Today marks the anniversary of one of the most significant events in American history. On June 6, 1944 the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy thus causing the tide to turn in the European theater. This invasion was the beginning of the end for the Germans in WWII. I feel the best way to teach about American history is through of lens of those people who were there. Eyewitnesses and first-hand accounts are naturally your best primary source. Analyzing historical events so easily lends itself to embedding literacy standards involving credible sources, first and second-hand accounts, point of view, and bias. You can bet a diary entry written by a French civilian would have a completely different slant than a letter to a loved one back home penned by a soldier about to rally straight off a boat onto the shores of Omaha Beach. *Disclaimer, normally I advocate using movie trailers from IMDB.com as a lesson hook. Please be extremely cautious when showing clips of D-Day. I would never show clips from Saving Private Ryan to students because while the movie is extremely well-done, it is entirely too graphic for children of any age. I have shown interviews … Continue reading Tips for Teaching D-Day Any Day