World War II Resource Unit ED 62901 Dr' Helms

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World War IIResource UnitED 629-01Dr. Helms

• Samantha Carpenter
• Rhonda Emmerling
• Pamela Schnabel

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Content
• Objectives
• Activities
• Evaluation
• Instructional Resources
• Teacher references
• Student references
• Media references

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Introduction

• The formation of the Nazi party
• The onset of the war
• American involvement
• The Holocaust
• The war in the Pacific
• Resolution of WWII

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Introduction

• As World War II was a significant factor
  concerning how the United States deals with
  foreign powers and how foreign powers interact
  with one another we will be covering this war for
  a two week period of time. We will begin with a
  discussion about the Nazi regime and exactly what
  transpired with the leader of Germany, Adolf
  Hitler. We will begin with the importance of the
  Treaty of Versailles and continue through to the
  empowerment of the Nazi party becoming the ruling
  faction of Germany.
• Once we have completed the understanding of the
  Nazi party the lesson will begin to focus on
  exactly what led to the war itself. We will be
  focusing on The Great Depression and its effects
  on the U.S. and Germany. We will also be
  focusing on the German storm through Europe and
  the eventual German led take-over of Norway,
  Denmark, and Poland.

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Introduction

• As the students in this classroom are in America
  we will be spending quite a bit of time learning
  about the American involvement during the war.
  We will discuss foreign policy that declared the
  United States a neutral territory and lead into
  the reasons that the U.S. actually became
  involved in the war. We will be discussing the
  issues of Pearl Harbor and how the war in the
  Pacific is actually what brought the U.S. into
  the battle itself. Yet we will also spend some
  time learning how the United States was actually
  heavily involved prior to any declarations of war
  by or against the U.S. As a class discussion we
  will pursue the reasoning of the United States
  declaring war against Japan and the subsequent
  declaration of war against the United States by
  Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
• Since most students are aware of the Holocaust
  our information pertaining to this will be
  focused on a much more focused section, namely
  the degradation of the Jewish people as a whole
  and the effects that the Fascist Nazi party had
  on the Jewish community and the whole of Germany.
  Since many students are aware of the term
  concentration camp we are going to turn our focus
  to the differences of concentration camps and
  death camps through lecture, notes, and
  activities.

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Introduction

• Then we will be switching to the Pacific region
  and center our focus on the portion of the war
  involving Japan. Many of the students seem to be
  unclear of the fact that Japan was even involved
  in this war as they have been under the
  impression it involved just Germany and European
  countries. We will be discussing the reasons
  that Japan was campaigning throughout the Pacific
  and what they hoped to achieve by such pursuits.
  We will cover such areas as the natural resources
  they were hoping to find and claim by this storm
  through the Pacific. As a class we will also
  cover the reasons that Japan thought it wise to
  pre-empt the U.S. by planning and carrying out an
  attack that caught the United States military
  completely off guard.
• As a final situation we will cover the long-term
  effects that World War II has had not only on the
  United States but the world in general. We will
  discuss the atomic bombs being dropped in Japan
  and why the United States chose the two specific
  targets. As a wrap-up we will cover the division
  of Berlin and take a brief look at Russia,
  formerly known as the U.S.S.R., in order to set
  the stage for the subsequent unit on the Cold
  War.

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Objectives

• Students will be able to
• Discuss the causes and effects of WWII
• Discuss the events of WWII
• Discuss important historical figures
• Identify location of important places
• Understand the effects of the war on the economy
• Recognize the similarities and differences of the
  governing bodies of major countries
• Gain knowledge of peoples rights
• Gain knowledge of civic duties to their country
• Learn how to examine historical documents

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Content

• This two week lesson plan will be divided into 5
  content areas. Each content area will be covered
  for 2 days. The five content areas are
• The formation of the Nazi party
• The onset of the war
• American involvement
• The Holocaust
• The war in the Pacific
• Resolution of WWII

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The formation of the Nazi Party

• This portion of the unit will discuss the
  economic conditions that led to Hitlers rise in
  power and the rise of the Nazi party.
• The Treaty of Versailles and the economic
  downfall of Germany are two events that will be
  covered in this content area.

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The onset of the war

• The causes of WWII such as The Great Depression
  and Germanys attempt to conquer the world will
  be taught in this content area.
• This part of the unit is important to introduce
  to students the reasons why the war began.

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American Involvement

• Explain how the U.S. tried to remain neutral
  however, the German U-boats made this impossible.
  
• Discuss how the bombing of Pearl Harbor convinced
  Americans that they should go to war with the
  Japanese.
• Hitlers declaration of war on the U.S. brought
  us into the war with Europe.

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The Holocaust

• The students will learn about the Nazi
  concentration and death camps and the genocide of
  over 6 million Jews.
• The dehumanization of the Jewish people will be
  addressed and students will learn to understand
  The Holocaust from a Jewish persons point of
  view.

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The war in the Pacific

• This content area will discuss the reasons the
  Japanese had for starting a war with the U.S.
• Important topics will include the bombing of
  Pearl Harbor and the defeated Iwo Jima as well as
  the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

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Resolution of WWII

• This strand will discuss the end of the war on
  both fronts. Students will be exposed to
  important events that lead to the end of the war.
• Topics will include the division of Berlin, the
  dropping of the atomic bomb, and important events
  that set the stage for the Cold War.

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Concepts

• Two front war
• Imperialism
• The Nazi Party
• Pearl Harbor
• The Holocaust
• The Great Depression
• German U-boats
• Genocide
• Atomic Bomb
• Berlin
• Manhattan Project
• Auschwitz

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Activities

• Day 1
• Students will be comparing and contrasting the
  different forms of government that were in effect
  leading up to World War II. There will be a
  strong focus on Democratic United States,
  Monarchist Great Britain, and Fascist Germany.

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Activity

• Day 2
• Students will be holding a press conference as if
  they were a leader from Germany, the United
  States, Italy, or Great Britain. They will use
  this to develop an understanding of these forms
  of government that were in effect during the time
  leading to WWII.

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Activities

• Day 3
• Students will then be completing a Power point
  presentation on the rise of the Nazi party and
  the leading causes of WWII. Discussing things
  such as the Great Depression.

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Activities

• Day 4
• Students will next be completing a Timeline of
  Events discussing the German rampage through
  Europe. Dates and places will be expected from
  all major battles and a short paragraph for each
  explaining the importance of that date and
  location.

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Activities

• Day 5
• On this day we will be covering American
  involvement so the students will be doing a
  newspaper article to discuss the American
  neutrality program. Students will be expected to
  develop an understanding of the neutral United
  States with a strong focus on the policy of
  providing weapons and other supplies to allied
  forces.

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Activities

• Day 6
• Since the United States became involved in the
  war we need to develop an understanding of
  exactly what prompted this involvement. Students
  will be learning about the war by visiting the
  WWII museum and writing a short summary of their
  visit and a poem detailing their emotions of said
  visit.

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Activities

• Day 7
• As students progress through the information on
  the War we will begin exploring the Holocaust.
  On the first day we will begin reading the book
  Night.
• Students will also be expected to complete a
  detailed chart on the death and concentration
  camps that were in Europe and the amount of
  people that were killed their by Hitlers regime.

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Activities

• Day 8
• In order to help the students understand what
  actually happened to the Jewish people during the
  Holocaust they will be writing letters to
  survivors and requesting information about their
  experiences. We will be hoping that at least one
  survivor will write back so we get a first hand
  picture.
• On this day will continue to read Night.
• We will also be taking a virtual tour
  individually on the Holocaust museum website.

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Activities

• Day 9
• Students will begin by exploring the U.N. policy
  that created the Nation/State of Israel. This is
  an important factor to the ending of the war.
• We will also finish exploring the book Night as a
  class and continue with a discussion about the
  effects the novel has had on the students.

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Activities

• Day 10
• We will explore through a power point lesson the
  lasting effects the war has had on the economies
  involved.
• Students will also complete a propaganda
  commercial for one of the government entities
  involved in WWII.
• Due to the ending of the war being a pre-cursor
  to the Cold War, students will explore the issues
  that lead up to that point with Russia, formerly
  known as U.S.S.R.

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Evaluation

• Short Answer
• 1. What year did WWII begin?
• 2. Who was the leader of Nazi Germany?
• 3. What was the name of Hitlers plan to invade
  Russia?
• 4. What treaty is typically considered to have
  led to WWII?
• 5. Name 3 battles and who fought in them.
• 6. What was the last major offensive of the
  Germans in the war?
• 7. What ended the war with Japan?
• 8. What were the two Japanese cities that were
  bombed?
• 9. What was the Manhattan Project?
• 10. What type of government did Japan and who was
  their leader?

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Evaluation Continued

• Essay
• 1. Discuss the causes of WWII from an American
  point of view, a German point of view and a
  Japanese point of view.
• 2. What conditions influenced the rise of Hitler
  and the formation of the Nazi party?
• 3. Explain genocide and discuss important events
  during the Holocaust including prominent camps
  and prominent people.

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Teacher Resources

• Chaikian, Miriam. A nightmare in history The
  Holocaust. Clarion, 1987.
• (She explains the rise of Hitler, the
  fears in anti-Semitic traditions he preyed upon.
  It also discusses other historical information
  about the time.)
• www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalone/wwii/wwii.htm
• (This website contains information about all
  aspects of WWII and includes documentation).
• Devine, Robert. Causes and Consequences.
  Quadrangle books, 1969. (This book discusses the
  causes and consequences of WWII.)

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Teacher Resources

• Tucker, Spencer. World War II, A Student
  Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2005. (Designed with the
  more visual needs of today's student in mind,
  this landmark encyclopedia covers the entire
  scope of the Second World War, from its earliest
  roots to its continuing impact on global politics
  and human society. Over 1,000 illustrations,
  maps, and primary source materials enhance the
  text and make history come alive for students and
  faculty alike.)
• Dear, I.C.B. Oxford Companion to World War II.
  Oxford Press, 2005. (A general reference guide
  for WWII information.)
• Bradley, James. Flags of our Fathers. Bantam
  Books, 2000. (This book accounts the tales of the
  American soldiers who fought at Iwo Jima.)
• Ambrose, Steven. D-Day. Simon and Schuster, 1994.
  (This book discusses Americas invasion of
  Normandy. It details the problems that the U.S.
  forces faced and examines the impact of D-Day.)

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Student Resources

• Stadtler, Bea. The Holocaust A history of
  courage and resistance. (This book describes the
  experiences of Jews in Germany and other European
  countries during the years of the 3rd Reich. It
  is an excellent read for students.)
• Weisel, Elie. Night. Bantam, 1982.
• http//www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/subtitle
  s.cfm?titleID75
• (This website has an online history textbook. It
  includes 19 guided readings on America and WWII.)
• Tucker, Spencer. World War II, A Student
  Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2005. (Designed with the
  more visual needs of today's student in mind,
  this landmark encyclopedia covers the entire
  scope of the Second World War, from its earliest
  roots to its continuing impact on global politics
  and human society. Over 1,000 illustrations,
  maps, and primary source materials enhance the
  text and make history come alive for students and
  faculty alike.)

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Student Resources

• Various. American History Reconstruction to the
  present. Houghton Mifflin, 2003. (This textbook
  is a comprehensive, easy-to-use interactive
  program that presents the history of the United
  States in a way that students understand.)
• http//olc9.ohiolink.edu/ABC-CLIO/military.html
  (This electronic reference book website has many
  different links to events in WWII. It is
  organized in an simple way so that students can
  easily access information.)
• ONeil, William. World War II A Student
  Companion (Student Companions to American
  History). Oxford University Press, 1999. (Grade 9
  Up-A readable, concise, and informative book.
  Organized alphabetically with brief articles
  ranging in length from a single paragraph to over
  four pages, the book is illustrated with
  black-and-white photographs, maps, and
  reproductions.)
• Paterson, Kathrine. Jacob I have loved. Harper
  Trophy, 1990. (This book describes the life of a
  girl whose brother goes to fight in WWII.)
• Yolen, Jane. The Devils Arithmetic. Puffin,
  1990. (This book attempts answer why the
  Holocaust should be remembered.)

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Media Resources

• Video cassettes
• Anne Frank and a separate place. This video uses
  clips from film versions of multiple movies, a
  narrator introduces the plot and characters and
  attempts to stimulate students to extend their
  thinking.
• Judgment at Nuremberg. Examines the nature of the
  Nazi regime, the nature of war guilts and war
  crimes and actual historical events.
• After the day of Infamy. (This movie has man on
  the street interviews from American citizens
  days and months after the attack on Pearl
  Harbor.)
• Tora, Tora, Tora. (This movie discusses the
  events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl
  Harbor. It examines the diplomatic military and
  intelligence events on both sides.)
• Plays
• The investigation by Peter Weiss. (Much of the
  play is actual court testimony from war
  criminals.)

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Media Resources

• Photos
• Adams, Ansel. Suffering under a great injustice.
  (In 1943, Ansel Adams documented the Manzanar war
  relocation center for Japanese Americans during
  WWII.)
• Interactive website
• http//www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tr11c.htmlw
  wii
• (This interactive website contains photos, film
  clips and music from the WWII era.)
• http//www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf/0001.html
• (This interactive website leads students to
  examine women in the war. It includes photos of
  women during WWII).
• Maps
• http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gnrlhome.html
• Interactive museum
• http//www.wwiivictory.org/exhibits/html