World War I Lesson Plans and Other Resources from the Gilder Lehrman Institute

Peace Congress, Versailles 1919, Session of 28 June 1919: Agenda. (Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC00752)In July 2018, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, in collaboration with the US World War I Centennial Commission, National History Day, and the National World War I Museum and Memorial, embarked on a comprehensive two-year program to educate teachers and students on World War I through a series of more than 100 teaching events nationwide, including workshops and webinars.

Through this program, the Gilder Lehrman Institute is currently presenting 40 one-day professional development programs in 40 cities—20 programs per year in the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 school years. These programs, which built on similar GLI/WWICC programs held in 2017 in Albuquerque, Anchorage, Detroit, Louisville, New York City, Providence, and San Diego, offer an immersive WWI experience.

Each professional development program includes scholarly presentations by American history professors with expert knowledge in WWI, breakout pedagogy sessions with the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Master Teacher Fellows, and classroom-ready teaching materials, all in keeping with the Institute’s ongoing mission to deliver high-quality professional development to teachers across the country.

In the continued spirit of historical education, particularly around this centennial event, the Institute offers the following classroom-ready lesson plans and other fascinating World War I resources:

Color poster by Charles E. Chambers, 1917 (Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09522)Lesson plans by Ron Nash and John McNamara, Senior Education Fellows:

American Women and World War I 

Americans All: Foreign-born Soldiers and World War I

An essay by Jennifer D. Keene, professor of history at Chapman University:

World War I

An interactive timeline of America’s involvement in World War I:

World War I and America

A Spotlight on Primary Sources by E. G. Renesch and Charles Gustrine:

Recruiting posters for African American soldiers, 1918