And to Think It All Started with A Paperclip

Today in class we watched the documentary titled "Paper Clips".  At the beginning of the film, I imagined I was going to be witnessing a classroom doing a small project discussing the Holocaust and incorporating paper clips somehow. Well, I was partially right. I was wrong in the fact that I believed the project was going to be small. In fact, it grew to be so large, people all over the world became involved.

The documentary was based around a group of middle school students from the small town of Whitwell, Tennessee. The whole project began as an Inquiry based approach.  When studying the Holocaust, one student asked what 6 million looked like, when discussing how many Jew's were killed during the holocaust.  The teacher and faculty came together to think of a way to represent the lives lost.  Paper clips were an easy way for students to visually represent the lives lost. After a slow start, the project started to take off.  Paper clips started to be mailed in to the school, with letters attached.  Each paper clip had a story and gave a voice to those who lost their lives.

As I watched the film, I could see change beginning in the classroom, not just from the project growing, but the students.  The students began to see what hate can do to society.  They were able to hear stories and see what people went through first hand. I believe that teaching Social Studies like this is very important.  The teachers at Whitwell Middle School made this lesson very meaningful to the students.  I believe that to make history interesting, students need to be involved in the learning process.  Students were able to listen to stories, read letters from survivors, and meet people who lived through it.  The teachers at the school put an effort into changing the way their students view other races.  This experiment gave them a chance to see how quickly hate can spread and the drastic things that can occur.

The teachers also had to be aware of students background knowledge.  I believe this lesson may have gone differently if it took place in a different, more diverse, town.  It could have affected students differently. Many goals and objectives were met during this lesson.  Students were taught about racism/bullying, geography, forms of government, democracy, as well as empathy and compassion. I believe, when teaching a subject such as the Holocaust, teachers need to have resources available for their students.  These teachers did a great job by having speakers and having real life material, such as the train car and letters/pictures.


Overall, I feel I have gained a lot from watching this movie.  I have learned the importance of hands-on learning when it comes to social studies. Taking the time to answer out students questions is important. And to think if the teacher ignored that student that asked what 6 million looked like.  I was able to see what an impact a class project can have on a classroom and an entire community.  It is amazing the things that our students can do.  It is important for us, as teachers, to give them the tools to make change.

Below is the link to the website:
"Paper Clips Project" Website