Social Studies Guidance & Resources
- Lincoln, King, and the Emancipation Proclamation
- Civics Lesson Plans aligned to the NYS Social Studies Framework from the League of Women Voters and NYS4A
- iCivics: Engage students in meaningful civics education
- Learning for Justice
- Docs Teach: An online tool from the National Archives
- Yale Law School: Global History Documents
- Council For Economic Education
- New York State League of Women Voters
- Stanford History Education Group: Reading like a historian
- C3 Teachers New York Social Studies Teachers Toolkit
- The 1619 Project Curriculum
- Holodomor
- Ukraine Genocide
- NYS Social Studies Field Guide
Holocaust Instruction Survey
On August 10, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Chapter 490 of the Laws of 2022 requiring a survey regarding instruction on the Holocaust within New York State public school districts. Through the survey, superintendents were required to attest that the district is teaching about the Holocaust appropriately as part of classroom instruction aligned with the NYS Social Studies Learning Standards and §801 of Education Law. A report of the findings of the survey was delivered to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate, and the minority leader of the assembly and is available below.
Final Report on Survey Findings
- Holocaust Instruction in New York State Public School Districts – A report on findings from the Fall 2022 survey of New York State public school districts regarding instruction on the Holocaust within the state.
Holocaust Instruction in New York State
The New York State K-12 Social Studies Framework requires instruction in the Holocaust at specific grade levels. While instruction of human rights and the Holocaust is discussed and taught throughout K-12, it is more explicitly taught in the 8th, 10th, and 11th grades when students learn about the horrors of the Holocaust, the Nuremberg Trials, and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Holocaust Education resources can be found below and on the NYSED Social Studies webpage.
Holocaust Education Resources
This section houses a collection of resources and guidance to support Holocaust education. Utilization of the NYSED’s resources to support curriculum development and instruction is optional; all instructional decisions are made at the local level. The sites below are provided as options and sources for ideas and inspiration only. The list is also not exhaustive; there are many quality resources and learning activities available online.
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.)
- Fundamentals of Teaching the Holocaust: Includes getting started guide, guidelines for teaching and foundational teaching materials including lesson plans, videos and virtual field trips.
- Anti-Defamation League (NY)
- Holocaust lesson plans for educators and children's literature on the Holocaust
- United Nations Outreach Programme on the Holocaust
- Teaching materials and educational materials from partners including UNESCO, Yad Vashem, and B'nai B'rith International
- Yad Vashem (Israel): The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
- Education materials, including videos, online sources, international projects and activities, and educational material sin other languages
- Museum of Jewish Heritage (NY)
- NYPL Holocaust Research, Education, and Remembrance Online: Education
- Includes websites, links to curricula, museums, and memoirs
Effective September 1, 2024, every school district serving high school students grades 9-12 with no districtwide or school building peer-selected student government is required to establish at least one student government organization within such district or school building.