World War II
Resource Unit
ED 629-01
Dr. Helms
Samantha Carpenter
Rhonda Emmerling
Pamela Schnabel
Table of Contents
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Introduction
Content
Objectives
Activities
Evaluation
Instructional Resources
• Teacher references
• Student references
• Media references
Introduction
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The formation of the Nazi party
The onset of the war
American involvement
The Holocaust
The war in the Pacific
Resolution of WWII
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.
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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-
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
Objectives
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Students will be able to:
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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
7. Gain knowledge of people’s rights
8. Gain knowledge of civic duties to their country
9. Learn how to examine historical documents
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:
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The formation of the Nazi party
The onset of the war
American involvement
The Holocaust
The war in the Pacific
Resolution of WWII
The formation of the Nazi
Party
• This portion of the unit will discuss the
economic conditions that led to Hitler’s 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.
The onset of the war
• The causes of WWII such as The Great
Depression and Germany’s 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.
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.
• Hitler’s declaration of war on the U.S.
brought us into the war with Europe.
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
person’s point of view.
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.
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.
Concepts
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Two front war
Imperialism
The Nazi Party
Pearl Harbor
The Holocaust
The Great Depression
German U-boats
Genocide
Atomic Bomb
Berlin
Manhattan Project
Auschwitz
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Hitler’s regime.
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.
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.
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.
Evaluation
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Short Answer
1. What year did WWII begin?
2. Who was the leader of Nazi Germany?
3. What was the name of Hitler’s 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?
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.
Teacher Resources
• Chaikian, Miriam. A nightmare in history: The
Holocaust. Clarion, 1987.
(She explains the rise of Hitler, the fears in antiSemitic 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.)
Teacher Resources
• Tucker, Spencer. World War II, A Student Encyclopedia. ABCCLIO, 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 America’s invasion of Normandy. It details the
problems that the U.S. forces faced and examines the impact of
D-Day.)
Student Resources
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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/subtitles.cfm?titleID=75
(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.)
Student Resources
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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.)
O’Neil, 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-andwhite 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 Devil’s Arithmetic. Puffin, 1990. (This book
attempts answer why the Holocaust should be remembered.)
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.)
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.html#wwii
(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