World Wars Teaching Resources

Everything you need to teach about World War I and World War II in your elementary or middle school history classes is here. Explore comprehension passages, worksheets, Google Slide templates and more teacher resources created by teachers to help students understand why the US got involved in the two major world wars and the impacts each one had globally and on American society.

Is this your first year teaching students about the world wars? Not sure where to begin? Read on for some helpful answers to kids' big questions about World Wars One and Two, plus some handy ideas for teaching about world wars from our teacher team.

What Is a World War? A Kid-Friendly Definition

The term world war may be one that's familiar to your students after years of attending Veterans Day assemblies and Memorial Day parades. They may even have family members, friends or neighbors who have served or are serving in wars that are being waged overseas.

But how do you explain what is considered a world war to your students? Here's how our teacher team explains this term to our classes:

A world war is technically any war that involves the military of many of the biggest nations in the world, however, the phrase is typically only used to refer to two specific wars that were fought in the 20th century.

These wars are known as World War 1 and World War 2.

Engaging Ideas for Teaching About World War I and World War II

World War I ended in 1918, and World War II ended in 1945. With that in mind, it may be hard for today's students to envision life in a world overshadowed by war. So how do you engage your classes in this important historical topics?

In addition to the printable and digital teacher resources in this collection, we've put together some ideas to help you capture your students' attention:

1. Create an Archduke Ferdinand Murder Mystery

Considered the start of World War I, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914 changed the world as its known today.

Challenge your students to solve the mystery of who killed the archduke and why with a murder mystery.

Create an old-fashioned silhouette on the ground in your classroom using painter's tape, and hide clues throughout the classroom leading your students to the identity of Bosnian Serb — and gunman — Gavrilo Princip

2. Re-enact Life in the Trenches

Line a section of your classroom with lines of brown paper, and have students sit on the paper to imagine what life was like for soldiers serving in the trenches in World War I. You can pair this with a writing exercise, with students writing letters home as if they were soldiers fighting in a war far, far from home.

3. Explore the World War Dazzle Boats

Are you familiar with the dazzle boats from World War I and II? Painted with zebra stripes, these boats used by British and American forces were supposed to "dazzle" the enemy, and the story is sure to dazzle your fourth graders too!

Why not take a cross-curricular approach to the topic, studying the artist who invented this unique camouflage, researching the individual boats and even exploring optical illusions in your science lessons?