Monthly Archives: February 2019

One of my favorite units to teach about is World War II. I love showing how the US was able to enter the war and how the effects of the war are still very much present today. I love teaching with this World War II homefront stations lesson. With this fast 55 minute lesson kids are engaged in a variety of resources on the US homefront from rationing to women entering the workforce, to Japanese discrimination to African American enfranchisement. My kids ask for stations since the class period seems so different. They are engaged in primary sources, World War II posters, and videos on the homefront in one class day if you are teaching a survey course it is very helpful.

The World War II Escape Room will take students on a secret mission around the classroom! This escape room has students decode interesting facts about World War II. This is the perfect resource to introduce or review FDR, Pearl Harbor, Hitler and the Holocaust. The World War II Escape Room has students walking around the classroom breaking codes. Students are given a secret code name and sent on a secret mission to restore Anne Frank’s Diary. The codes include ciphers, Morse code, cryptograms and a final 4 digit code based on the decoders/clues.

These World War II sensory figures can be printed in black and white or color, and the set includes the seven most prominent leaders of World War 2. A sensory figure is a drawing of a historical, living, or fictional figure with first-person descriptions of what they might have thought, seen, heard, touched, said, felt, or otherwise experienced during their lifetime. Students “show what they know” about the figure by writing 1-2 sentence descriptions for their figure’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. After writing the descriptions, students connect them to the part of the body to which it most closely relates. For example, a feeling might be connected to the heart. The descriptions should be specific to the historical figure’s life, not generic statements that could apply to anyone. Students should be encouraged to address several topics in their descriptions instead of repeating information.

This World War II Documentary activity allows each student to become an expert on one topic from WWII. They create a 2 minute video clip with footage and voice-overs to explain the topic. All clips are then combined into one large documentary that covers World War II. In this resource, you receive the project sheet, participation and overall rubrics, suggested topic sheet, and research graphic organizer.

18+ ready-to use digital notebook pages on World War II are great for your World War 2 unit. Students learn about and analyze topics related to World War II such as leaders, the Allies and the Axis, and the Japanese internment camps

I am not a fan of military history so I teach the battles using this two page handout about the key turning points of WWII in a graphic organizer. Students can complete this with the internet or with a textbook. It is a nice review of a unit or reinforcement of key concepts.

Here are some wonderful resources that are free!!!

• Library of Congress 
• National World War II Museum 
• National Archives 
• National Gallery Art 
• Scholastic 
• Mr. Donn website 
• Teaching History

Whether it is called the Civil War, the War between the States, the War of the Rebellion, or the War for Southern Independence, the events of the years 1861–1865 were some of the most traumatic in the nation’s history.

Mission US has some interesting interactive games from different periods of history. This is the one related to the Civil War. I walked through it with some students once and they had lots of good questions at the end. http://www.mission-us.org/pages/landing-mission-2

The Civil War Causes stations lesson is a perfect lesson to teach all the causes of the Civil war in one 50 minute class period. I have my students spend 6-8 minutes a station. There is also an extra two page homework assignment if they finish a station early. Stations lesson includes coloring, notes, cartoons, video, and primary documents.

The Battles of the Civil War Scavenger Hunt can be used as an introduction or review activity. You can use the Battles of the Civil War as task cards, a scavenger hunt or both. Students will learn about Civil War leaders like Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, George Meade and many others. The Scavenger Hunt is designed so that students must visit each of the ten Civil War Fact Cards at least two times! That means they have to read the small passage or skim for details twice! Students will use non-fiction social studies content to practice reading skills, improve fluency and reading comprehension. Also included are 10 ideas for how to use task cards! The possibilities are endless for this cross-curriculum activity! This engaging activity covers the following Battles of the Civil War: Fort Sumter, Bull Run, Ironclads, Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Gettysburg and Spotsylvania.

Here are some wonderful resources for teaching about the Civi War: 

• Here is a wonderful video on the Gettysburg Address. It’s short and right to the point. It is the perfect video for teaching about the Gettysburg Address.
• NEH The American Civil War 
• Civil War Music is a wonderful way to teach about the Civil War from the Library of Congress.
• The Pen is mightier than the sword when using sketches in the classroom from the Library of Congress