This (approximately three day) lesson is a great Holocaust introduction. It is quite versatile and can be used in both communication arts classes, social studies/history classes, as well as a variety of other classes. Higher level thinking is required of students and students make connections to their own lives, which helps them build on what they already know in addition to peaking their interest. The lesson uses the book titled Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting, so you will need to check this out from your school or local library (this is an excellent book and should not be hard to find).