Through on-site and virtual field trips of our Zev & Shifra Karkomi Holocaust Exhibition, Make a Difference! The Harvey L. Miller Family Youth Exhibition, and Act of Art gallery, fifth and sixth-grade students are invited to reflect on how they can act – both individually and as a group – to make a difference and inspire ongoing dialogue on their responsibility to others as part of a diverse global community. Pre and post-visit activities allow educators to extend their students’ learning.
(On-Site) Be An Upstander
Recommended for grades 5 & 6
Group Size: 10 students minimum, 100 students maximum
Times Offered: Monday – Friday | 9:45 AM, 1:45 PM, Weekends 10 AM & 12 PM
Tour Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Students develop skills to use their voices to speak out for themselves and on behalf of others, and are empowered to take positive action in their schools and communities. Through experiential and interactive activities exploring the compelling stories of Holocaust Survivors and contemporary Upstanders, students will gain a deeper understanding of:
- Universal human rights
- Civil rights
- Empowering and creating community
- Social justice
- Social-emotional learning
- Age-appropriate introductory Holocaust education
Be an Upstander field trips include tours of the Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories Experience and the Act of Art gallery, or a special exhibition (when age-appropriate).
This field trip supports Illinois Priority Learning Standards for Social/Emotional Learning and the Illinois Civics Mandate for Middle School.
(On-Site) Resilience: A Sansei Sense of Legacy (Available December 16, 2025- June 1, 2025)
Available for Grades 6-12
On-site Group Size: 10 students minimum, 80 students maximum
On-site Times Offered: Monday – Friday | 10 AM, 12 PM, 2:00 PM
On-site Tour Length: 90 Minutes
In 1942, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law Executive Order 9066. The law ordered the forced imprisonment of all Japanese Americans living on the west coast of the United States, which had the second largest population of Japanese people living outside of Japan. This field trip showcases eight Sansei (third generation) Japanese American artists whose work reflects the effect of EO9066 as it resonated from generation to generation.
On this field trip students will discover how the artists featured, working in different mediums and voicing different points of view, express a common history and the deep-rooted emotions that demonstrate courage, vulnerability, resilience, pain, and cultural identity passed down through generations. The featured art will allow students to think about the issues portrayed, but also how they can use art as a vehicle for transformation and change.
This field trip includes Resilience: A Sansei Sense of Legacy and The Act of Art Gallery.
Photo credits: CMHR Aaron Cohen; Danyel Duncan; Scott Edwards