UnBroken is a powerful Holocaust Education film that is also useful for teaching Anti-Bias Education, Media Literacy, Social Emotional Learning, and World War II History.
The UnBroken Learning Guide features 5 powerful sections and useful resources for primary source learning and engagement around empathy and the importance of upstanders.
This guide is highly adaptable and can be used for Middle School (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Higher Education and community groups. Learning Guide Section 1 about Upstanders can be a powerful tool and resource for Holocaust Education in higher education settings.
The Learning Guide includes three printable handouts: a primary source-rich handout focused on the Ringelblum Archive, an Empathy Map worksheet / graphic organizer, and a Self-Care Wheel worksheet/ graphic organizer.
UnBroken presents the miraculous true story of the seven Weber siblings, ages 6-18, who evaded certain capture and death, and ultimately escaped Nazi Germany relying solely on their youthful bravado and the kindness of strangers, following their mother’s incarceration and murder at Auschwitz. The film is Beth Lane’s directorial debut and a very personal journey.
After being hidden in a laundry hut by a benevolent German farmer, the children spent two years on their own in war torn Germany. Emboldened by their father’s mandate that they ‘always stay together,’ the children used their own cunning instincts to fight through hunger, loneliness, rape, bombings and fear. Climactically separated from their father, the siblings are forced to declare themselves as orphans in order to escape to a new life in America. Unbeknownst to them, this salvation would become what would finally tear them apart, not to be reunited for another 40 years.
In the film, Beth Lane, daughter of the youngest Weber sibling, embarks on a quest to retrace their steps, seeking answers to long-held questions about her family’s survival. The film examines the journey of the Weber family as told through conversations with living siblings – now in their eighties and nineties – while Beth and her crew road trip across Germany, following the courageous, tumultuous, and harrowing path taken by her family over eighty years ago.
Get the UnBroken Educators Toolkit and Educational License is available directly from The Weber Family Arts Foundation. It includes:
UnBroken is also streaming on Netflix.
Historical Context: The Holocaust and Jewish Refugees
Subject: History, Holocaust Education, Math, Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Section 1: Everyday Courage - The Impact of Upstanders
Subject: Civics, Community Service Learning, History, Holocaust Education, Service Learning, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Section 2: The Power of Storykeeping through Archival Activism
Subject: Civics, History, Holocaust Education, U.S. History, World History
Section 3: Empathy as a Practice - Listening, Reflecting, Acting
Subject: Civics, Community Service Learning, History, Holocaust Education, Service Learning, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Section 4: Preserving Memories Through Mixed Media
Subject: Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Health, History, Holocaust Education, Journalism, Language Arts, Media Literacy, Psychology, Social Studies, U.S. History, Visual Arts, Visual Literacy, World History
Section 5: Echoes and Restorations - Healing Trauma Across Generations
Subject: Health, History, Holocaust Education, Psychology, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
The UnBroken Learning Guide Section 2: The Power of Storykeeping through Archival Activism features a handout on “Items Recovered in the Ringelblum Archive.” This handout is also available as a Google Slideshow to use for presentations.
This slideshow presents a range of primary sources includind artwork, official government documents, photographsy, poetry, excerpts from personal diaries, essays, and other forms of writing, and more, These materials appear courtesy of the Ringelblum Archive, Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw, Poland. Appropriate for Grades 6-12, plus adult education and higher education.
Antisemitism Today, revised in 2023, is a lesson exploring the rise of antisemitism within the context of white supremacy. It is a powerful resource for Anti-Bias Education and Holocaust Education. Appropriate for Social Studies, Civics, Current Events, Government classes, etc.
This lesson was created as part of our Schindler’s List curriculum, and also works as a standalone lesson. If you use this lesson without that film, advise learners to skip film-related questions.
Download Antisemitism Lesson
Preview Antisemitism Lesson
This Timeline of the Holocaust starts at 1918 and includes details regarding the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany as well as details about the Holocaust. The timeline ends in 1945. It includes additional resources as well.
These tips can help you create safe space for classroom engagement on the themes and subjects of this film.
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