Steps to Tolerance Work Book

Museum of Tolerance - Holocaust Exhibit

Role
research, design, illustration, print production

Team
education director, Los Angeles public school teachers

The Project
The Museum of Tolerance had used the same fifth and sixth grade Holocaust workbook for over ten years.

Educators who ran the program had learned that while their programming resonated with teachers and students, the workbook did not allow them to fully reflect on what they had learned.

At the museum, students were able to speak with Holocaust survivors and hear their stories. Because of the sensitive subject matter, students would often internalize what they had learned and not process their experience in a healthy way.

The Challenge
My challenge was to redesign the workbook so that it facilitated reflection and allowed students to express their feelings about their experience at the museum.

Research
I was able to spend the first two weeks of the project shadowing student groups.

I sat in on their interviews with survivors, class reflections and observed as they filled out their workbooks. My goal was to see how they interacted with existing material and what types of questions they were asking Holocaust survivors.

The Outcome
Along with museum educators and LAUSD teachers who participated in the program, I redesigned the workbook, so that students were able to express their thoughts as they went through the experience.

I also updated the visual design of the booklet to be more child-friendly. I tried to balance the somber content with a warm yet subdued color palette, simple watercolor illustrations, and photos of the survivors they met with.