Visits-workshops
The educational workshops allow children to approach the history of the Jews during the Second World War, while taking a look at Jewish life and cultural practices. After a presentation of the activity in the museum, children are introduced to various artistic activities.
New! Visits-workshops on specific dates
FATES IN TIMES OF WAR
THE CHILD HAS TWO NAMES
For CM1 and CM2 students, Paris
Through the journey of a hidden child, the young audience discovers the different stages of the exclusion of Jews in France under the Occupation. This period is reconstructed using Yiddish songs, archival documents and family photographs.
Themes: Occupation, exclusion, anti-Semitism, rescue, hidden child.
Historical period: World War II.
Supports: Archival documents.
Main activity: Individual plastic creation.
SIMONE VEIL, A FRENCH HISTORY (CNRD)
For students in CM2, 6th and 5th grade, Paris
Through the journey of Simone Veil, née Jacob, the children discover a French-Jewish family strongly attached to republican values, whose destiny changes during the Second World War. With the help of archival documents from the Jacob family, they address the history of the exclusion of Jews from France and then highlight the commitment of Simone Veil in the work of memory and the presence of the Righteous in the collective memory.
Themes: Occupation, exclusion, antisemitism, deportation, The Righteous of France, European construction, memories.
Historical periods: World War II, history of the present time.
Supports: Archival documents, videos.
Main activity: Creation of a chronological frieze.
RESCUE AND RESISTANCE
THE FIGHTING STAR
For 5th grade students, Paris
The workshop traces the journey of a Jewish resistance fighter. The children observe the various forms of engagement, from rescue to armed struggle. Songs, objects and archival documents help to better understand the challenges of this plural resistance.
Themes: Occupation, exclusion, anti-Semitism, resistance, rescue.
Historical period: World War II.
Supports: Archival documents.
Main activity: Individual plastic creation.
RESISTANCE AND SOLIDARITY
For 5th grade students, Paris
By studying individual destinies, students discover the different forms of resistance, from the rescue of Jewish children to the liberation of the territory. Through the analysis of archival documents, they highlight the commitment of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Themes: Occupation, rescue, clandestine networks, resistance.
Historical period: Second World War. supports Archival documents, videos, music.
Main activity: In-depth study of archival documents to complete an individual booklet.
JOSEPH, JEAN, CLAUDE AND THE OTHERS...
For 5th grade students, Paris
This workshop is based on the analysis of film excerpts about the lives of Jewish children in France under the Occupation. While analyzing the choices of staging and discovering the notions of cinematic language, students learn the story of hidden children.
Themes: Occupation, exclusion, antisemitism, rescue, hidden child, cinematic language.
Historical period: Second World War. supports Film extracts.
Main activity: Making a storyboard.
HISTORY AND CITIZENSHIP
US AND THE OTHERS AT THE CINEMA
For CM1 and CM2 students, Paris
Through excerpts from classic fiction films such as E.T. by Steven Spielberg (1982) and Edward at the Silver Hand by Tim Burton (1991), which recount a first encounter with the Other, the children exchange among themselves on prejudices and the relationship to otherness.
Themes: Prejudice, otherness, encounters, tolerance.
Historical period: History of the present time.
Media: Extracts from fantasy films.
Main activity: Individual plastic creation.
US AND them: what is racism?
For students in CM1 and CM2, Paris
How do students today apprehend racism? Between historical examples, artistic achievements and exchanges, children are invited to broaden their reflection around the issue of rejection of the Other. The workshop thus aims to better understand the springs of racism and provide useful tools for deconstructing prejudices more easily.
Themes: Prejudice, racism, anti-Semitism, exclusion, segregation.
Historical periods: Triangular trade, World War II.
Supports: Archival documents, photographs, testimonies.
Main activity: Small group production of a poster.
STRANGE STRANGER
For students in CM1 and CM2, Paris
The storyteller invites children on a journey to the heart of Jewish folk tales and from five continents. Through these stories that summarize the spirit of a people, children discover the representation of 'the stranger'. They express themselves graphically and put into words their own representations.
Themes: Otherness, discovery, encounters, tolerance.
Historical period: History of the present time.
Supports: Wonderful tales.
Main activity: Discovery of different tales and individual plastic realization.
By the way, what is it about being Jewish?
For the students of CM2, 6th and 5th grade
On the eve of the Second World War, more than 300,000 Jews lived in France. So, what does it mean to be Jewish? From objects, melodies and images, the students discover several facets of Judaism. Listening to nursery rhymes in Yiddish, Judeo-Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic serves as a support for creating an illustration.
Themes: Monotheisms, Jewish cultures, identities, diaspora.
Historical periods: Antiquity, Middle Ages, contemporary history.
Media: Cards, objects, music, games.
Main activity: Individual activity booklet.
THE PHILOSOPHY TO COMBAT PREJUDICES
For students in CM2, 6th grade and 5th grade, Paris
During a philosophical awakening session, the nature and forms of prejudices are evoked, their links with discrimination, rejection and hatred of others.
Themes: Prejudice, racism, anti-Semitism.
Historical period: Contemporary history.
Supports: Photographs, videos, posters.
Main activity: Debate settled.
FREE TO CHOOSE? INITIATION TO PHILOSOPHY – NOVELTY
For students in CM2, 6th, 5th
Themes: Otherness, freedom, responsibility, obedience/disobedience.
Historical period: Contemporary history.
Media: Museum documents, photographs.
Main activity: Analysis of photographs, framed debate on a moral dilemma.
Dates:
- Thursday, March 12, 2026 from 9:30 AM to 12 PM
- Tuesday, May 5, 2026 from 9:30 AM to 12 PM
- Tuesday, June 9, 2026 from 9:30 AM to 12 PM
SPORT FACES DISCRIMINATION
For students from CM2 to 5e, Paris
From the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games to the present day, the workshop offers a reflection on the challenges of sport. It is based on the paths of sportswomen and men whose itineraries have strongly marked societies. Based on the selected examples, the proposed activities (study of iconographic documents, debates...) give a significant place to the issue of discrimination. An artistic production concludes the workshop: in connection with the themes addressed, the students imagine and create their own poster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Themes: Occupation, antisemitism, exclusion, sexism, racism.
Historical periods: World War II, contemporary history.
Media: Archival documents, photographs.
Main activity: Small group production of a poster.
HISTORY OF ARTS
RESIST WITH ART AND LITERATURE
For 5th grade students, Paris
From the rise of Nazism, and until the war, artists committed themselves to denounce and testify. The students discover this very particular commitment through archival documents, photos and artistic reproductions. The analysis of the works of Charlotte Salomon, John Heartfield, Marc Chagall and Felix Nussbaum leads students to understand the role of artists in the Resistance.
Themes: Nazism, persecutions, propaganda, art, occupation, exclusion, resistance.
Historical periods: 1930s and World War II.
Media: Reproduction of works of art, archival documents.
Main activity: Realization of a photocollage.
THE STORY IS DISPLAYED
For students from CM2 to 5e, Paris
How to see the images to better understand our history? This image creation workshop offers an in-depth reading of a war poster. Children must analyze the graphics of the words, symbols, and signs used, in order to better understand the elements of our history.
Themes: Censorship, propaganda, caricature.
Historical period: World War II.
Supports: Propaganda posters.
Main activity: Individual plastic creation.
THE WANDERING MEMORY
For students from CM2 to 5th grade, Paris
What is the point of remembering? How does memory work? Who remembers and why? Christian Boltanski, Jiro Taniguchi, Muriel Bloch and many other artists have addressed these questions. From the discovery of very varied works (installation, comic book, music, tale...), children will try to understand the main mechanisms of memory and its major functions. They will then examine the use and role of commemorative plaques.
Themes: Memories, transmission, forgetting, memories.
Historical periods: World War II, history of the present time.
Media: Music, film extracts, memorial plates, book excerpts.
Main activity: Creation of a notebook.
GOOD TO KNOW
Our activities for primary schools can be adapted for leisure centres and extra- and extracurricular activities.
Cycles of specific educational workshops for schoolchildren from the city of Paris
PARIS UNDER THE OCCUPATION
This cycle consists of three activities: The workshop Joseph, Jean, Claude and the others... (see above) at the Shoah Memorial, the visit Le Marais sous l'Occupation, as well as the workshop La vie quotidienne dans le Paris de l'Occupation at the National Archives.
PREJUDICE, RACISM AND ANTI-SEMITISM
This cycle consists of three activities: the workshops Philosophy to combat prejudices and Strange stranger (see above) at the Memorial, and a thematic visit Racism and antiracism at the National Museum of the History of Immigration.
MEMORY AND HISTORY
This cycle consists of three activities: The workshops L'enfant aux deux noms and Aide-mémoire (see above) at the Memorial, and a workshop at school on Les plaques de mémoire et l'histoire des Justes de son quartier.
