3-5 Resources
Enhance grade 3-5 learning and explore activities, lesson plans, and family workshops developed by our team, and a selection made by our trusted educational partners.
“This is a book that should be adopted by the world as a work of art…and everyone should keep this story in their hearts.”
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“This is a book that should be adopted by the world as a work of art…and everyone should keep this story in their hearts.” •
– Jakob, Elementary School Student
HOTYM | Teacher Pathway
Lesson Plans for Teaching Lisa of Willesden Lane
Explore this four-part HOTYM lesson series adapted from The Willesden Project, designed to guide Grade 5 students through the powerful themes of identity, belonging, resilience, and triumph. Through music, storytelling, and firsthand testimony, these immersive lessons cultivate empathy and social-emotional growth while honoring Holocaust memory. This pathway helps young learners make meaningful connections between history and their own lived experiences.
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Leaving
Becoming a Refugee
Chapters 1-4
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Belonging
Finding Connection in a New Home
Chapters 5-8
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Persevering
Strength Through Adversity
Chapters 9-12
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Triumphing
Carrying Memory, Legacy, and Hope Forward
Chapters 13-14 & Epilogue
Student Activities, Lesson Plans, & Family Workshops
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Every Piece of Music Tells A Story - Lisa of Willesden Lane
Lisa of Willesden Lane tells the true story of 14-year-old Lisa Jura, an aspiring pianist whose parents sent her from Vienna to London via the Kindertransport in 1938.
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This activity is intended to accompany the reading of Lisa of Willesden Lane, providing students with a deeper understanding of the history and music featured in the story. Students will begin by watching a video of author, Mona Golabek, who shares her inspiration for writing the book. They will also watch testimony from a Jewish survivor to learn about the impact music had on their life.
By the end of this activity, students will listen to and analyze the musical compositions that played a key role in Lisa’s life, and they will create an artistic work that expresses their connection to one of the pieces of music and their understanding of Lisa’s story.
This activity features the testimony of Jewish survivor Rose Schwartz.
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Liverpool Street Station: Legacy and Immigration
This activity highlights the challenges of starting a new life in a new country while preserving past memories, emphasizing the importance of remembering historical events and their impact on personal and collective identities.
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In this Virtual IWalk, students will explore how legacy shapes their identity. Students will virtually visit Liverpool Street Station in London, where Mona Golabek, a second-generation Holocaust survivor, concert pianist, and storyteller, shares her family’s experiences of forced immigration due to antisemitism and the Holocaust.
By the end of this activity, students will be able to:
1. Describe how legacy shapes who they are
2. Explore how people moved to new countries after events like the Holocaust and started new lives
3. Understand why it’s important to remember and share stories from the past like the Holocaust, to help us understand who we are today
The interview featured in this Virtual IWalk was recorded with 360-degree technology that captured Mona Golabek and her surroundings, offering students the ability to virtually explore Liverpool Street Station in contemporary times.
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Wigmore Hall: Legacy and Career
In this Virtual IWalk, students will visit Wigmore Hall in London, England with Mona Golabek to hear generational stories about how her grandparents and parents influenced her passion, efforts, and aspirations.
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By learning about Mona’s journey, students will reflect on the lessons and values passed down in their families and consider how these shape their own passions, dreams, and who they become. As a result of this activity, students will be able to:
1. Define generational legacy
2. Analyze how grandparents and parents can shape their passions and dreams
3. Reflect on their own identity by connecting with their own family’s stories
The interview featured in this Virtual IWalk was recorded with 360-degree technology that captured Mona Golabek and her surroundings, offering students the ability to virtually explore the historic Wigmore Hall in contemporary times.
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Taking a Stand for What is Right: Lisa of Willesden Lane
This activity follows the reading of the book, Lisa of Willesden Lane, in which students will apply what they have learned about injustice from Lisa Jura’s story and the testimony of Margaret Lambert. By the end of this activity, they will identify an injustice that they will stand up for in their own school or community to create change.
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A Conversation with Kurt Marx (Grade 3-5) – Dimensions in Testimony
In this lesson, students will be introduced to Kurt Marx, a Holocaust survivor who escaped danger through placement on the Kindertransport, a rescue mission during World War II that saved thousands of Jewish children.
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Using the USC Shoah Foundation’s Dimensions in Testimony (DiT) technology, students will ask him questions about his experiences. Before, during, and after the Kindertransport. This activity will teach them how to listen to and preserve survivor stories. By the end of this lesson, students will create an original work of art inspired by Kurt’s story and discuss what they have learned with their classmates. When we listen to someone’s story, we learn history from their point of view. However, everyone sees the world differently based on their experiences. Sometimes, people may say things others don’t agree with. Stories help us learn, and it’s essential to think carefully, ask questions, and compare different perspectives to understand history fully.
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The London Archives: Tracing Roots
In this activity, students will engage with Mona Golabek’s personal journey as she visits The London Archives to review and interact with documents related to her mother, Lisa Jura, and her experience on the Kindertransport.
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This activity offers students the chance to learn about primary sources and how they can provide insight into personal and historical stories. By engaging with Mona’s journey as she explores primary sources, students will reflect on their own family history and the value of these sources to learn about the past.
The interview featured in this Mini Quest was recorded with 360-degree technology that captured Mona Golabek and her surroundings, offering students the ability to virtually explore the historic London Archives in contemporary times.
