My Ditz [13] wants to do a unit on WWII using movies. We have discussed The Sound of Music, Schindler's List, &Hitler's Children. Bookwise I have given her The Diary of Anne Frank & The Day Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. What would you recommend, remembering as Ausies we are less focused on things like Pearl Harbour & the American involvement? Thanks guys.
Try this site: http://www.classicmovies.org/articles/aa052100a.htm If you scroll down, you'll find a list of them broken down into movies A-C, D-M, and N-Z.
Thanks Shelley. I was more after stuff people had used themselves rather than just a list. A list I have but what gnenerated discussion/interest/thought in your house, IYKWIM? People find different things helpful so that's more what I was hoping for.
Two that come to mind are: Saving Private Ryan Band of Brothers ( HBO miniseries) Both are excellent WWII movies.
LOL My bad! I assumed you were having trouble generating movies that were from that time. I know after looking at the list that there were a lot of movies I knew from that period of time that I probably wouldn't have thought of off the top of my head! Anyway [using the handy list LOL ], I liked The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, and Mister Roberts.
South Pacific is another. Though it doesn't focus alot on the war, it is a bit different perspective.
Crystal, Private Ryan might be a bit much ~ I've seen that one, Ditz hasn't. I don't know the other & will look into it. Shelley, Terrific! The Great escape we've seen & loved. Seen the dirty doz ~ not so much. Mister Roberts is another Newbie. Ditz seems to be gravitating towards Hitler & the decimation of the Jews & political dissenters ~ hence her first 2 choices. I know I've seen several things about the Germans supporting Hitler point of view but off hand their titles escape me. :? I think she's got hold of the wrong idea with Hitler's children but I've seen it & I know she hasn't yet. Aurie, well I like South Pacific; Ditz gets very unhappy & vocal about the smaltzy stuff. lol. Still, you never know... Thanks.
not sure the age but try the American Girl series... hmm, asking dd.. Emily and Molly, shows what it was like from kids view, I think it was good at showing both England and US view anyway, Then there is Anne of Green Gables the continuing story, even though its not accurate with her books it IS accurate pretty much with what it was like from what I have read mind you, I have a narrow view from American ( grin)
Bookwise read "Friend Within the Gate". It's about Edith Clavell (not sure on the spelling!). She was a Belgium nurse who was shot for helping British airmen escape.
movie wise I would like to also add "The Devil's Arithmetic". It has Kirsten Dunst and is a movie about a girl who gets put back in time in her aunt's place in a concentration camp because she was very unappreciative of her every day life. It's very good. Plus, there's always the actual movie pearl harbour. oh and "Flags of our Fathers" is very very good and has an American setting.
Teachermom, we love Anne [both the books & the movies] but that's the Great War [WW1, not 2] so out of period though good background stuff. Goodnight Mister Tom & Back Home are two other books I'm considering if her interest doesn't wane. Back home may interest Americans as it's the return to Britain of a girl sheltered in an American family in Ameica during WW2. Good compare & contrast stuff. Oooh Edith Clavell ~ that's a goodie I'd forgotten about but again WW1, not 2. Unfortunately we're random learners so I can't move chronologically from such good suggesions. If I try Ditz will quit on me & as this is her idea I'm trying to stay strictly within her guidelines. Autumnleavz, the Devil's Arithmetic sounds like a brilliant choice. I hope I can get hold of a copy.
I was also very interested in WWII when I was in middle school and one of the books I loved back then was Number the Stars by Lois Lowery (sp?). It might be a tiny bit young, but it's great and I loved it when I was that age. It's set in Copenhagen and involves helping Jews escape the Nazis. I actually saved 2 copies so my future children could read it. I was always meant to homeschool I guess.
Autumn, was "Devil's Arithmetic" on TV? I think I might have caught at least part of it. I liked what little I saw! Celtic, I thought Edith was WWII; I must have gotten it confused. I just remember reading it when I was a kid, and thought it a very good book. I think I still have it downstairs! For older kids, Bodie Thoene has a great series. The first one is called "Vienna Prelude". It is about a young German woman who is a Christian, but with a Jewish heritage. But she's blond, and they don't know she's also Jewish. She plays for the Vienna Symphonie (violin, I think!) She doesn't know her father is sending money to Austria out of Berlin to buy Jewish passports, using her violin case. Very good book! (Very good series!!!) Oh, there's also "Summer of My German Soldier".
Jackie:Oh, there's also "Summer of My German Soldier". I loved this! Somehow I can't see Ditz feeling the same way about it. lol. I checked Edith. I think it's the airmen thing that's confusing. Somehow we forget there was a *battle for the air* in WWI as well. The violin thing sounds like a winner. Ditz is always joking her violin case has a hidden shotgun or a bevvy of jewels or some such thing! sahmof2: I own several Lois Lowry's so I must double check that one. It's so interesting to see what you guys all remember this way.
I while I haven't gotten even close to this subject with my ds as he is only in K.....I have given much thought to this topic and how I want to teach it to both my kids. My grandfather (in-law) is a wwII vet and his wife, a german war bride. They have both told stories of what it was like and I can say that I don't think anything else can bring home the reason for the war than testamonials by people who were there and lived through it. Grandma has told stories of how she would have to sneak out in the middle of the night to buy meat because the butcher was jewish and being stopped by soldiers and questioned why she was out. She has also told of how you did not talk about what was going on or you would end up "missing" and that if the wind was blowing the wrong way you could smell the burning bodies from the concentration camps in the air. While Grandpa was there one of the things he did was to help liberate one of the many concentration camps. He said it was sickening to see, smell, and experience the cruelty that had been inflicted on the people there. I am hoping that on our next visit they will allow me to record some of their stories to share with the kids when they are older. I guess what I am getting at is seeing the actual fighting doesn't answer the questions why we were fighting nor does following the soldiers and not the people. The BBC has an archive of wwII memories and I think that it may be something that you want to look over and include in your daughter's studies. She will be able to learn about how the war changed day to day living for men, women and children. As for learning about what it was like to be a jew living in Germany durring the war "Anne Frank" is age appropriate and very good at showing what it was like to be a jew living in nazi Germany.
Try the "My Australian Story" series - the bombing of Darwin. My dd loves these books, they are kids historical fiction, written journal style. Also maybe Jackie French's "Hitler's daughter". Haven't read this one, but she is a highly recommended author.
There's a book I used for a presentation in my college English class called (I think) "Where do butterflies go when they're free?". It's poetry and artwork done by children in a concentration camp. My understanding is that most of these children were later sent on to one of the camps that had one of the highests death rates. I first leaned of this book in my Kiddie Lit class. Don't forget "The Hiding Place"!
CelticRose: I think one of movies you remember is: Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl it is a nazi propaganda film. It is really interesting, its from the point of veiw from the germans. Very eye opening, can see why a country full of desperate ( economic depression and cultural unrest) people could be so swayed by him. I would say watch it first ( you can rent it anyway), I don't remember seeing any violence ( after all it is a propaganda film , not a scare tactic) but just in case. Also the other film might be : The Desert Fox , about the life of Erwin Rommel ( James Mason as Rommel) I second , "the Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom. I did a book report on this in 7th grade at my christian school. It is really moving. Its also a movie, with the same title and Julie Harris is the lead actress in it.
Celtic, true I forgot , the time periods being so close together and all. MY dd was in a WW2 play, but I dont think its on anythign or id send it to you!
