The series
These Teaching with Historic Places lessons, from the World War II Heritage Cities collection, help students understand why Lewistown, Montana was designated an American World War II Heritage City. They highlight the training of B-17 Flying Fortress crews at the Lewistown satellite airfield — including with the Norden bombsight — and the volunteering and contributions of civilians, young people among them, connecting local stories to larger themes of the U.S. home front.
The first three lessons can be taught individually or together, in any order; the fourth brings them together, or compares Lewistown with other home front cities.
Lewistown in 1909. Holmboe & White; Library of Congress.
The lessons
| Lesson | Topics |
|---|---|
| Lewistown Army Airfield and B-17 Flying Fortresses | military training, the Norden bombsight, B-17 Flying Fortresses |
| Civilian Volunteerism and Contributions on the Home Front | the American Red Cross, scrap and salvage drives, war funds, civilian defense and air wardens, victory gardens |
| Home Front Experiences and Contributions by Youth | rationing, scrap drives, the National Youth Administration |
| Comparing and Connecting WWII Home Front Cities | a culminating activity across the lessons and other cities |
Each lesson lists its own objectives, materials and resources.
A new B-17F Flying Fortress serviced for flight tests at Boeing's Seattle plant, December 1942 — the bomber whose crews trained at Lewistown. Andreas Feininger, Office of War Information; Library of Congress.
Where they fit in the curriculum
- Time period: World War II.
- Topics: World War II, women's history, African American history, workforce migration, science and technology.
Standards
- National Standards for History (UCLA National Center for History in the Schools), grades 5–12: Era 8, the Great Depression and World War II (1929–1945) — Standard 3, the causes and course of the war, the war at home and abroad, and how it reshaped the U.S. role in world affairs.
- Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (National Council for the Social Studies): Theme 2, time, continuity and change; Theme 5, individuals, groups and institutions; Theme 8, science, technology and society; Theme 9, global connections.
- Common Core English Language Arts standards for history and social studies, grades 6–12: key ideas and details (RH.6-12.1, RH.6-12.2), craft and structure (RH.6-12.4), integration of knowledge and ideas (RH.6-12.7, RH.6-12.9), and range and complexity of reading (RH.6-12.10).
Sources
Based on "A Series of Lessons on Lewistown, Montana WWII Heritage City," written by Sarah Nestor Lane with the Park Service's Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, National Park Service; published by the National Park Service and in the public domain; rewritten in hubnx's own words. A photograph of a B-17 crew from the Montana History Portal is not reproduced.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.nps.gov
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