Fourth Grade Classes Discuss Moral Courage

“Courage means being brave and standing up for someone else even if you’re scared.” 

Before the spring recess, educator Dina Daniels from the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education visited fourth grade classes at Cottage Lane Elementary School. The visit focused on the idea of moral courage and coincided with their historical fiction unit where they read books about the Holocaust including “Number the Stars” and “The Yellow Star.” 

During the visit, Daniels spoke about some of the heroic actions of people that saved many lives during the Holocaust as well as how people can display moral courage to help others in their everyday lives. Through a series of interactive exercises, students reflected on occasions when they were brave, helped a friend or classmate or were bullied themselves and considered authentic scenarios that occurred during the Holocaust. 

“We value this collaboration with the Holocaust Museum and the message of having moral courage translates to students’ daily lives as well as larger issues that they learn about in Social Studies,” said CLE Principal Karen Scarth, Ed.D. 

Earlier this month, eighth grade social studies classes travelled to the HMCTE as part of their study of World War II.