The Pianist

‘Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.’


Grade Level: 9-12, college

Subject: History, Music, Current Events

Keywords: Lesson Plan, Movies in the Classroom, holocaust, attic, based-on-autobiography, based-on-true-story, deportation, execution, fugitive-from-nazi, genocide, gestapo, ghettoization, hiding-place, humiliation, hunger, jaundice, luggage, murder, music, nazi-occupied-poland, nazi, piano-concerto, piano-player, piano, polish-resistance, starvation, tank, underground-resistance, violence, warsaw-ghetto, wheelchair, wwii, 1930s, 1940s, anti-semitism, concert, contraband, freight-train, historical, hospital, jewish, mass-murder, mistaken-identity, musician, pianist, police-brutality, prisoner-of-war, radio-broadcasting, restaurant, rooftop, separation-from-family, wall, war-crime, warsaw-poland, whipping, panzer.

Author: Sarah Lane

Affiliation: ClassBrain, Inc.

Date: 6 May 2003

Duration: 1-4 class periods

Background: Based on a true story. A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto of World War II. Wladyslaw Szpilman, a brilliant Polish pianist escaped deportation and is forced to live in the heart of the Warsaw Ghetto. As he is hiding in the ruins of the capitol, a German officer comes to his aid and helps him to survive. Wladyslaw Szpilman published Death of a City in 1946 which recounts his experience including life in the ghetto, and how it was for the victims and the torturers. The work was banned by the communist authorities. In 1998 his son Andrzej Szpilman discovered the manuscript of his father’s memoirs which led to a new publication of the work. It was first translated and published in France as The Pianist.

Objective: Watch the movie or excerpts from the movie The Pianist (2002). Use the lesson plans to gain a better understanding of the plot and structure of the film. Use the Resources & Materials to complement your lesson plans or to develop unique lesson plans. This film is not recommended for younger viewers.


Resources & Materials:

“The Pianist” Film Facts

Websites for Student Resources

Websites for Teacher Resources

Versailles Treaty of 1919 - See Lesson Plan #5

The Pianist - The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945 - See Lesson Plan #5

Vocabulary List - If you plan on using the Lesson Plans for younger students, this vocabulary list will be helpful.



Lesson Plan - Critical Thinking Exercises
(Recommended for older students)

These are critical thinking lessons for an investigation of human behavior and an examination of basic moral issues. Topics include prejudice, indifference, greed, obedience, decision-making, responsibility, and peer pressure. Have the students read The Pianist - “The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945” (link to book is below this Lesson Plan) and answer the following questions. Questions may be discussed in class or answered in the form of an essay. Teachers might want to refer to the “Versailles Treaty of 1919” for further information.

Topic #1: The Holocaust was not an accident in history. It occurred because people, organizations, and governments made choices which not only legalized discrimination, but which allowed prejudice, hatred, and mass murder to occur. What factors played a role in perpetuating the situation in Germany during WWII? Who was responsible? How can we be sure that this type of situation doesn’t occur in the United States? Who is responsible in our country if it does? What can you do to help?

Topic #2: Silence and indifference to the suffering of others or to the infringement of civil rights in any society can, albeit unintentionally, perpetuate the problems. We see similar issues in high schools across the nation with peer pressure. Have the students recall a particular incident in which they felt pressure from their peers to act a certain way. How did they handle the problem? What was the outcome? Have them correlate this issue on a broader scale to examine how they might have behaved were they living in Germany during WWII.

Topic #3: Democratic institutions and values are not automatically sustained. They need to be appreciated, nurtured, and protected. Upon whose shoulders does this responsibility fall? How long has the oldest democratic nation been around? What makes this nation work? How are you responsible in your own country for sustaining democracy? What do you envision for the future of democracy?

Book: The Pianist

The Pianist - The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945
“Written immediately after the end of World War II, this morally complex Holocaust memoir is notable for its exact depiction of the grim details of life in Warsaw under the Nazi occupation.”
Source: Amazon.com

Versailles Treaty of 1919
This is a link to both the complete treaty with all 440 Articles in a single 498k file, and the individual sections. There are maps, political cartoons, and chronologies as well. This could be used in conjunction with On The Road To War, which contains timelines, key articles, maps, political outlines, foreign policies, and steps that led up to the beginning of WWII.
Source: Teacher Oz’s Kingdom of History