Stage 1: Desired Outcomes
Unit Title/Name: The Road to World War II
Could World War II have been avoided?
NYS Content Standards
Common Core Standards:
Standard 2: Key 2
RH 1, 2, 5, 8, 9
Standard 2: Key 3
W 1, 4, 9
Standard 2: Key 4
SL 1, 2, 4, 6
Understandings:
Essential Questions:
Students will understand concepts and ideas
 Why did the fascist movement spread across Europe?
regarding…
 Discuss and evaluate the extent to which Hitler’s
 Economic, political, social problems in
economic and political policies alleviated the problems
post-WWI Germany.
in Germany.
 Effects of Weimar Republic rule over
 Evaluate how Hitler used Germany’s problems to
Germany.
gain the support of the German people.
 Explain the spread of fascism across Europe
 Evaluate how Hitler used propaganda to further his
 The role of nationalism in the spread of
political power and popularity.
Nazism throughout Europe.
 Describe the events of the Munich Conference and
subsequent German moves.
 Use of propaganda to spread anti-Semitism
and Nazi sympathies across Germany and,
 Describe Hitler’s military campaigns and explain
to an extent, Europe.
how they led to the actions of Britain and France.
 The aims of the Nazis as they came into
 Evaluate the actions of Britain and France
power in 1932.
considering the sentiments of Europeans at the time.
 Key Terms/Vocabulary: inflation, Weimar
Republic, fascism, Nazi, Adolf Hitler,
propaganda, fuhrer, Mein Kampf,
appeasement, Munich Conference,
pacifism, Nuremberg Laws
Stage 2: Assessments and Tasks
Common Core Literacy Task
 Create a two-page “fake” dialogue based on
the goals of the leaders of the Munich
Conference.
 Write a 2-page diary entry from the
perspective of one of the Jewish people
living in Nazi Germany in the 1930s
explaining how your life has been affected.
 Write a 3-5 paragraph essay that answers
the overarching unit question using
evidence how WWII could have been
avoided.
 RAFT Activity
 Role – Jewish person, Nazi officer, fascist
sympathizer
 Audience – European leaders, world
community
 Format – poem or song lyrics
 Topic – treatment of Jews in Germany,
possibility and growing sentiments of
revolt, unfairness of Nuremberg Laws,
effects of propaganda on hearts and minds
of Germans.
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Performance Task(s) – Other Evidence
 Write an essay which discusses how the actions of
the Nazis and inactions of European leaders apply to
modern society.
 Create posters, speeches, & obituaries which explain
key concepts of the Jewish resistance to Nazi rule.
 Jig-saw/Expert activity wherein students individually
learn about a particular Nuremberg Law or piece of
Nazi propaganda and are then tasked with sharing
their expertise to the whole class (in speech or
written form).
 Story Chain, including vocabulary word maps and
answers to various AIM questions.
 GISTing activity – students will read a topical article,
answer the W’s (who, what, when, etc.), and write a
limited-word response in paragraph form to
demonstrate comprehension (for example, the
paragraph can be no longer than 20 words total).
How will students reflect upon and self-assess their learning?
Students will be asked to write a reflection based on what they learned and how effectively they worked.
Reading feedback on essays and other written work.
Student will peer- and self-edit essay for proper structure and mechanics, and students will evaluate essay
content.
Students will revise first drafts of their essays.
Student will self-assess learning by attempting another combination in the RAFT.
Student will assess their key-term knowledge by attempting to recreate parts of their vocabulary word maps
without looking through their notes.
Students will compare their GIST paragraphs with their peers in order to determine the validity of their
responses and whether they have answered the W’s.
Stage 3: Learning Plan
1. DOES ECONOMIC HARDSHIP LEAD TO DICTATORSHIP?
Or
WAS HITLER’S RISE TO POWER INEVITABLE?
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- Identify/define: Treaty of Versailles, Great Depression, inflation, hyperinflation, Weimar Republic,
Dawes Plan, dictatorship, Adolf Hitler, Reichstag Fire, Brownshirts, Enabling Acts.
- Explain the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
- Discuss the extent to which the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles contributed to Germany’s economic
problems.
- Describe how the political climate and the economic conditions of the Weimar Republic affected the
German people.
- Evaluate the impact of the Great Depression on Germany.
- Evaluate the extent to which this economic climate contributed to the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in
Germany.
- Evaluate whether economic hardship leads to dictatorship or whether Hitler’s rise to power was inevitable.
2.
SHOULD THE GERMAN PEOPLE HAVE ACCEPTED HTILER’S RULE?
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- Identify/define: Adolf Hitler, nazism, National Socialist German Workers’ Party, Gestapo, Hitler
youth, concentration camps, Auto bon, Volkswagen, economic prosperity Mein Kampf, propaganda.
- List and discuss the aims of the Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party.
- Discuss and evaluate the extent to which Hitler’s economic and political policies alleviated the problems
in Germany.
- Evaluate how Hitler used Germany’s problems to gain the support of the German people.
- Evaluate how Hitler used mass media and propaganda to further his political power and popularity.
- Analyze how Hitler’s ideas/values as expressed in Mein Kampf impacted the social, political, and
economic climate of Germany.
- Evaluate whether Hitler’s rule was good for Germany.
3.
IS APPEASEMENT A WISE POLICY?
Or
SHOULD THE ALLIES HAVE APPEASED HITLER TO AVOID WAR?
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- Identify/define: appeasement, pacifism, militarism, Munich Pact, territorial concessions.
- Describe the events of the Munich Conference and subsequent German moves.
- Describe Hitler’s military campaigns and explain how they led to the actions of Britain and France.
- Evaluate the actions of Britain and France considering the sentiments of Europeans at the time.
- Evaluate the effects of the Munich experience on the thinking of later leaders of government.
- Evaluate whether appeasement is a wise policy.
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Stage 4: Reflection
Teacher Reflection for Future Planning
 Evaluate exit tickets and response to questions during discussion.
 Explore test results and essay writing skills on class exam to shape future writing lessons/assignments.
 Determine how well RAFT work (did it stay afloat…?) and make necessary patches for future excursions.
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Determine how accurately students were able to respond to the GIST activity (answering the W’s) and responding
correctly to the limited-word-use paragraph format.