MIDDLE SCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Please Note: The length of our programs can potentially be adjusted to fit your schedule. Programs vary from being conducted virtually, in-person at your institution, or in-person at HMTC.
Then & Now: A View Through History
A guided tour through our museum’s six galleries, beginning with a brief history of antisemitism and its lead up to the Second World War, and ending with a look at genocide and intolerance today with a modern perspective.
Length: 2.5 hours, including lunch break
Grades: 5-12
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Lessons of the Holocaust
HMTC’s core program, this session consists of a guided museum tour, Survivor or Second/Third-Generation testimony, and a question and reflection period.
Length: 3 hours 30 minutes, including lunch break
Grades: 5-12
Through the Eyes of Children
This program includes a guided tour of our permanent exhibition, centered around the experience of one of HMTC’s Holocaust survivors. Throughout the tour, our trained docents will include excepts and quotes from a specific survivor, as they guide students through the museum through the eyes of someone who survived the Holocaust as a child. A brief workshop will follow a lunch break.
Length: 3 hours, including a lunch break
Grades: 5-7
Memorializing the Innocent
A guided tour through our Children’s Memorial Garden, the first public garden of its kind in New York State. Stationed around our expansive and picturesque grounds, our visitors will find plaques dedicated to the millions of children lost during the Holocaust and World War II, as well as commemorating rescuers who risked everything to save the lives of those who could not save themselves. This program can be done on its own, or in conjuction with another program.
Length: 45 minutes
Grades: 5-12
One Act of Courage
An initiative seeking to empower students to lean-in to their capacity for courage while exploring the history of the Holocaust. This program includes a museum tour, Survivor or Second Generation testimony, interactive workshop and 30-day courage challenge.
Length: 4 hours, including lunch break
Grades: 8-12
Courage and the Righteous
This workshop encourages participants to closely examine what courage means to them and how various individuals valiantly committed unparalleled acts of bravely in order to save others during the Holocaust. This workshop is best conducted with groups of 50 students or less and pairs best with Number the Stars.
Length: 45 minutes
Grades: 4-6
Introduction to the Holocaust
Best fit for 50 students or less, this workshop provides an overarching overview of the Holocaust at an age-appropriate level. Students will encounter key concepts such as hatred, antisemitism & racism, rescue & resistance, and what it means to be an upstander.
Length: 1 hour
Grades: 5-6
Deconstructing Symbols of Hate
This workshop encourages participants to closely examine the history behind some of society's most widely-known symbols associated with hatred, discrimination, and, in some cases, genocide. We will analyze the history and meaning of the swastika and how it came to represent antisemitism and genocidal hatred. We will also examine the history of the noose as a key symbol of hate targeting African Americans. The program will emphasize how we can stand up to hatred when we see it or hear it. This workshop is best conducted with groups of 50 students or less.
Length: 1 hour
Grades: 8-12
Bearing Witness
This hour-long program includes first-hand Holocaust survivor testimony detailing the presenter’s experiences during one of humanity’s darkest hours. A question-and-answer period will follow the testimony as time permits. In the case that a Holocaust survivor is not available, a 2nd or 3rd generation speaker will be booked in their place.
Length: 60 minutes
Grades: 5-12
