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LESSON PLANS
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Battle of the SommeThe Battle of the Somme was a definitive campaign of the First World War. Unprecedented casualties resulted from intense trench warfare and new military technologies. In this lesson, students analyze and compare three different accounts of the battle’s first day -- one from a British journalist who paints a rosy picture of the Allied offensive and two from combatants that provide starkly different portraits of the event.
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ArmisticeWhat were attitudes toward the armistice ending World War I? In this lesson, students examine an account from a U.S. General, an excerpt from a note by German representatives, and two articles to explore different perspectives on the terms of the agreement.
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Atatürk and Women's Rights in TurkeyAfter leading Turkey to victory in its war of independence, Mustafa Kemal, known as Atatürk, pushed forward a series of reforms meant to modernize the new Turkish state. Among these was the granting of formal rights, such as suffrage and inheritance, to women. But did the extension of legal rights translate to real change? In this lesson, students read primary and secondary sources to answer the question: Did Atatürk's reforms actually improve the status of women in Turkey?
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Women's War of 1929In 1929, thousands of southeastern Nigerian women rose up in protest against British government agents in events known as the Women's War. In response to economic grievances, colonial exploitation, and political disenfranchisement, these women used precolonial forms of protest to demand governmental reforms. But what, specifically, triggered the Women's War? In this lesson, students read a document by a British historian and an interview with one of the rebels to answer the question: What happened at the start of the Women's War of 1929?
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Was Nazism anti-women?Students will examine sources from historians and primary sources who discuss women in Nazi Germany before and during the war. How do they describe Nazi policies? How did Hitler and the Nazi's treat women?
Helen Stephens, one of the sources included gave an oral history. You can listen or read the interview of her experience as an Olympian and witness to Nazi Germany here. 
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AppeasementFew geo-political events have resonated through the past 70 years like Neville Chamberlain’s decision to pursue the policy of appeasement in reaction to German aggression leading up to the Second World War. Leaders throughout the world have invoked appeasement to justify military action ever since. The decisions that went into Chamberlain’s policy, however, were far from straightforward. Historians have continually debated and reinterpreted these events. In this lesson, students address the issue of appeasement and explore and weigh evidence against and in favor of the policy.
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Nazi Propaganda
On March 12, 1938, the German army moved into Austria to annex the country. To justify the annexation, Hitler called for a public vote on whether the unification should stand. On April 10, 1938, Germans and Austrians voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Anschluss. In this lesson, students analyze and compare three different forms of propaganda that influenced the vote – a speech delivered by Hitler, a campaign poster, and a voting ballot.
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Invasion of NankingThe atrocities Japanese soldiers committed in China during the 1930s are well documented. Various Japanese textbooks, however, have downplayed or overlooked the scale and scope of these events. In this lesson, students examine how two textbooks – one Japanese and the other Chinese – depict what happened during the Japanese occupation of Nanking. Students then corroborate each textbook with an excerpt from historian Jonathan Spence’s The Search for Modern China.
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The Atomic BombFor decades historians have debated the morality and necessity of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this lesson plan, students read four different accounts of the bombings and must decide for themselves how we should remember the dropping of the atomic bombs.
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Holocaust Survivor Art and the ArtistThis inquiry focuses on examining a painting from a Holocaust survivor and the artist statement to explore how art provides a partial understanding of the life circumstances of the artist but does not provide a complete understanding. The questions, tasks, and sources in this inquiry asks student to examine one piece of art using Visual Thinking Strategies then use their observations of the painting to develop a microstory connected to the painting. Students will check the accuracy of their microstory based on the artist statement and will then have the opportunity to revise their story to provide a more accurate and comprehensive story of the event depicted in the painting.
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Holocaust Survivor Art and PerspectiveThis inquiry focuses on examining two pieces of Holocaust survivor art to explore how art can express the pain of the Holocaust. The questions, tasks, and sources in this inquiry asks student to examine two pieces of art, a painting and a sculpture, using Visual Thinking Strategies then use their observations and analysis of the two art pieces to construct a claim that these pieces of art reflect the personal feelings, thinking, and life circumstances of the survivors.
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Holocaust Survivor Art and PainThis inquiry focuses on examining two pieces of Holocaust survivor art to explore how art can express the pain of the Holocaust. The questions, tasks, and sources in this inquiry asks students to examine one painting and one drawing created by a Holocaust survivor using Visual Thinking Strategies then use their observations to drive discussion and analysis during a Think-Pair-Share activity. Students will be asked to use their analysis of the two works of art to construct a claim that it is possible to see the artist’s life circumstances more clearly from their art work while generating additional questions, leading to more learning about the artist’s life – or argue they cannot.
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Holocaust Survivor Art and HistoryThis inquiry focuses on examining two pieces of Holocaust survivor art to explore how art can express the pain of the Holocaust. The questions, tasks, and sources in this inquiry asks students to examine two sculptures created by a Holocaust survivor using Visual Thinking Strategies then use their observations to drive discussion and analysis during a Think-Pair-Share activity. Students will be asked to use their analysis of the two sculptures to construct a claim that historical art, though limited, is useful to those seeking answers to historical questions through inquiry – or argue that it is not.
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Holocaust Survivor Art and First-hand PerspectivesThis inquiry focuses on examining a painting from a Holocaust survivor, a quote from a survivor, and an excerpt from an interview from a liberator to explore how art can express the pain of the Holocaust and how using a combination of first-hand sources can provide a better understanding of specific events of the Holocaust. The questions, tasks, and sources in this inquiry asks student to examine one piece of art using visual thinking strategies then use their observations on the painting in combination with a survivor quote and a liberator interview to construct a claim that using a combination of sources provides a better/more comprehensive understanding of the final days of the Holocaust and liberation.
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Other useful resources
League of Nations and the Status of Women
| the_league_of_nations_and_status_of_women_.pdf |
Sexual Violence and Masculinity in Post-Surrender Japan
| sexual_violence_and_masculinity_in_post-surrender_japan.pdf |
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