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Lesson Plan
Ohio State University

Osu History Teaching Institute: The Manhattan Project

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will discuss the role of technology of the atomic bomb and explore the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during WWII. Students will then outline some of the social and political changes that resulted from the Manhattan Project.
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Primary
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Wilson Center: Soviet Nuclear History

For Students 9th - 10th
A digital archive of documents from the 1940s-1980s that relate to the nuclear weapons race in the Soviet Union. Included in archive are notes from the head of the Soviet atomic bomb project, Igor Kurchatov and documents related to...
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Website
Other

Nuclearfiles.org: Truman and the Atom Bomb

For Students 9th - 10th
Read background information about Harry Truman and the development of the atomic bomb prior to his presidency. Includes excerpts from official documents and conversations during the Truman Administration.
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Website
Other

Outrider: Nuclear History: World War Ii

For Students 9th - 10th
A timeline with primary source documents and photos of the invention and use of the atomic bomb during World War II. Links to additional information and videos are also provided.
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Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: War, Victory and the Bomb

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview of the final stages of WWII in which war in the Pacific and the Atomic bomb lead to Japanese surrender and criminal trials against Nazi generals.
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Article
Other

World Nuclear Association: Outline History of Nuclear Energy

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the nature of the atom, harnessing nuclear fission, conceiving the atomic bomb, the Manhattan Project, and the revival of the nuclear boiler.
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Website
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum

Tpml: Truman and the Bomb, a Documentary History

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers a comprehensive list of primary source documents from Harry S. Truman regarding the Potsdam Conference and decision to use atomic weapons.
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Website
Oregon State University

Oregon State University: Atomic Energy and Nuclear History

For Students 9th - 10th
Exhibit from Oregon State University Library on Atomic Energy and the Struggle for International Control.
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Handout
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Online Exhibition: The Manhattan Project

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Documents by Manhattan Project scientists expressing their concern about nuclear weapons after the bombings in Japan.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Decision to Drop the Bomb

For Students 5th - 8th
Was it necessary to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in order to save lives? Were the consequences worse than the waiting for a surrender of Japan? Read this discussion of the decision to drop the bomb, find out about the possible motives...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Aftermath of the Decision [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A touching and horrifying description of the devastation caused by the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which brought about the surrender of Japan in World War II. Suggested student exercises accompany the information....
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Manhattan Project

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the Manhattan Project, the United States' attempt to create an atomic bomb before the scientists in Nazi Germany were able to.
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Atomic Fears and the Arms Race

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the impact of nuclear proliferation in the 1950s, including fears of atomic bombs and increasing militarization.
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Website
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: Glenn T. Seaborg, ph.d.

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography of Glenn Theodore Seaborg. He discovered the plutonium that was used in America's atomic bomb in World War II. He made many other important discoveries, but also worked for decades to promote nuclear disarmament and the safe...
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Unknown Type
EL Education

El Education: A Is for a Bomb

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A is for 4 A-Bomb was written and illustrated by a sophomore student at West Platte High School. The student created this project as part of a world history investigation on the atomic bomb. After researching the impact of the bombs and...
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Website
Oregon State University

Oregon State University: Atomic Energy and Nuclear History: Civil Defense

For Students 9th - 10th
Online exhibit from Oregon State University on Atomic Energy and Nuclear History, this section features philosphy of defense.
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Website
Oregon State University

Oregon State University: History of Nuclear Testing: Playing With Fire

For Students 9th - 10th
Oregon State University online exhibit provides information on nuclear weapons testing.
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Website
A&E Television

History.com: Vj Day: Victory Over Japan Day

For Students 9th - 10th
Comprehensive discussion of V-J Day or the day victory was declared in Japan. Includes details and facts about World War II and the war in the Pacific, the surrender, related photos and speeches, battle maps, and more.
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Handout
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Magnet Academy: Enrico Fermi

For Students 9th - 10th
Enrico Fermi was a titan of twentieth-century physics. He outlined the statistical laws that govern the behavior of particles that abide by the Pauli exclusion principle and developed a theoretical model of the atom in his mid-twenties....
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Website
Other

Nevada Test Site Oral History Project

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive look at the 50 years of nuclear testing in Nevada through oral histories of the participants. In addition to the histories, the site includes a timeline, information about the test sites, and videos.
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Graphic
Curated OER

The First Atomic Bomb Explodes at Trinity Test Site July 16, 1945.

For Students 9th - 10th
Use this site to learn the history of the controversial creation of the atomic bomb in the United States. Sound clips from National Public Radio and a photo gallery help to give you a first hand experience of the making of the atomic bomb.
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Handout
Flow of History

Flow of History: Nuclear Arms Race

For Students 9th - 10th
The events and countries involved in the nuclear arms race are profiled. Text plus a colored graphic flowchart make the topic visually appealing and of interest to both students and educators.
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Handout
Flow of History

Flow of History: World War Two in the Pacific

For Students 9th - 10th
The stages of World War Two in the Pacific is profiled. Through text and a colored graphic flowchart, one can easily follow the progression of hostility and battles in the Pacific. Useful for both students and educators.
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Interactive
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Secret Victories of the Kgb

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Explore the role of espionage in wartime and investigate Soviet spy activities during the Cold War. Trace the history of the atomic bomb and explore Soviet activities in stealing nuclear secrets during the Manhattan Project.