From 1914 to 1923, Christian minorities were forcibly expelled from their homes to comply with Turkish nationalist
visions of an ethnically pure homeland inhabited only by Turks. Villages, cities, and farmlands across Pontus were
emptied and the inhabitants subjected to atrocities under carefullyconcealed orders by government and party officials
until the population exchange of 1923.
An estimated 353,000 Pontian Greeks were killed during the genocide, and about 1,100,000 Greek Orthodox Christians from Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) were relocated to Greece in the population exchange of 1923, thus ending thousands of years of Hellenic civilization in Asia Minor.
This teaching unit is offered in two forms: a five-day plan and a one-day condensed lesson. This teaching unit can be incorporated into various history and social studies classes, such as:
World History classes, where lessons fit chronologically in the study of World War I and in comparative study with the Holocaust of World War II
U.S. History classes on World War I, since Americans led relief efforts to help Pontian Greeks, Assyrians, and Armenians
Current Events classes to help students understand genocide taking place today
Psychology and sociology classes attempting to understand the nature of genocide and tyranny against religious minorities
In addition, a supplemental lesson, Ibrahim's Soul , is included to examine human response to witnessing the torment of others.
The unit includes a complete list of resources for further research and is recommended for middle and high school teachers.
The unit created by The Pontian Greek Society of Chicago with the help of Ron Levitsky, a teacher at Sunset Ridge School in Northfield, Illinois, The Pontian Greek Genocide Teaching Unit introduces middle schooland high school students
to the tragedy of the Pontian Greeks who were subjected to the first genocide of the 20th Century. Available to download in English and in Greek.
Click here for English version
Click here for Greek version or visit www.pontiangreeks.org
Η Γενοκτονία στοίχισε στους Έλληνες περίπου 1.000.000 θύματα. Μόνο στον Πόντο υπήρξαν 353.000 νεκροί.
Το διδακτικό εγχειρίδιο που δημιούργησε ο Σύλλογος Ποντίων Σικάγο "Ξενιτέας" για τη Γενοκτονία, αποτελεί μία ολοκληρωμένη επιστημονική και διδακτική προσέγγιση για το ζήτημα της γενοκτονίας, το οποίο μπορείτε να το δώσετε σε παιδιά των μεγαλύτεων τάξεων του δημοτικού ή των πρώτων τάξεων του γυμνασίου για να το διαβάσουν. Το διδακτικό εγχειρίδιο μπορείτε να το βρείτε
εδώ για την αγγλική γλώσσα (Click here for English version) και εδώ για την ελληνική γλώσσα (Click here for Greek version) ή επισκεφθείτε τη διεύθυνση www.pontiangreeks.org