING' AND WRITING ABOUT FEELINGS AND GIVING INSIGHTS INTO A TRUE FAMILY STORY OF THE HOLOCAUST AND WHY AND HOW HE WRITES POETRY ABOUT THIS HISTORY AND HIS FEELINGS:

KS3 & KS4 Michael Rosen on film about 'The Missing'

6. KS3 & KS4 TEACHERS AND STUDENTS - MICHAEL ROSEN MADE A FILM TALKING ABOUT HIS BOOK 'THE MISSING' AND SHARING WHAT HE WAS LEARNING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST:

KS5 & 6th form MICHAEL ROSEN about 'The Missing'

7. KS5 & SIXTH FORM: MICHAEL ROSEN TALKING ABOUT THE MISSING AND HIS PERSONAL LIFE STORY AND HOW LEARNING ABOUT IT & EXPERIENCING COVID HAVE IMPACTED HOW HE THINKS ABOUT HIMSELF IN THE WORLD OVER THIS PAST YEAR.

This film has just been recorded on Monday 18th January in preparation to go out to the Sixth Forms on Monday 25th January, so we'll have it uploaded here ready for next week!

Michael Rosen Info Sheet

8. RESOURCE SHEET (ILLUSTRATED) TO ACCOMPANY OUR FILM OF MICHAEL ROSEN TALKING ABOUT THE JOURNEY TOLD IN THE BOOK 'THE MISSING' SEARCHING TO FIND OU WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS UNCLES WHO DISAPPEARED DURING THE HOLOCAUST

Anthony Lishak and the educational project called 'Learning from the Righteous' has kindly shared the illustrated information sheet resource telling the key points of Michael's family story which accompanies the film we've made, and makes it a fantastic resource. He also has a new method of interviewing brilliantly in covid times, using a van, so you are welcome to watch his short film of Michael Rosen and use the history sheet. You can download it here:

Michael Rosen PowerPoint final version.pdf

It is a free resource funded by 'Learning from the Righteous' an educational charty that uses stories of acts of rescue, resistance and active-bystander behaviour by those who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust to inspire students to make a positive impact on the world today. For more info & educational resources go to: LearningFromTheRighteous. Org

Eva Clarke's Talk on Film

9. EVA CLARKE'S TALK SUITABLE FOR KS3& KS4 UPWARDS ABOUT HER BIRTH AS A BABY IN THE HOLOCAUST, BORN JUST DAYS BEFORE THE CAMP WAS LIBERATED. AN IMPORTANT TESTIMONY FOR THE STUDENTS TO HEAR, ESPECIALLY AS EVA MOVED TO CAMBRIDGE, HAD CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

Here is a film where Eva Clarke tells her story about her family's experiences during the Holocaust. We suggest that this film is best to be watched from aged secondary school onwards and if at home, may be best to watch as a family group, so you can discuss what you learn together afterwards:

https://vimeo.com/503993733

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Eva Clarke Info Sheet

10. RESOURCE SHEET (ILLUSTRATED) TO ACCOMPANY EVA CLARKE'S HISTORY

Anthony Lishak and the educational project called 'Learning from the Righteous' has kindly shared the illustrated information sheet resource telling the key points of Eva Clarke's family story which accompanies the film we've made, and makes it a fantastic resource. He also has a new method of interviewing brilliantly in covid times, using a van, so you are welcome to watch his short film of Eva Clarke and use the history sheet. You can download ppt here:

Eva Clarke powerpoint final version.pdf