What teachers are doing for Genocide Awareness Month 2024
In America, Social Studies teacher and 2020 HREC Educator Award recipient ๐๐ฟ. ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ honours the ๐จ๐ป๐๐๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ of genocide as a Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month project with her ๐๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ (Washington Township, N.J.) students for their US History II Honours and Genocide and Film Classes.
Her students researched a person who, at great personal risk to themselves, tried to help victims of genocide find comfort and safety. They wrote a research paper and created a poster for exhibit in their school lobby AND in their public library. Her students also gave presentations to the public at the library on April 18 about the people they chose to honour, to showcase the bravery of their unsung hero and how it stands as a testament to our shared humanity, our capacity for compassion, and all the goodness we are capable of in the face of profound evil. A local news program filmed this event on April 18.
Dr. Kenneyโs students also participated in the ๐จ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ organized by the ๐จ.๐ฆ. ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐. Read more: https://www.immaculateheartnj.com/apps/news/article/1910658
The student competition organizers commended Dr. Sue Kenney for offering an extra credit assignment on the Holodomor. Many students took advantage of that opportunity and her student ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป took first place ($500 USD) in the grade 11-12 category.
Read more: https://subscription.ukrweekly.com/2024/04/2024-holodomor-student-competition-announces-award-winners/
In Canada, Holodomor educator and 2023 HREC Educator Award recipient ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ shared with us her recent teaching experience with students on Earth Day (April 22) using parts of her winning lesson plan:
“I shared ๐ฝ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ [by author Rhea Good] and parts of my lesson โThe Power of Hopeโ with two Grade 4 Social Studies classes on Monday. The students were very engaged, we discussed vocabulary, and they enjoyed the Venn Diagram activity comparing themselves to the character Maria in the book. I brought in a small glass bottle with Red Spring Wheat grains [a grain originally brought over to Canada from Ukraine] in it that inspired them in their work as well. Many also made connections to Earth Day and how the earth itself brought hope to Maria and her family such as โsnowing, which added an extra layer of protection for the hidden bottles of grain.โ”
Pam Clarkโs award-winning lesson unit can be found here:
https://education.holodomor.ca/2023-hrec-educator-award-for-holodomor-lesson-plan-development-winner-pamela-clark/
Dr. Sue Kenneyโs award-winning lesson plan can be found here:
https://education.holodomor.ca/2020-hrec-educator-award-for-holodomor-lesson-plan-development-winner-sue-kenney/
Thank you to both educators for increasing awareness of the Holodomor in your schools and teaching it in innovative and engaged ways in your classrooms!