World War II (WWII) - D-Day Primary Source Stations Activity (PDF and Digital)

The intent of this lesson is to expose students to a variety of topics in a short amount of time using fun and engaging methods. Each station of this NO PREP activity contains enthralling primary source accounts. The activity is available in print and digital format. After completing this lesson, students will have a depth of understanding about the D-Day invasion, the sacrifices made during the attack, and the impact the invasion had on the overall outcome of World War II. Students will examine each of the following topics: 1. D-Day Overview, 2. Preparation and Planning, 3. Airborne Operations, 4. Operation Fortitude, 5. Beach Landings, 6. Victory in Normandy. Each station contains a brief description, along with intriguing primary source accounts and historic photosets. The lesson is easily adaptable to fit your teaching style. The following methods have proven to be the most successful in my classroom:

1. Go Virtual! Included directions for teachers make implementing the digital activity a breeze.

- Students individually examine all station passages and complete the corresponding Google Docs worksheet (with pre-inserted text answer boxes for increased ease of use) and submit through Google Classroom. You can also assign the worksheet to a group of students and allow them to work together virtually to complete the assignment.

2. Hang the information sheets around the class and have students rotate to each sheet.

- This is my favorite because it gets students up and moving. You can assign the worksheet that accompanies this activity, or simply have them summarize each topic as they rotate.

3. Split the students into groups and assign one sheet per group. Have the students read the information sheet and prepare to present the information to the rest of the class.

- I assign a number to each group member (number the first group, then start back at 1 for the next group, so that you have multiple 1’s, 2’s, etc. throughout the class) and after students have had adequate time to prepare I tell them all the 2’s are presenting. This method motivates students because they don’t know which group member is presenting until it is time to present.

4. Form groups of 6 and have the students pass around the information sheets.

- I’ve found the best approach for this method is to give students a set amount of time and then have all students pass their sheets to the right when told.

The versatility of this activity allows for several culminating assessments. Typically, once students have completed one of the methods above, I have them write a journal entry from the point of view of a soldier during D-Day. I encourage them to include as much information from the stations as possible. Also, I have the students produce the 3 leading reasons the Allied were victorious at D-Day and we have a class debate to determine what factors were most influential in determining D-Day victory.

I hope you and your students enjoy this activity. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and your students will love this gripping reading passage about the Invasion of Poland

WWII - Invasion of Poland Reading Passage

Jaw-dropping primary source account of the Bataan Death March

Bataan Death March Reading Passage

Thrilling primary source account of a Japanese Kamikaze Attack

Kamikaze Attack Reading Passage

Gripping primary source reading passage on the Battle of Berlin

The Battle of Berlin Reading Passage

Save time and money while increasing student engagement and growth! FULL PREVIEW AVAILABLE! Check it out!

Westward Expansion Unit Bundle

You and your students will love this American Indians Stations Activity!

American Indians Stations Activity

Save time and money while increasing student growth!

American Imperialism/Spanish-American War Unit BUNDLE

You and your students will love this engaging Spanish-American War stations activity!

American Imperialism/Spanish-American War Stations Activity

You and your students will love this engaging immigration and urbanization stations activity!!

Immigration and Urbanization Stations Activity

Increase student growth and engagement with intriguing primary source accounts of the Progressive Era!

The Progressive Movement Era Stations Activity

Increase student growth and engagement with intriguing primary source accounts of WWI Weapon Advancements!

WWI Weapon Advancements Stations Activity

Increase student growth and engagement with intriguing primary source accounts of Hoboes during the Great Depression!

Riding the Rails Stations Activity

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

★★★Customer Tips:

How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases:

- Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you.

Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches:

-Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. You will now receive email updates about this store.