World War II Readers Theater Bundle (Grades 11–12)

Bring the full arc of World War II to life with eight meticulously crafted Readers’ Theater scripts that span the road to war, Pearl Harbor, global campaigns in Europe and the Pacific, the Holocaust, home-front change, the Manhattan Project, and the first flashpoints of the Cold War. Students step into the words of Roosevelt, Hitler, Yamamoto, Anne Frank, Rosie the Riveter, Oppenheimer, Truman, and more—using primary sources to investigate isolationism, heroism, genocide, innovation, and containment through performance, discussion, and textual evidence.

Guided role-play plus source analysis helps classes build empathy, debate skill, and deep historical understanding—ideal for AP U.S. History, AP World History, and IB History.

Perfect For

• AP U.S. History, AP World History, IB History, and advanced social studies courses
• High school learners (Grades 11–12) tackling complex global events
• Classroom simulations, ethical debates, and strategic role-plays
• Units on diplomacy, civil rights, warfare, and postwar reconstruction

What’s Included

• 8 Scripts: ~10 pages each, 10 scenes, 12–16 characters, casting breakdowns, emotional tags, primary quotes (editable Google Doc/PDF/DOCX)
• 8 Teacher Guides: ~10 pages each, with summaries, source contexts, discussion questions, CCSS standards, and answer keys (editable Google Doc/PDF/DOCX)
• 8 Student Worksheets: ~25 slides each, with 10 SAT-level vocabulary words, 10 short-answer questions, 5 analysis challenges, and 5 research-based extension activities (editable Google Slides/PPTX)
• 8 Self-Grading Google Forms Quizzes: 20 multiple-choice questions each, aligned to the scripts

Skills Addressed

• Analyzing primary sources (e.g., Roosevelt speeches, Wannsee Protocol, diaries, letters)
• Building fluency via expressive, tagged dialogue in performance
• Collaborating through enactments and structured debates
• Mastering SAT-level vocabulary such as appeasement and containment
• Thinking critically about ethics, prejudice, strategy, and historical legacies

Want to preview the format? The bundle includes a free script—perfect for a quick test run in class.

Scripts Included

1. Causes of WWII & Pre-War U.S. [FREE DOWNLOAD]
2. Pearl Harbor & U.S. Enters World War II
3. The Pacific & European Theaters World War II
4. The Holocaust & Genocide in World War II
5. Tuskegee Airmen and African Americans in WWII
6. Rosie the Riveter & Social Changes
7. The Manhattan Project & End of WWII
8. Postwar & Dawn of Cold War

Primary Sources (Links provided)

Across the eight scripts, students examine authentic materials to trace the conflict’s many fronts—from diplomatic turns and battlefield orders to diaries, protocols, speeches, and letters—supporting evidence-based discussion and reflection.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Quarantine Speech,” October 5, 1937
• Lend-Lease Act text, March 11, 1941
• Charles Lindbergh’s America First speech, September 11, 1941
• Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech, December 8, 1941
• U.S. Declaration of War on Japan, December 8, 1941
• Japanese government’s declaration of war, December 7, 1941
• Battle of Midway: Pacific War’s Decisive Turning Point, 1942
• Eisenhower’s “Order of the Day” (June 6, 1944), 1944
• Extracts from the diary of Anne Frank (1942–44)
• Wannsee Protocol (1942)
• Benjamin O. Davis Letter, 1944
• Eleanor Roosevelt’s “My Day” Columns, 1941
• FDR Letter to Walter White, 1944
• FDR Fireside Chat, 1942
• Eleanor Roosevelt’s “My Day” Columns, 1943
• Eleanor Roosevelt’s “My Day” Columns, 1942
• Truman announcing the use of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima
• Einstein’s Second Letter, 1945
• Yalta agreements (1945)
• Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill) (1944)
• Truman, “Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress” (1945)

Standards Alignment

CCSS W.11-12.2, SL.11-12.1, SL.11-12.4, L.11-12.4
CCRA.R.2, CCRA.W.2, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.L.4
RH.11-12.1, RH.11-12.2, RH.11-12.6, RH.11-12.7

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