Definition:

A combination of hope and courage are virtues that are needed for dreamers and achievers. Children need a vision for their future, and the willingness to take risks in order to achieve that vision. Dream big and take healthy risks.  Believe that something good can happen.

In short:

Believe that something good can happen.

Summary:
“How one woman helped save 2,500 children during the Holocaust” is the longer title of this true story about a Polish woman who brought hope to desperate Jewish families during the Nazi invasion of Poland. Irena Sendler and other helpers bravely risked their lives by sneaking food, medicine, and other aid into the ghetto where Jewish families were forced to live. Their service gave hope to these families, especially when Irena and friends managed to rescue babies and children by secretly smuggling them to safety out of the ghetto. Those children were given a false identity for their protection but Irena made secret lists of their real names. Eventually, Irena was caught, imprisoned, and tortured because she refused to give up the names of those she helped. After Irena was released from prison she hid the names of the children she saved in jars that she and her friend buried. After the war, these jars were recovered which gave the children who were saved access to their real names so they could be connected to their families and their history. Irena and other Polish helpers risked their lives to bring hope during a very dark chapter of Polish history. 

Note to teachers: Please prepare your students before reading this book because it is such a painful, difficult and true story about human suffering during the Holocaust in Poland after the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1917. Explain that a Holocaust is a situation in which many things and people are destroyed due to war. In this case, Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, was intent on eliminating a whole race of people, the Jews, because he believed that his race was superior. Tell students that many people were against the actions of Nazi Germany, and took risks to save Jewish lives. 

Lesson Objectives: 

1. The message about how one person’s courage can give hope to others will be a lasting source of inspiration for students, prompting them to support those who are unfairly treated because of their ethnicity, race, or religious beliefs.  

Guiding Questions: 

1. This story is about the Holocaust that took place in the country of Poland after the invasion by Nazi Germany. Can you locate Poland and Germany on a map of Europe? 
2. The Jewish people were persecuted in Poland and other places because they were regarded as inferior. What does the word “persecuted” mean and what were some of the mean things that were done to them? 
3. If you lived in Poland at the same time as Irena, do you think you would have wanted to help the Jewish people like she did? Why or why not? 
4. Irena was very courageous because she wanted to save lives and give hope to suffering families. How do you think the families she helped felt about her? 
5. Why do you think humans are sometimes very cruel, like those who persecuted Jewish families during WWI? 
6. Irena was brave. Do you think she was afraid, too? Why or why not? 
7. If you decided to help someone who was in trouble, do you think that would help them feel more hopeful? Why or why not? 
8. To hope means dreaming big and taking healthy risks, believing that things will work out for the best in spite of challenges along the way.  Do you regard yourself as a person who is seldom, usually, or always hopeful? Explain your answer. 
9. Share about a time when you were hopeful about something, when you thought things would turn out even though you might face challenges along the way.
10. Share about a time when you were discouraged and didn’t think things would turn out well. What happened?