INTRODUCTION:
This project is designed to introduce students to primary source material
by having them participate in an exercise in historical "what might
have been." Students will engage in critical thinking and document
analysis and, through the process, will learn more about Operation OVERLORD
and World War II in general. This "Spy Kit" centers on Operation
OVERLORD and is designed to allow students to play the role of fictitious
German agents who penetrate General Eisenhower's headquarters to secretly
photograph, within a short time period, a few critically important operations
planning and intelligence documents.
The "Spy Kit"
scenario is one of several formats, which can be designed to teach students
about World War II and can be readily modified to fit the needs of individual
classes and students. For example, the number of documents included
in this packet can be increased and substitutions made to further specific
teaching objectives. While this project suggests a 20 to 30 minute time
frame for identifying critically important military planning documents
by a student acting as a German Agent, more time for document analysis
will probably be needed before or after enacting the 20 to 30 minute
espionage scenarios.
This packet is appropriate
for high school students and may be used for either regular or advanced
placement classes. It can probably be used most effectively in a smaller
classroom (10-12 students), but can be adapted to fit larger classes
with students working in groups of approximately four or five.
MEANING OF THE TERM "D-DAY":
D-Day is a military
term used to designate the unnamed day on which an operation commences.
The operation may be an assault, amphibious landing, or bombardment.
The second day of the operation would be D+1, the third day would be
D+2, etc. [Note: H-Hour refers to the hour the operation begins on D-Day.]
By use of generic terms such as D-Day and H-Hour, military planners
do not have to modify an operation plan if the intended commencement
date changes due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. For example,
everyone involved in the operation will know that at H+12 [12 hours
after beginning time on first day] the "XYZ Bridge" should
be captured or that on D+3, the fourth day of action, the troops should
be 10 miles inland from the beaches.
There have been
(and continue to be) many D-Days, but the most famous D-Day in history
is June 6, 1944, the allied invasion of Normandy.
TEACHER PREPARATION:
Thoroughly review
World War II and D-Day with the sources you have on hand. Next, consult
with your school's librarian (media specialist) and compile an inventory
of books, bound periodicals from the era, audiovisual materials and
computer software on these topics at your school. Review the books listed
in the select bibliography provided with this project and determine
which ones would be most helpful to you and your students to undertake
this project. Visit with your librarian about purchasing these books
for the school library if your departmental or classroom budget is inadequate.
Consider purchasing posters, packages of photographs, and maps that
will capture student interest. Your local historical society likely
houses fascinating primary sources on the topic of World War II and
D-Day. Check the vertical file, photo index and manuscript index. There
may well be local veterans who participated in D-Day. Consider making
photocopies of articles and manuscripts and ordering a few photographs.
Using your collection of resource materials, plan to set up a World
War II and D-Day resource center in your classroom for student use while
you work on the Spy Kit.
Ideally, instructors
using this or other primary source teaching packets should feel free
to consult with the Eisenhower Library staff. Check out the Library's
web site, which contains a number of D-Day primary sources. This project
has a list of useful web sites, where you can find the Library's URL.
The Eisenhower Library houses a wealth of archival materials on World
War II and D-Day, and we encourage teachers to consider doing primary
research here; however, it is not essential, for the successful use
of document packets in the classroom.
STUDENT PREPARATION:
Ideally, the Spy
Kit will be integrated into the classroom study of World War II, although
it could be used as a self-contained unit to teach about the importance
of primary sources in the study of history. Before using the project,
teachers should ensure that students are introduced to World War II
through discussions, lectures, reading assignments, and preliminary
testing to measure basic knowledge. To derive the most education value
from this project, students must start with an adequate background of
World War II and the era that surrounds it. Students should be able
to explain the primary causes of the war and to list major nations,
alliances, political leaders, and commanders. In addition, students
should be familiar with significant events and a general chronology
of the war. Both physical and cultural geography figured prominently
in the planning and successful implementation of D-Day. Climate and
weather, tides and currents, relative and absolute location, topography,
infrastructure, and cultural considerations should be touched on during
the initial instruction on World War II. The documents contained in
this package will effectively reinforce students' prior knowledge.
NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR HISTORY:
The World War II
Spy Kit: The Great Nazi Intelligence Coup addresses the National Standards
for History, especially the five Standards in Historical Thinking which
include (1) Chronological Thinking, (2) Historical Comprehension, (3)
Historical Analysis and Interpretation, (4) Historical Research Capabilities,
and (5) Historical Issue-Analysis and Decision-making. Within the content
Standards, this project supports Era 8, Standard 3B for U.S. History
and Era 8, Standard 4B for World History. An online copy of the National
Standards for History may be found at www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs or you
may contact the National Center for History in the Schools, University
of California, Los Angeles, 1100 Glendon Avenue, Suite 927, Box 951588,
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1588.
INTERDISCIPLINARY
FEATURE:
A selection of interdisciplinary
documents has been included in this project. There are a number of leaflets
in a wide variety of European foreign languages, among them French,
Spanish, German, Dutch, Flemish, and Norwegian. In most instances, English
translations are provided. The project also includes four propaganda
posters, five maps, and four photographs. (There are a number of D-Day
photographs located on the Eisenhower Library's web site at www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/dl/hd.htm.)
Teachers using this project may wish to add an interdisciplinary feature
to their own curriculum and/or may want to share these primary source
documents with colleagues who teach government, geography, art, psychology,
or communications.
NOTE FROM THE EDUCATION SPECIALIST:
Today we recognize
that the integration of primary source materials into the curriculum
is an invaluable tool in the improvement of K-12 education. After a
sometimes-hesitant start, teachers now feel more comfortable with incorporating
documents, photographs, and artifacts into their lessons, and students
have demonstrated that they are far more capable than we ever imagined
at reading and analyzing them. What is more, students who "discover"
history through primary resources, develop an affection-even a passion-for
the discipline that is rarely matched through more traditional methods.
The "World
War II Spy Kit: The Great Nazi Intelligence Coup" is a curriculum
lesson that will transport your students back more than half a century
to be a part of history as the Allies prepare to launch Operation OVERLORD.
They will assume the role of Nazi spies who breach Allied security to
steal top-secret documents, critical to the success, or failure, of
D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. Students will analyze documents, prioritize
them, and provide rationale for their decision making. Lastly, students
will create their own scenario of how history "might have been"
if the D-Day invasion had been thwarted by successful Nazi intelligence.
Our Presidential
Libraries are truly national treasures, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower
Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, houses impressive collections
of World War II manuscripts, audiovisual materials, and artifacts. What
is contained in this lesson is but a tiny representation of the rich
collections that are available for research. Although it may not have
been typical for teachers to do primary research in the past, that is
rapidly changing. We encourage you to come to the Eisenhower Library
or any other of the other Presidential Libraries or to the National
Archives to do research. It will be an experience that will be unlike
any other you have experienced in your career and it will change forever
how you view your role as teacher.
Kim E. Barbieri
Education Specialist
