Students in Upper Elementary are usually very interested in learning about World War II and the Holocaust. Read on for resources to engage and teach students when doing a World War II Novel Study.
The concept can be tricky to navigate between balancing age appropriate information in upper elementary with the realities of the events of World War II.
World War II Novel Study- Activate Background Knowledge
I like to kick off this Novel Study building the students background knowledge surrounding the general events leading up to World War II, the countries involved in the war and information about the treatment of Jewish people in Europe.
KWL
By 5th grade many students are familiar with World War II, while others may be more unfamiliar. Starting off with the K & W of a KWL (What do you Know about WWII and What do you want to know?) helps to get a gauge to see how much background information most of your students have at the start of the World War II novel study.
Videos
FYI: I only endorse things that I've personally used or have come highly recommended from my teacher friends and family and think they may be helpful to you. If you buy anything mentioned using my Amazon referral links, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
There are many video resources that do a great job of engaging and informing students in middle and high school. John Green’s Crash Course videos are a fantastic resource for more mature students.
Teaching is the Sweetest Thing also cultivated quite a video list for older students at World War II Websites and Videos for Kids. Even if you have younger students, check out the videos to see if they would be worth it. I am always happy with the quality of Ted-Ed’s videos, but have not use these WWII videos that are linked.
A Kid Explain’s History
It is a bit more of a challenge to find resources to support students in upper elementary. A Kid Explain’s History has a perfect video for the upper elementary range. In it the kid uses the Star Wars world to compare the Axis and Allied powers to the Empire and the Rebels. This video does a great job of showing the countries involved and a basic overview of the war.
BrainPop
If you are lucky enough to have a BrainPop membership, they have quite a few videos that are highly informative and are designed for the upper elementary age group.
- World War II Causes
- World War II
- The Holocaust
- Adolf Hitler
- Anne Frank
- Pearl Harbor
- Japanese-American Incarceration
Time Lapse
The final video that can be helpful is a time lapse of the changing borders of European countries. This is a helpful visual for students to see how much land Germany invaded during the war. The only thing to be prepared for is that the years listed below on the video are helpful, but are unfortunately off by a few years. I believe the events of World War II are lined up around the 1950s, which is not true. I still show the video, I just pause it and share with. the students that the years are not exactly lined up.
Anne Frank
The World War II novel the my class reads in 5th grade is Behind the Bedroom Wall. This is the fictional story of a German girl named Korinna, who is very involved in her Jungmadel youth group and believes very strongly in the vision of Hitler. She is surprised to find that her parents have been hiding a Jewish mother and young daughter in their house.
To prepare my students to understand how Jewish people could hide for long periods of time, we research and learn about Anne Frank. The Anne Frank Museum has a fantastic website that includes an interactive map of how Anne’s family manages to hide for over two years.
After learning about Anne Frank, I allow time for my students to explore the Anne Frank Museum website and check out the secret annex.
World War II Novel Study Novels
Below are some of the books that I have used while doing a WWII novel study. My class does a World War II Novel Study on Behind the Bedroom Wall. While we are reading the book, I make the others listed below available for the students to read or look through. I use The Butterfly, a picture book by Patricia Polacco, as either a kick off or wrap up to the entire novel study.
Behind the Bedroom Wall
(Lexile- 660, 186 Pages, Grade level 5th & 6th Grade)
Korinna learns that her parents are secretly harboring a family of Jewish refugees in their house. This is a perfect novel for upper elementary students as it explores how so many people were able to follow Hilter and the internal conflict that Korinna struggles with throughout the book as she gets to know the Jewish family hiding in her house.
I have created a novel study at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Check it out here.
Bomb
(Lexile- 920, 186 Pages, Grade level 5th- 8th Grades)
Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon is a perfect book to put in the hands of a non-fiction reader. This is the fascinating story of how the atomic bomb was created.
Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors and Submarines
Alan Gratz World War II Novels
- Allies
- Refugee (1 of 3 main characters is directly affected by Nazi Germany)
- Prisoner B-3087
Number the Stars
The Butterfly (picture book)
Who Was? & What Was? World War II Novels
These books are a great fit for upper elementary because they are a thoughtful and age appropriate introduction to the unimaginable events of World War II.
I Survived Series
- I Survived the Nazi Invasion
- I Survived the Battle of D-Day
- I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
Recommended Book Search (CCBC)
If you are looking for more World War II Novel Study books, I really like the search that the Cooperative Children’s Book Center out of the University of Wisconsin Madison uses. You can type in any topic in the search bar and click on the ages you would like to search.
World War II Novels To Be Read (TBR)
These are WWII novels I have heard positive reviews about, but have not yet read and would like to read them to see if they could be incorporated in my 5th grade classroom.
Many blogs have a list of the same books to use for a World War II Novel Study. Here are a few blogs that had a pretty lengthy list with titles that were new to me.
50 of the Best World War II Books for Middle Schoolers
Favorite WWII Books for Kids and Teens
Your Turn . . .
Have you done a World War II Novel Study in upper elementary? Any books that were great to read or should be skipped? Any suggestions for learning about World War II with upper elementary student? I would love to hear about it.
Looking For More Resources for Teaching Reading?
Great Books for Struggling Readers in Upper Elementary
How to Find Good Independent Reading Books for Students
Teach Students to Abandon Books They Don’t Enjoy
