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Purpose of this Website
Purpose of this Website
The Youth Advocacy Department of SDUSD is committed to building school spaces that are affirming and inclusive for all of our students. This is a team effort. And the effort lives in places where students themselves can be agents of positive change. . .but it is not easy work. Sometimes it is the hardest work there is because it often requires great courage in challenging and resisting existing social and systemic paradigms.
For this special edition NTA, we are providing you with some recommended educational pathways offered by The Willesden Project. You and your class or student group can learn the true story of the great concert pianist, Lisa Jura, and her experiences as an Austrian youth who emigrated to England as part of the Kindertransport. Lisa Jura's musical journey in life is recounted in book form by Mona Golabek who is a renowned concert pianist today. The books and learning pathways are broken into 3 developmental levels. Please see below.
Used with permission from Hold On To Your Music Foundation. All rights reserved.
You may order a free class set of the book to read with your class. Please scroll all the way to the bottom for registration instructions.
Pathways
Pathways
Book images used with permission from Hold On To Your Music Foundation. All rights reserved.
Step 1: Read the book with your class or group.
Step 2: Some recommended classroom reflection activities in preparation for the live event (Step 3 below):
Hold on
to Your Music
Hold on
to Your Music
Grades K-2
Suggested Pre-Reading + Reading Activities
Suggested Pre-Reading + Reading Activities
This activity prepares students for reading aloud the book, Hold On to Your Music: The Inspiring True Story of the Children of Willesden Lane. The story is about the life of pianist Lisa Jura, and exemplifies the themes of love, separation, courage and hope through music. Students will identify things that they love and discuss the concept of separation and reflect on a time they have been away from someone they love. Next, students will watch and analyze the testimony of Vera Gissing and consider how her experience on the Kindertransport involved family separation, identifying the tangible and intangible gifts her parents imparted to her that helped her in facing this challenge. Students will then participate in a guided picture walk of the book to predict what the story is about and make connections to their own lives.
and/or
In this activity, students will watch the wordless animated short film, "Music Dreams," inspired by The Children of Willesden Lane books, written by Lisa’s daughter, acclaimed concert pianist and author Mona Golabek. Using a thinking routine, students will make observations and thoughtful interpretations to establish the connections between the film’s main characters, Carlos and Lisa, and their own lives in order to stimulate curiosity and interest in reading the book Hold On to Your Music.
Lisa of
Willesden Lane
Lisa of
Willesden Lane
Grades 3-5
Historical & Contextual Support: Echoes & Reflections Timeline
Suggested Pre-Reading + Reading Activities
Suggested Pre-Reading + Reading Activities
Lisa of Willesden Lane – “And remember that I love you”
In this activity, students will read an excerpt from Lisa of Willesden Lane to consider how individuals can be a source of inspiration and motivation. Students will review the definition of inspiration and interpret a quote from the biographical narrative to develop a deeper understanding of the concept. Then, they will consider how the quote “You must promise me…that you will hold on to your music. Please promise me that.” relates to them and reflect on who/what inspires and motivates them. As a final project, students will construct a simple origami box and enclose their reflections within. This activity is recommended as a pre-activity to reading Lisa of Willesden Lane.
and/or
Every Piece of Music Tells a Story
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.
The Children of Willesden Lane
The Children of Willesden Lane
Grades 6-12
Historical & Contextual Support: Echoes & Reflections Timeline
Suggested Pre-Reading + Reading Activities
Suggested Pre-Reading + Reading Activities
6-8 Virtual IWalk: In Lisa's Footsteps
9-12 Virtual IWalk: In Lisa's Footsteps
During this Virtual IWalk, you will follow the footsteps of Lisa Jura, a Holocaust survivor and concert pianist. As antisemitism increased in her native Vienna, Lisa’s parents sent her to safety on a Kindertransport. The Kindertransport was a series of transports from Nazi-occupied Europe that sent children to safety in England.
On this Virtual IWalk, we will trace Lisa’s life in Vienna; her trip on the Kindertransport through the Hook of Holland; her transport via Rotterdam, Holland; and finally, her arrival to and life in London. Through the stories of Lisa and other survivors, you will gain an understanding of how life changed for those sent on this journey.
and/or
Virtual Field Trip | Making a New Life: The Courage of a Refugee
In this Virtual Field Trip students will walk along with Mona Golabek as they hear from three different individuals on the refugee experience. Taking on a lens starting with the historical refugee experience to the modern-day experience, students learn how refugees adjust to their new homes and cultures and celebrate the courage people can have in times of great change.
Post-Reading Pathways
Post-Reading Pathways
Step 3: Watch the archived video of the author talk live event with our primary source--Mona Golabek--who shares her mother, Lisa Jura's story in the 4 texts we're offering to participating educators (scroll all the way to the bottom to register for your free class set). If you are an educator receiving a class novel set, I'll be sending you the live event date and access instructions.
Please click the link to the right for the archived recording of SDUSD students interviewing Mona Golabek. ---------->
Used with permission from Hold On To Your Music Foundation. All rights reserved.
STEP 4: Using the "What would YOU do?" mini-video prompts from Mona Golabek below, plan for an online discussion via Google Classroom or Flipgrid with your own classroom/student group or even coordinate with another classroom from your school or a partner school.
What would YOU do? prompts
What would YOU do? prompts
Classwork #1
Classwork #1
1. In the "Question" section of your "Classwork" tab, paste this:
1. Mona Golabek Prompt:
"In Chapter 1," . . .
(Please check back in this space for information on how to access this segment of the educational pathway).
2. In the "Instructions" section, paste this:
(Please check back in this space for information on how to access this segment of the educational pathway).
Hold on
to Your Music
Hold on
to Your Music
Grades K-2
Lisa's Family Photos - Historical Background, page 10
Share with students the historical photos of Lisa Jura’s family, children of Willesden Lane and music artifacts to further enhance their understanding of the story. Consider having students bring in a favorite family photo that they can share with their classmates either verbally or in writing and why they chose the photo they did. Create an area to display family photos to strengthen your classroom community.
Lisa of
Willesden Lane
Lisa of
Willesden Lane
Grades 3-5
Final Project – Telling My Story Through Testimony, page 35
Throughout this unit of study, students learned about the true story of Lisa Jura and became familiar with the format and purpose of testimony as they have learned about the personal stories of survivors of the Holocaust. The Telling My Story Through Testimony culminating project is an opportunity for students to reflect on their own life and think about the people, important places, memories, and family traditions that make up their own unique stories. Students will collaborate with a partner in recording their own testimony that will be preserved in a 1 -2-minute video interview format.
The Children of Willesden Lane
The Children of Willesden Lane
Grades 6-12
The Children of Willesden Lane presents a biographical narrative of the events connected to the Kindertransport during the Holocaust. What does Lisa’s story reveal about the impact of political ideology and world events on an individual’s human experience? Cite present day examples as well as examples from the biographical narrative, clips of testimony, journal, and interactive timeline.
Additional resources:
Additional resources:
Image of Lisa Jura used with permission from Hold On To Your Music Foundation. All rights reserved.
Pedagogical Principles for Effective Holocaust Instruction
Recommendations from Echoes and Reflections for teachers to apply to their planning and implementation of a comprehensive Holocaust education program.
Echoes and Reflections: Video Toolbox
Extensive videos that help educators teach about the Holocaust.
Articles and Essays about the Holocaust and Antisemitism
An archive of essays and articles that explore multiple facets of the holocaust and antiseminitism from a variety of angles.
A collection of educational tools and resources related to the Holocaust and broader examples of antisemitism.
Provided by USC-Shoah: Virtual IWalks in IWitness allow educators to bring their students on online, virtual tours of sites of memory, guided by the survivors and witnesses who lived the histories that happened there.
In Lisa's Footsteps: A Virtual iWalk for the Children of Willesden Lane
Provided by USC-Shoah: This Virtual IWalk will trace Lisa’s life in Vienna; her trip on the Kindertransport through the Hook of Holland; her transport via Rotterdam, Holland; and finally, her arrival to and life in London. Here is a webinar that explains the virtual iWalk.
We would like to acknowledge and thank the following organizations for the extensive curricular resources contained on this website:
FREE class novel set for your classroom or group
1. Register for a free class / group set here. I'll send you a copy through school mail. Visit the link to this G-Form and fill it out.
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