Zimmermann Telegram Role-Play: Decode Espionage & Shift U.S. Policy

Grades 11-12 teachers searching for Zimmermann Telegram lesson plans will love the Zimmermann Telegram & Espionage Plot – Readers Theater Script. Its 10-scene dialogue lets students voice Arthur Zimmermann, British cryptanalysts and Woodrow Wilson while piecing together the decoded message that toppled U.S. neutrality.

Standards Connection

Aligns with RH.11-12.1 (evidence from primary sources) and SL.11-12.1 (collaborative debate).

Lesson Flow

• Readers Theater script (9 pages, 10 scenes, 15 characters, editable Google Doc/PDF)
• Teacher Guide (10 pages) with scene summaries, primary-source context & discussion questions
• Student Worksheet deck (25 Google Slides) covering vocabulary, short-answer, analysis & extension tasks
• 20-question self-grading Google Forms quiz

Optional Extension (Teacher-Created)

Not included in the product PDF.

• Have teams create a coded telegram using period cipher wheels, then swap and decode.
• Stage a press-conference where reporters grill Zimmermann about admitting authorship.

Download the script — and grab the FREE Lusitania Neutrality Debate script to launch your WWI unit.