Students will launch the investigation by examining mystery WWII sources, naming how leaders’ decisions may have affected soldiers and civilians, and generating initial research questions and project expectations for the work ahead.

Students will examine mystery sources from World War II, notice patterns in how leaders’ choices affected soldiers and civilians, refine focused investigation questions, test early hypotheses against evidence, and choose a source-gathering plan with support from peers and a community archive partner.

Students will gather, verify, and organize primary-source evidence about World War II leaders’ motivations, challenges, and impacts on soldiers and civilians. They will document where each source came from, test the strength of their evidence with peers and a community partner, revise their inquiry focus when needed, and prepare a traceable evidence base for later analysis.

Students will analyze their collected World War II sources for patterns, contradictions, and cause-and-effect relationships; turn that analysis into clear visuals and short gallery talks; use peer and teacher feedback to revise; and complete a readiness checkpoint before the final presentation fair.

Students will present their completed WWII leader investigations to families and community partners through the Echoes of the War Room Presentation Fair, then reflect on how archival evidence changed their thinking about how leaders’ decisions affected soldiers and civilians.