Wednesday, March 5, 2008

The Paper Clips Project- a study of the Holocaust


This week in the library three teachers have been bringing their 8th grade students to participate in a collaborative lesson on the Holocaust... Busy and bursting at the seam in the most exciting room in the school. This blog post will be a place for students to process their thoughts and feelings from what they have discovered.
From the site:

PAPER CLIPS is the moving and inspiring documentary film that captures how students from a middle school in Whitwell Tennessee responded to lessons about the Holocaust-with a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip for each individual exterminated by the Nazis. Despite the fact that they had previously been unaware of and unfamiliar with the Holocaust, their dedication was absolute. Their plan was simple but profound. The amazing result, a memorial railcar filled with 11 million paper clips (representing 6 million Jews and 5 million gypsies, homosexuals and other victims of the Holocaust) which stands permanently in their schoolyard, is an unforgettable lesson of how a committed group of children and educators can change the world one classroom at a time.

For those of you who were not in the library with us, feel free to visit Whitwell Middle School's site for more information. And feel free to make a commentm too!
All commenters welcome.
Resources:

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

This week made me think about how people can be cruel to each other if they do not stop and think.
Yvonne
teacher- telles
Period 1

Anonymous said...

I am very interested in what they did. How did they come up with what they did?

Nick
Teacher: Telles
Period2

Anonymous said...

I saw this documentary and was very moved by it. Those kids are awesome! What made you decide to use that particular documentary as a project in your library?

Anonymous said...

I thought this paperclip project was very interesting.

Jeffrey Ms. telles 3rd period

Anonymous said...

this was very inspiring i felt that the school that thought of this was brilliant.

Jennifer

teacher-telles

period-4

Anonymous said...

i believe that by honoring the Jews especially those with simalliar times have a good idea.

JHONATAN
MS.ANSARI
P5

Anonymous said...

I think this was crazy because it was such a small school and they got so much help.

jason
telles
p6

Anonymous said...

Hi All- I'll attempt to reply to some of your comments and appreciate that you left them!
Nick: By "they" I'm assuming you mean the school - they researched and found that the Norway supported the Jews by wearing a paperclip and that a Norweigen invented the paperclip. Logical thing to collect.
Janice: The documentary about the collection of paperclips was logical as it took place at a middle school and I'm showing it at middle school. Also, it't a great jumping off point and leads to many other discussions about the holocaust. The students, for the most part, are very attentive and get a deeper understanding of those times and that situation.
Jhonatan: Yes, it is a good thing. We look at the past in hopes that we do not repeat it.
Jason: Amazing, isn't it? Seems the size of the school just didn't matter....It was, after all, about the project...and the holocaust.

Rita Bramhall, Speech/Language Pathologist

rachel said...

i was wondering how you got so many comments. nice work mom... make the kids comment you for extra credit and you succeed in looking super cool/popular.
;]

GinnyBerry said...

super cool and popular she is anyway.

GinnyBerry said...

We can't log into blogs at our school. And my kiddos would need parental help anyway.

Mackenzie Ellis said...

haha of coarse not!
many things are coming back!
=]

Unknown said...

Wah. I miss the Mommy Salami Blog.

rachel said...

it's true. we miss the blog.

a whole month???!?!?!?

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