Background

Most students are reading history textbooks written from the perspective of American authors or writers. An interesting lesson would be for students to research how events or battles are written from different perspectives.

Activity

Students may choose events or battle that occurred in different countries and do some research and report to the class how the students in that country are reading about them. For example, how are Japanese children reading about Pearl Harbor or how are German students reading about the Holocaust or Hitler?

Internet Resources

British Broadcasting Company (BBC) website on World War 2:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2children/index.shtml

Deutsche Welle Website on WW2:

http://www6.dw-world.de/en/worldwarII.php

Canadian War Museum Website: Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War:

http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/newspapers/intro_e.html

Extension

Ask students to prepare a three-point debate about the causes or results of the war from the perspective of a different country.

(lesson contributed by Teresa Begley)