As we continue our reading in the book, Number the Stars, it has become very clear that propaganda played an important role in WWII. In order for us to better understand the context of what was going on during this time period, we will be spending the next week studying propaganda. Students will be using the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Website. The museum is located in Washington, D.C. and provides an excellent teaching tool with it’s incredible website.

The Assignment
Students will use the website to study the different themes used in propaganda

– Making a Leader
– Rallying a Nation
– Indoctrinating the Youth
– Defining the Enemy
– Writing the News
– Assessing Guilt
– Deceiving the Public

Students will be asked to reproduce a “Propaganda Poster” from this time period and write an abstract about that particular piece; including: what was the intent, how was it used, why was this important to the Nazi campaign, and who did it target.

The power of Nazi Propaganda goes far beyond just simple posters. Propaganda reveals how the Nazi Party used modern techniques as well as new technologies and carefully crafted messages to sway millions with its vision for a new Germany. Students began this assignment the other day by simply exploring the website and the different categories. We will begin selecting posters on Monday of the next week, and our goal is to have them ready to publish by the end of the week.

Mr. McClung