Qualitative Evaluation:  Content Mastery

            Please respond to the following 13 questions in essay form.  Please write your answers on separate pages and attach them to the rear of the question sheet.

You may use and notes that you personally have compiled while attending seminars on the topic of the holocaust and Genocide studies.  However, you are asked not to use any reference texts.  You may use books or articles that you have marked while participating in Holocaust Studies workshops, however, please do not use any materials from which you must read for the first time.

1. Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer?  Explain at least one way in which study of his story and writings contribute to Holocaust/ genocide studies.

2. Who is Elie Wiesel?  Explain at least one way in which study of his story and writings contribute to Holocaust/ genocide studies.

3. Who was Andre Trocme?  Explain at least one way in which study of his story and writings contribute to Holocaust/ genocide studies.

4. How might you best prepare your students to hear the testimony of a survivor of the Holocaust or other genocidal event?

5. Survivors of the death camps are often considered to be “the survivors” of the Holocaust.  Write an expanded definition or defend this “narrow” definition of “survivors”.

6. What do you think students need to know about the fate of each of the Roma, Senti, and Jehovah’s Witnesses during the Holocaust?  Explain why.

7. Is it important to learn/ teach about the treatment of Homosexuals droning the Holocaust?  Why or why not?

8. Explain why mental health providers argue that for survivors, the Holocaust began in 1945.

9. Briefly contrast the differing perspectives of Jews and Christians on forgiveness.

10. Describe the progression of the portrayal of Jews in German film prior to the Holocaust.  Why is this an important concept for students in your classes to understand?

11. Define and give example of resistance and rescue as they pertain to the Holocaust and other genocide.  Why is this important to include in a unit on Holocaust/ genocide studies?

12. Describe how documentary video form the Holocaust and other genocidal incidents (e.g. Night and Fog, Liberation of Auschwitz, Rwanda Video-Witness: Condemned to Live) influence your understanding of the banality of evil.

13. given the opportunity to co-teach a unit on holocaust/ genocide studies with a colleague from another discipline from the humanities, how might you integrate the content of such a unit?

Scoring Rubric for Qualitative Evaluation: Content Mastery

(Adapted from Ideas and Content-6 Trait Analysis, Assessment and Accountability Program, Northwest Regional Laboratory, 1996)

Instructions:  Answers to the thirteen questions are to be scored on a scale of 1-5 as per rubric provided.  Scores may be graduated into .25 units as needed, e.g. 4.25.  See attached notes for specific guidelines for questions.

5 The answer contains accurate information in a clear and focused manner.  Relevant anecdotes and details enrich the central theme.

           F.   Insight- an understanding of life and a knack for picking out what is significant—is an indicator of higher level        
                 performance, though not required.

3 The writer is beginning to define the topic, even though development is still basic or general.  
                      A.     The answer is fairly broad; however you can see where the writer is headed.
           B.   Support is attempted, but doesn’t go far enough yet in fleshing out the key issues or story line.
           C.   Ideas are reasonably clear, though they may not be detailed, personalized, and accurate or expanded enough to show 
                  in-depth understanding or a strong sense of purpose.
           D.     The writer seems to be drawing on knowledge or experience, but has difficulty going form general observations to
                   specifics.
              E.   The reader is left with questions.  More information is needed to “fill in the blanks”.
           F.   The writer generally stays on topic but dos not develop a clear theme.  The writer has not yet focused the topic past the
                 obvious.

1 As yet, the paper has no clear sense of purpose or central theme.  To extract meaning from the text, the reader must make inferences based on sketchy or missing details.  The writing reflects more than one of these problems.

 
            A. The writer is still in search of an answer, brainstorming, or has not yet decided what the main idea of the piece will be.
            B.  Information is limited or unclear or the length is not adequate for development.
            C.  The idea is a simple restatement of the topic or an answer to the question with little attention to detail.
            D.  The write has not yet begun to define the answer in a meaningful, personal way.
            E.  Everything seems as important as everything else; the reader has a hard time sifting out what is important.
            F.  The text may be repetitious, or may read like a collection of disconnected, random thoughts with no discernable point.

Overall Procedural and Content Scoring Suggestions:

• These guidelines are provided to the scorers so that they may evaluate the accuracy of answers based upon the goals and objectives of this NEH Focus Group Workshop .
• Scorers are asked to please document exemplars of parts of essays that explicitly meet guidelines for each level of scoring.

With regards to questions 1, 2, and 3:

• Bonhoeffer, Wiesel, and Trocme should be identified within historical and ethical contexts.  This information should be factually accurate.
• The significance of the life story and/ or the author’s writings should be explained within one of two contexts: a. influence of these actions/ writings upon others at the time; b. influence of these actions/ writings on others since that time.
• Conceptual relevance for these understandings, either for learning of teaching about Holocaust and Genocide issues should be addressed.

With regards to questions 4 and 13:

• Both of these questions call upon the writer to reflect upon what they have learned when considering integration of curriculum and instruction.  Hence, rubric item “C” accurate supporting details and the first part of item “D”, writing from knowledge or experience, need to be given significant, but not overbearing weight.  Details supporting curricula and instruction should be factually accurate.

With regards to questions 5, 8, and 9:

• The fate of the Roma, Senti, and Jehovah’s Witnesses between 1933-1945 should be discussed within historical and ethical contexts.  This information should be factually accurate.  Reasonable and specific arguments should be presented as to why teachers and students need to understand this information.
• The topic of the fate of homosexuals during the Holocaust is controversial.  Holocaust historians and educators are currently arguing whether or not homosexuals were “victims” of the Holocaust.  Therefore, question 7 was asked differently than questions 6 and 11.  A variety of answers are acceptable providing each is relevant, telling, accurate, and based in knowledge or experience.
• Examples of resistance and rescue need to be grounded historically in the period of the Holocaust or other genocidal episodes.  This information should be factually accurate.  Reasonable and specific arguments should be presented as to why teachers and students need to understand this information.

With regards to questions 10 and 12:

• Although both of these questions require the writer to address the use of film to promote an understanding of Holocaust and Genocide, they ask for different answers.  Question 10 asks the writer to explain how the Nazis progressively used film images as propaganda to portray Jews and other  “undesirables.”  Question 12 asks for the writer to reflect upon the concept of “the banality of evil” as it is reflected in documentary footage of Genocide.  Perspectives, and thus answers will vary.  These answers should be read like the others, with higher scores going to those answers that are relevant, telling, accurate, and based in knowledge or experience.