This database includes articles, lesson plans and primary sources from the National WWI Museum and Memorial and our partners around the world, presented in collaboration with the United States World War One Centennial Commission.
Do you have resources that you want to share or have questions? Contact us at education@theworldwar.org.
Teaching Resource Database
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Western Front at the CinemaWorld War: Choices and ConsequencesCreator: Facing History and OurselvesThis short article about the 1916 British film Battle of the Somme looks at its effectiveness in stirring public sentiment during the war. From Facing History and Ourselves, this article is part of a larger collection of readings that look into how WWI affected people's attitudes towards war and the value of human life. Discussion questions are included for use in the classroom.Read Online |
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Propaganda During World War 1Creator: The Great War YouTube ChannelPropaganda existed for many years prior to the start of World War I; however, inventions in media made it easier to reach people on a massive scale. In this 8-minute video, host Indy Neidel with the Great War Channel explores mass propaganda during the war, specifically in Germany, Britain, and the United States. Want to learn more? Follow up with this video about propaganda films to go further in depth.Watch Online |
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Lawrence of ArabiaBattle for the Arab WorldCreator: PBSCreated in 2003, this website is a companion to the PBS program Lawrence of Arabia, Battle for the Arab World. Though older, this site still includes multiple articles and lesson plans on the Arab Revolt, Bedouin culture and biographies that can be used by a classroom with or without viewing the original television program.View Online |
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The Reel Story of the Great WarPrologue Magazine ArticleCreator: National ArchivesThe National Archives has preserved video resources since the Great War. From footage of the men in training camps and trenches, families at home and women working in factories and on farms, America at war can be viewed over 100 years later. Read this article to see just what’s available to educators and learners, and how the National Archives has preserved this footage for future generations.Read Online |
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They Shall Not Grow OldResources and ToolkitCreator: 14-18 NOW and Imperial War Museums14‑18 NOW, a project from the Imperial War Museums, worked with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson to restore, and then colorize, footage from the First World War. The ensuing award-winning documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old, looks at the war, providing views of the battlefield and the homefront as the soldiers themselves saw it. 14‑18 NOW has also created multi-disciplinary resource toolkits for educators to use the film in the classroom.View Online |
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Teaching with Film: 1917Creator: National WWI Museum and MemorialThe highly acclaimed Sam Mendes' film 1917 has media abuzz and some interesting ELA and C3 connections. Engage the skills your students need for careers in history with an assignment that has students use primary source photographs, letters, maps and oral histories from the National WWI Museum and Memorial to answer the question regularly asked of our museum professionals, “How historically accurate is the film?”Download PDF |
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Museum Film ScriptsFull transcripts of videos used within the Museum and MemorialCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialThe following PDFs are the full transcripts of three videos used within the National WWI Museum and Memorial's Main Gallery. Use the script from the video as reference for an onsite field trip, or as a groundwork for discussing WWI with your class. Introductory Film - Download PDF, Horizon Theater Film - Download PDF, Peace Film - Download PDF |
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How Woodrow Wilson's Propaganda Machine Changed American JournalismCreator: Smithsonian MagazineThe Committee on Public Information, also known as the Creel Committee after chairman George Creel, was created by President Wilson to help control all war related news and promote the war effort at home. This article by Christopher B. Daly from Smithsonian Magazine highlights the various operations of the Creel Committee's propaganda machine that set the example for propaganda's use during later wars.Read Online |
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The End of the WarThe Armistice and the Treaty of VersaillesCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialWhy did fighting stop in World War I? How did Europe (and the rest of the world) move forward once it was no longer at war? Students grades 5-9 will discover how the Treaty of Versailles brings an end to the First World War for Germany and the “Big 3” with this lesson.Download PDF, Download Accompanying PPT |
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CSI Holy LandWWI in the Middle East: Analyzing Primary Source DocumentsCreator: National WWI Museum and Memorial, Lisa AdeliHow was the Middle East connected to the origins of WWI? What did war in the Middle East look like? How was the peace process different for the Middle East than it was for European nations? This lesson helps students develop their reading, writing and analytical skills, while also learning more about World War I and the modern Middle East. Students read primary accounts (diaries and newspaper accounts), analyze visual images (photographs and drawings), conduct research and create a documentary or news program.Download PDF, Download Accompanying Articles |
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Razzle DazzleDazzle Camouflage Coloring SheetCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialThis brief article and coloring sheet activity provides younger learners with more information on the “dazzle camouflage” used to protect ships in WWI. Used first by Britain’s Royal Navy, the idea behind dazzle camouflage was to create a mix of lines, shapes and colors that would help a ship better blend into the ocean or to make it difficult for spotters to pinpoint the ship’s exact location.Download PDF |
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Dazzle PaintingWorld War I Podcast SeriesCreator: MacArthur MemorialThis episode of MacArthur Memorial's World War I Podcast series explores Dazzle paintings of ships. This jarring, brightly colored paint scheme helped camouflage ships and made it hard for U-Boats to gauge the speed and direction of the vessel.Listen Online, Visit Website |
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Devastation Wrought by U-Boats in WWIInteractive MapCreator: Smithsonian magazine, Esri, Li ZhouGermany's use of unrestricted submarine warfare, where U-boat submarines were used to sink both military and merchant ships without warning, was very controversial and provocative. Smithsonian magazine and GIS-mapping company Esri have created an interactive map of the attacks by German U-boats during WWI. The accompanying article by Li Zhou details Germany's decision to use this type of warfare and how it forever changed the rules of war.View Online |
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Trenches of World War IAn Immersive TourCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialExplore several model WWI trenches and understand the history of trench warfare with this narrated, immersive online tour. The tour can also be viewed as a VR experience using Google Cardboard-compatible device. Visit Google Arts and Culture to learn more.Explore Online |
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WWI: How History Shaped TechnologySTEM in 30Creator: Smithsonian National Air and Space MuseumThis video webcast series from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum creates an interactive classroom program consisting of 30-minute webcasts that engage middle school students in STEM topics ranging from WWI airplanes to rovers on Mars.Watch Video |
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about this project
The United States World War One Centennial Commission and the National WWI Museum and Memorial are dedicated to educating the public about the causes, events and consequences of the conflict and we encourage the use of these resources to better understand the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.
Assisting in this endeavor are:
