Lesson plans designed for middle school and high school teachers to help students understand wartime experiences and the lasting legacies of World War II.
Soldier’s Experiences
Why They Fight: Analyzing How the Military Motivates Soldiers to Go into Combat
We Did Not Surrender: The POW Experience in the Philippines
Atlantic Theater
D-Day in Documents: Comparing Eisenhower’s “In Case of Failure Memo” to “The Order of the Day”
A Blitz Through the Ardennes: Using the Battle of the Bulge to Practice Reading and Analytical Skills
Bombs and Bomber Boys: The Bombing of Britain and the American Friendly Invasion
Confidence and Concerns: Allied Advances into Germany
Deception and Double Agents: The Success of Operation Fortitude
Making A Difference: Service & Sacrifice At The Battle Of Midway
Resistance Rising: Fighting the Shadow War against the Germans
The Army Engineers: Challenges at the Anzio Beachhead
“A War of Wits”: Anti-Submarine Warfare in the Battle of the Atlantic
Some Gave All
“I’ll Huff and Puff and Blow Your Ships Up”: The Impact of the German Wolf Pack During the Battle of the Atlantic
The Math of War: The Numbers Behind Minesweeping in the Mediterranean
Riding Along the Red Ball Express
Pacific Theater
Pearl Harbor: A Defining Moment in U.S. History
Supplies and Logistics: Problem Solving Alternatives to Japanese Occupation of the Burma Road
Operation Invasion: Reaching the Japanese Mainland
Making A Difference: Service & Sacrifice At The Battle Of Midway
Tactics & Strategies
Planning for War: The Logistics of Sending Combat Troops into Battle
Horror in the Hedgerows: Technology, Tactics, and Teamwork
Hit the Ground Running: Escape and Evasion Behind Enemy Lines
The War of Logistics
Flight Plans and Rescues: Using Math to Explore the World War II Strategic Bombing Campaign
Industry’s Role in the Strategic Bombing Campaign
The Bari Incident: Chemical Weapons and World War II
The Calculus of War: Tactics, Technology, and the Battle of the Atlantic
Civic Obligations & Propaganda
“I Sustain the Wings”: The Role of Performers in Selling War Bonds in World War II
Sacrifice, Loss and Honor: A Simulation of the Homefront in World War II
Saving Art during Wartime: A Monument Man’s Mission
Place Your Faith in Radio
USO Camp Shows, Inc.
Race and the Enemy: Comparing German and Japanese Depictions in U.S. War Propaganda
The Red Cross on the Front Line
Women’s Experiences
Women in the Workforce: Examining Depictions of Women’s Roles During World War II
Congressional Debates Over the Women’s Army Corps
Under their Wing: Impact of Flight Nurses in the Pacific
Civil Rights & Social Injustice
African American Experiences: Sowing the Seeds of Change During World War II
A Japanese American Family’s Experience During World War II: A Living DBQ
Two-Front War: African Americans’ Fight for Victory at Home and Abroad
Race and Tragedy on the Homefront: The Forgotten Port Chicago Disaster
The Montford Point Marines: One Step Towards Civil Rights
Equal Opportunities for Sacrifice in World War II
Duty and Dignity: Black Americans and the 92nd Infantry Division Buffalo Soldiers
Innovations
Advancement of Medical Technology during World War II
RADAR: Innovating Naval Warfare
Communication
A Secret Language: American Indian Code Talkers
You’ve Got V-Mail! The Role of Letters and Communication in World War II
Writing Across Normandy: Operation Cobra and the Media
Words of War
The Song of War: Poetry from the Pacific Theater
“What Do You See?”: Using Photographs to Learn about World War II
Memorializing the War
Analyzing How Sacrifice is Memorialized
Cemeteries and Communities: Identifying Local Perspectives during the Construction of an Overseas Military Cemetery
Decisions in Postwar America: Remembrance of our Nation’s Fallen Heroes
War and Remembrance: An Examination of Cemeteries and Collective Memory
Comparing Cemeteries: How Nations Remember their Fallen Service Members After World War II
Who’s Who and Why?: Examining the Sculptures at Lorraine American Cemetery
