TeachersFirst's Pearl Harbor and World War II Resources
This curated collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers and students honor Pearl Harbor Day and the important events of World War II through related projects and classroom activities. Whether you focus on Pearl Harbor for one class or spend an entire unit on World War II or the Holocaust, the ideas included within the "In the Classroom" portion of reviews will launch discussions and meaningful projects for student-centered learning. Take your classes beyond infamy to inspiration.
See all of our resources tagged Pearl Harbor and World War 2.
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Unsung Hero Projects - Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
Grades
4 to 12
tag(s): american revolution (79), civil rights (181), civil war (127), heroes (20), Project Based Learning (14), STEM (236), vietnam (32), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students to learn more about the "everyday" people involved with historical events. Consider starting a project-based learning activity for your students. Learn more about project-based learning at the TeachersFirst Special Topics Page devoted to project-based learning, found here. Help students organize resources found in their research using Wakelet, reviewed here. Create Wakelet collections for each project that includes links to articles, videos, and other relevant information to be used in their project. As students prepare to complete their projects, share a storyboard creation tool such as Storyboard Generator, reviewed here, to help plan videos, podcasts, websites, or plays.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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RealClearHistory - RealClear
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): biographies (96), civil war (127), constitution (85), history day (38), politics (108), presidents (116), religions (69), slavery (65), space (207), vikings (10), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Make this site available in favorites on your classroom computers for students to refer to for history-related resources. You may want to list this link on your class website for students to access the page both in and out of class. Consider using the site as an icebreaker at the beginning of a class: pick one of the articles or short video clips (share it on your interactive whiteboard or projector) and discuss. After doing research, have cooperative learning groups create podcasts or video commercials highlighting an interesting historical event. Create FREE podcasts using a site such as Anchor, reviewed here. This is also a good resource for reading informational text per the Common Core Standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Facing History and Ourselves - Facing History and Ourselves
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): bullying (53), civil rights (181), democracy (19), holocaust (39), immigrants (31), immigration (63), journalism (72), martin luther king (41), racism (73), religions (69)
In the Classroom
Discover the many free resources found on this site to include with your teaching units. If you find that some of the reading material is useful, but is above the reading level of your students, use a summarizing tool such as SummarizeThis, reviewed here, to break down large portions of text into manageable content. Include activities from this site as part of a larger unit using a learning management system such as Blendspace, reviewed here. Use Bleandspace to build an interactive learning experience that includes videos, reading activities, quizzes, and images. Extend student learning by asking them to become the creators through sharing their knowledge with others. Provide options for students to create audio podcasts with PodcastGenerator, reviewed here, make explainer videos using Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here, or use Google My Maps, reviewed here, to take viewers on a virtual journey through map locations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ABMC Education - American Battle Monuments Commission & Dept of Veterans Affairs
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): battles (17), heroes (20), veterans (20), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
This site is a must-see for any teachers of World War II history. Take students beyond the information about battles to learn about individuals and their role and sacrifices. Be sure to take advantage of the extensive information included in each activity including assessments, lesson extensions, and adaptations. Have students choose one of the stories, then research the battle to learn more about the event's relationship to the war. Extend student learning by having them create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map of battle locations to tell the story of fallen heroes. Ask local veterans to visit your classroom and share their stories with your class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Archive of Public Broadcasting - Library of Congress & WGBH
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1900s (59), earth (177), radio (22), religions (69), sports (76), video (247), women (111), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Bookmark the American Archive of Public Broadcasting for use as primary source material for classroom lessons. Browse by topic or keywords to find videos to share on your interactive whiteboard or share a link on your class website for students to view at home. Enhance students' learning and have them use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about an important figure from America's recent past. Transform student learning by having students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here, to demonstrate what they learned from one of the radio programs, videos, or exhibits.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National D-Day Memorial - National D-Day Memorial Foundation
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): d day (9), veterans (20), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Feature this site during a single lesson on D-Day or as part of any World War II unit. Redefine student learning by challenging students to make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here. A few of our favorites would be to create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here. Alternatively, use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of local landforms (with audio stories and pictures included)! Or, extend learning and have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, leader, or politician involved with D-Day events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project - University of North Carolina Greensboro
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): afghanistan (8), iraq (27), memorial day (13), middle east (43), oral history (15), primary sources (106), terrorism (41), veterans (20), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Use this archive for rich, authentic primary source material on the lives of women in the military. Consider having students, individually or in groups, choose a veteran and present her story to classmates. Replace paper reports and enhance learning by using a tool like Slides, reviewed here. Supplement classroom materials associated with a wartime era with the photographs, posters, and diaries provided here. Use these stories as part of a special focus for Veterans Day, Memorial Day, or Women's History Month. The archive would also be a particularly rich resource for students considering National History Day Projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ABC Splash - ABC TV and Radio Australia
Grades
K to 10tag(s): addition (126), animals (268), antarctica (27), atmosphere (22), australia (25), cells (77), climate change (80), continents (31), counting (58), decimals (86), division (98), earth (177), earthquakes (44), ecosystems (68), egypt (45), energy (127), environment (229), food chains (16), forces (34), forensics (14), fossil fuels (9), game based learning (167), gold rush (14), human body (90), immigration (63), insects (63), light (47), maps (207), molecules (39), money (119), multiplication (121), nuclear energy (19), nutrition (132), oceans (134), parts of speech (42), percent (58), perimeter (18), place value (34), plants (135), probability (93), rhymes (21), rocks (35), songs (44), sound (70), subtraction (108), time (92), vietnam (32), volcanoes (55), weather (155), whole numbers (10), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
This site is excellent for enrichment. Include it on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Share this link on your class web page and/or in a parent newsletter for help with homework and school projects. These high-quality media resources will engage your students and enhance their learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Recounts from World War Two - The Lancashire Grid for Learning
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): churchill (7), england (51), germany (25), hitler (7), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Use stories as interesting non-fiction reading during your unit on World War Two or when teaching point of view and retelling. Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Enhance student learning by having students create an annotated image to depict what happens in the story. These can include text boxes, related links, and videos when using a tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here. Students could extend their learning by describing the setting of the story using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add icons, URLs, text, images, and location stops with this tool!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ducksters - Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI)
Grades
2 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (126), african american (105), american revolution (79), animal homes (58), animals (268), artists (74), biographies (96), china (61), civil rights (181), civil war (127), cold war (27), continents (31), countries (68), data (141), division (98), egypt (45), elements (32), energy (127), environment (229), explorers (59), fractions (159), friction (8), geometric shapes (131), greece (26), habitats (83), human body (90), inventors and inventions (70), keyboarding (29), mean (20), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (121), planets (107), presidents (116), puzzles (143), recycling (46), renaissance (32), rome (19), solar system (102), sound (70), sports (76), subtraction (108), sun (64), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
This site is a perfect addition for use with a biography unit. Explore and share information categorized by topics such as Civil Rights, the Cold War, Ancient Greece, and WWII. Extend student learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, famous scientist, or nearly any other real or fictitious person. Be sure to create a link to the site on your class webpage or newsletter for students to explore at home. Create a link on classroom computers for students to use the interactives during center time.Comments
Very safe and reliable. Everyone else is my school thinks ducksters is stupid but I love ducksters.Ry, CA, Grades: 6 - 12
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History on the Net - Heather Wheeler
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): african american (105), aztecs (9), battles (17), black history (109), britain (27), civil rights (181), cold war (27), egypt (45), elizabethan (12), greeks (30), mayans (10), myths and legends (21), native americans (85), olympics (40), romans (33), victorian (16), vikings (10), worksheets (68), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects. This site is a perfect addition to use with President's Day activities, when learning about the Olympics, or as part of a Black History Month lesson. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class. Enhance students' learning by having them use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, a passenger on the Titanic, a famous scientist, or another person learned about on this site. Have students modify their learning by creating an interactive, multimedia infographic sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PBS Newshour Classroom - PBS NewsHour Productions LLC
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): civil rights (181), elections (77), holocaust (39), memorial day (13), news (231), pearl harbor (9), poetry (185), veterans (20), video (247), women (111), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Watch the news together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to watch independently on laptops or at a learning station. Use any video or article as a current events writing prompt. Challenge students to create blog posts about them. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace pen and paper and have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Webnode, reviewed here. Don't forget the many free lesson plans (already aligned to Common Core standards). Click on the Lesson Plans link to explore the countless topics available (Poetry, Veterans, Elections, Ebola, Civil Rights, and more). For articles and videos about conflicts and tension, extend student learning by having your students engage in a debate using a tool such as Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates. Keep your class up-to-date on the news using this site. Provide this link on your class website for students (and families) to access both in and out of your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nazi and East German Propaganda Guide Page - Randall Bytwerk
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): germany (25), history day (38), holocaust (39), nazis (8), primary sources (106), propaganda (9), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use throughout your World War Two unit. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Challenge students to find examples of the Allies' use of propaganda and exchange paper and pen by using an online tool such as Canva, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers comparing the uses of propaganda. Enhance learning by having students create a word cloud of the propaganda terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Save this one in your favorites to suggest if you have students who need primary sources projects for National History Day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Authentic History Center - Michael Barnes
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1600s (19), 1700s (36), 1800s (65), 1900s (59), 20th century (50), civil war (127), cold war (27), great depression (27), photography (127), vietnam (32), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
The Authentic History Center is excellent for making history real. Share this information on your projector or interactive whiteboard (or speakers) during lessons on any time period of US History. Play Bing Crosby singing "God Bless America" to help students feel the pre-WWII era or nationalism. Make the Angry era of McCarthyism real by letting student explore the collection. Include this entire collection on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Use the sources for students to experience a multi-sensory tour of any era in U.S. history and create their own project about it incorporating the artifacts (with proper credit) and their own explanations. You could modify student learning by having students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Displayr, reviewed here. Or, have students create online posters about an era individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits reviewed here. Enhance learning by having students create timelines using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive. If you participate in National History Day, this site is an outstanding start point. If you are the advisor for your high school play, bookmark this site as a great source for authentic era images and sounds. Need background music for a play (or video) set during WWII? Here it is!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Navajo Code Talkers - Navajo Code Talkers Foundation
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): cryptography (5), native americans (85), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Share this site with your students on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) during your World War II unit or a unit on Native Americans. This would be a great link to share during Native American Heritage Month. Enhance student learning by replacing pencil and paper and use an online tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to create a visual comparison of the Code Talkers vs other World War II battle units or cryptographers. Put a link to Fun Facts For Kids on station computors or your website for your students to learn even more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Cultural Institute - Google
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): 1900s (59), 1910s (7), 1920s (14), 1930s (18), 1940s (11), 1950s (7), 1960s (28), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (50), africa (134), asia (69), civil rights (181), cross cultural understanding (148), holocaust (39), jews (23), pearl harbor (9), south africa (11), spain (11), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Because of the visual impact of this resource, it's perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) as a complement to a study of the historical period or issue serving as the focus for each theme. Students can hear the voices of children who were affected by the Holocaust, see photographs of Apartheid era South Africa, and view primary source documents related to the life of activist Steve Biko. Allow yourself a little time to play with the site before you use it, as it may not be immediately intuitive. Overall, however, the impact of the images and video found here will add real power to your lessons. Challenge your students to use the search tool to find visual media related to events or topics you are studying and to explain the relationships. Even world language teachers will find the media available here a way to share a rich nuances of another culture.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Take Me Back To - takemeback.to
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1900s (59), 1910s (7), 1920s (14), 1930s (18), 1940s (11), 1950s (7), 1960s (28), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (50), decades (8), timelines (46)
In the Classroom
Build context around historic dates using details of pop culture, magazines, and more. Have students search for their birthdate and write about significant events on that date. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to create a visual comparison of two different dates or of a past date with today. Ask students to generate questions about an important date, such as Pearl Harbor day, and use cultural details to generate a "snapshot" of what life was like before the world changed. What can you tell from the information shared here? How do you know? Challenge your students to use a site such as Timeline Infographic Templates, reviewed here, to create timelines of events in the 1900's.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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IWitness - USC Shoah Foundation
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (138), holocaust (39), jews (23), pearl harbor (9), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
This is a tremendously rich resource for bringing home the reality of the Holocaust using the words and images of survivors. The number of Holocaust Survivors is dwindling, and we risk losing the full impact of their experience without sites like IWitness. Search the interview archives by keyword or subject and view individual stories. Use the editing tools to collect portions of interviews into a new video presentation, use this as an introduction of the Halocaust to your students. Then, choose an Activity that is appropriate for your class. You'll find several activities for upper elementary, middle school, and high school levels. There is also one for K-2 and one for the university level. Create class projects and group them by classroom section and collect multiple student presentations. The site is flexible and geared toward educators. Don't miss the lesson plans and activity plans as well as a good collection of other resources. The site has clearly delineated technology requirements; it would be wise to consult those prior to planning an activity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dr. Seuss Went to War - UC San Diego
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): comics and cartoons (48), dr seuss (6), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
This collection offers rich opportunities during the study of World War II. Students can trace the tensions and events of the war year by year or by issue. Redefine students' learning by having pairs or small groups create their own comic about a current event and explain it using Phrase.it, reviewed here, an image annotation tool that allows you to reference images by URL, add text, links, audio and video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World Memory Project - U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Ancestry.com
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): family (53), germany (25), hitler (7), holocaust (39), jews (23), world war 2 (140)
In the Classroom
Challenge your students and transform their learning using a site such as Timeline JS, reviewed here, to create an interactive timeline of individual families' involvements in the Holocaust or of the days of the Holocaust itself. Have interested students create a family tree using documents from this site.Timeline JS offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive. Make World War II history more real with these actual accounts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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