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
Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands
Students show on a map territorial changes to Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, then identify European countries that came under German control before and during World War II.
Curated OER
The Myth of Voluntary Internment
Students review the Alien Enemies Act and Executive Order 9095. They explore both the financial and emotional ramifications of having a parent arrested or interned. They research what daily life was like in U.S. Internment camps during...
Curated OER
Genocide: Past & Present
Students visit the Holocaust Musuem through an interactive program. They examine Hitler's Final Solution and where concentration camps were located. They analyze how the situations in Auschwitz are similiar to Darfur.
Reed Novel Studies
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Film Study
According to John Betjeman, "Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows." With The Boy in the Striped Pajamas film study, scholars work in small groups to discuss the quote and other...
Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Curated OER
Learning Lessons from Letters
Writing personal correspondence offers children a chance to learn many skills beyond simple format.
Curated OER
"The Pianist" As A Tool For Classroom Instruction About the Holocaust
Students watch "The Pianist" to gain insight on the Holocaust and World War II. They write an essay based on ideas from the film and read a variety of poems and writings from the time period. In groups, they discuss the diffuculties of...
Curated OER
Daniel's Story Study Guide
Students explore the plight of Jews during the Holocaust. In this World War II lesson, students read Daniel's Story by Carol Matas and complete the provided comprehension, characterization, and vocabulary activities.
Curated OER
Your Land is My Land: A Look at Bootleg Coal Mining During the Depression
Middle schoolers examine the extreme conditions of unemployment during the Great Depression. In this multiple perspectives instructional activity, students analyze photographs of coal mining, research and adopt the perspective of a...
Curated OER
Holocaust Research Project
Students research multiple aspects of WWII. In this Holocaust instructional activity, students will use several primary source documents to write a 3 page pater on subjects concerning WWII, such as Kristallnacht, Ethnic Cleansing and the...
Curated OER
Pennsylvania Boxing: Living the American Dream
Learners reflect on fictional and real boxers from Pennsylvania. In this history instructional activity, students read, reflect and discuss the historical period following World War II and observe the boxers that were famous from...
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Noncombatancy and the Seventh day Adventist Church
Upper graders investigate how the Seventh Day Adventists are objectors to the practice of war. The instructional activity covers the Civil War and examines the church's position about the practice of war. The research extends to modern...
Curated OER
The Holocaust: An Introduction for Children (To Be Used with Number the Stars)
In this literature and history worksheet, students prepare to read the novel by Lois Lowry Number the Stars. Students read the history behind the Nazi occupation of Denmark and the arrest of the Jews there. This is a 10 page historical...
Curated OER
Anna's Dilemma
Students read a scenerio about people who lived in Germany during Nazi rule. As a class, they discuss the situations the character finds herself in and identify her responsiblities to her family. They answer discussion questions and...
Curated OER
Anne Frank: Critical Thinking
Students examine the experience of Anne Frank during the Holocaust. Using the text, they discover how propaganda was used to impact the lives of young people in Germany. They answer discussion questions as a class and relate her...
Curated OER
Further Reading: Japan
Students investigate the Japanese people and how they lived in the World War II era. They conduct research in order to obtain information. Then they role play the part of different people in groups who lived during the time.
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Adolf Hitler
Students explore facts about Hitler's life and the historical events that occurred in that time, his view of history, his theory of race and his political goals. They explore his use of anti-Semitism to advance his career and consolidate...
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Herbert Hoover: Iowa Farm Boy an World Humanitarian
Students research Herbert Hoover's life and how he became known as a "Great Humanitarian." Students use images and historic places in their research.
Curated OER
Dorothea Lange and the Relocation of Japanese Americans
Students analyze a photograph and translate the analysis into words. They explain and explain the impact of governmental decisions made during a specific historical time period.
Curated OER
Genocide-Holocaust
Twelfth graders gain insight and perspective as to how and why the Holocaust occured. They explain why the specific groups were targeted, and complete a brief paragraph about what it would have been like to live during this era.
Curated OER
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt
Students develop an understanding of how the Great Depression impacted people. In this writing, analyzing and cooperative groups instructional activity, students inquire about the Great Depression. Students identify problems children...
Curated OER
Comfort Women
Ninth graders analyze connections between WW II, the Cold War and contemporary conflicts. They discover a more global perspective, as well as a greater sensitivity to the atrocities of war, and how the atrocities against the...
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Marbled Butterfly
Students construct butterflies from friendly plastic for a Holocaust Museum in Houston. In this visual art lesson, students honor children of the Holocaust by making butterflies.