Curated OER
The failure of Diplomacy, September-December 1941
Students investigate four main issues of concern between US and Japan prior to US involvement in World War II. In this role play activity, students will take the role of US and Japanese negotiators trying to find a diplomatic solution to...
Curated OER
The Perilous Fight: WWII - Up Close and Personal
High schoolers research World War II primary source documents and write first person historical point of view stories.
Curated OER
Magellan and Coronado
The best part of elementary school is learning about the explorers. Take your 5th graders on a quick trip with European explorers Coronado and Magellan. Described here are their routes, personal histories, and encounters in the New...
Curated OER
Encountering Very Different Ways of Life
Students explore the concept of crossing cultures. They examine how Americans may be viewed by people in another culture and discover that that Peace Corps Volunteers are trained to cross cultures respectfully so that they are accepted...
Curated OER
Chicago Tribune vs. US (1942): When Does Freedom of the Press Go Too Far?
Students define freedom of the press in peace and war time. As a class, they identify the need for the public to be informed, but discuss where the line should be drawn to protect national security. They develop their arguments and...
Curated OER
Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students explore the concept of Japanese internment. In this Japanese internment activity, students examine primary sources that enable them to discover what internment camp life was like and its implications, Students write their...
Curated OER
Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...
Curated OER
Dropping the Atomic Bomb The Decision That Defined a Presidency.
Students examine historical evidence regarding the atomic bomb. In this Truman presidency instructional activity, students research images and documents about the use of the bomb in Japan. Students write position papers that identify...
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
WWII Position Paper
There are some historical events that may warrant greater reflection and more in-depth analysis, and the decision to intern Japanese-Americans in the United States during World War II, as well as to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and...
Curated OER
America on the Home-Front during WWII
Here are 35 images ready to complement your next lecture on the Home-Front during WWII. While there isn't any text in this presentation, it won't matter. Each image is a great representation of what life was like for the people back...
Curated OER
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Lesson: Immigration
Many of your class members will have heard of Executive Order 9066 and the Japanese internment camps of World War II. Some may even recognize the terms “Issei” and “Nisei,” but few will have heard of Enemy Alien Hearing Boards, of the...
Curated OER
Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination
Students participate in multiple hands-on activities to explore reproduction and pollination. In groups, using a cotton swab and powder, students simulate being pollinators and plants. They name the parts of the flowers and the function...
Curated OER
"ART ZOO 'Blacks in the Westward Movement', 'What Can You Do with a Portrait', and 'Of Beetles, Worms, and Leaves of Grass'"
Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...
PBS
African-Americans in the American West
Secondary learners explore the westward movement of African Americans. Segmented into four time periods, the activity provides an overview of how African Americans experienced westward expansion. Learners view PBS specials on the...
Curated OER
Leschi: Justice in Our Time
Students examine the lives of the Nisqually people and the resource consumption philosophy. For this Native American philosophy lesson, students use primary sources to understand the resource consumption philosophy and then evaluate...
Curated OER
A Treaty Tail: U.S. - Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest
Students view a painting as a document to find out about the Indian Treaty Councils. In this artist's perspective lesson, students study the conflicts as shown in various pictures. Students answer questions about what they...
Curated OER
National Museum of the Pacific War
Students examine the role of science and technology in World War II. They discover how some inventions have changed to meet society's need after the war was over. They visit the museum to complete the lesson.
Curated OER
Post-War Japan
Students research the conditions of post-war Japan. In groups, they examine the plans that were put into place for the country and identify the attitude of the Allies. To end the lesson, they discuss the changes that came about in their...
Curated OER
World War II History Textbooks Project
Students, in groups, research and compare how events of World War II are treated in various countries' school textbooks through linking with another classroom from that country.
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Narrative Prompt
Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...
Curated OER
Journey to Gettysburg
Learners use latitude and longitude to map the path of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 8: Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac Teacher Guide
Joseph Bruchac's Code Talker tells the remarkable story of Navajo Marines' role in battles of the Pacific Theater during World War II. As scholars read the novel, they also engage in activities that expand their knowledge of Navajo...
National WWII Museum
Iwo Jima: The View from the Front Lines
Iwo Jima was the site of some of the most grim fighting in World War II. Learners consider this fact while examining primary sources, including letters home, from those on the front lines. After they complete the analysis, scholars then...
Curated OER
Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures
Students explore the dynamics, the challenges, and the rewards of adjusting to a new culture through the reading of "Help! My Father is Coming" and "The Visit to Vijay's". For this social culture lesson, students carousel brainstorm...