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. Be sure to join the mailing list to get updated content and resources every other month.
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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WWI Maker ActivityAirplanesCreator: Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-HAviation evolved rapidly during WWI, with modern and more effective aircraft replacing the basic machines, shaping the way countries fight wars more quickly than any other weapon in military history. In this maker activity from the Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H, young students will explore the history and technology of aviation and engage their own aeronautical skills with a paper plane activity.Airplanes - Handout (PDF), Making an Airplane - How to Fold #1 (PDF), Making an Airplane - How to Fold #2 (PDF), The History Behind it, Air Travel (PDF), The Science Behind it, Airplanes (PDF), "Over There" Poster (PDF), The Story of Vernon L. Burge (PDF) |
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WWI Maker ActivityCodes and CiphersCreator: Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-HArmies used codes and ciphers to send secret messages back and forth during World War I. One of the most successful use of codes during the war was with a group of 14 Choctaw Indians soldiers from Oklahoma. In this maker activity from the Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H, young students will learn the history of codes and ciphers through a hands-on activity.Making a Cipher Wheel - Handout (PDF), 2D Cipher Disk Pattern (PDF), The History Behind it, Codes & Ciphers (PDF), The Science Behind it, Codes & Ciphers (PDF), Codes 142nd Infantry Letter, Jan 23, 1919 (PDF) |
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WWI Maker ActivityMonumentsCreator: Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-HMany monuments and memorials were constructed in communities across the US at the end of World War I. They were as simple as a small bronze statue or as large as an entire granite building. It is estimated that up to 10,000 monuments and memorials may have been constructed. In this maker activity from the Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H, young students will learn about the history and science of memorials, as well as plan their own memorial with a hands-on activity.Making a Monument - Handout (PDF), The History Behind it, Monuments (PDF), The Science Behind it, Monuments (PDF) |
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Dangers of the Printed WordMedia and the Armenian MassacresCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialThis upper high school lesson looks at the Armenian massacres as a launching point for 20th century genocides. The primary focus of the project is to delve into the role the media plays in chronicling and sharing the events of the Armenian massacres as well as the impact it has on the outcome of the massacres and the reaction of the international community.Download PDF |
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The Zimmermann TelegramCreator: National ArchivesIn January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This resource from the National Archives includes images of the original telegram and contextual information.View Online |
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ZimmermannlandThe Southwestern Front of WWICreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialThe Zimmermann Telegram was a major factor in the U.S. decision to join the Allies in World War I. Using this lesson, students will analyze the context of the telegram from the perspectives of the U.S., Mexico, and Germany; examine the reaction in the Southwestern U.S. states that Germany promised to return to Mexico; and connect the Telegram's impact to today's U.S.-Mexico border issues.Download PDF, Download PPTx Companion Presentation |
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100 Years, 100 LegaciesThe Lasting Impact of WWICreator: Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal has collected a list of "100 legacies that still shape our lives today." From chemical warfare and guided missiles to blue doctors' scrubs and Pilates, the First World War created a lasting impact in some unexpected ways. Each topic is explained with a short article which includes photos and sources.Explore Online |
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The VolunteersAmericans Join World War I, 1914-1919Creator: AFS Intercultural ProgramsThis is a free curriculum aligned with U.S. Common Core and UNESCO Global Learning standards for secondary school classrooms worldwide. The 22 lesson plans examine the volunteer service of U.S. Americans, primarily serving during the period of U.S. neutrality in the War.Download Full Curriculum |
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Thinking Like a HistorianArtifacts and Trench TalesCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialAs history becomes tangible, WWI will come alive in the classroom when students work with artifacts. Using their senses, observations, past knowledge and critical thinking skills students will learn to think like a historian to determine what historic artifacts can tell them about the past.Download PDF, Download Accompanying Powerpoint |
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Service and SacrificeQuentin Roosevelt's Ultimate SacrificeCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialFormer U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt was a great supporter of American involvement in the Great War. While serving, his son Quentin was killed in action in 1918. His death had a profound effect on fellow soldiers, the nation, and especially his father. This lesson asks to high school students to interpret multiple primary source documents and artifacts to provide evidence of the realities of war.Download PDF |
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Devastation Wrought by U-Boats in World War IInteractive 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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The Great War ChannelYouTube Video SeriesCreator: The Great War YouTube ChannelTHE GREAT WAR covers the events exactly 100 years ago: The story of World War I in realtime. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Pathé. Indy Neidell takes you on a journey into the past to show you what really happened and how it all could spiral into more than four years of dire war. New episodes every Thursday.Watch Online |
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Flanders Field American Cemetery AppCreator: American Battle Monuments CommissionFrom American Battle Monuments Commission, this app explores Flanders Field American Cemetery, where more than 300 Americans that gave their lives in World War I are buried. During the Ypres-Lys Campaign four American divisions fought alongside their Allied counterparts in Belgium and northeastern France, providing critical reinforcements to war-weary armies that had been fighting for four long years.Download App (for Apple devices), Download App (for Android devices) |
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Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery AppCreator: American Battle Monuments CommissionFrom American Battle Monuments Commission, this app explores the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, where more than 14,000 Americans that gave their lives in World War I are buried. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive is one of America’s most significant battles: 1.2 million Americans served during this 47 day offensive, with more than 26,000 killed and nearly 100,000 wounded. The strength and commitment to this offensive solidified America’s role on the world stage and helped bring an end to the war.Download App (for Apple devices) |
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World War I and AmericaWhy Fight?Creator: Library of AmericaThis initiative from Library of America explores the continuing relevance of World War I by reading, discussing, and sharing insights into the writings of Americans who experienced it firsthand. Divided into topics, including: Why Fight?, The Experience of War, Race and World War I, American Women at War, The Home Front, America on the World Stage, and Coming Home, each subject area has both PDF reading guides and videos (hosted on Vimeo) of modern authors and scholars reading selected writings from the time period.View Online |
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about this project
The United States World War One Centennial Commission and the National World War I 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:
