Ideas on how to teach World War II Historical Fiction:

  • Have a Holocaust survivor come into to talk to the class.
  • "A Day in their shoes" Give each student a role (Nazi, Jew, American Soldier, Concentration camp victim). Treat them each differently based on their position, each student must wear the symbol of their rank, treat each other differently.
  • Watch Movies:
    • Sophie's Choice
    • Band of Brothers
    • Diary of Anne Frank
    • Schindler's List
    • The Thin Red Line
    • Saving Private Ryan
    • Patton
    • The Pianist
    • The Great Escape
    • Pearl Harbor
    • Midway
  • Real Life Documentaries
    • Hitler's Speeches
    • Triumph of the Will
    • British/American Figurehead Speeches
  • Have students write from Pictures taken during the time. (Images of holocaust camps, war scenes, etc.)
  • Discuss the human/societal issues of the time.
  • Watch true life events


Novels for World War II Historical Fiction:

  • Stones in Water
  • If I Should Die Before I Wake
  • Night
  • Schindler's List
  • Sophie's Choice
  • Diary of Anne Frank