Each year, we do a Holocaust Research Project prior to our reading of the memoir, NIGHT, by Elie Wiesel. It allows the students the opportunity to take one aspect of the Holocaust and our book and to research that topic, becoming the classroom “experts” on it and then presenting their findings to the rest of their peers.
This project affords me the chance to work with our school’s Media Specialist, highlighting the latest research and citation strategies and websites. I often learn something new each year along with the kids in the research portion as well as in the data that they present.
The students says it a much-welcomed approach to introducing a new topic vs the typical teacher-driven lecture and notes.
It allows the students to take ownership of the information as well as the instruction for the class and the presenters learn so much and so do the audience members each time. During feedback on the project, the students express how it felt empowering to allow them to dive deeper into a topic and to make the presentations for the class.
Stephen Dykes
Pulaski County High School
Pulaski County Schools
9th and 10th Grades
