The 5Ws of the Holocaust

The 5 Ws are a powerful and simple way for students to get an overview of a topic and better enhance their understanding. By creating a spider map or narrative storyboard that showcases the 5Ws, students can demonstrate their knowledge using concise descriptions and visual scenes. Giving students a visual with each category helps students to better understand and remember the details and importance of the topic.

When learning about the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of the Holocaust, students may need teachers to provide a variety of resources. The use of diverse resources such as primary sources, videos, readings from textbooks, encyclopedias and literature can be helpful for students to gain an accurate and complete picture of the time period. Students can use graphic organizers with spaces for the 5Ws and to write down their notes while they read or watch.

After learning about the Holocaust, students will create a spider map to explain the 5Ws about this complex topic. They will create scenes and a short description to answer the following questions about The Holocaust: What was the Holocaust? When did the Holocaust occur? Who was affected by it? Where did it occur? Why did it happen and/or why did it continue for so long?