Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lessons from the Holocaust; Hitler's Germany

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore Nazi Germany by completing several worksheets. In this Adolf Hitler lesson, students identify Hitler's role in the holocaust, his role in the German community and his mindset. Students read the poem "The Hangman" by...
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Life for German Youth in the 1930s: Education, Propaganda, Conformity, and Obedience

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The German youth faced an onslaught of propaganda when they went to school, thanks to the Nazi regime led by Hitler during World War II. Pupils relate their education experiences to German youth by analyzing primary source readings,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hitler's Lost Sub

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners watch a video clip about German submarines lost during World War II. They work together to create their own submarine out of a plastic bottle. They test the buoyancy of the submarine in different activities.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

A Passport to WWII and the Holocaust

For Teachers 7th
Students explore the Holocaust. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students research Hitler's rise to power, the terror of concentration camps, and World War II. Students read The Diary of Anne Frank , listen to a Holocaust survivor, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hitler's Fatal Gamble

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students consider the differences between totalitarianism and democracy. In this comparative politics lesson, students will read a handout describing the major components that comprise totalitarianism and democracy, then they will...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dictatorship

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research world history by researching democracy. In this dictatorship lesson, 5th graders read the story "The Composition" and identify a list of former dictators on the Internet. Students define several key terms and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Prior to Kristallnacht (1933-1938)

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young scholars research the way of life of the Jews before Kristallnacht. Using new vocabulary and resources, they discover how carefree life was before the days of discrimination and antisemitism. In groups, they create a timeline of...
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

The Nazi Party Platform

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Laws and the National Community

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When it comes to the law, is justice always served? Teach scholars about how law sometimes enables prejudice of entire groups of people with a unit on World War II that includes a warm-up activity, analysis of primary sources,...
Lesson Plan
US Holocaust Museum

Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The Olympics are about more than sports—at times, the games are also a place of racism and prejudice! Pupils investigate the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. They analyze the meaning behind the materials included in the United States...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Invasion

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Without the benefit of history, Western Europe in the 1940's had no idea what was about to befall them. Class members use primary sources, including political cartoons, videos, and internal documents, to analyze how much of a threat...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Occupation

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Warsaw, Poland, suffered much of the blunt of World War II—but according to Polish letters from the early days of Nazi occupation, other parts of the country were much worse off. High schoolers use the letters and contemporaneous...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Resistance and SOE

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Germany seemed to be unstoppable in the early years of World War II, but the tireless and sacrificial work of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) helped to steer the war in another direction. After exploring primary source documents,...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Battle of Britain

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Had Britain not emerged as the victors of the 1940 Battle of Britain, World War II would have ended much differently—and the world as we know it would be catastrophically altered. Learn more about this pivotal moment that kept the Nazis...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Deception and Bluff

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
World War II left the British desperate for help in any form—including in the form of a magician! High schooler conduct research on Jasper Maskelyne, a stage magician who used his talents to deceive the Germans on the war front, before...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Hamburg

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Was bombing German cities an effective means to an end, or was it a war crime? Could it be both? Young historians ponder these questions with an activity that prompts them to use primary sources to summarize the debate surrounding RAF...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – End of the War

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
You are Winston Churchill, and on May 9th, 1945, you receive millions of grateful cards and telegrams. How do you respond? High schoolers put themselves in the Prime Minister's chair with an activity that prompts them to respond to a...
Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Berlin

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
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,...
Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Camps

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Britain's decision not to bomb German death camps in World War II has provided many questions for historians, but with a primary source analysis lesson, high school students may be a step closer to finding out the truth. Learners read...
Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Stalingrad

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Acts of civilian courage in Great Britain—and in one case, the island of Malta—often receive the George Cross, instituted by King George VI at the beginning of World War II. After the valiant defense of Stalingrad by its inhabitants,...
Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Ukraine

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Was Joseph Stalin desperate or exaggerating the USSR's need for assistance on the Eastern Front in 1942? History students examine two differing opinions on Stalin's position and the reality of the Eastern Front just three years before...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Asia 1939-45 – Burma

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Because World War II encompassed most of the globe in one way or another, many pivotal battles and events are not as visible in the history books, leaving veterans of these conflicts feeling overlooked by more famous skirmishes. High...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Asia 1939-45 – Singapore

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The fall of Singapore in World War II was shocking news for the Allied forces—but why? High schoolers explore primary source documents and videos to determine why February 15, 1942 was a wake-up call to the British Empire and its allies...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Iwo Jima

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Of the images that have permeated history to define American courage, perseverance, and patriotism, the 1945 photograph of United States Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima is one of the most well known. After researching the pivotal...

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