Curated OER
The Story of Latino Civil Rights: Fighting for Justice
Students identify the civil rights abuses suffered by African Americans, Japanesse Americans during WWII, and Hispanic Americans. They explain what the common element is among the discrimination against these three groups. Students are...
PBS
Historical Perspectives: Coming Home from War
What do the homecoming experiences of soldiers who fought in WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan reveal about the politics and culture of the US during the time period of each war? Young historians view The Way We Get By, which tells...
Curated OER
Inventions Change the World: The Enigma Machine
Third graders explore WWII by analyzing technological advances. In this invention lesson, 3rd graders discuss the use of the Enigma machine which decoded private German messages that communicated with U-boats. Students utilize a timeline...
Curated OER
British History
A very quick overview of nearly a millennium of British history, these slides present broad topics supported by photographs and small pieces of information. The end of the presentation prompts viewers to create a timeline based on the...
Curated OER
Hiroshima, From All Sides
Learners comprehend how the Atomic Bomb affected humanity and ended WWII. They comprehend how the Atomic Bomb affected: scientists, Japanese citizens, and US leaders. Students receive a copy of Hiroshima, Readers Theater Rubiv. They...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Mendelian Genetics Cannot Fully Explain Human Health and Behavior
The breakthrough of Mendelian genetics solved many puzzles for biologists. Then, scientists decided to apply the theory to human behavior. Learn the story and struggle of finding a genetic explanation for hobbies, interests, and mental...
Curated OER
Lost Peace
High schoolers view a television program that chronicles the failure of the League of Nations as a deterrent to further war. They create a timeline of events that led from WWI to WWII and hold a mock town meeting in which they discuss...
Curated OER
Voyage of the St. Louis
Ninth graders explore the lives of Jewish refugees during WWII. After reading a brief passage about the people and the voyage of the St. Louis, 9th graders discuss how refugees have been treated historically. Reading and testing...
Curated OER
The Perilous Fight: WWII - Up Close and Personal
Students research World War II primary source documents and write first person historical point of view stories.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Examining an Important Battle in WWII
In this military history assignment, research provides a foundation for a report on the United States' strategy for a specific battle during World War II. This resource does not include recommended sources of information or a rubric....
Curated OER
Dropping the Atomic Bomb: The Decision That Defined a Presidency
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this World War II lesson, students research the implications of the use of nuclear weapons to end the war in the Pacific. Students determine and...
Curated OER
Requiem "The Song of the Murdered Jewish People"
Music and poetry are vehicles that can tell many stories. Learners read the poem "The Song of the Murdered Jewish People" by Itzhak Katzenelson, then listen to the requiem it inspired; composed by Zlata Razdolina. Excellent background...
Curated OER
1960 America: Foreign Policy
The 1960's marked shifts in American culture, politics, and policy. Your class groups up to research a series of primary source documents resulting in a timeline and a 15 minute oral presentation. Active learning all the way.
EngageNY
Launching the Text: Building Background Knowledge on Louie Zamperini and World War II (Preface, Pages 3–6)
Scholars participate in a gallery walk to examine photographs related to WWII and record thoughts about the pictures in note catchers. At the end of the gallery walk, pupils share their observations before participating in a discussion...
Curated OER
Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching the Holocaust
Students are exposed to a variety of readings about the Nazi Party and concentration camps. Using the readings as a guide, they identify moral issues that we all face studing the Holocaust. They decide to work together to end bigotry...
Curated OER
End of World War II
Ninth graders examine the results of the Yalta Conference on Europe after the war. They develop a PowerPoint presentation that compare the effects of World War I and World War II. They write a journal entry taking the point of view of...
Curated OER
Nickles from Heaven -- WWII and Present-Day Discrimination
Learners research how discrimination has changed from World War II to the present day. They examine how the issues may have stayed the same.
Curated OER
Europe in the 1920s
Delicately poised after the dramatic end of WWI and the startling beginning of WWII, this presentation encompassing the positions and roles of Germany, Italy, England, France, and the League of Nations in the 1920's. The first half of...
Curated OER
The Rise of Fascism
Students explore the variety of events and the people who would shape Europe during the 1920's, describing how this culminated with the Second World War. They create a timeline of ten pre-war events or people with the corresponding date...
Curated OER
Who Was Anne Frank
Introduce eyewitness accounts of World War II with this presentation. It provides a very brief summary of the life of Anne Frank, along with several descriptive excerpts from her diary. While the resource appears to have been made by a...
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
Teaching the Holocaust Through Poetry
W.H. Auden’s poem “Refugee Blues” launches a study of the problems of refugees. Background information about the poem and general information about Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria are provided, as are discussion questions and...
Curated OER
A Peace Maker in the Aftermath of War
Students discover how Barbara Reynolds was involved with the atomic bomb in World War II. In this World War II atomic bomb lesson plan, students work in groups to research WWII. Students present their findings with pictures and discuss...
Curated OER
???A Sound of Hammering??? by Dazai Osamu
Tenth graders read and analyze the story, "A Sound of Hammering," by Dazai Osamu. They answer discussion questions, conduct Internet research on the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, develop a character web, analyze the major themes...