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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Bringing the Great War HomeTeaching with the Meuse-Argonne American CemeteryCreator: American Battle Monuments CommissionFrom the American Battle Monuments Commission, in conjunction with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech, Bringing the Great War Home: Teaching with the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery is a free World War I Teacher’s Guide. Available for download via iBook or on the ABMC website, this guide includes lesson plans and ideas developed by teachers to help students better understand the service, experience, and sacrifice of Americans that served and died during the Great War. These lesson plans and lesson ideas cover a range of topics that can be applied in various subject areas, such as history, art, math, and English.Download iBook (iTunes Store), Download chapters on abmc.gov |
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How Poppies Became a Symbol of Remembrance After World War ITIME Magazine ArticleCreator: Ciara Nugent, TIME MagazineY.W.C.A. volunteer Moina Michael was inspired to create and wear poppies to remember the fallen of WWI after reading John McCrae’s poem "In Flanders Fields." This 2018 article by Ciara Nugent explores how a small act of remembrance in the United States spread, making poppies a global symbol of remembrance.Read Online |
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World War I ArmisticeTopics in Chronicling AmericaCreator: Library of CongressThe Library of Congress provides articles from historic newspapers document the news coverage of the end of the First World War. All the linked articles and many more are searchable via the Chronicling America: American Historic Newspapers digital collection.Explore Online |
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Literary memories of World War OneRepresentation and memoryCreator: British LibraryIn this article, Professor Emeritus Modris Eksteins analyzes the use—and limitations—of literature as a way of confronting the atrocities and devastation of the WWI, primarily focusing on literature written during the 1920s and 1930s.Read Online |
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Nov. 11, 1918Armistice on the Western FrontCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialOn Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I. The global reaction was one of mixed emotions: relief, celebration, disbelief and a profound sense of loss. This brief article from the National WWI Museum and Memorial provides an overview of the events of the Armistice.View Online |
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Occupation During and After the WarCreator: 1914-1918-online, International Encyclopedia of the First World WarThis article by Joachim Schröder and Alexander Watson studies Germany’s experiences of occupation during and after the First World War. It highlights how Germans’ experiences contributed to fueling a sense of aggrieved injustice and a turn to extreme nationalism in the conflict’s aftermath.View Online |
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Hundred Days OffensiveFighting to End the WarCreator: National WWI Museum and Memorial, US WW1 Centennial CommissionThe Hundred Days Offensive was a series of attacks by the Allied troops at the end of World War I. Starting on August 8, 1918, and ending with the Armistice on November 11, the Offensive led to the defeat of the German Army. This short article, written by James Taub of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, summarizes the Allied military strategy and key players.View Online |
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World War I and Interwar SourcesEducators' ToolboxCreator: U.S. Army Heritage & Education CenterFrom the U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center, the USAHEC Educators' Toolbox is a resource for educators of all levels to find primary source materials from the U.S. Army's history for their classroom. The U.S. Army's history is rich and diverse. The USAHEC is the Army's archives, with primary source holdings ranging from individual Soldier stories to the plans and outlines for entire conflicts. The "military" side of the Army's history is important, but our other materials are just as useful in your classroom. The history of medicine, technology, leadership, integration, and hundreds of other topics and themes are available to educators to enrich learning in their classrooms.View the Resource Archive |
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Medicine in the First World WarCreator: University of Kansas Medical CenterDuring the war, the U.S. Army mobilized medical resources to create one hundred large base hospitals. This website has been created to tell the story of Base Hospital #28, the 2,500 bed military base hospital that was formed by Kansas City doctors and nurses and which arrived in Limoges, France, in July 1918. During the six months of its active operation it served nearly 10,000 patients. The hospital was led by doctors who were associated with the medical school of the University of Kansas before and after The Great War. The website will also examine unexpected medical challenges, e.g. the influenza epidemic of 1918 and gas gangrene.Explore Online |
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WWI A - ZAn A-Z Guide to the War that Shaped the 20th CenturyCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialFrom Animals to Zeppelins, this A-Z guide to World War I hosted on Google Arts and Culture uses easily-accessible items to help explain the “war to end all wars.”View Online |
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'Shell Shock'The 100-Year Mystery May Now Be SolvedCreator: National GeographicA landmark study sheds new light on the damage caused by “blast shock”—the signature injury of wars for more than a century.Read Online |
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The Shock of WarWorld War I: 100 Years LaterCreator: Smithsonian MagazineAuthor Caroline Alexander explains the appearance of the ‘shell shock’ condition and its defining symptoms, as well as the diverse range of treatments offered, including a British estate used as a convalescent home.Read Online |
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The Thomas SplintA revolution in treatmentCreator: National Archives (UK)Historically, a fracture to the femur bone in the leg was very nearly a death sentence. Introduced during WWI, the Thomas splint drastically reduced the rate of mortality from these injuries.Read Online |
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Remembering the Reconstruction AidesCreator: American Physical Therapy AssociationThis article documents and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first use of physical therapists, most of whom were women, as civilian employees of the Medical Department of the U.S. Army during World War I.Read Online |
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Anna Coleman LaddWomen in World War ICreator: Smithsonian National Museum of American HistoryAnna Coleman Ladd, born in Philadelphia in 1878, was a well-known sculptor in the city of Boston by the outbreak of World War I. Like many other American women who dedicated much of their time to supporting the war effort, Ladd worked with the Red Cross. In her work with the Red Cross, Ladd put her artistic talents to great use—she founded the Studio for Portrait Masks in Paris, where she and a group of dedicated helpers created prosthetic masks for soldiers whose faces were disfigured in combat.View Online |
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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:
