Social Studies/History - World War II Sites

Anne Frank the Writer: an Unfinished Story
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/af/htmlsite/  
Anne's diary, published in 1947 and eventually translated into almost 70 languages, is for many young readers the first encounter with the history of Nazi Germany. Between the ages of 13 and 15, Anne wrote short stories, fairy tales, essays, and the beginnings of a novel. Five notebooks and more than 300 loose pages handwritten during her two years in hiding survived the war. This website presents an indepth look at her writings through the use of a narrated exhibition, interviews, an opportunity for site users to respond, artifacts from the museum, and links to other recommended sites. Produced by The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Battle Of Britain
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/bobhome.html

BellSouth's Digital Storyteller
http://www.knowitall.org/bellsouthdigitalstoryteller/  
The BellSouth Digital Storyteller project is an opportunity for students to learn history first hand by interviewing veterans from WWII and Korea. After selecting a topic from the History Curriculum Standards, students identify veterans who have actually experienced the event(s) they are studying. Using video technology, the students interview the veterans, capture footage, edit the story, and record a living memory. During this process, the students put learning into practice while developing communication, research, and technology skills.

Camp Harmony Exhibit
http://www.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/harmony/exhibit/index.html
This site documents the relocation and internment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Most impressive are the letters from elementary and high school students back to their teachers. The exhibit is based on all primary source materials such as newspapers, photographs, and other documents.

Children of World War 2 (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2children/home.shtml  
Cool site that brings a bit of everyday life during WWII into our time. Includes sections for both Teachers and Parents to work with students. For teachers, there are Lesson Plans, Printable Worksheets, and Online Activities all geared to UK standards. Major sections are: 1) Rationing Challenge: interactive activity to discover how rationing worked; 2) Wartime Home: an exact copy of a real family's wartime house; 3) Evacuees' Letters; 4) Research Room: searchable database of photographs, posters and more.

Dr. Seuss Went to War
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/

Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project
http://loc.gov/vets/stories/themes.html
The subjects of these pictures now seem so old to us. They wear older cuts of clothes and sport odd hairstyles; yet these were the people that gave of themselves during wartime. The Library of Congress has gathered multiple stories from veterans of American Wars, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and even the First Iraq War. Photos, audio interviews, and manuscripts accompany most of the veterans' stories. This is an excellent site for classroom use, especially with units designed to explore past generations.

FDR Cartoon Site
http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/fdr/

Genie in a Bottle Unleashed
http://www.worldlinktv.org/programming/programDescription.php4?code=nuclear_genie
Two 13 year-old students created an award winning film on the Manhattan Project and the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. In this film they are able to interview Nobel Prize winners, the mayor of Hiroshima, and other important people. Viewing this video will give students a good understanding of this difficult topic. They can also see how a summer film project can turn into so much more. Presented at the UN, the film got a standing ovation and an encore showing.

Go For Broke Educational Foundation
http://www.GoForBroke.org 
The Go For Broke Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization, has just re-launched their Web site which is dedicated to educating people about the significance of the Japanese American veterans of World War II and focuses on the current issue of ensuring the civil liberties of all Americans. The site is a comprehensive online resource with an archive of 120 veteran oral histories available in streaming video; interactive lesson plans aligned with California state standards, and related materials. GoForBroke.org also includes a Virtual Veteran Experience, interactive maps, and a comprehensive history section.

Holocaust Online Exhibits and Multimedia Tools
http://www.vhec.org/multimedia.html
From Canada's Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre comes four excellent online exhibitions on Holocaust survivors. One features Holocaust orphans who came to Canada after World War II and tells their stories as well as providing historical persepectives and many teaching suggestions.. The other three exhibits are: Canada Responds to the Holocaust, 1944-1945, Faces of Loss: Remembering Those Who Perished, and a video: "Touching Hearts Engaging Minds."

Life Interrupted: The Japanese American Experience in WW II Arkansas
http://www.lifeinterrupted.org/  
Life Interrupted is about Camp Rohwer and Camp Jerome in Arkansas. This site is a partnership between the University of Arkansas and the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. A Flash interface leads to a variety of resources for teachers, students, and others with an interest in History and/or Cultural Studies. Includes an interactive timeline, photos, and Virtual Reality panoramas.

Memorial Day
http://www.kidsdomain.com/kids/links/Salute_to_Veterans.html
Use the links on this site to remember America's veterans on Memorial Day. Students will learn about the history of Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and read about 20th-century wars and conflicts. They can also view vintage World War II posters and gather ideas for projects to commemorate our veterans.

National Archives Learning Curve
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/
Do your students need to know more about the Cold War, Great Britain during WWII or political reform in Britain during the 19th Century? The National Archives of the UK has created a site that contains resources and a proposed online library of teacher lessons and student work. Look under Snapshots for activities based on visual sources from the national archive.

National WWII Memorial
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
"The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people. The Second World War is the only 20th Century event commemorated on the National Mall’s central axis." Visit this site to learn about the designing of the memorial, read a list of inscriptions, and view dedication photos.

Open Hearts/Closed Doors
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/orphans/english/  
This site has stories of Holocaust orphans who came to Canada after World War II. They can be viewed in English or French. The site consists of three sections: 1) Orphans' Stories: text and graphics, as well as audio and video comments by the orphans themselves; 2) Themes: historical context (before the war, the Holocaust, liberation, displacement, the journey); 3) Learning Resources: material for further study including Teacher's Guide and lesson ideas, Artifacts Collections, complete transcripts of all of the war orphans' memoirs, and a Glossary.

Pearl Harbor Attacked
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/
For today's students, as well as for most of today's teachers, the attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, is pretty much ancient history. But it precipitated the U.S. into WWII. This site offers the text of President Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech as well as images of the wrecked U.S.S. Arizona and the memorial to her entombed sailors, plus links to other Pearl Harbor-related sites. It's a good place for some basic historical research.

Port Chicago Disaster
http://intergate.cccoe.k12.ca.us/pc/

Race to Build the Atomic Bomb
http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/abomb/
Just theory in the late 1930's and not funded until the end of 1941, a collection of American and expatriot scientists race to build the first atomic bomb. In four short years it is developed and causes an end to World War II. This web site looks at the people and science that made it possible while providing resources, lesson plans and research tips. Keep scrolling right or use the arrows to see the content. Click on links to expand content.

Serpent's Wall
http://www.serpentswall.com/index.html
This is an interesting site that shows WWII battlefield treasures found by men searching in Kiev with metal detectors and shovels. You will not only learn about the objects that this group has found, but you will also learn about the area, the bunkers used in the war, and a whole lot more. You will see a lot of war artifacts that would otherwise be lost to the world if these men had not dug them up. Not only is this site interesting, but you can learn some history as you see the things that they have found.

Soldiers of the Great Patriotic War
http://english.pobediteli.ru/
The work of a team of Russian historians, writers, designers, and programmers, this multimedia project explores the Eastern Front of World War II in great detail. The title of the site reflects the Russian name for the conflict in the east — the "Great Patriotic War" — in which an estimated 27 million Russians lost their lives. The site includes first-person accounts of Russian veterans of the war as well as an astonishing array of photographs, video and audio recordings, and historical data and documents.

Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
http://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/
This comprehensive project provides information on many aspects of the Holocaust. There is an excellent timeline with narrative, pictures, and weblinks. The People section provides a study of people involved in and affected by the Holocaust such as victims, perpetrators, and bystanders through pictures, quotes, personal stories, and video clips. The Arts section includes commentary on the art, literature, and music of the times and provides clips of music condoned by the Nazi movement as well as music by the victims.

Voices of the Holocaust
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/voices/holocaust.html
This well-organized website from the British Library features actual voices of Holocaust survivors describing life before and during their imprisonment. The site also offers information on the background of the Holocaust as well as suggested activities and other teacher resources. This is an excellent resource to help students understand what to them is 'ancient' history.

Wise Guide
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/
This is a great site about American history. With sections like American Women: A Guide to their History; Lewis & Clark: Go West, Young Men; How did America Get It's Name? And much more. The "American Women Guide" talks about eight women who came to the front in WWII as broadcasters and journalists. There are many other interesting articles. Brought to you by the Library of Congress, this site is informational, fascinating, and pictorial.

World War II Memorial
http://www.nps.gov/features/nama/feat0001/
This interactive site provides a moving collection of quotes, photos, and audio capturing the men, women, and events of World War II. Photos of the World War II Memorial are integrated into the 10 minute, 30 second footage.

World War II Remembered
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwii/index.htm
A unique way to study WWII is via the memories of those who witnessed at least parts of it. This site from Scholastic looks at wartime life here in the states, at the Nazi occupation of Europe (Anne Frank), at the attack on Pearl Harbor, and at the A-Bomb attack on Hiroshima. It also offers fascinating student activities, including creating a WWII timeline and creating a WWII Memory Book by interviewing people who recall events from the war.

WW2 People's War (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/  
The BBC asked the public to contribute their memories of World War Two to a Web site between June 2003 and January 2006. This archive of 47,000 stories and 15,000 images is the result. There are 64 categories of stories including bombings, working life, domestic life, volunteers, military, and internment.