Semester 2 Unit 3: World War II
Stage 1: Desired Outcomes
Topic/Unit Title: World War II
 Did World War II change America for better or
worse?
NYS Content Standards 1 Common Core Skills



Key Idea 2: Important ideas, social and
cultural values, beliefs, and traditions; the
connections and interactions of people and
events across time and from a variety of
perspectives.
Key Idea 3: major social, political,
economic, cultural, and religious
developments; important roles and
contributions of individuals and groups.
Key Idea 4: explain the significance of
historical evidence; weigh the importance,
reliability, and validity of evidence;
understand the concept of multiple
causation; understand the importance of
changing and competing interpretations of
different historical developments.
Reading-Social Studies (RH)
1. Use relevant information and ideas from
documents to support analysis
3. Use information/ideas to determine cause and
effect
6. Compare and contrast various points of view
7. Create and analyze visuals (graphs/charts)
8. Identify and analyze evidence
Writing (W)
3. Produce writing appropriate to task, purpose and
audience.
4. Strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing
and rewriting
5. Draw evidence from informational text
Speaking and Listening (SL)
1. Participate in collaborative discussion
4. Clearly present appropriate information and
evidence
6. Demonstrate command of formal English
Language (L)
1. Demonstrate appropriate grammar usage in writing
and speaking (sentence complexity)
2. Demonstrate appropriate usage of the mechanics
of language (punctuation, capitalization)
4. Build vocabulary and expand word choice
Understandings:
Students will be able to understand and
know:
 The causes for WW2
 The arguments for and against
neutrality in the 1930’s
 The Neutrality Acts, Cash and
Carry and Lend Lease Act
 The events and timeline of
American and Japanese relations
 The Japanese decision attack Pearl
Harbor
 The effects of World War II on
women (increased employment
opportunities), African Americans
(decreased rational tension and
increased opportunities), the
economy (end of the Great
Depression), individual consumers
(rationing and war bonds)
 The effects of WW2 on Japanese
Americans and the internment
camps
 The decision of Korematsu v. U.S.
Essential Questions:










What were the ideals and actions
of leaders in Europe and Japan that
began WW2?
Should America remain neutral
during the 1930’s and start of
WW2?
Was America behaving like a
neutral nation during the start of
WW2?
Was war with America and Japan
inevitable?
Did America respond appropriately
to Japanese aggression in Asia?
Did the war change America at
home for better or worse?
How did the war impact women?
How did the war impact African
Americans?
Was American internment of
Japanese Americans justified?
How did the Supreme Court justify
the decision in Korematsu v. U.S.?








The contributions of America in
helping to defeat the Axis Powers
The difficulty of fighting on multiple
fronts
Significance of important turning
points: D-Day, Midway, Iwo Jima
The arguments for and against
dropping the atomic bombs on
Japan
Americas role in the liberation of
the concentration camps and the
Nuremberg Trials
America’s role in the creation of
the United Nations
The significance of the Yalta and
Potsdam conference in setting up
the Cold War
How the end of WW2 set up the
Cold War












Why were rationing and war bonds
important for financing the war?
How did WW2 contribute to ending
the Great Depression
How did the American army help
defeat the Axis Powers?
Why did America have to fight on
multiple fronts?
How did America manage to fight
on multiple fronts around the
world?
How did battles such as D-Day,
Midway, Iwo-Jima change the war?
Why was there a new culture of
consumerism?
Was the dropping of the Atomic
Bomb justified?
How did the Nuremberg Trials set a
precedent for war crimes?
How did the United Nations try to
fix the problems of the League of
Nations?
How did the Yalta and Potsdam
conference lead to the Cold War?
Was Russia or America’s end and
post-war actions most responsible
for setting up the Cold War?
Stage 2: Assessments and Tasks
Common Core Literacy Tasks:
Performance Tasks:
 Analyze and answer questions
 Document Analysis
about primary and secondary source
 Scenario analysis
documents.
 Writing Assignments
 Exit ticket: Should the United
 Persuasive Speech Writing
States have remained neutral
 Exit ticket summary activities
during the 1930s? Using at least 3
 Document creation (political
specifics from the lesson
cartoons)
 Write a one-two paragraph
 Multiple Choice Exam
persuasive speech (5-7 sentences
with at least 3 details from the
lesson) on why Congress should
approve war against Japan.
 Exit ticket: Is war good or bad for
a country’s homefront? Use at
least 3 specifics from the lesson
 Create a political cartoon with 2-3
sentence explanation 2-3 details
from the lesson which either
supports or protests the decision of
Korematsu v. United States and
FDR’s actions.
 Exit Ticket: How did America
contribute to victory in World War
II? (one paragraph (5-7 sentences),
using at least 3 specific examples
from the lesson)
 Exit Ticket: Was the United States

justified in dropping the atomic
bomb on Japan? (one-two
paragraphs (5-7 sentences), using at
least 4-5 specific examples from the
lesson)
Multiple Choice Exam
Student Reflections:
-
Exit Tickets
Writing Assignments
Document Creation
Scaffolding Questions based on primary and secondary sources
Graphic Organizers
Multiple Choice
Stage 3: Learning Plan
Instructional Activities and Materials
Aim #1: Should the United States have remained neutral during the 1930s?
Major Ideas:
- The “seeds” of World War II were sown earlier in the century from the results
of World War I.
- A stronger stand by the United States and the other Western democracies
against fascist aggression might have prevented World War II.
- The neutrality legislation of the 1930s was really designed to keep the United
States out of war. Timed as it was, this legislation tended to accelerate World
War II by giving encouragement to the fascist nations. United States
neutrality, together with British and French appeasement, convinced the Axis
Powers that they had nothing to fear from the “decadent democracies.”
- After the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the American people were
divided whether to become involved in the war. Basically, three different
view were held by Americans: 1) the United States should eventually fight on
the side of the Allies; 2) the United States should give all aid short of war to
the Allies; 3) the United States should follow a strict neutrality towards the
war.
- President Roosevelt and those who wished to aid the Allied cause believed
that the security of the United States would be imperiled by an Axis victory.
- America’s progression from the neutrality acts to the Lend Lease Act to
volunteers in England.
Performance Objectives:
- List and describe the acts of fascist aggression during the 1930s.
- Describe and evaluate the responses (neutrality legislations) of the United
States and the Western democracies to the acts of fascist aggression during the
1930s.
- Locate on a map of the world the aggressor nations of the 1930s and those
areas which fell victim to aggression.
- List and explain the steps taken by President Roosevelt to lend material and
moral aid to the Allies between 1939 and 1941.
- Explain and evaluate the views of those who supported and those who
opposed greater American involvement in World War II.
- Take a position on whether or not the United States should have aided the
Allies against the Axis Powers.
- ACTIVTY: Exit Ticket: Answer the aim in one paragraph 5-7 sentences
using at least 3 specific facts from the lesson.
Aim # 2: Was war between the United States and Japan inevitable?
Major Ideas:
- During the 1930s and early 1940s a series of events increased tension and led
to eventual conflict between the United States and Japan. These events
included: (1) the United States discriminatory restrictions toward Japanese
Americans; (2) Japan’s ambition and attempts to conquer and dominate China
which conflicted with the United States Open Door Policy; (3) the Stimson
Doctrine; (4) the unwillingness of Allied nations to support a United States
proposal to impose economic sanctions against Japan; (5) the “Panay”
Incident; (6) Japan’s alliance with Germany and Italy; (7) Japan’s annexation
of French Indo-China; (8) United States’ extension of loans to China to buy
war materials, the embargo on the sale of aviation gasoline and scrap iron to
Japan, and the freezing of Japanese assets in the United States; (9) Japan’s
attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
- United States’ foreign policy between the two wars was influenced by the
experiences of World War I, the nation’s domestic needs and problems, and
the aggressive actions of dictators both in Europe and Asia during the 1930s
and 1940s.
- American public opinion lagged behind the evolving viewpoint of President
Roosevelt and some Congressional leaders that neutrality was a mistake,
since, like appeasement, it had actually encouraged the aggressor nations of
Europe and Asia.
Performance Objectives:
- List, explain, and describe Japan’s acts of aggression during the 1930s and
early 1940s.
- Describe and evaluate the responses of the United States and the other Allied
Powers to these acts of Japanese aggression.
- Assess whether or not the increased tension and conflict between the United
States and Japan made war between these two nations inevitable.
- Assess the impact of the attack on Pearl Harbor
- ACTIVITY: You are President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The attack on
Pearl Harbor has just taken place and you must ask Congress for a
Declaration of War. Write a one-two paragraph speech (5-7 sentences
with at least 3 details from the lesson) on why Congress should approve
war against Japan.
Aim # 3: How did World War II affect the American Homefront?
Major ideas:
- With the outbreak of World War II, women in the United States assumed
numerous roles to assist in the war effort.
- Women assumed new roles in the military, in industry, and various roles in
the household to support the war effort.
- Increased cooperation and reduction of racial tension
- Increased economic mobility
- Impact of war bonds, rationing and saving on the economy
- Post war baby boom
Performance Objectives:
- Identify the new opportunities for women and African Americans
- Describe the various roles that women played in World War II.
- Evaluate whether women played a significant role in World War II.
- Evaluate the impact of World War II on the American Economy
- ACTIVITY: Answer in one paragraph 5-7 sentences: Is war good or bad
for a country’s homefront? Use at least 3 specifics from the lesson.
Aim # 4: Was the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II a setback
for democracy?
Major Ideas:
- Racial and ethnic prejudices and deprivation of human rights tend to be
reactivated during times of perceived national danger.
Performance Objectives:
- Describe the antagonism and opposition to Japanese-Americans prior to 1941.
- Describe the circumstances leading to the relocation of Japanese-Americans
during World War II.
- Describe the impact of the relocation camp experience on the lives of
Japanese-Americans.
- Analyze the issues in the case of Korematsu v United States.
- Discuss the Japanese-American campaign to gain redress and reparation for
their treatment in the United States during World War II.
ACTIVITY: Create a political cartoon with a 2-3 sentence explanation
that includes details from the lesson which either supports or protests the
decision of Korematsu v. United States and FDR’s actions.
Aim #5: How did America contribute to victory in World War II?
Major Ideas:
- America had to fight the war on several fronts
- Key turning points helped to slowly defeat the Axis
- America decided to concentrate on winning the war against Germany
- The war time conferences between the “Big Three” helped to both settle
issues yet also lead to post war tensions.
- The importance of the Nuremberg Trials in holding war criminals accountable
for their actions
Performance Objectives: Students will be able to:
- Explain the contributions of the American military to WWII victory
- Analyze how issues in WWII helped to set up the Cold War
- Analyze if the United Nations will solve the problems of the League of
Nations.
- Identify the importance of the Nuremberg Trials.
- Assess whether the Harlem Renaissance was a celebration or a revolt
ACTIVITY: EXIT TICKET: Answer the aim in one paragraph (5-7
sentences), using at least 3 specific examples from the lesson.
Aim #6: Was the United States justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Japan?
Major Ideas:
- The atom bomb was dropped to force Japanese leaders to agree to a quick
surrender, save hundreds of thousands of American lives that would surely die
in any conventional invasion of Japan, and to end the Pacific war before the
Soviet Union could intervene effectively and thus claim a role in the
peacemaking negotiations.
- The atom bomb would “put us in a position to dictate our own terms at the end
of the war and make Russia more manageable in Europe.” (Secretary of State
James F. Byrne)
- By striking a major city the atom bomb would bring death to tens of thousands
of Japanese civilians, far more Japanese people (and American soldiers)
would have perished if Japan had been invaded.
- Generals Eisenhower and MacArthur as well as several scientists who
developed the atom bomb had reservations about the need to use this weapon.
The dropping of the second bomb was far less defensible morally, but it had
the desired result---Japan surrendered.
Performance Objectives:
- Explain and analyze the arguments used to defend and attack the use of the
atom bomb.
- Describe the effect of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- Evaluate whether or not the United States was justified in dropping the atomic
bomb.
Activity: Answer the Aim in 1-2 paragraphs (5-7 sentences each) with 4-5
details from the lesson.
Culminating Activity:
Multiple Choice Test
Questions will include political cartoons, cause and effect, poster-analysis, quotes and
key vocabulary terms and their significance.
Stage 4: Reflection
Teacher Reflection and Planning
 Evaluate exit tickets, graphic organizers, writing assignments, scaffolding
questions, and Multiple Choice. Will use these to review content and vocabulary
building, essay writing skills, document analysis
 Will explore test results to look common content and skill errors, as well as
document analysis.
 Will explore helpfulness of graphic organizers and writing activities