THE LAST ALBUM EYES FROM THE ASHES OF AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU Teacher s Guide Teacher s Guide The Last Album by Sam Parish, Naples, FL In Octber f 1986, during a tur f Auschwitz, I unexpectedly came upn a lcked archive whse cntents were t becme the inspiratin fr THE LAST ALBUM: Eyes frm the Ashes f Auschwitz- Birkenau. There I discvered ver 2,000 persnal phtgraphs, cnfiscated frm Jews deprted in 1943. These were the phts they culdn t leave behind. Millins f phts were brught by millins f peple t Nazi slave labr and death camps, but there was a secret Nazi edict t destry nt nly the peple, but als t destry the symbls f their memries, i.e. all their persnal phts, all their letters and all their drawings. Histrians have surmised that, ut f all the transprts, nly the phts frm this ne transprt miraculusly survived. Hw? Why? Explre The Last Album pht exhibit which cnsists f images, histrical maps, and a vide cllage drawn frm that trve f phtgraphs discvered by Ann Weiss. Examine hw they inject life int the lives f thse wh became Hlcaust victims at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Suggested ideas: Pht detective Watch Eyes frm the Ashes phtmntage, peruse bk The Last Album: Eyes frm the Ashes f Auschwitz-Birkenau, r walk thrugh pht exhibit, chse a favrite pht and answer the fllwing questins (idea credit f Ann Weiss and Maureen Marull Carter f Palm Beach Schls) Why d yu suppse the persn chse this particular pht t take t Auschwitz? What pht wuld yu bring if yu were ging t a new place withut friends r family? (Nt a place like Auschwitz) If yu culd speak t this persn, what wuld yu want t knw abut them? If yu culd speak t this persn, what wuld yu want them t knw abut yu? What des the vide tell yu abut these peple that were n ne f the last transprts int Auschwitz? Were they like yu? In their Shes Chse a persnal pht in advance t bring withut knwing the activity t cme.
Describe the pht (what is happening, wh is pictured by name and relatinship t yu, what is the lcatin, when was the event pictured taking place, ther identifying infrmatin). What is the stry assciated with the pht? If yu dn t knw r there isn t ne, des the pht remind yu f a stry r event assciated with the pht? Why was the pht taken? Why did yu chse this particular pht fr this activity? Why is it special r meaningful t yu? Hw des it make yu feel? What des it make yu remember? What des the pht say abut yu? Think histrically, act lcally Pst-exhibit visit, r after viewing the bk, distribute dispsable cameras, r use their cell phne camera t dcument daily life in their cmmunity (Cnsider large events like parades, but als mre subtle, neglected events and lcatins.) Encurage students t experiment with different views, angles, perspectives, etc. Have students print, develp, create a slideshw r cllage, title their wrk, and explain the meaning behind the picture. Which f thse pictures wuld they treasure the mst? Yu were There and tk the picture Students select a pht that interests them. Have students brainstrm why the phtgrapher tk the picture, why the subject psed as they did, what feeling they were trying t cnvey, etc.. Based n abve, have students cmpse a pem (des nt have t rhyme) as if the pet was als the phtgrapher. One-Pager (idea credit J. Paul Getty Museum Educatin Department) Chse a favrite pht and print it ut, r save and pen n cmputer/tablet screen. Ensure that the pht is centered. Imagine the stry that describes r surrunds the pht. Using clred pencils, crayns, etc., and images cut frm newspaper/magazines, write and add wrds and images that capture yur dminant impressins, feelings and/r thughts OR use clipart and Wrd art if n a cmputer/tablet. Make sure yur cllage tells a stry s that yur peers can learn just by bserving it.
Title yur prject, trying t incrprate Hlcaust/WWII/ 1940s themes. Add tw questins yu wuld like answered abut the pht. Tri-Level Phtgraphic analysis Fld a piece f clred paper in thirds labeling Level 1, 2, 3 as Factual, Analysis, and Histrical Cntext). Level I (Factual) Clr, lines, shapes, texture, space What did yu ntice first? Where is yur eye led? What are peple wearing? Hw are they psed? Where are their hands resting? Are yu bserving frm abve, in frnt f, behind (perspective) When was the pht made? Level II (Beginning Analysis) What are the peple in the pht lking at? What expressins are n their faces? What are they thinking? What time f day was the pht taken? Where was the pht taken? What are they ding? Level III (Cnnect t Histrical Cntext) Wh are the peple in the pht? What message is the phtgrapher trying t cnvey? What is the situatin depicted? What elements in the pht tell yu abut the situatin?
D the peple in the pht need help? If s, hw wuld yu help? Wuld a pht like this be taken tday? Why/why nt? What title/alternative title wuld yu give the pht? Place title n cver page f tri-fld. Turning a Phrase Quadrant Divide a page int fur quadrants. Present a pht frm The Last Album. Label each quadrant with a part f speech (nun, verb, adverb, adjective). Break class int grups (Nun Grup, Verb Grup, Adverb Grup, Adjective Grup). Each grup will have five minutes t cme up with a list f wrds. Then grups shuld cmpse sentences using at least ne wrd frm each quadrant t capture what is taking place in the pht. This Teacher s Guide t The Last Album was prepared by James Sam Parish, Educatinal Cnsultant Hlcaust Museum and Educatin Center f Suthwest Flrida, 4760 Tamiami Trail N, Suite 7 / Naples, FL 34103 Fr further infrmatin, please cntact: James Sam Parish, 239-263-9200 x 20 sam@hlcaustmuseumswfl.rg