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Create a Wikipedia Entry: Preserving Forgotten History
- Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov
- Nov 2, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
Target Audience
Middle school and high school students.
Suitable for classroom learning, online learning, independent research, or group projects.
Duration
2-4 lessons, depending on the depth of the assignment:
Lesson 1: Introduction to Wikipedia, choosing a topic, and checking sources
Lesson 2: Drafting the entry
Lesson 3: Editing, checking neutrality, and adding sources
Lesson 4, optional: Preparing the draft for possible submission to Wikipedia
Background for the Teacher
Wikipedia is often one of the first places people go when they want to learn about a historical event, person, or movement. However, Wikipedia is not a primary source and should not replace research. Its entries are written and edited by many different contributors, which means information must be checked, compared, and supported by reliable sources.
In this activity, students will learn how public knowledge is created online, how to write in an encyclopedic style, and how to distinguish between a personal story, a news article, a historical source, and an encyclopedia entry.
The historical focus of this activity is the struggle of Soviet Jewry, Prisoners of Zion, Refuseniks, and the international movement for the right of Jews in the Soviet Union to emigrate and live freely as Jews.
Learning Goals
By the end of the activity, students will be able to:
Understand how an encyclopedia entry is created and how it differs from a personal essay, article, or school report.
Evaluate whether a topic is suitable for a Wikipedia entry based on significance, sources, and reliability.
Gather information from multiple sources, compare them, and turn them into factual writing.
Write a draft entry in a neutral, accurate, non-emotional style.
Understand that historical writing can also be an act of preserving memory.
Develop critical thinking about online information in general and Wikipedia in particular.
Key Terms
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia entry
Primary source
Secondary source
Footnote
External link
Encyclopedic significance
Neutrality
Fact-checking
Prisoners of Zion
Refuseniks
Soviet Jewry
Opening Classroom Discussion
Ask the students:
When was the last time you used Wikipedia?
Do you trust what you read there?
Who do you think writes Wikipedia entries?
What happens if an entry contains a mistake?
Does every important historical figure have a Wikipedia entry?
What does it mean if an important historical event is barely visible online?
Then explain:
Wikipedia is not a closed book. It is a public knowledge platform that is constantly being built. People can add information, correct mistakes, expand existing entries, and create new ones. However, for an entry to remain on Wikipedia, it must follow certain standards: reliable sources, encyclopedic significance, neutral wording, and no original research.
Main Assignment
Students will choose a person, event, organization, or historical episode connected to the struggle for Soviet Jewry and prepare a draft Wikipedia-style entry.
Important: The goal of this activity is not necessarily to publish an entry on Wikipedia immediately. The main product is a high-quality draft entry. Uploading it to Wikipedia may be a later stage, only after teacher review and after checking that the topic meets Wikipedia’s rules.
Step 1: Choosing a Topic
Students may choose one of the following topics, or suggest another topic with teacher approval:
The Brussels Conferences for Soviet Jewry
The Jerusalem Conference for Soviet Jewry, 1983
The Schönau Affair
A Prisoner of Zion who does not yet have an independent Wikipedia entry
A Refusenik who does not yet have an independent Wikipedia entry
An organization that worked on behalf of Soviet Jewry
A public or international campaign for the release of Soviet Jews
Step 2: Initial Check
Before starting to write, each group should answer the following questions:
Does a Wikipedia entry on this topic already exist?
If an entry exists, would it be better to expand it rather than create a new one?
Are there at least three reliable sources about the topic?
Do the sources come from more than one website or publication?
Can the topic be written about factually rather than emotionally?
Does the topic have broader historical significance beyond a personal story?
Only after this check should students begin drafting the entry.
Step 3: Gathering Sources
Students must collect at least three sources.
Possible types of sources:
History books
Academic articles
Newspaper articles
Archive websites
Historical documents
Personal testimonies, used carefully
Videos or interviews, if the information can be verified
Important clarification for students:
A personal testimony can be an important source, but an encyclopedia entry cannot rely only on personal memory or family history. The information should be supported by additional sources whenever possible.
Step 4: Structure of the Entry
The draft should include the following sections:
Entry Title
The title should be short, clear, and accurate.
Examples:
The Schönau Affair
The Jerusalem Conference for Soviet Jewry
The Brussels Conferences for Soviet Jewry
Introduction
A short paragraph explaining what the topic is, when it happened, where it happened, and why it is historically important.
General example:
The Schönau Affair was a terrorist incident that took place in Austria in 1973, when terrorists took control of a train carrying Jews from the Soviet Union on their way to Israel. The event influenced international attitudes toward the emigration of Soviet Jews and the operation of the Schönau transit camp.
Historical Background
This section should explain:
The situation of Jews in the Soviet Union at the time
The connection to the struggle for immigration to Israel
The main people, organizations, or governments involved
The circumstances that led to the event or activity
Description of the Event or Activity
This section should present the information clearly and chronologically:
When it happened
Where it happened
Who was involved
What happened
What the main stages of the event were
Reactions and Impact
This section should examine:
How Israel responded
How other countries responded
Whether the event was covered in the media
Whether it affected Soviet Jews
Whether it changed policy, sparked protest, or led to further activism
Historical Significance
In this section, students should explain carefully and without exaggeration:
Why the topic is important
How it fits into the broader struggle for Soviet Jewry
Why the public should know about it
External Links
A list of useful links for further reading.
Footnotes
Precise references to the sources used in the draft.
Step 5: Rules for Encyclopedic Writing
Write on the board:
An encyclopedia entry is not a speech, not a social media post, not a personal story, and not a persuasive essay.
Students should write:
“The conference took place in...”
“The event included...”
“According to...”
“Contemporary newspapers reported that...”
Students should not write:
“This was an amazing event”
“Everyone must know about this”
“It is impossible to believe”
“These brave heroes saved the Jewish people”
A topic may be important and emotional, but the writing must remain factual.
Step 6: Group Work
Suggested division of roles:
Source manager - Finds sources and checks reliability.
Timeline manager - Organizes events in chronological order.
Writer - Turns the information into a clear draft.
Editor - Checks language, neutrality, and structure.
Wikipedia checker - Checks whether an entry already exists and reviews relevant Wikipedia guidelines.
The roles can be adjusted according to class size.
Step 7: Checklist Before Submission
Before submitting the draft, students should check:
Is the introduction clear even to someone who does not know the topic?
Is every major fact supported by a source?
Are there at least three sources?
Is the writing neutral?
Are there any overly emotional sentences?
Is the historical significance clear?
Is the order chronological?
Is there a clear difference between fact and interpretation?
Are there external links?
Can the entry stand on its own without an oral explanation?
Final Product
Each group will submit:
A full draft entry.
A list of sources.
A short explanation: Why did we choose this topic?
A short assessment: Does this topic deserve an independent Wikipedia entry, or should it be added to an existing entry?
A short reflection: What did we learn about writing history online?
Classroom Summary Activity
Each group presents its topic for five minutes:
What is the topic?
What did we discover?
Why is it important?
What was difficult about writing it?
Do we think it belongs on Wikipedia?
Then hold a class discussion:
Who decides what enters public memory?
Does something “exist less” in public awareness if it does not appear on Wikipedia?
What responsibility do we have when writing information online?
Can a sensitive historical topic be written about objectively?
Assessment Rubric
Criterion | Points |
Suitable and historically significant topic | 15 |
Use of reliable and varied sources | 20 |
Historical accuracy | 20 |
Clear encyclopedic structure | 15 |
Neutral, non-emotional writing | 15 |
Footnotes and external links | 10 |
Reflection and understanding of the process | 5 |
Total | 100 |
Short Version for Students
Your Assignment
Choose a person, event, or historical episode connected to the struggle for Soviet Jewry and write a draft Wikipedia-style entry.
Your goal is not only to complete a school assignment. Your goal is to understand how historical information becomes public knowledge that other people can learn from.
What Should You Submit?
Entry title
Short introduction
Historical background
Description of the event or person
Impact and significance
Sources
External links
Short reflection
Golden Rules
Write facts, not slogans.
Do not exaggerate.
Do not write “moving,” “amazing,” or “unbelievable.”
Every important fact needs a source.
When in doubt, check.
If there are not enough sources, the topic may not be suitable for an independent entry.
A strong draft is more important than quickly uploading something to Wikipedia.
Important Note for the Teacher
It is not recommended that students upload entries directly to Wikipedia’s public article space without prior review. It is better to work first in a document or draft space, check sources, confirm that the topic meets Wikipedia’s standards for significance, and only then consider publication.
This helps prevent a situation in which students invest a lot of work and then experience deletion or rejection as failure. The framing should be the opposite: even if the entry is not ultimately published on Wikipedia, the students have learned how historical knowledge is built, checked, edited, and preserved.
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