US National Archives
The Home Front: How Did People Prepare for the War at Home?
Wars have a profound effect not only on a country's soldiers, but also on the everyday lives of its citizens. Invite young historians to discover how Britain prepared for the second World War by analyzing a series of government posters...
Curated OER
World War II Home Front
Eleventh graders examine the political demands put on one of four groups living in America during WWII. Each class member is asked to research and write a paper describing the homefront experience for women, Hispanics, African-Americans,...
Curated OER
Japanese-American Relocation
Consider the causes and effects that led to the internment and relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII. Learners read the story "Baseball Saved Us" and selected chapters from Farewell to Manzanar. Then, they view a slide-show, and...
Curated OER
Wives and Mothers in WWII
Eighth graders explore the effect of World War II from a financial standpoint. In this World History lesson, 8th graders review World War II through teacher lecture, reading and viewing pictures and cartoons, then discuss the hardships...
Curated OER
On The Home Front
High schoolers write their responses to five questions about their home town. After watching an excerpt from "The War", they work together in groups to identify the characteristics of the four towns in the movie into a graphic...
Curated OER
My Secret War: Lesson 14
Fifth graders explore the civilian role during World War II. In this social studies lesson, 5th graders write an "I Am an American" poem from the perspective of various Americans during the war.
Curated OER
The Home Front
In these World War II home front worksheets, students read several passages about the home front during World War I. Students learn about the evacuation plan, rationing methods, the women, and the home guard.
Curated OER
The Home Front Brainstorm
In this brainstorming worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer about World War II. Students write about preparing for war, bombing, everyday life, women, and evacuation.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: July 1942: United We Stand
Exhibit, honoring a nationwide design contest to encourage Americans to buy war bonds while boosting morale, explains the rationale for the campaign and tells the stories behind the magazine covers designed for the campaign.
US National Archives
Nara: Pictures of African Americans During Wwii
Captivating audiovisual look at the role African Americans played during World War II.
Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada: Remembrances: Canada and the Second World War
This resource provides information about the various aspects of Canadian involvement in World War II including the war at sea, war on land, war in the air, and the war on the homefront.
Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada: Community Stories: A Mother's War
Clara Hawker was a mother who sent two sons to fight in the First World War. While they were away she kept diaries of her family's daily life so they could read it when they returned. Accompanied by photographs and audio files in this...
Other
Bringing History Home: Ww Ii Home Front
In this 5th grade unit, students study the World War II home front using primary sources. After an introduction to the origins of the war, they study the effects of the war on the U.S. economy; citizen participation in the war effort...
Emory University
Beck Center: The Great War
An interesting site that looks at World War I from a very personal level by looking at the post cards of the countries involved in the war as well as a site for World War I poetry. Hyperlinks help you navigate the extensive information.
PBS
Pbs: The Perilous Fight: America's World War Ii in Color
Online home of the PBS documentary "The Perilous Fight" provides access to an eclectic array of color photographs and films of World War II at home and abroad. Overviews, contextual clues, maps, letters, and similar resources can be...
Historica Canada
Historica Canada: Heritage Minutes: Halifax Explosion 1917
This Heritage Minute dramatizes the world's largest explosion before the atomic bomb and the impact it had on Halifax. The contains numerous links to outside sources, text and lesson plans.
Other
Texas Historical Commission: Texas in World War Ii
Get an idea of what Texas was like during World War II, including a look at Texas during the 1940s, what military presence was like, and how Texas changed after the war.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Within These Walls
Two hundred years' worth of American history all in one house. Learn what a close examination of a single-family dwelling can tell us about what life was like during five different periods of American history: the colonial era, the...
Rutgers University
Rutgers Oral History Archive
This archive records the personal experiences of the American men and women who served on the homefront and overseas during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. Also offers resources on the men and women who...
Oregon Secretary of State
Oregon State Archives: Oregon at War! World War I and the Oregon Experience
Expansive exhibit of images, documents, and historical data focusing on Oregon's response to World War I.
US National Archives
Nara: America on the Homefront: Selected World War Ii Records in New England
Brilliant look into life on the homefront during World War II. See radio spots rationing and controlling prices, wartime research, defending the homefront, and more. Many of the links are .pdf documents.
BBC
Bbc: Around Scotland: Scotland During the Second World War
This interactive site looks at what the homefront of Scotland was like during WW II. The students take on the role of an enemy spy and work their way through the site, learning as they go. There is a separate teacher section. Archived.
PBS
The War: Waste Helps the Enemy
At the online companion site of the PBS documentary series "THE WAR," view a recycling poster created by Vanderlaan and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company.
Other
Private Art: Wwii Letters to & From Home
A great site which has the letters of both Pvt. Arthur Pranger and those who wrote to him during World War II. You can click on a day such as May 2, 1943 and will get a letter.