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Unit Plan
1
1
Echoes & Reflections

Nazi Germany

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The Holocaust was an evolution of anti-Semitism, scapegoating, and targeted violence against Jews with Nazi policies. A resource unpacks the escalation in violence, along with the erosion of democratic institutions, during the 1930s....
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Interactive
Echoes & Reflections

Timeline of the Holocaust

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An interactive timeline uses images, videos, primary source documents, and links to informational text to chronicle the history of the Holocaust from 1933-1945.
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Lesson Plan
A&E Television

The World Wars

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Contemporaneously known as The Great War, World War I had never seen its match on the global stage—until World War II. An engaging set of resources designed to extend a viewing of the History Channel's The World Wars features discussion...
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Life for German Youth in the 1930s: Education, Propaganda, Conformity, and Obedience

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The German youth faced an onslaught of propaganda when they went to school, thanks to the Nazi regime led by Hitler during World War II. Pupils relate their education experiences to German youth by analyzing primary source readings,...
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Activity
2
2
National WWII Museum

World War II in Photographs

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
A picture is worth a thousand words, and this activity is worth so much more! Learners closely analyze a series of photographs from World War II, matching them with their appropriate captions and sequencing them into a correct timeline. 
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Nuremberg Verdicts: Sixty-Seven Years Later

For Teachers 6th - 8th
It’s courtroom drama at its best! Let the power of this historic event propel a study that will have your kids glued to the history screen.
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PPT
2
2
Curated OER

Holocaust Denials

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Do people deny that the Holocaust occurred? When posed with this question in class, high schoolers answer with a discussion on relativism, historical perspectives, and anti-Semitic historians. The presentation is full of information that...
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PPT
Curated OER

Hitler and the Nuremberg Laws

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Before you can really understand how WWII started, you need to understand the time prior to the rise of the Nazi Movement. Learn about Hitler as he grew up, rose through the military rank, and ultimately took charge of a nation. An...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Carolina K-12

Introduction to the Holocaust

For Teachers 9th Standards
Young historians gain a well-rounded insight into the tragedy of the Holocaust by exploring pre-war Jewish life, reading and discussing survivor testimonies, and illustrating their understanding by using their own words and those of a...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Echoes & Reflections

Perpetrators, Collaborators, and Bystanders

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
After the Holocaust, the world grappled with how to bring justice to the Nazis. But what to do with the thousands—if not millions—who allowed it to happen? Young historians consider the issues of guilt, collaboration, and responsibility...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Echoes & Reflections

Antisemitism

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Propaganda and anti-semitism were linked to evil ends during the Holocaust. Using video testimony of Holocaust survivors, examples of Nazi propaganda, and discussion questions, learners explore the roots of anti-semitism in Europe and...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Japan and the Atom Bomb

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Though the scientists who developed the atom bomb did not believe it should be used to end World War II, American President Harry S. Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were of like mind in their decision to drop the bomb...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Iwo Jima

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Of the images that have permeated history to define American courage, perseverance, and patriotism, the 1945 photograph of United States Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima is one of the most well known. After researching the pivotal...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Pearl Harbor

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Though December 7th, 1941 was a day "which would live in infamy," World War II had provided many infamous days, events, battles, and atrocities in the years before. So why were American forces so surprised when Japan attacked Pearl...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Atlantic 1939-45 – Battle of the Atlantic

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The most dangerous line of attack during World War II wasn't the German planes soaring above Britain, but the U-Boats cutting off their supplies of food and equipment. Learners research the Battle of the Atlantic, the German campaign to...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Asia 1939-45 – Singapore

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The fall of Singapore in World War II was shocking news for the Allied forces—but why? High schoolers explore primary source documents and videos to determine why February 15, 1942 was a wake-up call to the British Empire and its allies...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Asia 1939-45 – Burma

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Because World War II encompassed most of the globe in one way or another, many pivotal battles and events are not as visible in the history books, leaving veterans of these conflicts feeling overlooked by more famous skirmishes. High...
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Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Stalingrad

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Acts of civilian courage in Great Britain—and in one case, the island of Malta—often receive the George Cross, instituted by King George VI at the beginning of World War II. After the valiant defense of Stalingrad by its inhabitants,...
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Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Ukraine

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Was Joseph Stalin desperate or exaggerating the USSR's need for assistance on the Eastern Front in 1942? History students examine two differing opinions on Stalin's position and the reality of the Eastern Front just three years before...
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Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Camps

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Britain's decision not to bomb German death camps in World War II has provided many questions for historians, but with a primary source analysis lesson, high school students may be a step closer to finding out the truth. Learners read...
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Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Berlin

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The inevitability of World War II has arrived: Berlin has fallen. Young historians watch contemporaneous footage of the event, analyze primary source documents, and write a news report that details the roles of the Soviet, British,...
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Interactive
Anne Frank House

Anne Frank House: The Secret Annex

For Students 6th - 12th
A virtual tour of Amsterdam's Anne Frank House permits viewers to not only visit the Secret Annex but to also view photos and videos, examine a timeline of events, and learn about the fate of Anne Frank and her family.
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – End of the War

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
You are Winston Churchill, and on May 9th, 1945, you receive millions of grateful cards and telegrams. How do you respond? High schoolers put themselves in the Prime Minister's chair with an activity that prompts them to respond to a...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Hamburg

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Was bombing German cities an effective means to an end, or was it a war crime? Could it be both? Young historians ponder these questions with an activity that prompts them to use primary sources to summarize the debate surrounding RAF...