HIDDEN IDENTITIES: FORCED MASKS

Curriculum Developed by:
Maryann Jessop, Lacey Township High School
Nancy McKeen, Reynolds Middle School

Grade Level: Middle and High School
Subject Area: Literature, History/Social Studies, Art History

The unit explores the hidden identities and forced masks of Jewish females in Nazi-occupied and Nazi-controlled zones during World War II. Two texts will be used as the literature basis for the unit: Rue Ordener, Rue Labat by Sarah Kofman and a memoir, The Story of a Lost Childhood: Dry Tears by Nechama Tec. Supplemental material will be selected from the book I Never Saw Another Butterfly, the film Daring to Resist, and the artwork of Charlotte Salomon. The unit will explore four themes: “Changing Identities,” “Questioning Identities,” “Preserving Identities,” and “Sharing Identities.”

We suggest teaching this 4-6 week unit during March, which is Women’s History Month. Dry Tears will be read on the middle-school level and Rue Ordener at the high-school level. The rest of the materials may be used as supplemental material before, during, and after the reading of the main assignment. This unit will encourage the participants to develop an understanding of the historical reality and significance of the Holocaust while challenging them to connect emotionally with the plight of being a Jewish female in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s.