US Holocaust Museum
Time Capsule in a Milk Can
Imagine dumping out a milk can and finding letters from one of the darkest moments in history! Scholars use Holocaust Reading Passages and research to discover how people recorded and hid history during the events of World War II. They...
Curated OER
Over the Top: Trench Warfare in the First World War
Learners are able to give three reasons men joined up to fight in World War I. They are able to place in order the event leading to the outbreak of war and describe the soldiers arrival in the trenches. Students are able to describe...
Curated OER
World War I
Students justify how alliances lead to war. They compare the conflicts of war that arose because of imperialist interest. Students explain the cause of World War I. They compare and contrast European maps before and after World War I....
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Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans during World War I
Students engage in a discussion regarding images of war we see, how quickly do we see them, and how they affect us? They view and analyze war photographs taken during World War I.
Smithsonian Institution
The Price of Freedom: Americans at War
An interactive resource covers all of the United States' most prominent and influential historic wars including the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the War of 1812, and the Korean War. Learners observe cause and effect as well as how violence...
US National Archives
WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Pearl Harbor
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...
US National Archives
Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Berlin
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,...
Facing History and Ourselves
Kristallnacht: Decision-Making in Times of Injustice
Have you ever been singled out in a crowd before? Pupils investigate and analyze the events of the Holocaust. They dive into the life of a middle school student, as well as the diary entries of those in Kristallnacht during World War II.
Facing History and Ourselves
The Nazi Party Platform
Not all party platforms stay democratic. A resource covers many political issues in Germany during the time of World War II, and teaches pupils about the Nazi party platform and what went wrong. Individuals participate in a warm-up...
PBS
WWII: Detained
Imagine being forced against your will behind barbed wire for doing nothing but being yourself. Scholars investigate the impact Japanese-American internment camps had during World War II. Through video and archival evidence, they create...
Curated OER
Atomic Bomb Debate
Young scholars research the decision to end World War II by dropping the atomic bomb. In this world history instructional activity, students explore information on the atomic bomb and the decision of the tactics to use it. They also...
Curated OER
The Political Dr. Seuss
Students discuss the role political cartoons have played in U.S. politics and public affairs since the 1700's. They analyze some of the political cartoons Dr. Seuss drew during World War II and discuss how these cartoons conveyed his...
Curated OER
America's Economy: Sorrow And Hope
Students discover how Americans found the hope that broke the Great Depression. In this American economics lesson, students watch "America's Economy: Sorrow and Hope." Students then discuss the implications of the depression and...
Curated OER
Giving Voice to History
Learners examine the plight of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this World War II instructional activity, students participate in a mock evocation simulation, research primary and secondary documents about internment camps, and...
Curated OER
Isolation or Intervention?
Students research the attitudes and politics of pre-World War II America. They become isolationists or interventionists and present their points of view during a simulated city council meeting.
Curated OER
Introduction to the Holocaust
Young scholars examine the events surrounding the Holocaust in World War II. After viewing a clip from "The War", they work together in groups to research the various responses from governments on the tradegy. To end the lesson, they...
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The failure of Diplomacy, September-December 1941
High schoolers investigate four main issues of concern between US and Japan prior to US involvement in World War II. In this role play lesson, students will take the role of US and Japanese negotiators trying to find a diplomatic...
Curated OER
Through the Eyes of Al McIntosh
Students examine World War II through the eyes of local journalists such as Al McIntosh. As a class, they discuss how stories about the war affects the public back at home. In groups, they compare and contrast how newspapers reported...
Curated OER
The Daytime D-Day Hour: Producing a D-Day Talkshow
Students analyze the key players and events of D-Day during World War II. They conduct research on an assigned character's role in D-Day, complete worksheets, and plan and participate in a D-Day talk show, presenting information in a...
Curated OER
The Battle of the Bulge
Students research the events and results of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. As a class, they discuss the role of the military in the entire European theater and write a paper describing the situations and conditions the...
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The Battle of Midway
Students examine the Battle of Midway during World War II through an interactive website. They analyze photographs and read the descriptions. They discuss the implications of the Battle at Midway to both sides of the war.
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Japanese American Internment
Students create a presentation based on the primary sources they have researched about the Japanese Americans that were held in internment camps during World War II. In this Japanese Americans lesson plan, students read different points...
Curated OER
World War II: Bombs and Peace
Students explore the final events and end of World War II. They examine the community impact of such events as the dropping of the dropping of atomic bombs, and President Roosevelt's death. Students prepare a presentation.
Curated OER
World War Ii - Holocaust Oral History Project
Seventh graders conduct an interview with someone who lived through World War II. They watch a video of an interview, develop a list of interview questions, record their interview, and write and publish a summary and transcript of their...