Series: Los Alamos County, NM, WWII Heritage City Lessons

This a series of lesson plans about the WWII home front, focused on Los Alamos County, New Mexico, as an American World War II Heritage City. The lessons contain photographs, readings, and primary sources, with optional extension activities. The lessons highlight specific contributions (such as weapons research, changing geography, and Native American lives during the war). The lessons also connect to larger themes and understandings of the US home front during wartime.

• Article 1: A Series of Lessons on Los Alamos, NM, WWII Heritage City

  

  Los Alamos Lessons Introduction. All three lessons, and the culminating lesson, support the development of understanding the significance of Los Alamos County, New Mexico as an American World War II Heritage City: its impacts to home front efforts with its contributions to The Manhattan Project, and the civilians and service members who contributed to the work. The lessons highlight specific contributions but connect to larger themes and understandings of the U.S. home front. Read more

• Article 2: (H)our History Lesson: The Development of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, WWII Heritage City

  

  This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front with Los Alamos County, New Mexico designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson has photographs, background reading, and interview and memoir excerpts to support learners’ understandings about the home front contributions of the people in Los Alamos. It explores the history of the land and its people, along with sharing perspectives from a child who grew up there and a US soldier. Read more

• Article 3: (H)our History Lesson: Historical Perspectives on the Atomic Bomb created at Los Alamos, Los Alamos County, New Mexico, WWII Heritage City

  

  This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front with Los Alamos County, New Mexico designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains photographs, a newspaper article, and two poems to compare. Los Alamos County was a site of development and final testing for the atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project. Selected resources contribute to learners’ understandings of multiple perspectives of the use and impact of the atomic bomb. Read more

• Article 4: (H)our History Lesson: Native American Home Front Contributions in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, WWII Heritage City

  

  This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front in Los Alamos County, New Mexico designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains primary sources, a secondary source, and pictures. The sources provide insight on Native American contributions to the home front in Los Alamos, like Dr. Floy Agnes Lee, in contrast to the usually limited employment opportunities for Native Americans. There are also resources on Pueblo pottery. Read more

• Article 5: (H)our History Lesson: Los Alamos County, New Mexico: Comparing and Connecting WWII Home Front Cities

  

  This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains photographs, reading, and primary sources, with an optional activity. It combines lesson themes from the three other lessons in the collection to summarize the city’s contributions and encourage connections to the overall U.S. home front efforts. Read more