 To find out about a time in recent history when the Jews were persecuted for their religious beliefs. ‘Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.’  What can you remember about Anne Frank from last lesson? Anne wrote this in her diary whilst in hiding. Considering what was happening to her, do you find what she wrote surprising? Try to imagine you are…  Anne’s mum or dad  Anne’s sister – Margot  Anne’s friends at school – who have no idea where Anne is …do you think they would agree with what she wrote?

The end of the story…  Anne & her family were taken to a concentration camp called Auschwitz.  Anne, her mum & her sister Margot were separated from her dad.  She was striped naked, disinfected, her head shaved & a number was tattooed to her arm – as though her name no longer mattered & she was only a number.  During the day she was made to work, moving big rocks, at night she slept in overcrowded dormitories.  Two months later, Anne & Margot were separated from their mum & sent to a different concentration camp – their mum died soon after from starvation.  In the new camp, Margot got very ill & died a few months after they arrived.  Anne was now left by herself – she was only 15 years old.  A disease hit the camp & approximately 17,000 people (half the number of people in Pontypool) were killed by it – Anne was one of them.  Just 4 weeks later British troops liberated the camp – if Anne had just survived 4 more weeks she might still be alive today – she would be about 80. How does knowing this make you feel?

 Anne’s dad was the only person in the family to survive.  One of the family’s ‘helpers’ whilst they were in hiding, had found & kept Anne’s diary – they gave it to her dad.  Her dad decided to publish Anne’s diary because he felt that it was very important that people remembered how Jews had been persecuted during World War II.  He also decided to turn their ‘hiding place’ into a museum – called the ‘Anne Frank House’…

 Also, Jewish people everywhere felt that it was very important that the persecution of Jews in World War II was remembered, in the hope that it would never happen again.  They set up a museum in Israel, called ‘Yad Vashem’, which is Hebrew for ‘A place & a name’ – Why do you think it was given that name?  These pictures are all part of ‘Yad Vashem’ – what do you think they are trying to say?

 Think about everything you have seen, written & thought this lesson…  Discuss & brainstorm the question: Is it important to remember what happened to Jews (like Anne Frank) who were persecuted in World War II? Remember to explain your answers.  What did we think as a whole class?

“Our chestnut tree is in full blossom. It is covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than last year...”Anne Frank  Anne Frank often looked out of the attic window at the chestnut tree behind their hiding place & she wrote about it in her diary.  Anne Frank was in hiding for over two years. During the day she had to be very quiet and she could never go outside. She longed for freedom & the tree outside the window represented that freedom.  Anne wanted to be useful to others after the war. Not only to the people around her, but also to people she did not know. Anne’s diary has inspired millions of people all over the world to do their best for a better world.  As a class you are going to make an Anne Frank memorial tree.  On a piece of A4 plain paper you need to draw the outline of a leaf, decorate it & inside it write… 1.How has learning about Anne Frank’s story made you feel? 2.Now that you know about what happened to Anne, how will it change the way you treat people who are different to you?

Your aim for today’s lesson was…  To find out about a time in recent history when the Jews were persecuted for their religious beliefs. What can you now tell us about a time in recent history when Jews were persecuted for their religious beliefs? Can you name an individual who lived during that time & talk about what happened to her?