Holocaust Research Pathfinder

Transcription

1 Introduction: The Holocaust was the systematic persecution and killing of millions of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah s Witnesses, and other groups of people deemed to be racially inferior by the Nazi regime from It is beneficial for students today to learn about this subject so that they will gain a better understanding of world history, and learn what the devastating effects of racism have been in the past. It is only through learning about history that individuals can prevent history from repeating itself. This topic has been studied and written about many historians, and the amount of information available for research is vast. This pathfinder was created for the eighth grade English students at James L. Capps Middle School, located in Warr Acres, OK in the Putnam City Schools District. Each year, the eighth graders at this school complete a 5 page research paper on the Holocaust. The students spend approximately one month researching this topic before writing and submitting their papers. James L. Capps Middle School serves students in grades 6-8, and has an enrollment of approximately 940 students. Students at this school come from diverse backgrounds. Approximately 47% of the students are white, 22% are African American, 21% are Hispanic, and less than 1% are Asian or American Indian. Many students speak Spanish at home, but the vast majority of these students speak English at school. James L. Capps is a Title I school, with the majority of its students qualifying for the Free and educed Lunch Program. The main criteria for the selection of sources on this pathfinder were availability and accessibility. It is important that these students are able to work on their research at school, since they may not always have access to rides to the public library. However, since reference sources at the Capps Middle School library are limited and dated, supplementary sources that are available through the Metropolitan Library System are listed for those students who are able to access the public library. Supplementary sources were selected based on currency, relevancy, and accessibility. The books that are listed as being available through the public library are either found at the nearby Bethany library, located 1.5 miles from the students school (close enough for students to walk or ride their bikes), or are available for reserve so that they may be picked up at the libraries that are closest to the students homes. However, in all categories of this pathfinder there is at least one source that is available to the students at school, so students will still be exposed to a variety of reference sources regardless of whether they are able to visit the public library. The subject of the Holocaust has many parts and is a complex research topic. This pathfinder will expose students to a variety of reference sources that cover generalized overviews of the Holocaust, and biographical information regarding related people. Should students wish to pursue more specific topics that fall under the subject of the Holocaust, the bibliographies and databases will serve as useful tools in guiding that research. It is the goal of this pathfinder that students not only receive a streamlined and thorough research experience that exposes them to a variety of reference materials, but also a research experience that is rich in quality and will give them a better understanding about the history of humanity. 1

2 Holocaust esearch Pathfinder A reference work is a source that a user refers to in order to gain authoritative information about a topic. This pathfinder will guide the user through a variety of reference works that can be utilized in researching the topic of the Holocaust. This pathfinder is designed to help students get started on their Holocaust research papers. The pathfinder is divided into categories by the different types of reference sources available. Sometimes, suggested reference sources are supplemented with sources that are available through the Metropolitan Library System. These sources are marked with an asterisk (*). Here are some things for students to keep in mind as they begin their research: 1. Students can use the library catalog program called Destiny to aid them in their research. Certain subject headings will be useful as they search the Destiny database. The following subject headings would be good to use in a Destiny search: Holocaust Jewish Holocaust Hitler, Adolf World War II Concentration Camp Nazi Anti-Semitism 2. There are certain Dewey Decimal call numbers that are assigned to books about the Holocaust, and related topics. The majority of books on the Holocaust will have the call number Books covering World War II will have the call number Biographies such as the biography of Adolf Hitler or The Diary of Anne Frank are found in the Biography section of the library. The call number will be the letter B, followed by the subject s last name. Ex: The Diary of Anne Frank has the call number B FANK. Biography reference books that contain collections of multiple biographies will be found in the 920 s. General encyclopedias are located in the 031 section of the library, and general dictionaries are located in the 423 section. 3. Students who have computer and internet access at home may access the databases from home by visiting the Capps Media Center website. Links to the databases, and the usernames and passwords are posted on the site. To access the site, go to: O Go to: select Schools, then Capps Middle School, and then Library Media Center (located on the left hand side). 2

3 Bibliographies: Bibliographies provide lists of books or other sources that are related to particular topics. They are useful for compiling sources for research. Bibliographies are often searched by subject, but there are also bibliographies already dedicated to specific topics. Books in Print. (2011)... Bowker, LLC. You can access this site through the Destiny homepage. This is a general bibliographic resource. Use search terms related to your research (see elevant Subject Headings above for examples). *Niewyk, D., Nicosia, F. (2000). The Columbia guide to the Holocaust. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. This is a subject-specific reference book, with all listed items covering the Holocaust. Part V of this book provides an extensive list of sources (132 pages) that will be helpful when researching this topic. The sources are broken down according to print and non-print materials. This book is located at the Bethany branch of the Metropolitan Library System. This branch will allow you to check out this reference book, or reserve it and have it sent to a library near you /N682c *Shulman, W.L. (Ed.). (1998). esource guide: A comprehensive listing of media for further study. Farmington Hills, MI: Blackbirch Press. This is a subject-specific bibliography. Use it to search for lists of print and non-print sources related to the Holocaust. This book is available at the Downtown branch of the Metropolitan Library System. You can use your library card to reserve the book and have it sent to a library near you. J /4342r Dictionaries: Dictionaries define words and are arranged alphabetically. They are useful for finding the meanings of unfamiliar words, to learn the correct pronunciation of words, and to learn the history of words (etymology). *Epstein, E. J., & osen, P. (1997). Dictionary of the Holocaust: Biography, geography, and terminology. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press. This is a subject-specific dictionary. Use it to look up a variety of words related to the Holocaust, including names of people and locations. This book is available in the reference section of the Downtown branch of the Metropolitan Library System. You can use your library card to reserve the book and have it sent to a library near you. The library loans this title even though it is a reference book. (eference) /EP64d Flexner, S. (1993). andom House unabridged dictionary. New York, NY: andom House. This is a general dictionary. Use it to look up unfamiliar words such as Holocaust, Shoah, genocide, or anti-semitism. 423 AN 3

4 Encyclopedias: Encyclopedias provide you with general information regarding a topic. They are organized alphabetically by topic, and are broken down into volumes. Choose the volume that represents the first letter of your topic. Example: The H volume will cover the Holocaust, and Adolf Hitler. The J volume will cover Judaism. Keegan, J. (Ed.). (1984). The and McNally encyclopedia of World War II. United Kingdom: and McNally and Company. This is a subject-specific reference work that is devoted to the topic of World War II. You can use it to look up topics relevant to the Holocaust AN *Laqueur, W. (Ed.). (2001). The Holocaust encyclopedia. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. This is a subject-specific encyclopedia that gives in-depth information regarding many topics related to the Holocaust. This book is available in the reference section at the Bethany Public Library. It is not available for reserve or checkout. (eference Section) /H754ho World Book Online. (2011). World Book. This source contains many pages of information regarding the Holocaust, as well as videos and photographs. Students can organize their research on this site by bookmarking certain articles to save and print. This source is accessible through the Destiny homepage. The username and password are posted in the Library Media Center. Indexes: Indexes provide access to thousands of articles that have been printed in journals, periodicals and newspapers. Many of these articles are available in full-text format, and can be downloaded and printed. EBSCOhost. (2011). EBSCO Industries, Inc. This source provides access to thousands of articles found in journals, magazines, and newspapers. Use it to search for articles found in scholarly journals or in magazines that cover history. EBSCO can be accessed through the Destiny homepage. The username and password are posted in the Library Media Center. SIS Discoverer. (2011). ProQuest, LLC. This source provides access to thousands of articles found in periodicals, and specializes in sources that are geared toward young people. This resource is accessible through the Destiny homepage. The username and password are posted in the Library Media Center. 4

5 Journals: Journals are scholarly in nature and are written by experts in their respective fields. They are written in a formal format with few advertisements. Journal of Holocaust education. (1995-). London: Frank Cass. This journal was formerly known as: British journal of Holocaust education. ( ). London: Frank Cass. The journal specializes in historical information related to the Holocaust. You can access and browse this journal through EBSCO, which is available on the Destiny homepage. The username and password are posted in the Library Media Center. Biographical Sources: Biographical sources cover the lives of specific people. They may be subject specific and cover only people related to a certain topic or profession, or they may be generalized and cover a wide-range of notable people. De Ford, M.A. (1977). Who was when?: A dictionary of contemporaries. New York, NY: Wilson. This book provides timelines of famous people s lives. It can be used to see what was taking place in history during the times different people were alive. Use it to search for names of people related to the Holocaust DEF Merriam-Webster. (1983). Webster s new biographical dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. This is a general biographical dictionary. Use it to look up the names of people related to the Holocaust. Each entry includes birth date, death date, profession, and what made the person famous WEB Almanacs: Almanacs are books of facts. They contain brief entries and have statistics covering a wide range of topics. Kashner, Z. (2007). The world almanac and book of facts. New York, NY: World Almanac Books. This book can be searched for general statistics related to the Holocaust and World War II. Use the index to search for specific terms and their respective page numbers WO Family Education Network. (2011). Fact Monster. Pearson Education. This source is available through the Destiny homepage. Once the site has opened, click Almanac, and enter relevant search terms in the search box. The almanac provides access to a Holocaust timeline, information about memorials, and a great deal of other facts concerning this topic. 5

6 Geographical Sources (dictionaries, maps, atlases, gazetteers): Geographical sources provide information about places in the world. Gilbert, M. (1982). The Macmillan atlas of the Holocaust. New York, NY: DeCapo Press. This is a subject-specific atlas. Use this source to search for the locations of countries involved in the Holocaust and for the locations of concentration camps GIL Merriam-Webster (Ed.). (1988). Webster s new geographical dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. This is a general geographic dictionary. This source may be used to find basic information regarding locations relevant to the Holocaust WEB Government Sources: Government sources are sponsored by the state or federal government and offer consistently reliable and accurate information. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website. (2011). Washington, DC: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This website is maintained by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, located in Washington, D.C. The museum is funded by the federal government. The site provides a great deal of information regarding this topic. Click Education, and then click For Students to access a timeline and introductory information regarding the Holocaust. Users can also use the search box to enter specific search terms related to this topic. Audiovisual Sources: Audiovisual sources are non-print sources. They may take the form of motion pictures or music. Central Middle School (Producer). (2000). Michael Jacobs Holocaust survivor [Motion Picture]. United States: Central Middle School. This is a video recording of the presentation the Holocaust survivor Michael Jacobs gave to our school on May 8, VC Moore, M. J. (Producer). (2001). Auschwitz: If you cried, you died [Motion picture]. United States: Moore Foundation. This video follows two Holocaust survivors as they revisit the Auschwitz Concentration Camp where they were imprisoned during World War II. VC AUS 6

7 Additional Helpful Websites: Biography Channel, The. (2011). A& E Television Networks. This site provides good biographies on many people. Use it to search for additional information on specific people related to the Holocaust. The Holocaust History Project. (2003). The Holocaust History Project. This site provides an archive of documents, photographs, recordings, videos, and essays regarding the Holocaust. Menszer, J. (2011). Holocaust Survivors. New Orleans, LA: Jewish Community Center. Visitors to this site can read the stories of Holocaust survivors, hear their personal accounts via audio files, view photographs, and search a provided encyclopedia. Additional Suggested eading in Non-Fiction: Frank, A. (1993). Anne Frank: The diary of a young girl. New York, NY: Bantam Books. This is the personal diary of a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl named Anne Frank who was forced to hide out with her family for two years, before her family was ultimately discovered by the Nazis and taken to concentration camps. B FANK *Friedman, I. (1990). The other victims: First-person stories of non-jews persecuted by the Nazis. Chicago, IL: Houghton Mifflin. This book gives first-person accounts of non-jews who were persecuted during the Holocaust. It is available through the Metropolitan Library System. The book can be reserved and sent to a library near you. J /F911o Spiegelman, A. (1986). Maus: A survivor s tale. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. This graphic novel is the memoir of the Jewish Holocaust survivor Art Spiegelman and his son. The cartoon format portrays the Jews as mice, and the Nazis as cats SPI *Wukovits, J.F. (2003). Oskar Schindler. Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent Books. This book tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a businessman and member of the Nazi party, who saved over 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them at his enamelware factory. Schindler was the subject of the Academy Award winning motion picture Schindler s List (1993). This book is available through the Metropolitan Library System. It can be reserved and sent to a library near you. J /SCH336wu/BIOGAPHY 7

8 Critical Commentary: Creating this pathfinder was a good learning experience, and I am looking forward to providing this type of research tool to my future students. The exposure that my students will have to the less frequently used reference books will be especially valuable. I plan on collaborating with my fellow teachers to encourage our students to utilize all or many of the different types of reference sources, including the more obscure ones. For example, bibliographies do not seem to be commonly discussed reference works, but they can be very valuable for a person who is collecting sources for a research project. The main struggle that was encountered while working on this project was deciding which sources to include. The Holocaust is a well-documented topic and there are a vast number of quality sources available on this subject, particularly from the public library. There are many reference books that had to be excluded from this pathfinder because they are located at libraries that are too far away from Capps Middle School. The sheer amount of information available through the public library on this topic really requires its own pathfinder. Another issue that arose during the development of this pathfinder was related to the weakness of the biographical reference collection at the Capps library. The biographical sources located there are not adequate enough to fully cover the important information regarding key people of the Holocaust. Unfortunately, this inadequacy could not be compensated for through the public library, since the Holocaust-related biographical works are located too far away from the school. In this case, Biography.com was listed under Additional Helpful Websites, so that students could have access to a better-quality source of this information. There was also a problem with the lack of almanacs, manuals, directories or handbooks available regarding this topic, so Factmonster.com was used in place of a typical almanac. Students can select different types of reference works to search on the Factmonster website, and one of the available reference sources is the almanac. This source provides a great deal of good information regarding the Holocaust, and is at a user-appropriate reading level. On future pathfinders I will be less likely to include books from the Metropolitan Library System. Some students would have difficulty using the resources available at the public library, since many students do not have library cards or do not have available transportation to the library. It was necessary on this pathfinder to include outside sources, since the reference collection at the Capps Library is not adequate enough to provide the appropriate number of sources required for each section of this assignment. It was also necessary because the reference collection at this school library is quite outdated. Although the Holocaust is a historical topic, and this is not as much of a problem as it would be in other areas such as science, I still felt it was important to expose students to more current reference books when those sources were available. In addition, I will likely shorten the length of my future pathfinders so that they are no longer than two pages. The length of this pathfinder seems like it could be overwhelming to a student. I would, however, provide a more detailed pathfinder on the school library website, and would also include a longer list of non-fiction books to supplement the student research. The Capps library has a good collection of current non-fiction books on this topic, and it makes sense to include those books as research sources. Overall, the pathfinder is an excellent tool that will guide students to reputable sources, and discourage the inclination to write a paper that is based on Google searches. I look forward to sharing this pathfinder with the librarian at Capps Middle School. 8