Upper Elementary School Lesson Plans

Built around the documentary film Defiant Requiem and guided classroom discussion, these lessons introduce elementary school students (grades 4–6) to the history of the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp during the Holocaust through age-appropriate themes of courage, hope, and creative resistance. Students will learn how Jewish prisoners used art and music to hold on to their humanity, with a focus on the story of conductor Rafael Schächter and the chorus he built inside the camp.

Each lesson plan is flexible and classroom ready, with teacher scripts, discussion prompts, reflection activities, and creative projects that can be adapted to fit available class time. Teachers can choose between a condensed two-lesson format or an expanded six-lesson format, and all materials can be downloaded and printed for free.