Materials for pre-university teaching and support for teachers

Here you will find a collection of information and materials for schools

  • Together with Zentrum polis the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) has created an online dossier with important impulses for dealing with this sensitive topic in the classroom. You will find central information and pedagogical support as well as an overview of current press reports, news specially prepared for pupils, explanatory videos and tips for dealing with the topics of war, flight and overcoming trauma in the school context. New materials will be added whenever there are any.
  • War in Ukraine schule.at’s collection of background information, videos and contributions from recognised institutions for use in the classroom
  • Zeit im Bild's TIKTOK channel prepares news in a way that is suitable for youngsters.

  • Together with partner institutions from seven countries the OeAD programme _erinnern.at_ has developed the multilingual online tool “Stories that Move”. It helps to talk about discrimination with pupils and to empower them to take a stand. The tool is also available in Ukrainian. Together with the Ukrainian partner institutions “Tolerspace” and “Ukrainian Holocaust Centre” the toolbox will be further developed on an ongoing basis. Anna Lenchovska from the Ukrainian project team has developed exercises for pupils to give youngsters emotional support in the exceptional situation of war.
    The Ukrainian project team also works with various NGOs to compile daily reports on the situation in Ukraine – they are translated into 16 languages: https://sharethetruths.org

Education Directorates: Refugees and migration issues

Contact persons for refugee families with pupils in the individual education directorates (pdf)

Counselling services by school psychologists

Addressing stressful pictures and messages in the right way

About Ukraine

Language – Communication (compiled by BIMM)

Fact check – reliable research on the Internet

  • On the Internet you will always find more than the “truth”. Even in tragic conflict situations a lot of fake news is spread. A fact check is therefore more important than ever. Open Science has created a short guide to safe and reliable Internet research.
  • Mimikama Information on current fake news

The Hölzel Journal – Magazin für Schule und Berufsbildung has collected reliable sources of information and teaching materials:

  • The German information portal on political education offers an overview of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the West. A chronological account of what has happened since the victory of the popular uprising “Euromaidan” (2013/2014) and the subsequent annexation of Crimea helps to understand the situation. Relations between Russia and Ukraine as well as between Russia and the NATO countries are discussed.
  • The German Federal Agency for Civic Education already pointed out the forgotten war in Eastern Europe in 2019 and explained the war situation in Eastern Ukraine with more than 10,000 dead. In particular this article deals with the secession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church and the tensions around the Kerch Strait. Thus, economic and religious connections also become clearer.  
  • The Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg presents the causes, background and consequences of the current war situation in Ukraine. Moreover, this article deals with the consequences for European security policy and lets numerous experts on international relations have their say. The accompanying teaching materials deal specifically with Russia’s hybrid warfare in Ukraine and the reactions of the West.
  • The publishing house Bergmoser + Höller offers infographics that illustrate in particular the difficult situation in Ukraine between the European Union and Russia, look at connections with the energy supply of Western European countries and shed light on the NATO’s eastward expansion. 
  • The German international broadcasting station Deutsche Welle explores the history of the current armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. The contribution describes the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the first cracks in the Ukrainian-Russian friendship caused by the construction of a bridge to the island of Kossa Tusla and the supply stops of Russian natural gas. The annexation of Crimea as well as the static warfare in the Donbass are discussed. 
  • The children’s news of Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) is particularly suitable for younger pupils in Vorarlberg. The current contribution contains a video that was published on 19 February shortly before the declaration of war. There is a quiz and a worksheet to work on the video. The conflict between the neighbouring countries as well as the connections with the military alliance NATO are explained.
  • In 2015 the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg published teaching materials for lower secondary schools that analyse the conflict in Ukraine. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine up to 2015 is explained in detail.  
  • In 2014 the initiative friedensbildung-schule.de produced teaching materials that take a closer look at the relationship between Russia and the European Union and can be of interest in the context of Ukraine’s rapprochement with the EU. The teaching materials were created for political education and history at upper secondary schools.
  • The magazine Katapult does not deal with the history of the conflict but offers a live blog on the current situation including links to tank crippling, city defence, politicians’ tweets and infographics on current opinions.
  • Particularly exciting is reading and the analysis of Putin’s speech that was published in German translation in the Tagesspiegel (exact wording of Putin’s declaration of war against Ukraine, 24 February 2022). The publishing house Hölzel has compiled suggestions for research and discussion on Putin’s speech: download here