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World War II at Home

With school closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Museum is committed to serving students, teachers, and parents who are now conducting school online. Teaching from home can present unique challenges, but The National WWII Museum offers a wide array of online resources to help you teach your students or children about the history of World War II from the comfort of your own home. Below you will find a collection of lesson plans, essays, webinars, and at-home activities designed to help educators and homeschooling parents reach their teaching goals while they are away from their classrooms.

For Teachers

From the collection to the classroom.

From the Collection to the Classroom : The online educational hub for The National WWII Museum’s own curriculum covering four separate volumes on the history of World War II including: The War in the Pacific, The War in Europe, The Home Front, and Liberation & Legacy. Each curriculum kit contains essays, lesson plans, links to oral histories, maps, timelines, and several other teaching tools you can use to help students learn about the war that changed the world.

All lessons and essays are free to access and download. Teachers, please create a free account to access the full selection of resources, including archival footage, “What Would You Do?” scenario videos, as well as other online resource materials.

Real World Science

Real World Science : Real World Science is part of an effort by The National WWII Museum, and funded by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, to use the war that changed the world to teach how society turns to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) when it faces big problems. Gain access to over forty different lesson plans to help students learn how to connect science, history, and literacy through a series of fun activities.

Distance Learning Program Archive

Distance Learning Program Archive : Find all past webinars and Electronic Field Trips within this video archive. Videos can be sorted by category, so if you teach social studies, science, or English, there is something for you! Be sure to check out our recent Electronic Field Trip about the Manhattan Project, where student reporters visit the first industrial-scale nuclear reactor in Washington state and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. You can also find this same archive along with other great content, on the Museum’s YouTube Channel .

WWII Flipgrid Disco Library

WWII Flipgrid Disco Library : The Museum has recently partnered with Flipgrid and is one of the first few Museum content partners on their Disco Library . We have 31 topics and counting on a range of subjects related to the war. If your field trips have now been canceled, you can still have your students interact with a Museum educator by having them upload video questions to Flipgrid . We’ll be moderating that grid and posting responses to select questions daily.

Get in the Scrap!

Get in the Scrap! : Inspired by the scrapping efforts of students during World War II, Get in the Scrap! is a national service learning project for students in grades 4-8 all about recycling and energy conservation. Your students have the power to affect positive change on the environment; much like students 70 years ago played a positive role on the Home Front in securing victory in WWII.

For Students

Live webinars.

Live Webinars : Over the next several weeks, join The National WWII Museum for a series of K–12 webinars broadcasting live each Thursday at 12:00 p.m. central time. Students and their families will meet Museum Educators who will teach important lessons from definitive moments in World War II. You’ll also participate in live demonstrations, Q&A, and decision-making scenarios. Set your calendar and make plans to join us!

The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion: The African American Heroes of the D-Day Invasion February 17 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

The Woman Behind the Camera in World War II March 31 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Meet the Young Adult Author Deborah Hopkinson April 28 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Korematsu v. United States: Japanese American Incarceration in WWII May 12 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

The History of European Antisemitism May 18 | 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. (CT)

Highlights from The National WWII Museum Education Collection September 17 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Niels Bohr: At the Crossroads of History September 24 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Beneath the Bayou October 1 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Red Tail, WASP and Firefly: The Aviators of WWII October 8 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

WWII and the Early Civil Rights Movement October 15 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

The Origins of WWII October 22 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Meet the Author: Alan Gratz October 27 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT) (On a Tuesday)

On Deck of Patrol Torpedo Boat 305 November 12 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Electing Roosevelt: 1940 and 1944 November 19 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Free Pearl Harbor Student Webinars November 30–December 4

From Christmas Lights to Bomb Fuses December 10 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Dr. Seuss and WWII: Analyzing Political Cartoons December 17 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Highlights from The National WWII Museum Education Collection January 14 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Meet the Author: Sharon Cameron January 28 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

The Color of Blood: Charles R Drew, MD., Ph.D. February 11 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

American Liberators of the Holocaust February 25 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Development of Drugs and Vaccines: Lessons from World War II March 11 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

STEM Innovation: from the Computer to Artificial Intelligence March 25 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

The Holocaust: One Teen's Story of Persecution and Survival April 8 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Tinkering with Found Objects: A STEAM Webinar April 14 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

S. Neil Fujita: Cover To Cover April 22 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Miss a webinar? Check out all previous webinars on the Museum’s YouTube channel .

At Home Science for Kids

Check out this PDF for fun at-home activities that tie STEM concepts to WWII history. These activities are great for kids in 3rd to 8th grade, but can be adapted up or down.

WWII At Home STEM Activities

Elementary Lessons and Activities

Simple to follow, at-home lessons and activity resources for students in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade. Most activities are interdisciplinary, linking history with various other subjects (ELA, Math, Arts).

Code School Activity Guide

Greetings from Far Away-Writing Informal Letters with V-Mail

Stamping Out the Enemy-War Savings Stamp Math

Service on Celluloid

Service on Celluloid : Listen to a podcast brought to you by The National WWII Museum that takes a deep look at depictions of World War II on film over the last 70-plus years. In-house experts at the Museum, along with special guests, hold lively debates on the historical merits of treasured classics and smaller films alike. Pairing the films with the podcast episodes makes for a fun at-home activity that teachers, students, and parents can all engage with.

Interactive Video Series

Check out this interactive video series for students! Each video features a different topic, and interactive features in which students can drag and drop, answer questions, and interact with the content. Videos will be released November 2020, February 2021 and April 2021. Note: for optimal viewing experience, we recommend accessing these programs on a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet device.

All Around the World: Exploring the Ecosystems of World War II November 5 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. (CT)

Online Resource Sites

Along with lesson plans and educational resources, The National WWII Museum also offers online microsites full of primary source materials and archival images.

Guests of the Third Reich

Guests of the Third Reich : A special exhibit website that details the stories and experiences of American Prisoners of War (POWs) in Europe. Including maps, photographs, and journals kept by American POWs, this website provides first-person perspectives on capture, life in the camps, and the eventual liberation of American servicemembers imprisoned by Nazi forces.

See You Next Year!

See You Next Year! : Access over 40 digitized highschool yearbooks from WWII that reveal the subtle and outright ways the war affected life on the Home Front. These yearbooks provide unique glimpses into the lives of American high school students who confronted and worked to support the realities brought forth by WWII.

Barbed Wire to Battlefields: Japanese American Experiences in WWII

Barbed Wire to Battlefields: Japanese American Experiences in WWII : This microsite details the personal accounts of Americans of Japanese descent who fell under the suspicion of the general American public and formal incarceration by the federal government in the days following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. As roughly 120,000 Japanese Americans endured incarceration in internment camps across the country, 33,000 Japanese Americans still answered the call to serve the United States in World War II. Photographs, oral histories, and archival materials help to tell these stories.

We’re here to help you in these challenging and new circumstances. Follow us on our social media platforms to connect directly with the WWII Media and Education Center staff!

Follow us on Twitter: @WWIIEducation .

Are you a K-12 teacher? Join our closed Facebook page created just for teachers to share and discuss resources related to the history of World War II: K-12 Education at The National WWII Museum .

For more information or questions about our online resources and programs, email us at [email protected] .

World War 2 (WW2) History Lessons, Worksheets & Resources

Browse our online library of world war 2 (ww2) history lessons and resources. aimed at students 11-14 years old (ks3) & 14-16 year old (gcse). great for home study or to use within the classroom environment., featured resources.

Looking to save time and find the most popular and useful resources on School History? Take a look at the featured resources below.

KS3, GCSE & A-Level Resources

Are you teaching students aged 11 to 16? If so, you can save a lot of time with our specific World War Two modules below.

All Resources

Bernard Montgomery Facts & Worksheets

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Japanese Empire Facts & Worksheets

Mikhail Gorbachev Facts & Worksheets

Irena Sendler Facts & Worksheets

Women and the Second World War Facts & Worksheets

Key Site in Manchester: Moss Side Facts & Worksheets

Key Site in Birmingham: Handsworth Facts & Worksheets

Paul von Hindenburg Facts & Worksheets

Key Site in Bristol: Stokes Croft Facts & Worksheets

British Jamaica Facts & Worksheets

The Bahamas Colony Facts & Worksheets

Kellogg-Briand Pact Facts & Worksheets

Key Site in Liverpool: Toxteth Facts & Worksheets

Key Sites in London: Brixton and Notting Hill Facts & Worksheets

Race Relations Act Facts & Worksheets

Commonwealth Immigrants Act Facts & Worksheets

Japan in World War II Facts & Worksheets

Windrush Generation Facts & Worksheets

British Gold Coast Facts & Worksheets

Douglas MacArthur Facts & Worksheets

Stresa Front Facts & Worksheets

Prohibition Era Facts & Worksheets

Dole and the Means Test Facts & Worksheets

Ostpolitik Facts & Worksheets

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World War II

What was World War II?

World War II involved many countries around the globe fighting against each other, including the UK. It lasted six years, from 1939-1945.

The War became a global conflict after the German military, led by Adolf Hitler , invaded Poland in 1939 because he wanted to take some of their land for Germany . France and Britain declared war on Germany because they didn’t think what Germany was doing was right, then Italy joined with Germany, and gradually other countries in Europe and around the world became involved with either the Allies or the Axis powers.

Life during the Second World War was very difficult. Today, we mark special days to remember the many millions of people who fought and died during World War II.

Top 10 facts

• World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945.
• World War II began when German troops invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 .
• The UK declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. It was announced by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
• While many countries were involved in the war, they each took sides – either with the Allies, or the Axis.
• The main Axis countries were Germany, Italy and Japan .
• The main Allied countries were Great Britain, the United States , France and the Soviet Union ( Russia ).
• British Prime Ministers during World War II were Neville Chamberlain until 1940, then Winston Churchill .
• The Battle of Britain , between the German Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force, was the first ever battle to be fought only in the air. It was made up of lots of air battles that lasted from 10 July to 31 October 1940.
• World War II ended in Europe on 8 May 1945 – this is also known as VE Day (Victory in Europe Day).
• World War II carried on for a few months after it ended in Europe, and officially ended when Japan formally surrendered to the Allies on 2 September 1945 (also called VJ Day).
• 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland
• 3 September 1939 The UK and France declared War on Germany

• 14 May 1940 The Home Guard was created (The Local Defence Volunteers)
• 26 May-4 June 1940 The evacuation of British and French troops from Dunkirk, France
• June 1940 German troops occupied the Channel Islands.
• 10 June 1940 Italy declared war on Britain and France, and allies with Germany
• 10 July-31 October 1940 The Battle of Britain
• 7 September 1940 The Blitz begins in London
• 8 September 1941-27 January 1944 The Siege of Leningrad
• 7 December 1941 The Japanese attacked an American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• 8 December 1941 The United States declared war on Japan, and joined with the Allies
• 6 June 1944 D-Day, when troops from Britain and the US landed in France to fight against the Germans
• 16 December 1944-25 January 1945 The Battle of the Bulge
• 8 May 1945 VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), when Germany surrendered
• 15 August 1945 VJ Day (Victory in Japan Day), when Japan surrendered
• 2 September 1945 Japan formally surrendered, and officially ended World War II

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Did you know?

• Even though World War II involved countries all over the globe, there were two sides fighting against each other – the Axis powers and the Allied powers.
• The UK was part of the Allies.
• Two types of aeroplane were used in the Battle of Britain – bombers that dropped bombs on towns and cities and fighters that attacked other aeroplanes.
• The main aeroplanes flown by the RAF were fighters called the Spitfire and the Hurricane . They tried to destroy German bombers before they could attack British towns and cities.
• The Luftwaffe (Germany’s air force) used both bombers and fighters. They used the bombers to attack towns and cities, and the fighters to stop the RAF fighters from destroying German bombers.
• The German’s most famous fighter aeroplane was the Messerschmitt and their main bombers were the Heinkel, the Junkers and the Dornier.
• British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin were known as the ‘big three’. They were all leaders of Allied countries.
• The Siege of Leningrad – when all the roads going in and out of Leningrad were closed off so nobody could come in or go out, even to get food – lasted for 900 days (about two and a half years).
• The code name for D-Day was ‘Operation Overlord’.
• D-Day is a name the military use when planning an event – the ‘D’ doesn’t stand for anything.
• The code name for the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk was ‘Operation Dynamo’.
• Hitler’s plan to invade Britain in the summer of 1940 was called ‘Operation Sea Lion’.

Browse through the gallery and see if you can spot the following:

• Spitfire planes
• The bombing of Cologne in Germany
• Omaha Beach in Normandy
• A D-Day commemorative statue
• Soldiers' graves in Normandy
• The evacuation of troops from Dunkirk
• Winston Churchill during WWII
• Neville Chamberlain declaring war on Germany
• Supermarine Spitfire aeroplanes
• Hawker Hurricane aeroplane
• A Luftwaffe aeroplane
• Adolf Hitler
• Benito Mussolini
• Franklin D Roosevelt
• Hideki Tojo
• Joseph Stalin
• World War II British Army uniform

The main countries and leaders that made up the Allied powers were:

• Great Britain – led by Prime Minister Winston Churchill
• The United States – led by President Franklin D Roosevelt
• France – led by Charles de Gaulle
• The Soviet Union – led by Joseph Stalin
• China – led by Chiang Kai-shek

The three main countries and leaders that made up the Axis powers were:

• Germany – the Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler
• Italy – the Fascists, led by Benito Mussolini
• Japan – known at that time as the Empire of Japan, led by Hideki Tojo; the emperor of Japan during World War II was Emperor Hirohito.

World War II began when the UK and France declared war on Germany, after German troops led by Adolf Hitler had invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 to claim land there as their own. Hitler had already invaded Austria and Czechoslovakia, so the war began over his plan to take more land for Germany.

The Siege of Leningrad is a famous event during World War II. For 900 days – from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944 – the city of Leningrad in Russia was surrounded by German troops. That meant everyone inside the city had to stay there, and that there wasn’t any way for food or other provisions like medicine to get in. Many hundreds of thousands of people died during this time (600,000-800,000) because there wasn’t enough food or heating to go around, but the people who lived in Leningrad refused to surrender to the Germans.

In 1940, the French port of Dunkirk was the location of a big turning point for the Allies in World War II. Hitler’s armies bombed Dunkirk heavily, and many Allied troops were waiting on the beach to be rescued because they didn’t have the resources they needed to fight back. From 26 May to 4 June, over 550,000 troops were ferried to safety across the English Channel – the code name for this was ‘Operation Dynamo’. Some British civilians (people who weren’t in the army) even used their own boats to help save as many people as they could. The rescue operation helped to boost morale in Britain, where they really needed some good news. This helped in going into the next major event in World War II, the Battle of Britain .

The Royal Air Force were the stars of the Battle of Britain , which is the first military battle to be fought entirely in the air. In ‘Operation Sea Lion’, Hitler planned to invade Britain and add another country to his list of conquests. But, first he had to fight off the RAF, which is where he ran into trouble. Britain’s RAF beat Germany’s Luftwaffe, but after a long series of battles from 10 July-31 October 1940. The whole thing is called the Battle of Britain because it’s what made Hitler eventually change his mind about trying to invade the UK, and he went after Russia instead. The RAF pilots showed tremendous courage and bravery as they kept fighting the Luftwaffe even when it looked like they might lose.

June 6, 1944 is also known as D-Day. On that day, the Allied forces launched a huge invasion of land that Adolf Hitler’s Nazi troops had taken over. It all began with boats and boats full of Allied troops landing on beaches in the French region of Normandy. They broke through the German defences and carried on fighting them back through Europe for the next 11 months until they reached Berlin, where Hitler was then hiding.

The Battle of the Bulge took place from 16 December 1944-25 January 1945, and was the last major effort by Hitler to defeat the Allies. He had hoped to break up the parts of Western Europe that the British, American and French troops secured by splitting the area in half – this would mean that the armies wouldn’t be able to get supplies across to each other, and would make them easier targets for Hitler and his armies to fight against. But, all Hitler did was to make the Allied line of troops ‘bulge’ in the middle as he fought to push them back, and the line didn’t break completely. So, he didn’t accomplish his goal, and the Allies won the battle.

Names to know

Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940) – British Prime Minister from 1937-1940; Chamberlain was Prime Minister when Britain declared war on Germany. Winston Churchill (1874-1965) – British Prime Minster from 1940 to 1945, then again from 1951 to 1955; Churchill was Prime Minister during most of World War II.  Churchill is famous for his speeches that inspired people to keep on fighting. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) – German dictator during World War II, and leader of the Nazi political party Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) – Italian dictator during World War II, and leader of the Fascists; Mussolini was also known as ‘Il Duce’ (‘the leader’), and joined forces with Hitler as one of the Axis powers. Franklin D Roosevelt (1882-1945) – United States President during most of World War II Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) – leader of the Soviet Union during World War II Hideki Tojo (1884-1948) – Japanese leader and military general during World War II

Related Videos

Just for fun...

• Learn to sing songs that were popular during WWII , including 'White Cliffs of Dover' and 'Everything stops for tea'
• Use interactive maps to see the battles of WWII in Europe, Africa and Asia
• Take a WWII quiz
• Design the interior of an Anderson Shelter and try some WWII craft activity ideas with the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum Armchair Explorers Activities
• Watch the Horrible Histories song about WWII pilots, The RAF Pilots - The Few Song
• See a Battle of Britain dogfight in action and find out about Britain's pilots in a BBC interactive guide to the "secret" of winning the Battle of Britain

Children's books about World War II

Find out more:

• A series of BBC films about WWII for KS2 children  offers a comprehensive overview of World War Two for primary schools
• Watch a brief video overview of the Second World War
• Read about the 5 phases of WWII
• 10 facts about WWII from National Geographic Kids
• Watch WWII video clips from the BBC archive and find out more about evacuation, the Blitz, rationing, famous WWII songs, news reports, speeches and eye-witness accounts
• A children's guide to WWII from DKfindout!
• Interactive articles and timelines about the major events and people of World War Two
• Video information about rise of the Nazis
• Read a BBC Bitesize summary of WWII
• A complete BBC interactive timeline of WWII , including videos of key events
• Maps, investigations and individual sources about WWII from the National Archives
• Look at an interactive map of the world and events during World War II
• Watch short BBC films about the significance of D-Day, the biggest air and seaborne invasion in history
• Understand more about D-Day: look through information sources about D-Day and read a D-Day guide from the National Army Museum
• The  CBBC guide to D-Day
• See photographs of the Dunkirk evacuations
• Read about what people who lived during World War II remember from those difficult years at the website ‘The People’s War’
• Find out about 9 iconic aircraft from Battle of Britain , including the Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane
• A detailed guide to the Spitfire, the most famous plane of World War Two
• Find out about all the different types of World War II defences (called pillboxes) that you can still see around Britain
• Watch a Newsround introduction to the Holocaust
• The life and times of Winston Churchill , and how Churchill's speeches (and his dentures!) contributed to the war effort
• Read about life during WWII in kids' historical fiction set during the Second World War
• Nathalie Sergueiew, 'Treasure', was a WWII spy
• Look through photos of Victory in Europe (VE) Day celebrations

See for yourself

• See exhibits from the Battle of Britain and the Blitz at the RAF Museum in London . You can even climb into a Spitfire and experience what it would have been like to fly one!
• Take a tour of the HMS Belfast, one of the ships used to ferry troops to Normandy on D-Day
• See the aeroplanes involved in the Battle of Britain, inside on of the hangars that was actually used in 1940, at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford
• Walk through the Cabinet War Rooms , which were located underground so Winston Churchill and other leaders could kept safe during the Blitz and hold top security meetings
• Britain built thousands of defensive structures called Pill Boxes all over the country that soldiers could use to defend the country if the Germans invaded. Are there any near where you live?
• Find out about code-breaking at Bletchley Park
• See and find out about objects from World War II
• Hear all the sounds of WWII: Chamberlain and Churchill's speeches, WWII songs and music, news as it was reported in 1939-1945

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World War 2 Teaching Ideas

• October 15, 2021

This post is written by history specialist Anne.

Whether you are studying the Second World War as a history topic, or are looking for some resources to extend your work on Remembrance Day , take a look at our new World War 2 resources. Our Second World War lesson presentations include lots of factual information, photographs and offer a real insight into what happened and the effect on people’s lives during the war. Explore our World War 2 teaching ideas today! 

Battle of Britain KS2 teaching resources

Our Battle of Britain KS2 lesson presentation takes you and your children through the key events of the Battle of Britain. Learn about Hitler’s first plans for an invasion of Britain named ‘Operation Sealion’, the battle in the air between German and RAF planes, and how a new British radar system ultimately led to Hitler’s first defeat of the Second World War.

Allied Forces KS2 teaching resources

British Allies from all over the Commonwealth and the world joined forces to stop and defeat the Nazis. On the other side, the Nazis joined together with Italy and Japan to form the Axis.

Explore some of the key events involving the Allies through the text, illustrations and photographs in our Allies KS2 lesson presentation . Find out about the events of Dunkirk, the D-day landings, the role of the Soviet Army, and the atomic bombs which were dropped on Japan at the end of the war.

The Home Front KS2 teaching resources

If you want to investigate how the Second World War affected the lives of ordinary people, then this Home Front KS2 lesson presentation is perfect. It illustrates how everyone in Britain contributed to the war effort and had to change their daily lives. Women took on men’s roles and worked in hospitals treating the injured, children were evacuated from their homes, whilst regular air raids and rationing affected the everyday lives of the British people.

The Holocaust KS2 teaching resources

The Holocaust was a horrific event that occured during the Second World War. Though not suitable for study by younger children, it is important that older children have an understanding of the way the Nazis discriminated against some groups of people. 

We have created a thoughtful and sensitive Holocaust KS2 lesson presentation  on the Holocaust for use with older KS2 children. The presentation refers to the concentration camps, Anne Frank and her family, and the rules that the Jewish people had to follow. It also explains how some people were freed and how we remember all the victims today. As with all of our presentations, it is editable so it can be adapted to the needs and sensitivities of your own children and we strongly advise that you read through all of the text before using with your class.

Explore the rest of our World War 2 resources  here.

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"Immediately had our pupils hooked and  the resulting work was excellent!"

Miss Thompson, y5 teacher

BLITZ SCHOOL

Primary school ww2 workshop, free ww2 primary lesson plans, this page contains a full scheme of work plus many one off lessons so you can create your own second world war primary curriculum.   ( sharing note :  while i am happy to let you share the resources far and wide with colleagues, please let them know where it comes from and share this page), new souvenir ww2 penny research sheet, full ww2 primary scheme of work.

6 weeks of lesson plans for the WW2 blitz topic

One off lessons

1) A 'letter to the Queen' writing lesson (you will also need to listen to the audio below during the lesson)

2) Evacuees writing lesson

3) Rescue poem writing lesson complete with writing frames

(requires the sound file below to be played in the lesson)

Air Raid report writing lesson

Spitfire poem (not a full lesson but a beautiful poem I am sure you can use written by my dad, John Birchall)

General WW2 teaching resources and activities

A 20th Century timeline

Women in WW2 research sheet

Second World War poster pack

WW2 leaders wordsearch

WW2 leaders wordsearch solution

Blitz primary school topic crossword

Blitz primary school topic crossword ANSWERS

Other audio files

World War 2 Day Ideas

The ideas below were contributed by teachers from all around the world when I was planning a World War 2 day with my Year 5 class. Thanks to everyone who helped.

• Pupils create identity cards before the day.
• Dressing up, of course.
• Writing postcards home.
• Make luggage labels.
• Listening to the ‘wireless’ (old broadcasts may be available on Youtube).
• Recreating the famous broadcast – podcasting throughout the day.
• Watching British Pathe news clips.
• Siren alerts – (fire alarms) children have to get under the table or into an air raid shelter.
• Make a video recording of what to do in the blackout.
• Inviting in community members who were evacuated to be interviewed – these can then be written up by children and shared on a school website and blog – also useful for archiving podcasting interviews.
• Children to research what happened in the local area during the War, e.g. photos of buildings that survived and why.
• Science – investigating what materials are best seen in a blackout (or not seen).
• I really love the idea of radio broadcasts.  Audacity  is a great tool for recording and creating it.
• Give children names which were common during the period.
• Carry out radio broadcasts and news reports on both the Battle of Britain and VE Day.
• Invite members of the British Legion in and recreate a street party! They are really helpful and like coming in and sharing their stories – we have linked it to what is going on now, as well as the country now celebrates a Veterans Day for all who served in June each year.
• DT activity – using recipes from Home front books. Lots are available online, and children can cook these!
• As part of the shelters topic, they had to ‘design’ what they thought would be the ‘best’ shelter using given materials.
• What about talking to someone on the other side of the pond? Maybe a Skype/IM event where you talk with another class about WWII?
• DT/Maths – design and make a gas mask box.
• Watch an episode of Dad’s Army or extracts from other videos (e.g. Goodnight Mr Tom, Carrie’s War, videos from BBC class clips, etc.).
• Role-play interviews with characters from the period.
• Use  Crazy Talk with a photo of Winston Churchill. The pupils would love to see his lips moving.
• How about writing in role – in a shelter – freeze framing and then thought talking to follow? They could be shown a photo of children / family in the shelter and try to express how the people feel.
• Think about being evacuated and taking a suitcase of your favourite items. What would you put in it? Bring some of them into school to discuss. Children bring a small bag with their favourite items in it.
• Learning simple first aid – like how to make a sling or put somebody in the recovery position. It would be an important skill in times of war. Maybe invite St John’s Ambulance or the Red Cross?
• You could write ‘found’ poetry where children look at poems written by others about war and collect words and phrases from them and then create their own poetry by selecting and rearranging – this could be linked to freeze-framing.
• Make a book quiz using a word cloud tool. Copy and paste extracts from books for people to guess the book…. This could be done with war extracts.
• What about sticking tape across the windows of classrooms to stop them from shattering if a bomb were to explode? You could also try blacking some out, too.
• What are they going to eat on the day? Can you get dried eggs nowadays? They should also see suet – there is a whole history of food here.
• Think about ‘voice’ and the cooks of the day – was it Margureite Patten. It’s great to do a comparison with Jamie Oliver in terms of how formality etc, has changed. Could you write instructions in the style of both?
• Design WW2 campaign posters and slogans. Have a look at this site for lots of lesson ideas about using the campaign posters –  https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/wwii-posters/
• Make Anderson shelters in DT. Use Go Control, and they will build procedures to control their shelters – e.g. the lookout sees the planes coming, then air-raid siren sounds, light comes on in shelter etc. After a  preset time, the all-clear siren goes etc…
• Sing WW2 songs. What about learning actions as well – think, “Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run”.
• Watch WW2 dramas… Spywatch is fantastic.
• Suitcase activity – what would they pack if they were being evacuated? What does the content of a particular case tell us about its owner?
• Get the children to bring in a cereal box, design a suitcase and then put things that an evacuee would have in the suitcase (suggested by Katie Warriner).
• Photograph the day using 21st-century technology, then use editing software to make B&W / sepia and add effects to make it look like old photos.
• I am sure there is lots of map work – is it possible to find ‘old’ maps online?
• Use a tool like Google Docs for collaboration on the day. Have a document up on the computer, and throughout the day, messages are sent to the pupils, e.g. is there anyone out there? My house is under attack, etc. This could also be used to communicate between different classes… and share experiences of the day. If all classes are doing WW2 day, then each can be given a different role and therefore respond differently to the messages. Home guard, RAF, Land army, etc.
• How about a virtual telegraph STOP? They could send each other telegram-type messages STOP. Makes children be aware of full stops STOP.
• Overlap with English dept – The Machine Gunners is a brilliant novel aimed at young teenagers.
• What about a short drama about feelings, saying goodbye to Mum as you’re packed off on the train to the countryside? How does it feel as you leave the station/arrive at your destination?
• Could you do some dancing? Find out about dancing from the period and try it out for yourself!
• …and following on, what about some WW2 music? You could get students to write extra verses / analyse the mood / message of different songs.
• It would be a good idea to develop the unit by COMPARING the experience in the UK with that of civilians in Russia (Leningrad) and Germany (Dresden) – otherwise, it gets a bit “Anglocentric”…
• Art – how about some dramatic ‘going over the top’ paintings?
• The day itself could be interspersed with “events” that can be presented to the students via radio broadcasts from Chamberlain (declaration of war) through Churchill (“Fight them on the beaches” etc) through to 1945; for each, the students could keep their own “war diary” so that as well as getting the empathetical skills, they are also developing their chronological understanding of the main events. Lord Haw-Haw’s broadcasts could be used too, all the way up to VE day (“we may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing”, etc).
• ‘In the Mood’ – get the children to imagine they are playing instruments – and join together to form an orchestra with a band leader. Learn the Lambeth Walk and Jitterbug – Pathe News have great clips of both these dances. Why not teach the children how to waltz? There must be some parents out there who would come in for an afternoon.
• A simple timeline always keeps things in perspective. I like to use research groups to look at different aspects of the same subject, and each group adds to the same timeline using online tools.
• Could you ask parents to come in at the end or beginning of the day to ‘choose’ their evacuees to take home with them? We did this in school and it was good fun!

Do you have any more suggestions? Please add them to the comments below.

James And The Giant Peach

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WW2 Art (KS2) Fun Facts And Activities

What Is Interesting About World War 2 Art?

Homework help world war 2: ww2 artists, world war 2 art ideas.

Image © freepik, under a Creative Commons license.

The Second World War lasted from 1939 to 1945 and is one of the most important historical events your child will learn about at school

Primary school children in KS2 (Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6) will learn about the period in various different lessons, not just history. It could also crop up in design and technology, maths, geography, English, physical education and art lessons.

This fascinating subject is a great way to combine your child's creative side with history . So, we've come up with lots of WW2 art ideas to bring the powerful events of the period to life, and to help you to provide brilliant homework help on the topic.

British artists produced more than 6,000 pieces of war-related artworks. These were often influenced by their own first hand experiences, as, during the war, these artists were forced out of the comfort of their studios to don military uniforms, with some even experiencing life on the front line.

These powerful experiences influenced their work, which was often produced in very difficult circumstances - if shells were flying then artists would inevitably have to put their sketchbooks down!

Children will also be taught about WW2 artists' intent. Much of the artwork produced during the Second World War was actually propaganda - this is art that was produced with the aim of spreading a message, often for political gain.

One of the most famous propaganda posters read "Better pot luck with Churchill today than humble pie with Hitler tomorrow. Don't waste food!"

and was designed to ensure people stuck to their food rations. During the war, there were shortages in food due to various factors including a lack of people able to work on farms and German blockades stopping imports of food.

Another theme of WW2 art, particularly common in Blitz art, was the use of the silhouette . Artists found that a black silhouette really stood out against a bright background, such as the Blitz bombings, and the end result is often very powerful and striking pieces of art.

Established in 1939, The War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC) was made up of the country's most talented artists. Each artist was tasked to create propaganda imagery, but the committee understood that their talents should not be limited by the creation of mass-produced posters.

They were keen to preserve the talents of the artists for the future and knew that their artwork would be a historical record of the atrocities faced at home and abroad, for years to come.

In total, more than 300 artists were commissioned by the WAAC, including the likes of Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland and Paul Nash.

After the war had ended, one third of the artworks were given to the Imperial War Museum while the rest were distributed to museums across Britain and the Commonwealth.

Art is a great way of teaching and exploring the World War 2 topic with children. Why don't you try out these World War 2 craft ideas to continue your child's KS2 learning?

Image © Pikwizard

Create Propaganda Posters:

Firstly, decide with your child which campaign you want to recreate (perhaps rationing or morale would be a good place to start).

Next, come up with slogans to include on your poster. This is a great way to practice your child's creative language skills and use of figurative language tools such as alliteration. Try to encourage them to keep the slogans short and simple, to make them as catchy as possible.

Then decide where the slogans should appear on your WW2 posters, and the type of imagery you want to use alongside them. Ask your child to think about the tone of the World War 2 slogans and how this should be reflected in the images on the posters.

Think about the use of colour. The pictures should stand out but not detract from the important messages in the slogans.

Go ahead and draw, colour in and paint your posters. Make sure your child takes them into school once dry to show their masterpieces to their teacher. We have no doubt that they will be really proud of these World War 2 school projects done at home!  

Experiment With The Use Of Silhouettes:

Silhouettes were widely used by artists in WW2 and this technique might seem a bit technical at first. But don't fret if you're worried about teaching this, as it's a lot easier than it sounds.

To begin, encourage your child to paint with solid bright colours onto a sheet of paper. In order to keep it WW2 themed, we suggest using oranges and reds to create a replica of the famous examples of Blitz art.

Using a black piece of paper or card, draw the outline of a building or buildings that you want to use and carefully cut it out to create the silhouette.

Once the painted background is dry, stick the silhouette on top to complete your replica Blitz artwork!

Image © Racool_studio, under a Creative Commons license.

Create A Bomb Shelter:

If you're struggling to come up with WW2 craft ideas, how about creating your own bomb shelter? This activity would probably be best for older children in KS2 (Year 5 and Year 6 pupils will love this), and we think it's a great way to introduce models to primary school children.

Essentially, your shelter should be made of card or other materials and then painted accordingly - it could be painted silver to represent a metal colour, or you could use other materials to camouflage it, as shelters were often kept hidden from view during the war.

Get creative and build your shelter using whichever materials you have to hand and, when it is complete, you could ask your child to make sure it passes the following tests:

1. Can a Lego man (or one of your child's favourite toys) sit inside?

2. Can a heavy-ish weight (like a bag of sugar) sit on the top of it?

3. Can it survive being drenched? Make sure it's waterproof!  

Focus On One Of The Famous Artists:

Start a research project with your child on a WW2 artist of your choice. For example, you could look at Henry Moore's Tube shelter drawings and try to recreate them yourselves in the same style.

Exploring these important artworks can inspire an inquisitive mind in children, it might even inspire a trip to see some WW2 art in real life at a museum or gallery.

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Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism

Becky Gamester-Newton Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism

A countryside lover at heart, Becky grew up in the Yorkshire Dales and now resides in West Sussex with her family. She has been living in London for more than 10 years, where she pursued her journalism career before relocating to the countryside in 2019. In her free time, she enjoys watching live sports and drinking tea while being entertained by her chatty toddler and middle-aged cat. She has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire.

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WW2 Home Front - The Blitz

Subject: History

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

5 September 2021

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A colourful, well-presented, and creative resource. Includes worksheets and embedded links, ideas and activities.

Main contents … ( 67 pages in total )

1 - Simple key word and vocabulary starter, matching activity. Extension, differentiation option included.

2 - Background and overview gap fill exercise.

3 - Source study ( all sources included ) and template worksheet. The focus here is … Air Raid Warden / Precaution / Children of the Blitz / Blitz Spirit / Impact / effect of bombing on civilians. Students can colour code, categorise then summarize the key information discovered into a neat template.

4 - Source Skills / type activity - understanding primary, secondary and tertiary sources via Blitz source type examples.

5 - Air Raid Warden / Precaution focus. This included well-presented information worksheets, primary sources and a summary /via a fun, diverse differentiated literacy activity to consolidate learning.

6 - The Blitz Spirit - Four focus sources and supporting worksheet template that consider the idea of The Blitz Spirit.

Extension - Creative exercise gives students examples of Blitz propaganda and option to create their own piece of propaganda.

7 - Take Shelter - Covers the various ways people tried to escape the bombs. Morrison and Anderson shelters, London Underground, communal shelters, and countryside evacuations for children. There are two activities here - one allows students to match the group to the shelter, the second is a simple table summary.

8 - Strike Back - This is a very interactive activity that covers RAF Bomber Command and British response to German bombing. Students can be put into teams and make decisions based on their given team role / perspective. Cross curricular links here with - Math / e.g., using statistics - ethics / moral decision making. This activity also looks at D-Day, Dam Buster Raid and the Battle of Britain - albeit in brief.

There are many links to videos and other websites embedded in the resource throughout.

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