Transcript A Genocide WebQuest

Can We Stop It?
Vladek’s account of his experiences during the
Holocaust is just the beginning to examining how
different groups of people can move from
coexisting together in a society to trying to wipe
out a single race. There have been many groups
that have been persecuted and oppressed with
little attention or relief to put an end to their grief
and death.
This webquest will require you to stand up for a
group of people that no one stood up for, or is
standing up for, when they need(ed) it most.
Assignment:
You are working for a non-profit service organization that
is trying to bring attention and awareness of the crimes
committed against a particular group of people. Your goal
is to persuade your congressman to get involved and
stand up for those unheard voices. You want your
congressman to help get the word out to the community,
so that your leaders and the citizens will commit time and
money to your organization’s cause.
Task
Resources
Process
Credits and
Conclusion
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Purpose: Increase Awareness (to inform
and persuade)
Audience: Congressman Vern Buchanan
Subject: You will choose one of the
following: Darfur genocide, Armenian
Genocide, Cambodian Genocide, TibetChina Conflict, Rwanda Genocide
Product: A Persuasive Business Letter
First, you will need to choose a conflict.
Look under “resources” and read up on
each conflict before making a decision.
Search through each website and read,
read, read!
Which global conflict interests you?
When you have chosen a global conflict,
fill out the “Persuasive Letter Focus
Sheet”.
Next,
 Fill out two “Bibliography Entrees”
 Important: You will need to choose 2
“sources” based on the websites
presented to you on this web quest.
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Make sure to take detailed notes on
each source. These notes will come
in handy when you are writing your
paper!
Okay, by now you know your conflict and have
three valuable resources to gather information
from.
-In your persuasive letter, you want to sound
like an “expert” on your global conflict. In order
to give a convincing argument to the
congressman, you need to first understand why
genocide occurs.
-Read the stages of genocide and
summarize each stage in at least two sentences.
***By understanding the process of genocide you
will have a better idea of what to ask the
congressman to do about it. ***
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Now it’s time to look back at the sources you
found on your global conflict, so that you can
use them in your letter.
Check out this link for information on how to
format a Business letter. Use Block Format
Business letter format
Reflect on the Strategies for Persuasive Writing
Sheet before beginning.
Include quotes that present startling facts that
will grip your reader!
The next few slides are full of resources!
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Utilize the following websites to choose your global conflict-
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100 Years of Genocide
The Forgotten (Armenians)
Cambodian Genocide (Cambodia)
Cultural Genocide (Tibet)
Darfur: A Genocide We Can STOP (Sudan)
Save Darfur
Leave None to Tell the Story (Rwanda)
Guide to World Conflicts
CNN World Conflicts
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History of Global Conflicts
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Additional Resources
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This link includes information about the
psychology of violence, cruelty and
aggression. Think about this question while
readingHow can humans be so cruel and inhumane
to other humans?
Stanley Milgram Experiment on Cruelty
(go to next slide for more links)
Historical Overview
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Research information about the nature of genocide, why it
occurs and a historical overview of a selected genocide
utilizing the following resources:
Genocide in the 20th Century- The History Place - This
website has a Link to the UN Genocide convention and
explanations of genocide occurrences in all countries
Peace Pledge Union Information - This website is a great
resource for all countries. Website includes survivor stories,
thorough backgrounds on genocide in each country, and a
great explanation of genocide. Also includes documents and
articles for further study on genocide as well.
Holocaust, genocide and human rights
International Crisis Croup
A Call to Action: World Wide
Genocides
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This includes information about current world-wide
genocides and reports on actions being taken to help
stop it
The following websites will assist in researching this
information:
Holocaust, genocide and human rights
United Nations Human Rights
Web Genocide Documentation Center
Human Rights
Prevent Genocide International
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The following resources were used in the creation of this WebQuest:
Bernie Dodge WebQuest
100 Years of Genocide
100 Years of Genocide
Jewish Holocaust (Europe)
Armenian Genocide (Turkey)
The Forgotten (Armenians)
Cambodian Genocide (Cambodia)
Cultural Genocide (Tibet)
Genocide in the 20th Century (Bosnia)
Darfur: A Genocide We Can STOP (Sudan)
Leave None to Tell the Story (Rwanda)
They came first for the Communists...but I didn't speak up because II wasn’t A
Communist. Then they came for the Jews...but I didn't speak up because I
wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Unionists ...but I didn't speak up because
I wasn't a Unionist. . Then they came for the Catholic ...but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a
Catholic.. Then they came for me..and by that time...there was no-one left to speak up. for me.
Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933-1939
They say that unless one learns from one's mistakes, history repeats itself. Genocide is a real
threat to ethnic groups in our world. We, as a caring society, need to fight against the
complacency of people who choose to ignore this horrifying cleansing act.
By completing this challenging webQuest you have gained a tremendous amount of
information that most people either do not know, or chose to forget. Be assured that genocide
does go on, even now, in many places in the world. You as a citizen of the world need to be
constantly aware of injustices that are going on, not just in foreign countries, but in your own
back yard.
Elie Wiesel said that "indifference can be tempting...It is so much easier to look away from
victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our
hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair."
May indifference never tempt you.
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