In December 1941, Japanese armed forces launched a massive offensive, attacking targets as far East as Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and as far West as Burma. This lesson plan will focus on the overall strategies pursued by the Japanese and the Allies in the initial months of World War II in Asia and the Pacific.

The Japanese conquest of Manchuria in 1931 was only the first step in what became a much larger campaign to create a pro-Japanese "buffer state" in North China. This lesson will examine the overall principles which underlay both Japanese and American foreign policy in the mid- to late-1930s.

Although it was the Japanese who attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, U.S. military planners decided that Germany, not Japan, was to be the elementary target of operations. This lesson plan will focus on the overall strategies pursued by the Americans and their British allies in the initial months of World War II in Europe.

The outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939 posed a serious challenge to U.S. neutrality. On the one hand, Americans' sympathies lay overwhelmingly with Great Britain and its allies; on the other hand, public sentiment overwhelmingly favored staying out of the war. Through a study of contemporary documents, students learn about the difficult choices faced by the Roosevelt administration during the first fifteen months of World War II, culminating in the decision to provide direct military aid to Great Britain.

By the beginning of 1944, victory in Europe was all but assured. The task of diplomacy largely involved efforts to define the structure of the postwar world. Why and how did the United States attempt to preserve the Grand Alliance as American diplomats addressed European issues?

Although the campaign in the Mediterranean was successful in forcing Italy out of the war, Allied military planners by late 1943 had concluded that it would not be enough to defeat Nazi Germany. This lesson plan will focus on the overall strategy pursued by the Allies in the final months of World War II in Europe.

Faced with crippling economic sanctions imposed by the United States, the Japanese government decided in September 1941 to prepare for war to seize the raw materials that they were now unable to obtain from America. Students in this lesson will put themselves in the shoes of U.S. and Japanese diplomats in the final months of 1941.

For American diplomacy, the war against Japan was not just about the destruction of Japanese supremacy in the Pacific, China, and Southeast Asia. The ultimate issue was just what would replace Japan's imperial design of a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere." This lesson plan focuses on two major postwar problems"”the future of China and (using French Indochina as a test case) the future of Western imperialism in Southeast Asia.

The U.S. victory over the Japanese Navy at Midway succeeded in stopping the Axis advance in the Pacific, and by early 1943 the Marines had driven the Japanese from Guadalcanal. This lesson will guide students through the military campaigns of the Pacific theater, tracing the path of the Allied offensives.

A short eight-minute video that discusses Navajo code talkers. This goes into details about how the langauge was taught and utilized during WWII.

In this social studies skill builder, students will learn about the life and death of Anne Frank. Students will be able to recognize what it means to empathize with the experience of others after reading about Anne Frank's life. This skill builder is most appropriate for students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. It is estimated this lesson will take about 15-25 minutes to complete. Through virtual field trips, class collaboration, and independent practice, students use reading comprehension and observation skills to learn about Anne Frank and her family's life before and during World War II. They will also learn about the trials and hardships the Jewish people faced and the importance of empathizing with others.

Thumbnail: screenshot of Nearpod lesson by Christina Nelson 7/27/2022

The history of -- Dugway Proving Grounds -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Geneva Steel Plant -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Geneva Steel Plant -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Geneva Steel Plant -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Geneva Steel Plant -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Hill Air Force Base aerial view, 1944 -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Naval Supply Depot aerial view -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Tooele Ordinance Depot aerial view -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.

The history of -- Wendover Air Force Base aerial view, 1959 -- is summarized in this media item extracted from the 20-part video series A PEOPLES' HISTORY OF UTAH, written and hosted by Dean L. May, PhD (University of Utah). The series provides a sweeping view of Utah's past, from its earliest known desert beginning--from its prehistory, to the pioneer era, to the transformation from territory to state, to its critical role in the world war years and beyond.