The Holocaust was a systematic and bureaucratic execution of over six million Jews, Romani, homosexuals, the disabled, Slavs, “racially inferior” individuals, and any other enemies of the Nazis. In this activity, students will create a timeline of the events leading up to the Holocaust. They should include any policies, events, and important people connected to this period of history and describe how they are interconnected within the Holocaust.
For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options and adjust the instructions accordingly.
Extended Activity
To extend this activity, students can detail the event they found most significant in causing of the Holocaust. In the description boxes, students will answer the following questions.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a timeline of the events leading up to the Holocaust.
Primary sources like diaries, photographs, and official documents help students connect personally to history and develop critical thinking. They offer authentic perspectives on events leading up to the Holocaust.
Choose materials that are suitable for your students' reading levels and emotional maturity, such as excerpts from Anne Frank's diary or period newspaper headlines. This ensures a safe and engaging learning experience.
Ask students to consider: Who created this? Why? What does it reveal about the time? These questions help students analyze bias and context, deepening their historical understanding.
Have students connect each primary source to a specific event on their timeline. This builds cause-and-effect thinking and allows for richer discussion during presentations or gallery walks.
Encourage students to write or share how a primary source changed their view of an event. This promotes critical reflection and empathy, key goals in Holocaust education.
Key events leading up to the Holocaust include the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler becoming Chancellor, publication of Mein Kampf, anti-Jewish boycotts, Nazi book burnings, the Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht, and the establishment of Jewish ghettos. Each event increased discrimination and set the foundation for genocide.
To create an effective Holocaust timeline, students should list major events, policies, and people, provide brief descriptions, and use visuals or illustrations. Including causes and effects helps show how the events are interconnected.
The best way is to show how Nazi policies—like the Nuremberg Laws and anti-Semitic propaganda—systematically isolated and targeted Jews and others, leading step-by-step to the Holocaust. Using examples and timelines can make the connection clear and relatable.
Kristallnacht is seen as a turning point because it marked the shift from discrimination and laws to widespread violence against Jews, signaling the start of more aggressive and deadly Nazi actions.
Creative options include making poster timelines, digital slideshows, gallery walks, or interactive online timelines. These formats engage students and help visualize the sequence of events leading to the Holocaust.