LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

United States History

Goal 10: World War II and the Beginning of the Cold War (1930s-1963) - The learner will analyze United States involvement in World War II and the war's influence on international affairs in following decades.

Objective 10.02. Identify military, political, and diplomatic turning points of the war and determine their significance to the outcome and aftermath of the conflict.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

Victory over Japan
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 9.5
Article about Japan's surrender to Allied forces, ending World War II. Includes a radio news broadcast.
Format: article
Victory in Europe
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 9.1
On May 7, 1945, German generals, recognizing that they had no hope left of victory, surrendered to Allied forces, ending World War II in Europe. This page includes a battle map, a radio report of the surrender, the surrender instrument, and the recollection of a Maltese woman.
Format: exhibit
The United States in World War II
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.1
Article summarizes U.S. involvement in World War II from 1945 to 1945.
Format: article
Timeline of World War II: 1942–1945
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.2
Timeline of World War II after U.S. entry into the war, divided by European theater, Pacific theater, and home front.
Format: timeline
A Tale of Two Cities
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 9.4
Film produced by the U.S. War Department in 1946 about the atomic bomb and its use at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Includes footage of the explosions, a tour of the cities afterward, and discussions of the weapons' impact. Historical commentary and viewing questions are provided.
Format: video
Commentary and sidebar notes by David Walbert.
Surviving the Blitz
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 6.8
Oral history interview with a U.S. soldier who experienced the German bombing of England during World War II. Includes historical commentary.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
Statement by the President announcing the use of the A-Bomb at Hiroshima
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 9.3
Public statement by President Harry Truman announcing the use of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, Japan, and explaining the new weapon to the American people and to the world. Includes historical commentary.
Format: speech/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by David Walbert.
Serving in the Pacific
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 6.10
Oral history interview with a North Carolina veteran of World War II about her experiences serving in non-combat roles in the Pacific Theater. Includes historical commentary.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
Serving in the Air Force
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 6.9
Oral history interview with a North Carolina veteran of the U.S. Army Air Force about his experiences in the European Theater of World War II. Includes historical commentary.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
Occupying Japan
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 9.6
Oral history interview with a North Carolina veteran of World War II who was with the first U.S. forces to go ashore in Japan after V-J Day in 1945. Includes historical commentary.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
Midway
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.5
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 8.6
In the Battle of Midway, fought near Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean in June 1942, the U.S. Navy stopped the Japanese advance across the Pacific. Includes John Ford's documentary featuring live footage of the battle.
Format: article
Liberating France
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.8
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 4.8
Maps, photographs, and contemporary magazine articles explore the Allied liberation of German-occupied Paris in 1944.
Format: exhibit
Landing in Europe
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.7
Oral history interviews with veterans of World War II who participated in the D-Day landings in France in 1944. Includes historical commentary.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
Iwo Jima
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.10
A contemporary radio broadcast and maps help tell the story of this epic battle between American and Japanese forces in the Pacific in 1945.
Format: exhibit
D-Day
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.6
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 9.8
Article about the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in 1944 includes audio, maps, photographs, and documents.
Format: exhibit
The Battle of the Bulge
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 5.9
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 8.7
Oral history interview with a North Carolina World War II veteran about his experiences in the Battle of the Bulge, fought in France between December 1944 and January 1945. Includes historical background and contemporary newsreel footage.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
The atomic bomb
In The Great Depression and World War II, page 9.2
This article describes the use and effects of the atomic bomb by the U.S. Army on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945.
Format: article

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Resources on the web

Was the United States ready for Pearl Harbor?
In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the United States' level of preparedness for the attack and think about what the U.S. could have done to be better prepared. Activities in this lesson engage students in whole class discussion, online research,... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Social Studies)
Provided by: Xpeditions