Sarah A. Huett
U.S. History Lesson Plan
TEKS Lesson Plan/Unit Plan
Texarkana Independent School District
Teacher: Sarah A. Huett
Subject/Course: U.S. History
Grade(s): Grade 11
Time frame: 45 minutes
Lesson Plan Number:
Topic/Process:
Textbook:
T.I.S.D.
70
WWI: US Neutrality?
The Americans: Reconstruction to the Present, McDougall Littell
Ch. 11, sec.1, pgs 372-380
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS): US1 A-C, US3 B, US15 B, US19 AB, US24 A-B
(1) History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S.
history from 1877 to the present. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the major eras in U.S. history from 1877 to the present and describe
their defining characteristics;
(B) apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant
individuals, events, and time periods; and
(C) explain the significance of the following dates: 1898, 1914-1918, 1929, 19411945, and 1957.
(3) History. The student understands the emergence of the United States as a world
power between 1898 and 1920. The student is expected to:
(B) identify the reasons for U.S. involvement in World War I, including
unrestricted submarine warfare;
(15) Government. The student understands changes in the role of government over
time. The student is expected to:
(B) explain the impact of significant international events such as World War I and
World War II on changes in the role of the federal government;
(19) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of effective leadership in a
democratic society. The student is expected to:
(A) describe qualities of effective leadership;
(B) evaluate the contributions of significant political and social leaders in the
United States such as Andrew Carnegie, Shirley Chisholm, and Franklin D.
Roosevelt; and
Sarah A. Huett
U.S. History Lesson Plan
T.I.S.D.
(24) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use
information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The
student is expected to:
(A) locate and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software,
databases, media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to
acquire information about the United States;
(B) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-andeffect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing,
making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions;
TAKS: US1 A-C, US3 B, US24 A-B
(1) History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S.
history from 1877 to the present. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the major eras in U.S. history from 1877 to the present and describe
their defining characteristics;
(B) apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant
individuals, events, and time periods; and
(C) explain the significance of the following dates: 1898, 1914-1918, 1929, 19411945, and 1957.
(3) History. The student understands the emergence of the United States as a world
power between 1898 and 1920. The student is expected to:
(B) identify the reasons for U.S. involvement in World War I, including
unrestricted submarine warfare;
(24) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use
information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The
student is expected to:
(A) locate and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software,
databases, media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to
acquire information about the United States;
(B) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-andeffect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing,
making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions;
Concepts
Enduring Understandings/Generalizations/Principles
The student will understand that
War/Conflict
Cultural diversity can lead to conflict/war. Differences among
people can create conflict/war. Social, economic and political
oppression often leads to conflict/war.
Similarities and differences among people and nations
influence relationships.
Relationships
Sarah A. Huett
U.S. History Lesson Plan
Sequence of Activities (Instructional Strategies):
T.I.S.D.
1. Focus: Have students read “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier” and “I Have a
Rendezvous with Death”. What messages do the poems convey? How do they
differ?
2. Lecture/Class Discussion: Discuss with students the basis for the divided loyalties
in the U.S. Next discuss the ways in which the war affected the United States:
blockade, u-boats, unrestricted submarine warfare and the Lusitania. Finally,
discuss the Zimmermann Notes and Wilson’s declaration of war.
3. Activity: Have students examine the coded and decoded Zimmermann Note. Next,
have students decode a message that is written in a code similar to that of the
Zimmermann Note. Activities such as this can be found on the Internet.
Questions to Consider in Lesson:
1) Was the U.S. ever really “neutral”?
2) Why did the U.S. began to favor Britain and France?
3) How did Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare affect public opinion in
America?
Assessment of Activities:
Classroom Observation
Classroom Discussion
Prerequisite Skills:
1. Literature Analysis
Key Vocabulary:
Neutrality, blockade, u-boat, unrestricted submarine warfare, Lusitania, Zimmermann
Note
Sarah A. Huett
U.S. History Lesson Plan
T.I.S.D.
Materials/Resources Needed:
Overheads, projector, computer, LCD projector, copies of poems, copies of
Zimmermann Note, copies of Decoding Activity
Modifications: Allow students to have extended time to complete activities. Follow all
modifications on student’s IEP.
Differentiated Instruction: Have students create a political cartoon or bumper sticker
either for or against U.S. involvement in WW1. Have students write a paragraph
explaining their creation.
Teacher Notes:
The poems “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier” and “I Have a Rendezvous with
Death” can be found in the following book :
The American Reader: Words that Moved a Nation, edited by Diane Ravitch, 1990,
HarperCollins Publications.
Sample Test Questions:
1. The policy that kept the United States out of the war for three years was called
A. nationalism
B. the alliance system
C. neutrality
D. the convoy system
2. Of the following, the most compelling reason for the United States to enter the war
was
A. moral obligation to halt the refugee crisis in Belgium
B. concern over the repayment of Allied debts to American banks
C. a desire to become more involved in the affairs of Europe
D. the outrage of American citizens over German submarine warfare
Project developed and delivered through a Collaborative Research Grant between
Texarkana Independent School District and TAMU-T Regents’ Initiative.