Balanced Learning Resources
Lesson Plans

In Nazi-occupied Poland during WWII, Irena Sendler, a 29-year-old Catholic social worker, risked her life to smuggle 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. Working with a network of brave resistors and inspired by people like Dr. Janusz Korczak, she forged documents, coordinated secret escapes, and hid children with Polish families and in convents — preserving not just their lives, but their identities and future.

Students will learn about Hungary during WWII and how Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, saved tens of thousands of Jewish people during the Holocaust. After reviewing a short historical timeline and the “10 Upstander Steps,” students watch videos about Wallenberg and survivor Agnes Adachi to identify how he acted with courage and moral leadership. In Part 2 of the lesson, students will connect the historical content to today by viewing a modern example of upstanders in an

Students will learn about Lithuania during WWII and how Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, saved thousands of Jewish refugees by issuing transit visas—defying the strict orders of his own government. After reviewing a brief historical timeline and the “10 Upstander Steps,” students watch a video about Sugihara’s life to identify how he acted with courage and moral responsibility. In Part 2 of the lesson, students connect this historical example to their own lives by viewin

In this lesson students watch the video The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss, to learn what prejudice is and how to respond to unkind behavior with empathy and courage. After discussing key themes from the video, students learn the 10 Upstander Steps and work in small groups to create and perform their own role-plays showing how an upstander can help in a hurtful situation. Students then create posters illustrating each step, forming an “Upstander Gallery” in the classroom. The lesson

In this lesson, students watch the What Would You Do? segment “Antisemitism and Jewish Discrimination: What Would You Do?” which places unsuspecting bystanders in situations where Jewish people experience discrimination in a public setting. The video captures real reactions — prompting students to consider how prejudice can appear in everyday life and what moral courage looks like. As an extension to the video, students learn and role-play 10 Upstander Steps and become Upstan

Students analyze a hidden-camera scenario from What Would You Do? in which a Muslim couple is denied restaurant service because of their appearance. Using 10 Upstander Steps, students evaluate how bystanders respond and identify which reactions show courage, kindness, and inclusion. Students then discuss and role-play what they themselves can say or do to stand up for others when prejudice or unkind behavior occurs.