Understanding the Holocaust: How and why did it happen?

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About the textbook

Our research-informed Key Stage 3 textbook, Understanding the Holocaust: How and why did it happen? is the only one of its kind in the world. To date, over 60,000 copies have been distributed free of charge to over 2,000 schools.

Introduction

Understanding the Holocaust: How and why did it happen? is the only research-informed school textbook on the Holocaust in the world. Published by Hodder Education, the textbook has been specifically designed for use at Key Stage 3.

 

Class sets of the textbook are available, free of charge, to any teacher in a state funded school in England on completion of a short CPD course. The textbook is aimed at history teachers, but other teachers are eligible for a class set if they intend to use the book extensively.

The textbook has been written in direct response to the findings of our 2016 research into students’ knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust. It aims to improve understanding of the Holocaust by:

  • Providing an appropriate historical overview of key aspects of the Holocaust
  • Helping to develop understanding of the roots of antisemitism
  • Deepening knowledge of key individuals, places and events
  • Encouraging students to challenge common myths and misconceptions
  • Exercising and refining understanding of key historical concepts (e.g. change and continuity, significance, evidence, etc.)
  • Enabling students to establish a sound knowledge base so as to answer the questions of how and why did the Holocaust happen
  • Supporting students to appreciate the impact of the Holocaust on ordinary people
  • Inviting students to consider the historical importance of the Holocaust and its significance today

The textbook is supported by comprehensive Teacher Guidance materials. An exclusive, e-Inspection copy of the textbook is available here.

How to get your free class set

To apply for your free class set of 30 textbooks, you need to complete a short online CPD course. You can access this course here. The course is hosted by UCLeXtend. If you do not already have an account with UCLeXtend, you will need to create one. Please follow the sign-up process, and ensure that you follow the confirmation link which is emailed to you. You should then be able to ‘enrol’ on the course. Once the course has been completed, books will be sent out termly usually in January, May and September.

Full terms and conditions are available in the course. You can also view Frequently Asked Questions below.

Evaluation

We have launched an official evaluation study of the textbook.  If you have used our textbook in your teaching in any way, we would really appreciate your feedback. Please go to https://ucl.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/evaluation-of-cfhes-ks3-textbook-understanding-the-holoc to tell us your thoughts.

Test your textbook knowledge

In this Unit, you learned about Jewish life across Europe before the Holocaust.

How much do you know?

  1. What does ‘antisemitism’ mean?

  2. Where in Europe could the largest population of Jews be found before the Second World War?

  3. In 1933, what percentage of the German population was Jewish?

  4. What were shtetls?

  5. When did hostility towards Jews begin?

In this Unit, you learned about developments in Germany before the start of the Second World War.

How much do you know?

  1. Which event lead to great unemployment and a large increase in support for the Nazis?

  2. How did the Nazis come to power in 1933?

  3. Which Nazi leader was in charge of the SS?

  4. Between 1933 and 1939, what were concentration camps in Germany used as?

  5. The Nazis persecuted (or unfairly treated) a number of different groups of people. Which group do you think each of the following statements applies to?
    “They were unfairly blamed for Germany’s defeat in the First World War.”

  6. The Nazis persecuted (or unfairly treated) a number of different groups of people. Which group do you think the following statement applies to?
    “They were the first victims of the Nazis’ mass murder programme (‘Euthanasia’ programme)”

  7. The Nazis persecuted (or unfairly treated) a number of different groups of people. Which group do you think each of the following statements applies to? They were persecuted because of their beliefs

In this Unit, you learned about the treatment of Jews in Germany after Hitler and the Nazis came to power.

How much do you know?

  1. What was the Anschluss?

  2. The Nuremberg Laws were introduced by the Nazis in 1935. What impact did they have on the lives of German Jews?

  3. How did the outcome of the Evian Conference in 1938 affect Germany’s Jews?

  4. What was ‘Kristallnacht’?

  5. Which event happened in 1933?

In this Unit, you learned about the experiences of Jewish people during the Holocaust.

How much do you know?

  1. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the majority of Jews living there were…?

  2. Beginning in October 1939, the Nazis created ghettos. What were Nazi ghettos?

  3. The organised mass killing of Jews began immediately after a particular historical event. What was it?

  4. When did the Holocaust happen?

  5. Out of the countries allied with, influenced or controlled by the Nazis, where did the largest number of killings of Jewish people actually take place?

  6. Which one of the following was not a Nazi death camp?

  7. What was the ‘Holocaust by bullets’?

  8. Why did the Nazi organised mass murder of the Jews end?

In this Unit, you learned about people’s responses to the Holocaust, about how Jews resisted and about the actions of perpetrators, collaborators, bystanders, and rescuers.

Unit 5

  1. In April – May 1943 an act of Jewish resistance, an armed ghetto uprising, took place. In which city did this occur?

  2. If a member of the military or police refused an instruction to kill Jewish people, what do you think would be most likely to happen to them?

  3. What percentage of Denmark’s Jewish population was saved by the rescue effort?

  4. When did the British government first know about the mass murder of millions of Jews?

  5. What happened when the British Government knew about the mass murder of Jews? Did they…?

  6. The programme by which approximately 10,000 unaccompanied Jewish children were admitted to Britain as refugees in 1938-39 was known as…

In this Unit, you learned about surviving the Holocaust, what life was like for Jewish survivors after the war and what happened to the perpetrators.

Unit 6

  1. What does the term genocide refer to?

  2. Approximately what percentage of Jewish children living in Nazi controlled Europe were murdered?

  3. It has been estimated that in 1939 there were 9.5 million Jews living in Europe. Approximately how many Jews in all of Europe were killed during the Holocaust?

  4. During the Second World War, the countries listed below were allied with, influenced or controlled by the Nazis. Which country did the largest number of Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust come from?

  5. The Nazis persecuted (or unfairly treated) a number of different groups of people. Other than the Jews, which group was also victim of genocide, with about 500,000 people murdered?

  6. What percentage of those who killed Jews were brought to justice after the war?

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is it?

    The world’s first, research-informed textbook on Holocaust education, suitable for use at Key Stage 3. The textbook is written by experts at the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, and published by Hodder Education. It was first published in October 2020.

  • Who is it for?

    Teachers who teach about the Holocaust at Key Stage 3. It is aimed at history teachers, but teachers in other subjects may apply for copies if they intend to use the book extensively.

  • How much does it cost?

    A free class set of textbooks is available to any state funded school in England that teaches about the Holocaust at Key Stage 3.  The textbooks are available on a first-come, first-served basis and books are produced and sent out approximately 3 times a year – in January, May and September. To ensure fair distribution, no single school can receive more than 3 class sets.

  • How do I get one?

    By completing a short online CPD course, hosted by UCL Extend, you will be eligible to apply for a free class set of 30 textbooks for your school.

    Login to UCL Extend – if you do not already have an account you will need to create one.

    Access the course  – if you try to access the course before logging in you will receive a message saying the course is not available.

    Print runs are conducted as demand requires, usually once a term.

  • Does the course take a long time? What happens when I’ve completed it?

    The course lasts around 45 minutes, and you can work through it at your own pace.  When you’ve finished it, you can immediately download a certificate of completion.
    Your name will then be added to the distribution list and, when further hard-copies of the textbooks are printed, your books will be dispatched to your school.

  • Is there a deadline for completing the course?

    The course will remain open. It can be completed at any time.

  • Am I guaranteed a class set?

    No. It depends on whether your school has already received three class sets, a class set will be distributed to those who have registered and completed the course, subject to availability.

  • I’m not a history teacher. Can I still do the course and get a class-set?

    The textbook is aimed at history teachers, but teachers in other subjects may apply if they intend to use the book extensively.

  • Is it possible to buy copies of the textbook?

    Yes, copies are available for purchase from Hodder Education’s website.

  • I don’t live in England. Am I eligible for this offer?

    Unfortunately not. The free class sets are currently only available to teachers in England.

  • I teach in an independent school. Can I receive a free class-set?

    At the present time the free class-sets are only available to teachers working in state funded secondary schools.

  • How are you able to produce and distribute the book for free?

    The development, design and distribution of the textbook has been generously funded by the Toni Schiff Memorial Fund and the Pears Foundation.

    We are very grateful for their incredible support in helping teachers deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of this important history in schools across the country.

“Excellent resources and a very new, fresh and visual way of teaching the Holocaust. It made me think about how I teach more generally.”

Kelly Manfield, Bathouse College