Description

The Historian’s Craft Lesson on Human Rights and the Holodomor (Edmonton and Toronto: CIUS Press, 2024, 90 pages) is a comprehensive lesson that uses a variety of resources to teach students about human rights and the Holodomor in an engaging and interactive way. Written by Valentina Kuryliw, Director of Education for the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC), the book is an excellent resource that promotes human rights education and introduces the topic of the Holodomor across many grade levels and teaching contexts. This lesson delivers well-laid-out strategies and clear content that teachers can utilize directly in their classrooms. It includes a PowerPoint presentation to accompany each task in the lesson (this presentation can be freely downloaded from the HREC Education website at: www.education.holodomor.ca).

Encouraging students to work collaboratively in groups with their peers, this lesson engages student interest in social justice and world events. It also offers experiential learning opportunities that motivate students to problem solve and think critically. Working in detective-like manner to analyze a variety of primary sources, students are prompted to arrive at their own conclusions. The lesson inspires students to think critically about actions they can take to create and sustain a safer and more just world for the future.