world war 2 research project ks2

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10 facts about World War 2

Learn about this hugely important event in british history….

In September 1939, Britain entered into what would become the world’s most devastating war to date. Learn all about the events that changed the lives of millions in our World War 2 facts….

World War 2 facts

1.   world war 2  was a battle between two groups of countries.

– the “ Allies ” and the “ Axis “. The major Allied Powers were Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States. The major Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan.

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2.  Before World War 2 began, Germany was ruled by a man named Adolf Hitler

Together with the  Nazi Party , he wanted Germany to rule Europe. To gain more land and power, on 1 September 1939 German troops invaded Poland. After Hitler refused to stop the invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany – World War II had begun.

3. During the course of the war, German forces advanced through Europe.

By the summer of 1941 they had invaded France , Belgium , Holland , Luxembourg , Denmark , Norway , Greece , Yugoslavia * and the USSR *.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable  Second World War primary resource ? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

4.  Millions of Germans were imprisoned and killed because they didn’t fit the image of the ‘perfect’ German

Hitler wanted to create what he thought was the “best” and strongest race – and to the Nazi Party, this excluded certain groups, such as Jews , Gypsies and those with physical and mental disabilities . In an attempt to eliminate a “racial enemy” outside of Germany, such groups were also persecuted in the countries invaded by German forces.

5.  The group most heavily targeted by the Nazis were the Jews

Around six million Jewish people were killed during World War 2 in one of history’s most terrible events – the Holocaust. Racist in his views, Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany losing World War I and claimed they were dangerous to German people and society.

6.  Around the same time that Germany fought for power in Europe, Japan wanted to control Asia and the Pacific

In 1937 (before World War 2 had officially begun) under Emperor Hirohito , Japan attacked China, bringing the two nations into years of conflict.

7.  The US didn’t join the war until 1941, when Japan attacked the United States

– at their Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii . On 8 December 1941 (the very next day), the US declared War on Japan and, in turn, its German allies.

8.  Some countries remained ‘neutral’ in World War 2

Such countries were Spain , Sweden and Switzerland – who  chose not to join either side.

9.  The Germans surrendered on  8 May 1945

In 1944, an Allied army crossed from Britain to free France from Nazi rule. One year later, Allied armies invaded Germany, forcing the Germans to surrender. After  nuclear attacks on Japan’s major cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki , Japan also surrendered to Allied forces in August the same year. World War 2 had ended.

10.  Around 64 million people died in World War 2

Find out more about the countries involved in World War 2 with our Germany , Japan and USA facts . Plus, learn about the life of Anne Frank , a young German girl who wrote a world-famous diary… 

With thanks to Dr. Matthew Thomas from the National Army Museum and Ian Kikuchi from the Imperial War Museum , London.

*yugoslavia was a country established in 1918 in south-east europe, which included modern-day serbia, montenegro, croatia, slovenia and bosnia-herzegovina., *ussr (union of soviet socialist republics, or the soviet union) was a former country which included modern-day russia, ukraine and estonia, as well as other socialist states., what did you think of our world war 2 facts let us know by leaving a comment below., leave a comment.

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It was a transcendental event for humanity that we must avoid repeating because today there is greater military power and with several countries that have nuclear bombs. It would be a universal disaster without losers and winners.

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3/ & in Africa they invaded Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, British Somaliland; & and Britain in the Channel Islands; 6/ & Italy wanted to control large tracts of Africa to include Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti & British Somaliland. 8/ Portugal was neutral and so was Eire: if the former held sympathies for Britain the latter was a non belligérant sympathiser of Nazi Germany to the extent of mourning Hitler’s death, generously welcoming German children after the War Marshall Plan funds asssisting the war weary countries, and responding to an invitation to join NATO with a “....only if you give back our six counties”. Who needs enemies with friends like that ?

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Science ideas webs

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World War II

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A web of suggested ideas for linking science with the topic World War II. 

This web acts as a tool to support topic planning and the embedding of cross-curricular links. Each topic is split into three age ranges to cover different abilities.

Tha an goireas seo ri fhaotainn anns a’ Ghàidhlig cuideachd

Faigh tionndadh Gàidhlig .

If you need to link a specific area of science to a topic, then science ideas webs can be used to provide relevant, scientifically-accurate links. Alternatively, if you have more flexibility as to the science embedded, the science ideas webs provide a variety of possible biology, chemistry and physics links for you to choose from based on what fits best contextually.

World War II - science ideas webs

How to use science ideas webs, additional information.

The science ideas webs in this resource are licensed under an  Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence . © Royal Society of Chemistry 2015,  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 .

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Research starters.

Beginning a research paper on World War II can be daunting. With Research Starters, you can get a basic introduction to major WWII topics, see recommended secondary sources, and view primary sources you can use from the Museum’s collection.

Research Starters: Worldwide Deaths in World War II

See estimates for worldwide deaths, broken down by country, in World War II. 

Research Starters: US Military by the Numbers

See a breakdown of numbers in the US military, by branch and year, in World War II. 

Research Starters: The Draft and World War II

On September 16, 1940, the United States instituted the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft.

Research Starters: The GI Bill

Research Starters: Higgins Boats

In the late 1930s, the U.S. military began developing small boats that could carry troops from ships to open beaches.

Research Starters: The Battle of Midway

Fought between the U.S. and Japanese navies June 4-7, 1942, this battle turned the tide of the war in the Pacific in favor of the Americans.

Research Starters: Women in World War II

With ever-growing orders for war materials combined with so many men overseas fighting the war, women were called upon to work in ways previously reserved only for men.

Ration Books

Ask anyone who remembers life on the Home Front during World War II about their strongest memories and chances are they will tell you about rationing. You see, the war caused shortages of all sorts of things: rubber, metal, clothing, etc. But it was the shortages of various types of food that affected just about everyone on a daily basis.

Take A Closer Look: America Goes to War

America's isolation from war ended on December 7, 1941, when Japan staged a surprise attack on American military installations in the Pacific. 

History At a Glance: Women in World War II

American women played important roles during World War II, both at home and in uniform.

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World War 2

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Beyond the Lines WWII Animation

This is a very smart animation that reenacts different scenes of the beach landings during D-Day. This resource highlights the deaths by releasing 'Letters for Home' into the air. It provides a good insight to the chaos, panic and terror surrounding the soldiers. Look carefully around the setting and you will get clues that the story isn't all it seems. A visual story with a heartfelt message. The main focus for this lesson is linked to literacy and writing a simple recount statement for a newspaper article. This can also be used to write a first person narrative. Teaching Ideas: 1. Historical research on the landing beaches and the nationality of the troops 2. Hot-seating activities and character study 3. Linked to PDMU and Feelings

For full lesson plan click here.

World War II Short Film

This is a very smart animation that reenacts different scenes of the beach landings. This resource has a hint of authenticity and provides a good insight to the chaos, panic and terror surrounding the soldiers. Two boys enter the war zone which hints that this story is not all it seems.

A visual story with a heartfelt message.

Teaching Ideas

– Discuss thoughts and feelings of the soldiers in the different situations. Pause the screen at certain moments and allow children to create thought bubbles and stick them to the screen.

– Create a narrative in first person as a boy, grandfather, soldier or grandmother.

– Create a letter home to a family member.

– Questions and Answers with Grandfather.

– Create a setting word and key vocabulary bank

Overall a fantastic resource when looking at WWII

Blitz of Britain

Click the image to learn more about a variety of events linked to the Blitz of Britain using the information from the Imperial War Museum, Manchester. This museum provides school trips and is a fantastic way for your children to learn more about WW2 through a variety of interactive resources. To learn more about the museum visit  http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north .

Click the image to see how people in the UK and day to day life were affected.

Picture Resources

For almost six years from 1939 to 1945 Britain fought the toughest war it had ever experienced. World War II was total war – every person, every business, every service was involved.

Britain did not fight alone, the war also involved many countries. World War II involved 61 countries with 1.7 billion people (three quarters of the world’s population).

Fifty million people lost their lives and hundreds of millions people were injured.

This video resource has been taken by a drone and shows the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp as it is today – 70 years after it was liberated by Soviet troops.

Auschwitz is a concentration camp located in Poland and is now maintained as a World Heritage Site. The camp is visited by thousands of tourists and survivors every year.

Auschwitz was the largest camp established by the Germans during World War II. More than a million people – the vast majority of them Jews – died there between 1940, when it was built, and 1945, when it was liberated by the Soviet army.

The video shows the railway tracks into Auschwitz-Birkenau – Trains filled with victims from throughout occupied Europe arrived at the camp almost every day between 1942 and the summer of 1944.

Ruins of wooden huts at Birkenau – Birkenau (or Auschwitz II) was erected in 1941 solely as a death camp, the wooden huts are now in ruins with only brick fireplaces and chimneys remaining.

Entrance to Auschwitz I -The wrought-iron sign over the entrance bears the words Arbeit Macht Frei – “Work sets you free”.

Auschwitz I – The brick-built buildings were the former cavalry barracks of the Polish Army.

Courtyard between blocks 10 and 11 at Auschwitz I – Block 11 was called “the Block of Death” by prisoners. Executions took place between Block 10 and Block 11 and posts in the yard were used to string up prisoners by their wrists.

Everything on WW2

This resource provides you with everything you and your children need to know about World War 2.

You can browse through original sources, pictures and text to ensure your children are getting the most accurate knowledge of WW2.

WW2 Overview

A fantastic World War 2 collection of resources that have been broken down into sub-categories for easy navigation and reading.

Evacuees' Letters

Why was evacuation introduced by the Government?

The British government was worried that a new war might begin when Hitler came to power in 1933. They were afraid that British cities and towns would be targets for bombing raids by aircraft.

The first official evacuations began on September 1 1939, two days before the declaration of war.

A second evacuation effort was started after the Germans had taken over most of France. From June 13 to June 18, 1940, around 100,000 children were evacuated (in many cases re-evacuated).

When the Blitz began on 7 September 1940, children who had returned home or had not been evacuated were evacuated. London’s population was reduced by a little less than 25%.

Evacuation Facts

Here are some facts about the evacuation of children and mothers from cities to the countryside which took place in Britain during World War 2.

A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower.

It was an innovative military technique first used by the Germans in World War Two and was a tactic based on speed and surprise. Blitzkrieg relied on a military force be based around light tank units supported by planes and infantry (foot soldiers). The tactic was based on Alfred von Schlieffen’s ‘Schlieffen Plan’

WW2 Resources

A variety of resources linked to WW2.

Anne Frank Video Clip

A great resource exploring the short life of Anne Frank.

Born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, Anne Frank lived in Amsterdam with her family during World War II. Fleeing Nazi persecution of Jews, the family went into hiding for two years; during this time, Frank wrote about her experiences and wishes. She was 15 when the family was found and sent to the camps, where she died. Her work,  The Diary of Anne Frank , has gone on to be read by millions.

D-Day Landings - Voices

It was an invasion, the biggest one in history. It’s a key date in the story of the second world war.

The whole operation was codenamed Overlord. It happened on 6 June 1944 after five years of war with Germany.

Listen first hand to the people who experienced D-Day. The clips have been broken down into sections for easy navigation.

Animated resource showing the different attacks on German Soldiers during the D-Day Landings.

Projector and Gunner

This is a 90cm anti-aircraft projector or searchlight.

They were used at night to light up enemy planes. This made it easier for the gunners and night fighter pilots to find targets.

Each searchlight was operated by ten men.  By the end of 1940, the Royal Artillery had 62 searchlight regiments, each with up to 96 searchlights.

British Tanks (List)

A list of all the tanks used by the British and Allied soldiers in World War 2.

Resource Bank

A great WW2 quiz for KS2 and many more resources to develop your children’s understanding of WW2 events.

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Resources you can trust

The Blitz – researching and reporting

This superb resource provides questions to support KS2 children in their research of the Blitz. Children go on to consider how British people would have felt during the German air raids. Finally, they use information from real World War Two accounts to write a newspaper report about the bombing of Coventry or London. A newspaper template containing handy prompts is included, and can be enlarged to A3.

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Resources you might like.

Primary History KS2: World War 2 Clips

BBC Teach > School Radio > History

Teaching resources for Key Stage 2 History - World War Two - with video clips using material from the BBC archive. Topics include evacuation, the Blitz, rationing, songs, news reports, speeches, eye-witness accounts.

WW2 Sounds. collection WW2 Sounds

Some of the most evocative sounds of the War, including authentic air-raid sirens.

WW2 Evacuation. collection WW2 Evacuation

News reports and interviews with families and children about the Evacuation.

The Blitz. collection The Blitz

News reports on the Blitz and descriptions from adults and children of being bombed.

WW2 Speeches. collection WW2 Speeches

WW2 speeches including Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain.

WW2 Songs. collection WW2 Songs

Clips from some of the most popular songs and music from the War years.

WW2 News. collection WW2 News

News reports covering some of the key events of the War.

More from this topic

History KS2: World War Two. collection History KS2: World War Two

Using archive clips, images and first-person experiences this series of short films offers a comprehensive overview of World War Two from start to finish.

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World War II

This list consists of lesson plans, activities and ideas to support the teaching of science through the topic of  World War II. It contains ideas for how to link science to the topic, tips on using the resources, suggestions for further use and background subject knowledge to support teachers in delivering the science objectives through this topic.  Resources support the teaching of the science topics light, Earth in Space, forces, electricity and materials. This enables teachers to choose which aspect of science they would like to teach within the overarching topic.

Visit the primary resources for cross curricular topics webpage to access all resource lists: https://www.stem.org.uk/cross-curricular-topics-resources

Phases of the Moon

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Royal Observatory Greenwich

Earth in Space

During WWII many of the attacks took place during the night. In fact certain phases of the moon were given nicknames by the RAF men such as ‘Bombers Moon’. On numerous occasions famous battle dates were set in order to take advantage of the certain phase of the moon.

Which phases of the moon were likely to be used for bombing raids? When would the next ‘Bombers Moon’ be?

This resource explains the phases of the moon and how they occur including a recording template for the phases of the moon activity.

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: National Schools' Observatory

This resource or ‘giant jigsaw puzzle’ offers the students the opportunity to fully explore the lunar surface and assemble the completed images of the Moon.

Words Along Wires

Quality Assured Category: Design and technology Publisher: Siemens

Electricity

The Second World War showed an increase reliance on the use of electricity from creating complex circuits to power search lights, sending signals to set off air raid sirens and sending messages to different positions on the fighting line.

As part of the messaging system the Army and Navy etc used the Morse code. Challenge the children to make their own electrical circuit which recreates a Morse code system, possibly even with a different switch for the longer and shorter light flashes.

This resource contains all the instructions and a copy of the .. - -  dot / dash coding system for the alphabet and number systems. (See File 3 - Using a circuit).

How Light Travels

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Teachers TV

A very famous invention in WWII was the Bouncing Bomb which was invented in 1942; they were used to destroy the dams at Mohne in the Ruhr area by blowing up the dam walls. It was a very difficult job to work out when to drop the bombs on the surface of the water, so they used a special system to measure their height from the surface of the water, when the two lights, one at the front and one at the back of the plane met, then the set height had been achieved.

Can you investigate at what angle the lights need to be in order to give a specific height when the light beams meet? The children will need to use models of the approximate scale of the planes (a piece of card will suffice) and torches set a specific angle to then try to recreate the beams. They could then lower the ‘plane’ until the two beams touch, then this will allow them to create a table showing the angle of the beam compared to the height of the plane which the Dambusters used in order to create the ideal height at which to release the bouncing bombs.

This short video creates an ideal opportunity to talk about light angles and overlapping of light beams etc.

Modelling Light

The children obviously need to understand how light travels and reaches their eyes so that they can ‘see’ the object, if they are still unsure of this you may need to complete a demonstration and activity such as the one on the video  prior to designing and making the periscopes .

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: BAE Systems

Submarines became powerful forces of action in WWII as they had the ability to hide beneath the surface of the sea, yet still attack ships and boats as they sailed with precious cargos either of provisions or fighting men and their equipment. In order to see where their target was they used periscopes. This was also true of the soldiers who were in the trenches who used periscopes to watch the enemy. Can you design and create your own periscope to look around the corner of the class cloakroom?

Vanished: a Blitz Mystery

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Centre for Science Education

From September 1940, the Luftwaffe began to focus its attacks on British cities. Many different bombs including explosive bombs and incendiaries were dropped on the UK. The incendiary bombs were designed to start fires. Can you classify and group a range of materials based on which would be most suitable for house construction especially during war time periods? Investigate the construction of wartime shelters such as Anderson shelters and the materials which they were constructed of and why.

Use this activity to investigate the knowledge of different liquids and for pupils to discuss the evidence and information they have to decide on what happened during this bombing raid. Health and Safety – please read the attached information in the resource carefully and decide if you are going to use this more as a demonstration activity or if you are going to substitute the materials for more suitable chemicals to use in the classroom.

Forces and Air Resistance

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Rolls-Royce

Barnes Wallis the inventor of the bouncing bomb had to overcome many difficulties and challenges whilst creating the bomb. He had to make a lot of calculations based on the air and water resistance which the bombs would be exposed to, from leaving the plane, through the air, hitting the water and then the final bounce towards the wall.

This link allows the pupils to investigate the air resistance created by shapes with poor aerodynamics (Air resistance – activity 1) and then look at the forces created as different shapes move (Forces and air resistance –activity 3).

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World War 2 KS2 (Year 5/6) Art Project

Subject: Art and design

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

2 September 2020

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A mixed media project including printing, watercolour/poster paint washes and collage. Included - assessment sheet (lesson by lesson with space for both learner and teacer feedback and end of project self-evaluation), lesson by lesson Power Point (each lesson includes Slide with Learning Intention and Slide with guidance notes and images which can remain on board throughout lesson) , Lesson by lesson SOW including guidance on how high and low ability learners might be extended/supported.

This is one project in a 36-project, KS1/2 Art programme of study available for purchase at £300. Pack includes instructional videos, holistic curriculum coverage, worksheets, whole program materials list (for easy ordering), whole program equipment list (for easy ordering) and Artist information. Contact [email protected] for more details.

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