4 Resources To Learn More About the Kindertransport

It was a deeply moving experience to put together Scope’s April 2018 nonfiction feature, “The Children Who Escaped the Nazis.” This article tells the incredible true story of a 14-year-old girl who escaped Nazi Germany through the Kindertransport, an operation that helped save the lives of approximately 10,000 children. We’ve collected three powerful resources for your students to explore after they read the article. Students may then choose from one of the culminating tasks listed at the end of this post.

Plus, don't miss these expert-vetted strategies for teaching the Holocaust in your classroom.

Guiding Questions:
Post these questions in your classroom for students to refer to as they explore the resources.
1. Why is it important to study the past?
2. How can hatred and prejudice be overcome?

Three powerful resources to keep your students’ learning going:

1. The poem “The Leather Suitcase” by Tom Berman, who was saved by the Kindertransport that operated out of Czechoslovakia

Discussion Question:

• What does Tom’s suitcase represent to him?

2. The quotation “First They Came For The Socialists…” from Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran minister and early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler’s regime. After students read the quote, have them read the Scope informational text “How to Speak Up” that is paired with the play The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Discussion Questions:

• What responsibility do we have to others?
• How much responsibility do you feel for what takes place around you: in your family, in your school, in your city, in your country, and in the world?
• How does the idea of responsibility for others connect to this issue’s informational text “How to Speak Up”?
• How can Niemoller’s quote be updated to reflect a current, local, national, or world issue for which you feel everyone should take responsibility? (Possible topics include bullying, environmental issues, racism, and civil rights.)

3. BBC interviews with four survivors 75 years after they were sent to England as part of the Kindertransport

Discussion Questions:

• What sticks with you most from each survivor’s story?
• As survivors grow old, how should their stories be remembered?

4. The novel Finding Sophie and the graphic novel Seeking Refuge by author Irene N. Watts, who was rescued by the Kindertransport

Discussion Questions:

• How does Lore’s story in “The Children Who Escaped the Nazis” compare with the stories of the characters in Watts’s books?
• How did the three texts help you understand the Kindertransport in different ways?

Four engaging activities to choose from:

For Advanced Readers
In an essay, video, or slideshow, explain the challenges faced by children of the Kindertransport. Support your answer with details from the Scope article “The Children Who Escaped the Nazis,” the Scope video “Beyond the Story: The Kindertransport,” and at least two of the resources above.

For Struggling Readers
In a well-organized paragraph, explain three challenges faced by children of the Kindertransport. Support your answer with details from the Scope article “The Children Who Escaped the Nazis,” the Scope video “Beyond the Story: The Kindertransport,” and at least one of the resources above.

For Speechwriters
Imagine that a memorial to honor the children of the Kindertransport is being unveiled. Write a speech to be delivered at the unveiling. Be sure to explain who the children were, what they went through, and why we should honor them.

For Artists
Create a work of visual art—a painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, etc.—about the Kindertransport. Write a brief artist’s statement explaining the ideas behind your artwork.