Stephanie+Wilkinson-1941

New York Times December 30th 1941

My, my, What a year we've had. With 1942 rolling around the corner we've decided to take a look at the good and the bad (and very bad) that we have gone through this year.

At the very beginning of the year The Andrew Sisters sung us one of our new favorite tunes, the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B". Not long after that, the great Mister. Franklin Roosevelt was inaugurated for the third time--this is the only time in the history of our country that we have had a president for more than two terms! At the start of March Captain America was first released, we sure love his patriotism.

Germany joined Axis pact and started moving further around Europe. We had not yet joined this horrible war yet, but FDR signs a bill (The Lend-Lease Bill) to send our supplies to Britain to help them fight off the Germans. But at the start of April, the Axis Powers attacked Yugoslavia bombing them and killing more than 10,000. Not more than a few weeks after this attack, Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany Later in the month the USSR and Japan sign a pact of neutrality. April 14th brought the first massive raid of Paris, where more than 3,000 Jews were round up. The Germans were relentless and overtook Greece as well. Luckily, some of the British Army was able to evacuate parts of Greece.

Back in America, in May, Joe Dimaggio started a 56-game hitting streak, and the Yankees lost 13-1. Ted Williams raised his batting average over .400 for the first time in 1941! Then things turn serious again when FDR declares a state of emergency due to Germany's sinking of Robin Moor. In June FDR issued an Executive Order 8802 which forbad discrimination.

Across the ocean, Finland declared war on Soviet Union and enters WWII. At the start of July Howard Florey and Norman Heatley meet for the first time and after 11 days, they recreate penicillin. In August Winston Churchill departed for the US. In September Hitler started making all Jewish people living in Germany where the star of David. FDR orders for any Axis ship found in American waters to be shot at.

Walt Disney released Dumbo in October. The US is still only giving help to the war.

At the start of this month, December, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt delivers a speech to Congress. Two days later we went into the Phillippines. Germany and Italy soon declared war on US.

Pedagogical Implications: I would for sure use this idea in my classroom. I think I would expand the options and let them create something with a small written explanation, so that my hands-on students would have an option for them. I also think that I would change the option of "any year in history" to be any year that we covered that year. I can see this at the mid way point, or the end of the year. I think it could be fun for each student to share their year and tell the class about their project. I would give them some class time to help them with their research. I love the concept of making history all come together. Too often teachers just focus on one place and one time and students never connect that certain events all happened at the same time, or near the same time. I think this project is a great way to show students that its one big story, not multiple small ones.