Curated OER
"The Proper Application of Overwhelming Force": The United States in World War II
Students examine the role that the U.S. played in bringing about victory in the two major theaters of the war in the Pacific and Europe. How the various military campaigns contributed to the war's successful conclusion forms the focus of...
Curated OER
The Fall of the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire rose and fell. Outline the failures in agriculture, economics, military, and government that weakened Rome, setting the stage for complete devastation as Germanic Tribes invaded.
Curated OER
Canada and The Great War (1914-1918)
Find out what part Canada played in the first World War. Described are the war efforts, military tactics, policies, life on the home front, and war-time propaganda used by Canadians during the first great war. Image, vocabulary,...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
California Department of Education
What Are My Options?
Where do I go from here? Start sophomores off on the right path using an activity designed with the future in mind. The final lesson in a five-part career readiness series helps individuals decide what's important to them before they...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Life in the Trenches: World War I
Live the sights, routines, and daily life suffered by World War I trench soldiers. Through images and rich descriptive text, learners will gain an understanding of life during WWI. Slides describe the perils of war, such as insect and...
Teach Engineering
Catching the Perfect SAR Waves!
Zero in on an interesting resource involving radar technology. Groups construct a radar sensing unit and learn to calibrate the system. Using the radar system and the Pythagorean Theorem, they calculate distances between objects.
National WWII Museum
Evaluating the US Decision to Drop the Atomic Bombs
While the use of the atomic bomb was the definitive end of World War II, the terrible weapons left new questions. Young scholars use primary sources and analytical worksheets to consider the implications of the fateful decision. Then,...
PBS
Catch-22: What It Means to Be a(n Anti)Hero
Catch-22, Joseph Heller's send-up of military organizational bureaucracy, provides readers with an opportunity to consider the importance of the anti-hero. Class members fill out a worksheet comparing and contrasting the qualities of...
American Battlefield Trust
1861: The Country Goes to War
While the firing on Ft. Sumter may have seemed like a sudden event, the long march to war spanned decades. Using games and a presentation, class members review the events that led up to the fateful April day in 1861 when brother turned...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and Escalation of the Vietnam War
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution propelled America's involvement into a bloody conflict—and it was based on a fallacy. Using the resolution and other documents from the Vietnam War, including declassified documents, young historians...
Friends of Fort McHenry
Citizens For and Against the War of 1812
Use this exceptional resource to examine the discourse and debate that occurred at the start of the War of 1812 with your class. Learners will first consider their own position on the war in a silent journal writing activity. Then after...
Curated OER
George Washington as Military Leader
Students will analyze historical evidence including primary sources to evaluate George Washington as a military leader. The reading begins with Washington's understanding of the issues related to military power, continues with his use of...
Curated OER
The Japanese Military Build-up
Students evaluate the state of Japan's military and their defense strategy under the current Shinzo Abe administration. They watch the film, 'The Raping of Nanking' and read "The Return of Japanese Militarism: Rising Sun" by Joshua...
Curated OER
What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? Powers and Problems
High schoolers list qualities they believe made George Washington an effective military leader. They discuss difficulties Washington faced as Commander-in-Chief and how he responded to the difficulties he faced as the leader of the...
Curated OER
What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader?
Students list qualities they believe made George Washington an effective military leader. They discuss some difficulties Washington faced as Commander-in-Chief and describe his response to the Newburgh Conspiracy.
Curated OER
What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader?
Learners identify the qualities of an effective military leader. In this Revolutionary War lesson, students view several Internet resources about George Washington's life. Student groups research one of four battles, and document their...
Curated OER
A Full Military Experience
Eighth graders watch electronic field trip entitled Call to Arms, and simulate daily life of eighteenth-century soldier, including marching, camp building, cannon firing, and sharing common meal. Student groups form regiments by signing...
Curated OER
Connecting Past and Present...Virtues of Military Veterans
Middle schoolers explore personalities of those who served as medical personnel in American Civil War, compare qualities those troops possessed to qualities shown by troops currently serving in Armed Forces, and express appreciation to...
American Battlefield Trust
Life at War
It looks like a cracker, but hardtack was anything but. The staple of the Civil War soldier's diet is one of many aspects of military life that scholars consider using letters from soldiers back home and images from slavery. A PowerPoint...
DocsTeach
The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady
While there are no photographs of actual battles during the Civil War, the pictures of Matthew Brady still paint a vivid image of what life was like as a solider. Using a series of photographs, including those of camp life and the...
Library of Congress
George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
Does the lens of history portray George Washington as a good leader? A three-lesson unit looks at Washington's early military career as the commander of the Virginia Regiment, his role in the fight for independence from England, and his...
Curated OER
Draft Dilemmas
Consider the possibility of a new U.S. draft with this lesson, which encourages class debate and persuasive arguments. Middle and high schoolers discuss how such a draft might be enacted and how they would feel about it. They write...
Curated OER
Doors Open for Female Marines
What do your kids think about female Marines? They can explore this idea by reading the related New York Times article and by answering each of the seven comprehension questions. A learner-driven blog is located at the bottom of the...