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Junior Scholastic Teaching Kits
Teacher-approved stories, resources, and worksheets, courtesy of Junior Scholastic, the middle school Social Studies classroom magazine.
The History and Heroes of World War II
An overview of World War II: why the U.S. got involved, what citizens did to fight back, and how people worldwide were affected
Featured Teaching Kits
Teacher-approved stories, resources, and worksheets for teaching about World War II in your classroom, courtesy of Junior Scholastic, the middle school Social Studies classroom magazine
This American History play tells the story of the shocking 1941 attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii. Accounts from real soldiers help bring this infamous day to life for your students.
During World War II, information could be just as important as weapons. Learn how a group of young Navajo men helped win the war in the Pacific by creating an unbreakable code for the United States military.
While the U.S. military fought overseas, a different battle was happening on American soil, as more than 110,000 Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps. This American History play tells their story in dramatic detail.
Not all the heroes of World War II were soldiers. Find out how a shy Jewish teenager in France risked his life to help thousands of victims escape the Nazis by forging documents.
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Quotes
Famous quotes from World War II
“Danger gathers upon our path. We cannot afford—we have no right—to look back. We must look forward.”
— British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, December 1936
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a 1941 speech asking Congress to declare war
“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
— Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
“Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won.”
— U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, supreme commander of the Allied Powers, after Japan’s formal surrender in September 1945
Key Figures
Four World War II figures who made an impact
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt, who served as U.S. president from 1933-1945, tried to avoid U.S. involvement in World War II but changed course after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He partnered with Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China to defeat Germany and its allies.
Anne Frank
Born in 1929, Frank was 13 years old when she and her Jewish family were forced into hiding in the Netherlands to avoid Nazi persecution. They were discovered two years later and sent to concentration camps, where Frank died. After the war, her father published her diary, which has been read by millions of people.
Adolf Hitler
Hitler ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 and led the Nazi Party. He sought to reestablish Germany as a leading power in Europe by seizing land from other countries and eliminating European Jews. Hitler killed himself on April 30, 1945, after realizing he faced certain defeat.
Winston Churchill
As prime minister of Great Britain during World War II, Churchill gave powerful speeches and famously resisted tyranny. He is largely credited with Britain’s decision to ally with the United States and the Soviet Union--a strategy that helped end the war.
Resources
Supplemental resources that link to external websites about World War II
World War II Photos
The National Archives' collection of more than 200 World War II photographs, organized by topic
The History Channel: World War II
Film footage, interactives, and articles related to the war
World War II Artifacts
An interactive history of World War II told through artifacts and images
Glossary
Terms and definitions that pertain to World War II
anti-Semitism
noun
discrimination against Jews
concentration camp
a prison or place of forced labor; often a general term that includes death camps specifically designed by the Nazis as mass killing centers during World War II
ghetto
a part of a city in which members of a minority race or group live, usually in poor conditions
Holocaust
the mass slaughter of millions of Jews and other people by the Nazis during World War II
internment camp
a place where enemies or suspected enemies are held
Nazi
a member of a political party, led by Adolf Hitler from 1920 to 1945, that was dedicated to German dominance of Europe and the destruction of Jews
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narvikk/Getty Images (Plane); Illustration by Dave Seeley (Pearl Harbor); Bettmann/Getty Images (code talkers); Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images (internment camp); Courtesy Sarah Kaminsky (forging materials); Hulton Archive/Getty Images (FDR); Anne Frank Fonds Basel/Getty Images (Anne Frank); Bettmann/Getty Images (Adolf Hitler); Fox Photos/Getty Images (Winston Churchill)