“It was a miracle.” Basil Heatter’s “The Long Night of the Little Boats,” which details the miraculous rescue of the British army from the shores of Dunkirk in 1940, is featured in a series of exercises that ask class members to read,...

It's the Royal Air Force against the Luftwaffe! While the Luftwaffe inflicts enormous damage, the RAF is able to hold them off, forcing Hitler to change his plan of attack. Discuss the advantages each group has during the air fights.

With the Japanese troops advancing ten miles a day, US troops retreat to the small peninsula of Bataan. Setting up their trenches in Bataan gives the US troops a unique advantage due to the landscape. Watch the US troops march through...

Although the United States suspected an early attack on Hawaii from the Japanese military, Franklin D. Roosevelt feared what increasing Japan's power would do. Watch the tension rise between Japan, China, and the United States.

Leading the largest offensive in world history, three million German soldiers sneak into the Soviet Union, despite their peace agreement. Although they put up a valiant fight, the Soviet Union was losing its troops.

Who is the Desert Fox? Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel, also known as the Desert Fox, was forced to lead German troops to Tobruk after Italian troops failed to drive back British forces. Although Rommel's army ended up retreating, he still...

The Nazis destroyed French civilian life when they invaded France in March 1940. Watch the destruction of towns and the fleeing of worried, saddened people. This is part three of a five-part series.

A "sleeping giant" through the many German invasions in Europe, America slowly starts participating in the war. First, America sells aircraft to Britain, makes its naval presence known in the Caribbean, and builds its artillery. This...

How did Hitler rise to power? Take a look at how Adolf Hitler manipulated the government, the German masses, and his own Nazi leaders to take power of Germany post WWI. An interesting video to introduce your class to Adolf Hitler and his...

Before joining World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the military policy to lend-lease, meaning that the US would distribute artillery without requiring immediate payment. What are the benefits to changing this policy? What are the...

Used to the harsh conditions, the Soviet Union's military pushes the German troops back, securing faith for the Soviet people. With German troops freezing and their tanks becoming immobilized, the German troops fell back to take on the...

Hail the Fhrer! Learn about German support for Adolf Hitler before and during World War II. Actual letters expressing the viewpoints of the time are read. This is part two of a five part series.

"...December 7, 1941-a day that will live in infamy." After Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States jumped full force into World War II, declaring war on Japan.

After 43 seconds of falling, a chemical reaction began in the bomb falling over Hiroshima. Within another few seconds, tens of thousands of Japanese civilians were incinerated, ripped apart, and left to die in their decimated city....

Why did Germany invade Poland, initiating WWII? German troops crossed the Polish border in response to a raid Polish troops had supposedly made into Germany. Find out what really happened and Britain's response to Germany's attack.

What were the Allied and Axis countries doing just before the start of World War II? Take a peek into American, British, Spanish and German life (among others) on the eve of the most destructive war in world history. This is part one in...

Are the Desert Foxes weary enough for a British attack? Despite having fewer men, the German troops inflict enormous damage and scatter British troops. Rommel continues to make a name for himself with these daring efforts.

The artistic choices Art Spiegelman made in his graphic novel, Maus, are the focus of an exercise that asks class members to compare classic comic book forms with Spiegelman’s panels and frames. Directed to specific pages and guided by a...

Maus is the text for a postreading activity that has class members using a cubing strategy to analyze, in depth, topics (racism, past and present, forgetting/remembering the Holocaust, representing the Holocaust) associated with Art...

The feelings and attitudes of African-Americans during World War II are examined by high schoolers. After watching various clips from "The War," they answer comprehension questions for each section. In groups, they create their own...

An engaging lesson focuses on the contributions of the Navajo people during World War II. Learners read the book Navajo Code Talkers by Andrew Santella, answer a series of comprehension questions about the text, and write a letter as a...

Young historians channel the very medium used to convey news during World War I. They create and present a five-minute radio broadcast on a particular topic from the war, such as the roles of African Americans and women, war bonds,...

Did you know that way before Hitler became a dictator, he actually spent nine months in a German jail? Provide the background for the escalating point before the Nazi party took over in World War II through the exercises in the resource....

A New Order in Europe calls for a new lesson plan! This third plan in a series of four sequential lessons encourages high schoolers to read primary sources about the development of the New Order and follow up their knowledge with a...