Holocaust education is history, literature, social studies, psychology, art, and so much more. By studying the Holocaust we learn the importance of speaking out against bigotry and indifference, promoting equity, and taking action. Studies show that Holocaust education both improves students' critical thinking skills and encourages "upstander" behavior: willingness to act upon civic awareness and confront hatred in all its forms. On this site you're going to find lessons that adhere to the requisite guidelines for teaching about the Holocaust and Genocide, with options for in-person and remote instruction. Each Overview Lesson includes:Historical summarySurvivor video clipsDiscussion questionsCommon Core State Standards addressed in that lesson

Not in Our Town Northern California: When Hate Happens Here looks at five communities that are dealing with hate violence. The film’s four segments focus on hate crimes that took place in these five communities between 1999 and 2004. Taken together, the stories reveal that whether the crimes are motivated by racism, anti-Semitism, or gender or sexual orientation, hate is the same. From Sacramento to the center of San Francisco, from the shadow of Mount Shasta to the suburbs of Silicon Valley, community leaders and ordinary citizens have found new and innovative ways to move beyond controversy and differences to create safe communities for all residents. After a transgender teen is killed by local youth in the Silicon Valley suburb of Newark, high school students, residents and civic leaders respond, and in so doing, they struggle with how tod eal with a brutal and preventable crime. The Sacramento community mobilizes after the worst anti-Semitic attacks in the capital’s history. Redding citizens find new strength in diversity after a prominent gay couple is murdered. When a cross is burned on an African American family’s lawn in the Shasta County town of Anderson, the town’s residents join forces to make their values clear. And the San Francisco Public Library turns the mutilation of gay-themed books into an opportunity for creative community action.

Asian Americans have been in the U.S. for over 170 years yet common stereotypes and myths persist. Even today, Asian Americans are often regarded as “perpetual foreigners” or the “model minority.” Unfortunately, the Asian American experience is overlooked, forgotten, or misrepresented in history texts and in the K-12 curriculum. The COVID-19 pandemic has evoked a disturbing surge in racist and violent acts targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) that has its roots in ignorance, xenophobia, and mistrust. These actions have galvanized the AAPI community into action and promoted solidarity between AAPI and other groups.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, HS.2, HS.9
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 6.21, 8.25, HS.52, HS.60, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 5.29, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.29, 7.30, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76, HS.77, HS.78

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 marked a turning point in American policies toward immigration, privacy, and the ways South Asian Americans were perceived and treated after. Students will learn about the various ways South Asian Americans have experienced disproportionate and targeted racial profiling, hate crimes, and other acts of discrimination. They will also learn about the ways in which South Asian Americans responded to the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath, providing insight into how immigrant communities are often caught between the pressures of representing themselves in a way that appeals to the expectations of the status quo, and the desire to practice their culture and traditions in a way that allows them to fully embrace their cultural and ancestral identity.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.8, 8.9, HS.2, HS.6, HS.9, HS.10, HS.11
Geography: 5.13, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 5.25, 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 7.27, 7.29, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76, HS.78