Nonetheless, a State Office of Education survey shows all Utah school districts teach about the Holocaust in some manner. But the amount of time spent, means of instruction and age at which students are introduced to Holocaust-related topics varies greatly across the state.

Now, the State Board of Education is contemplating the establishment of requirements and guidelines for Holocaust instruction. Seventeen states have passed legislation regarding Holocaust instruction and many states have recommendations regarding curriculum. The board will discuss the matter Friday.

Robert Austin, USOE's social studies specialist, said the informal survey he conducted in Utah mirrored findings from a national study: Instruction regarding the Holocaust is widespread in schools, but students spend more time exploring books such as The Diary of Anne Frank than learning about the Holocaust from history teachers.

Kellie Richins, who teaches English to Lehi High School's junior classes, has her students spend about five weeks each year studying the book Night, by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. To beef up historical background for the book, Richins teams with assistant principal Mari Braithwaite, who has a degree in history.

Richins won a Holland-Knight Foundation fellowship and just returned from Washington, D.C., where she studied the Holocaust with Wiesel and other Holocaust survivors.

Her experience in Washington, and her years in the classroom, have taught her that helping students learn about the Holocaust does more than inform them about past events.

"The reason I feel so passionate about teaching it is because you can see the seeds of what started the Holocaust all around us," she said. "You see kids intolerant because other kids don't dress the same, don't have as much money or they are not the same religion. [Studying the Holocaust] helps kids to identify their prejudices, and their tendencies to label others and make bad judgments. Then we can prevent something like the Holocaust from ever happening again."

There are pitfalls to be avoided in teaching about the Holocaust, she said. In past years, some of her students have felt frustrated by their perception that Holocaust victims did too little to defend themselves.

"I caution them not to be critical," she said. "They can't completely understand the situation these people were in."

Richins avoids making stereotypical generalizations regarding actions and motivations of either Germans or Jews, and uses discretion when showing period photographs and films.

"I don't really think it's always necessary to show the most graphic pictures for students to understand the horror that took place," she said.

Austin is not surprised language arts teachers devote more time to Holocaust studies than history teachers do.

"History teachers in Utah are hard-pressed to cover so much historical material that it is difficult to go into depth on topics like this," he said. "Language arts teachers can work on literacy skills, story skills and research skills that are part of the language arts curriculum, and still focus more depth on this topic."

The Holocaust Memorial Museum recommends that students be in at least seventh grade before they learn specific information about the more grisly aspects of state-sponsored genocide, Austin said. Some Utah schools approach the topic in upper elementary grades, often through fictional books such as Lois Lowry's novel Number the Stars.

State school board member Teresa Theurer said a letter that questioned why Utah had no specific requirements sparked the board's interest in Holocaust curriculum. She doesn't know whether the board will determine that more direction is needed, or what that direction might be, but those questions might be answered Friday, she said.

Austin said it won't matter. With or without involvement of the state school board or Legislature, educators "will continue to find more opportunities to provide Holocaust education," he said.

cbaker@sltrib.com

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum defines "Holocaust" as "the state sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945."

It says the Holocaust should be studied because it:

* Helps students understand the ramifications of prejudice, racism and stereotyping, and teaches them to value diversity.

* Provides a context for exploring the dangers of remaining silent, apathetic and indifferent to oppression of others.

* Helps students think about the use and abuse of power, and the responsibilities of individuals and nations when confronted with civil rights violations.

* Gives students insight about how a convergence of events can cause disintegration of democratic values.

Guidelines:

* Avoid simple answers to complex history. Do not attempt to reduce Holocaust history to one or two catalysts.

* Strive for precision of language. For instance, avoid categorizing all Germans as "collaborators" or all concentration camps as "killing centers."

* Clarify the difference between primary and fictional sources.

* Avoid stereotypical descriptions of groups and nationalities.

* Be sensitive to appropriateness of written and audiovisual content.

* Do not romanticize history. Overemphasis on heroic tales can cause inaccurate understanding; exposing students to the worst aspects of human nature fosters cynicism.

* Some students can become intrigued with symbols of Nazi power. Help students understand how such elements can be abused and manipulated by governments to legitimize acts of terror.

* Avoid gimmicky exercises, such as simulation activities that oversimplify and trivialize. Instead, use reflective writing assignments and in-class discussions to explore human behaviors such as fear, scapegoating, conflict resolution and decision-making.

Links to USHMM and other social studies resources are available on the Utah State Office of Education's Web site at http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/soc.st/general/links.html

Holocaust national essay contest

Holland-Knight, the foundation that presented the fellowship attended by Lehi High School teacher Kellie Richins, also sponsors a national essay contest that awards scholarships and weeklong trips to Washington, D.C., to high school students each year.

The 2007 essay contest will begin in October of this year with an entry deadline in late April or early May of 2007.

Complete details on the Holocaust Remembrance Project can be found at http://holocaust.hklaw.com.