Since we firmly believe in the importance of studying World War II, we are providing this unit for free. This unit study covers language arts, history, science, math, and art. You will be doing a variety of hands on activities as you work your way through World War II for kids. You will be reading a book about the Holocaust, watching some great videos, and playing through a campaign of Undaunted Normandy. It is geared toward grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 but can be adjusted for higher or lower grades. You can find this unit on our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/33735782. If you like our blog or want to access more of our unit studies, become a patron!
Today we
are sharing 3 games for studying world war II. It can be a tricky topic to
cover given some of the atrocities that occurred during that time. It is so
important to learn about though. Each year brings the war further from memory
and that increases the likelihood that history will repeat itself. So, study
this topic! To help, tomorrow we will bring you a free unit study curriculum
for world war II. In the mean time, here are our 3 games.
Undaunted
Normandy
This is a 2
player deck building game in which you will be playing through battles that occurred
at Normandy. The game contains a book of scenarios to play through. Each
scenario is a separate battle between the Germans and Allies. The cards available
to build your deck with are based on what was actually available to each side
in that real life battle. It is an immersive war game that is very accessible.
It is also the board game that will be in our board game based unit study
tomorrow.
Captain
Sonar
U-boats
were a big part of the war and this game simulates that experience. Captain
Sonar can be played with 2-8 players. Each team has 4 roles to fill. The captain
will be navigating the sub through the waters. The first mate readies systems
so the captain can fire missiles or use sonar. The engineer will be trying to
keep the sub from breaking down. Lastly, is the radar operator, who will be tracking
the movements of the other team and trying to pin down their location. It can
be played turn by turn or in real time. Real time has teams playing constantly,
is chaotic, but also more realistic. There is also a family version that is
great for 2-4 players.
Secret
Hitler
This game
has had a bit of controversy around it. It is such a good game though, for play
and especially for learning. We have never played a game of Secret Hitler
without explaining the election that brought him to power. Most people we have
played with have questioned our playing it. After discussion about how Hitler
gained power in the first place, everyone wants to see if they would have
elected him too. We would all like to think that we wouldn’t have, but this
game helps us remember that we are looking at the situation with 20/20
hindsight. If we want to prevent a future “Hitler”, it is important to know how
the first one gained power. There is also a free print and play edition
available here: https://www.secrethitler.com/.
There are
so many games about WWII. Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
