BBC Learning School Radio. (1941, 27 July). Children evacuated abroad in radio link-up. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/history/ww2clips/eyewitness/evacuees_radio.
This website provides audio clips and text at the student’s independent level. Although this resource is intended for the primary school, the audio clips are an excellent primary source for my students. These audio clips are from children in 1941 that were evacuated from America to Canada or other safe spot countries. I will be connecting this to a journal assignment/class podcast of student’s perceptions and conversations while taking on the persona of a child in 1941. It is a great way to differentiate instruction while using digital and multimedia tools to connect and teach content.
Boyne, John. (2006). The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. United Kingdom: Random House.
I would use this instructional level book as an independent reading assignment. It is an excellent work of teen fiction that highlights people and actions of the Holocaust during World War II. It is about a young boy who is the son of a German Nazi officer and his perception and lack of understanding about what was truly going on during that time. This provides a different perspective for my students to view the Holocaust. It can be combined with study guides and class discussions to further their understanding.
Bradley, James. (2000). Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima. New York: Bantam.
This #1 national bestseller is a fictional account of one of the most famous moments of American military history. It is a detailed report of the human experience of war filled with emotion, quotes, pictures, and facts of the six men who held up the flag at Iwo Jima. This book is at the student’s instructional level, and is a great resource to help illustrate the different emotions experienced during wartime, and how some individuals became war heroes and symbols of a nation.
Burleson, C.O. (2002). World War 2: In Defense of Freedom. Retrieved from http://www.lifestreamcenter.net/DrB/Lessons/WW2/
This online WebQuest is at the student’s frustration level because it is intended for an 11th grade U.S. History and Language Arts. I will be providing detailed directions on where to find pertinent information throughout the WebQuest for the unit. I have decided to use it because it is a great online resource that will challenge the student’s ability to search through information and follow directions. It provides a wealth of knowledge that is presented in a similar perspective as their textbook. This will help build connections and improve comprehension and retention.
Garrigue, Shelia. (1994). The Eternal Spring of Mr. Ito. New York: Atheneum Books.
This is a fiction book that gives an interesting perspective of the Japanese Internment camps during World War II. It is about a young girl who moves from England to Canada to live with her cousins. She befriends a Japanese American gardener who later faces wrongful persecution by Canadians and Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This independent level young adult book contains some historical value and multi-cultural lessons.
Graber, Janet. (2005). Resistance. Marshall Cavendish: United Kingdom.
This is a historical fiction book that is at the student’s independent level. It is about a 15 year old girl who is struggling with her family in war-stricken France. While hiding from German soldiers, there are internal and external tensions that she and her family are forced to endure in hopes of making it out alive together. This book will motivate the students with a main character of the same age which make it easier for them to relate. There are multi-cultural lessons this book teaches while providing a Europen perspective of life in Europe during World War II.
HistoryYou. (2008, June 6). World War II: The Lost Archives. [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KPCl9wh1G4
A five part series of actual footage during World War II from all across the world. The material is at the student’s frustration level and will definitely contain more information than they will be able to retain. There is an abundance of accurate and relevant information in the video files that correlate with the students textbook. I will be providing the students with guided notes to fill out while watching these videos, and occasionally pausing to discuss. I think it is advantageous for the student’s to see primary video footage of the war to aid in creating mental images and connections of the content.
Rylant, Synthia. (1995). I Had Seen Castles. New York: Graphia.
This World War II Young Adult fiction book is at the student’s independent level. It discusses the complexities of war through the eyes of a man looking back on his life and experiences overseas. It contains graphic descriptions of battle and the horrors of war. It is a great source that is filled with actual events, battles, people, and vocabulary terms. This provides an opportunity for students to experience content in a text other than their textbook, and with a fictional twist.
The History Place. (1996). World War II in Europe. Retrieved from http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm
This is an excellent interactive timeline at the student’s instructional level. It is a great example of how to utilize new digital and multimedia technologies as tools for teaching and learning content. This website consists of a timeline that is filled with accurate and detailed information of life in Europe during World War II. Some of the information leads to links of more text, pictures, and videos. This provides multiple avenues to learn important information of the unit.
Zusak, Markus. (2005). The Book Thief. Australia: Picador.
The Book Thief is a fictitious novel at the student’s instructional level. Set in Nazi Germany, this book is told from the point of view of Death about a young girl’s life before and during World War II. It follows her relationships with different member of the community. The perspective of this novel will gain the interest of the students while presenting important concepts, events, and places that are essential to this unit. It is also a very graphic and detailed book that will help illustrate to the student’s exactly how menacing Nazi Germany was during World War II.
