World War II Scrapbook project
World War II Scrapbook project
The Scene: It’s 1945, and World War II has finally ended. It’s time for you to put your memories, good and/or bad, together. Many of your most vivid memories will be captured for your children and grandchildren to look at in the years to come.
The Task: Your assignment is to create an authentic looking scrapbook to share with your children & grandchildren. As you design your scrapbook, consider these factors:
Choose a character: select from the list below, or develop your own character.
In the war: Choose a theater of war, a branch of the military, and a particular period of two years. You can be a soldier, nurse, officer, liberator of a specific concentration camp, aide to a general, etc…
· The Pacific (many of the soldiers here were in the Army Air Force)
· Western Europe
· North Africa (you’ll probably need to include events relating to both the US and British campaigns)
· Italy (again, you’ll probably need to include events relating to both the US and British campaigns)
· A WAVE (Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service)
· A WAAC (WAC) (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps)
· A WASP ( Women Air Force Service Pilot)
On the home front:
· A soldier’s sweetheart following him in a specific theater of war through his letters and the news media
· A Japanese-American about to be “relocated”
· A Rosie-the-Riveter type female worker
· A scientist (or other worker) on a top secret project at Los Alamos
· A teen whose older brother signed up to fight in the war
· Air raid warden
· USO entertainer or volunteer
The Process:
Make sure your scrapbook includes the following:
· A description or timeline of the major events of the two years you are following (ten major events)
· 5 authentic and relevant historic photographs (can check American Memory, Life, Time, etc.)
· 3 actual news clippings.
· 1 personal letter – created & written by you, based on historical fact
· 1 document relevant to your experience during the period (speech, legislation, poster, etc.)
· 3 artifacts with explanations. These might include: images of your weapons (s), drawings, political cartoons, an invitation, medals, images, mock ups of draft notices, representations of clothing, badges, posters, currency, your ship, your tank, your factory, your buddies, etc.
· Every item in your scrapbook should be dated and annotated with at least a paragraph explaining its importance…made relevant to you whenever possible/appropriate.
· Your works cited page should appear in the back of your scrapbook.
Here’s another site to help you gather information:
20th Century American History - Use this to find some more general background information before checking links & resources listed below.
*Based on a webquest found here created by Joyce Valenza, Len Arlen, and Chris Shelly
World War II Scrapbook project
The Scene: It’s 1945, and World War II has finally ended. It’s time for you to put your memories, good and/or bad, together. Many of your most vivid memories will be captured for your children and grandchildren to look at in the years to come.
The Task: Your assignment is to create an authentic looking scrapbook to share with your children & grandchildren. As you design your scrapbook, consider these factors:
- World War II had an enormous impact on the culture and society of the United States.
- Why was there a second world war?
- Why and how did Americans sacrifice for World War II?
Choose a character: select from the list below, or develop your own character.
In the war: Choose a theater of war, a branch of the military, and a particular period of two years. You can be a soldier, nurse, officer, liberator of a specific concentration camp, aide to a general, etc…
· The Pacific (many of the soldiers here were in the Army Air Force)
· Western Europe
· North Africa (you’ll probably need to include events relating to both the US and British campaigns)
· Italy (again, you’ll probably need to include events relating to both the US and British campaigns)
· A WAVE (Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service)
· A WAAC (WAC) (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps)
· A WASP ( Women Air Force Service Pilot)
On the home front:
· A soldier’s sweetheart following him in a specific theater of war through his letters and the news media
· A Japanese-American about to be “relocated”
· A Rosie-the-Riveter type female worker
· A scientist (or other worker) on a top secret project at Los Alamos
· A teen whose older brother signed up to fight in the war
· Air raid warden
· USO entertainer or volunteer
The Process:
Make sure your scrapbook includes the following:
· A description or timeline of the major events of the two years you are following (ten major events)
· 5 authentic and relevant historic photographs (can check American Memory, Life, Time, etc.)
· 3 actual news clippings.
· 1 personal letter – created & written by you, based on historical fact
· 1 document relevant to your experience during the period (speech, legislation, poster, etc.)
· 3 artifacts with explanations. These might include: images of your weapons (s), drawings, political cartoons, an invitation, medals, images, mock ups of draft notices, representations of clothing, badges, posters, currency, your ship, your tank, your factory, your buddies, etc.
· Every item in your scrapbook should be dated and annotated with at least a paragraph explaining its importance…made relevant to you whenever possible/appropriate.
· Your works cited page should appear in the back of your scrapbook.
Here’s another site to help you gather information:
20th Century American History - Use this to find some more general background information before checking links & resources listed below.
*Based on a webquest found here created by Joyce Valenza, Len Arlen, and Chris Shelly
- Time Magazine Archives - WWII
Life Magazine Archive
LHS Media Center Research page
The History Place - PBS' The War Resources
- Veteran's History Project Digital Records through Library of Congress
- America from the Great Depression to World War II - American Memory
War Poster Collection (University of Washington Library)
National Archives: Powers of Persuasion - Poster Art from WWII
An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites
World War II Poster Collection - Northwestern University Library
World War II Military Situation Maps - American Memory
The Perilous Fight - PBS
They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II (PBS)
Fly Girls (PBS American Experience)
The Holocaust Chronicle
The Nuremburg Trials
Telling Their Stories: Oral Histories of the Holocaust
Holocaust Survivors
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Historic Government Documents from World War II - SMU Library
Rutgers Oral History Archive
Voices from World War II: Experiences from the Front and at Home (UMKC Library)
Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)
World War II Primary Source Document Collection
Our Documents - primary sources
Rosie the Riveter - Women Working during World War II
BBC news stories World War II