history – Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library

The Power of Objects: An Introduction to the Holocaust

The LTSS Social Studies Department and the School Library are very pleased to welcome the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for a guest presentation for Grade 10 and 11 Socials classes, all day today in the School Library.

Today’s presentation is entitled “The Power of Objects: An Introduction to the Holocaust.” Students will be introduced to the study of the Holocaust, with an emphasis on learning about primary sources and their vital role in the study of history. From the VHEC:

This workshop offers students a powerful introduction to the Holocaust through an ordinary object from the VHEC’s collection: a small shoe. As they are guided through a close examination of this simple artefact, students make observations about the evidence, draw inferences, and test their ideas against other primary sources — photographs, documents, and survivor testimony. This inquiry-based approach sparks curiosity, develops historical thinking skills, and deepens understanding of the Holocaust. Along the way, students are encouraged to ask their own questions, grapple with the complexity of the past and reflect on the ethical dimensions of the Holocaust.

Find out more at vhec.org

New Non-Fiction

Come down to your School Library to check out some of our newest non-fiction titles:

Black History is Canadian History

Black History Month comes to a conclusion today. However, the teaching and learning of Black History cannot be limited to the month of February. Black History Month is a time to celebrate the lives of people of African heritage who have built Canada, the U.S., and the world as we know it. It is also a time to focus on making sure that the history of the people of the African Diaspora is not lost in the “white-washing” that can happen when some groups tell the story of history, leaving out other groups.

To some the very notion of Black History Month is controversial. Some very prominent people, such as the esteemed African-American actor Morgan Freeman, argue against having a Black History Month. “You’re going to relegate my history to a month?” Freeman asked. He has a point. Black History cannot be meaningfully limited to one month a year, nor can it be separated from American history, our Canadian history, or World history. Black History is History.

For much too long, history has been taught only from the perspective of the dominant groups in society. In Canada that has meant that history was taught only as the story of men. Of whites, (mainly English and Scottish). Of the rich. Of the powerful.

We have taken great strides in identifying that such history is not only overwhelmingly incomplete, it is also profoundly unjust. Yet we still have much to do. Moreover, not only is that journey incomplete, in many places it is going the wrong way. The most obvious examples of this come from the United States, where a radical agenda of curriculum revision and book banning, all in the name of “patriotic education,” is in fact a naked attempt at denying the racist history of that nation, and the ways that racism is still alive in the institutions of today.

This suggests that Black History Month is still very relevant indeed.

On a person’s birthday we take the day to celebrate that person in a special way. Yet that does not mean we ignore them the other 364 days of the year. Let’s commit considering how that approach may apply to Black History Month.

Find out more:

New Non-Fiction

Come down to the School Library to check out some of our newest titles in Non-Fiction

National Indigenous History Month

June is National Indigenous History Month. Check out this video from the Government of Canada:

Find out more:

Government of Canada: History and Heritage

Documenting the Holocaust

The Holocaust is one of the most well documented events in history. Yet despite this, there are some who seek to distort or deny the facts of this terrible blight on human history. We must continue to fight against the evil that the Holocaust represents. To do so we must fight against lies, distortions and ignorance to ensure that the facts are preserved, as horrifying as the facts are, so that future generations know what happened, and what must never happen again.

#ProtectTheFacts is just one of many organizations dedicated to preserving the historical facts of the Holocaust, and fighting against the evil that is Holocaust denial or distortion. See more in the links below.

Come to the school library to find out more about the Holocaust. Check out some of the following resources: