National History Day
A Clever War: Scientific and Technological Advances in World War I
Technology—changing lives and transforming war. Your tech-loving historians examine photographs and primary documents to explore how technology changed not only World War I, but also how it moved society forward. They apply their...
City University of New York
Women's Suffrage and World War I
Democracy cannot exist where not everyone has equal rights. Discuss the state of democracy and women's suffrage during World War I with class discussions, debates, and primary source analysis, in order for class members to connect with...
A&E Television
The World Wars
Contemporaneously known as The Great War, World War I had never seen its match on the global stage—until World War II. An engaging set of resources designed to extend a viewing of the History Channel's The World Wars features discussion...
Carolina K-12
World War II through the Radio Waves
Young historians channel the very medium used to convey news during World War I. They create and present a five-minute radio broadcast on a particular topic from the war, such as the roles of African Americans and women, war bonds,...
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....
Curated OER
Vocabulary Strategy Instructional Routine: Maus I and II
Pogrom, schlepped, meshuga. Kapo, reich, Wehrmacht. As part of a unit study of Maus I and II, readers use a list-group-label (LGL) strategy for vocabulary drawn from Art Spiegelman's famous graphic novels. The focus of the activity is...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...
Curated OER
To War Or Not To War?
Seventh graders research the political, societal, and economic factors of World War I, World War II, and the 2001 war against terrorism. They participate in class discussions, write journal entries, and conduct Internet research. ...
National Woman's History Museum
Women, Propaganda, and War
Governments rely on propaganda to build support for wars. Class members examine six propaganda posters, two each from the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, and analyze how the way women were portrayed in the posters...
Curated OER
Pre-Reading Strategy Instructional Routine: Maus I and II
Vladek's attitudes are difficult for many young learners to understand. Prepare your class for the events represented in Art Speigelman's graphic novel with a pre-reading activity that has them read articles about and interviews with...
PBS
Pearl Harbor and the Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II
Balancing national security and civil liberties can be tricky. To appreciate the tension between these two concepts, class members investigate the Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and President Franklin D....
Curated OER
World War II on the Home Front: Civic Responsibility
Students explore World War II. In this World War II lesson, students discover how volunteerism demonstrates civic responsibility. The lesson uses World War II-era posters to appeal to the learners and help them to understand the...
Curated OER
Chamberlain and Hitler, 1938--What Was Chamberlain Trying To Do?
Explore events prior to World War II. Learners view replicas of authentic photographs and hand written documents representing the viewpoints of Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain. They discuss alternate viewpoints, consider historical...
Curated OER
The Holocaust
Tenth graders reflect on the effects of the Holocaust and the events leading up to World War II. In this World History lesson, 10th graders complete several activities, including a WebQuest, that analyze the Holocaust and its...
EngageNY
Inferring Author’s Opinions and Writing Opinion Statements: Journalists’ Opinions about Segregation Post–World War II (Promises to Keep, Pages 22–25)
Let's play ball! Scholars summarize information from Promises to Keep about segregation in professional baseball after World War II. They then listen as the teacher reads pages 22-25 aloud. Pupils write the gist in their journals of the...
Curated OER
I Am Freedom Bound!
Upper elementary and middle school learners engage in this awesome lesson plan on the Civil War. In it, they watch streamed video, perform Internet research, engage in hands-on activities, and use their geography skills to locate...
Curated OER
The War: Japanese Americans and Internment
High schoolers examine the experiences of Japanese-Americans at the beginning of World War II in America. After watching an excerpt from "The War", they answer reflection questions about the Japanese being put into internment camps. In...
City University of New York
Woman's Suffrage and World War I
How did women use President Wilson's ideals and rhetoric in their bid for suffrage? To answer this essential question, class groups analyze primary written documents and visual images.
Smithsonian Institution
Mobilizing Children
Scholars find out how the government used propaganda to mobilize children to help in the war effort. Lesson exercises include analyzing a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, viewing propaganda images and posters, and participating in a lively...
Curated OER
Letters From the Front Lines
Students read a variety of letters from soliders who were on the front lines during World War II. After viewing an excerpt from "The War", they answer discussion and comprehension questions based on the letters and video. To end the...
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...
National Math + Science Initative
Moon Watch: The Tides of War
What role did astronomy play in the liberation of France during World War II? Bring literacy and history into science with a cross-curricular lesson plan that examines the importance of weather stations and moon phases in the invasion of...
US Holocaust Museum
Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust
Hiding in the filth of a sewer, as a child, to avoid capture by Nazi soldiers—sounds scary! Scholars investigate the youngest victims of the Holocaust, the children. They research video clips and written sources from the Holocaust...
Curated OER
Japanese-American Internment: The Art of Gaman
Students explore Japanese-American internment. For this World War II lesson, students view a PowerPoint lecture that features the art of Gaman and determine what the art reveals about the experiences of the interned Japanese-Americans.