Unit 7

This unit explores the complex factors that led to the outbreak of World War II, examining the long-term causes, triggering events, and technological changes that shaped the conflict. Students will analyze the aftermath of World War I and its role in shaping global politics, conflicts, and ideologies in the early 20th century. Additionally, the unit delves into the rise of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination in Europe, culminating in the horrors of the Holocaust. The technological advancements in warfare that influenced military strategies and outcomes will also be examined. 

9-12 Days

Standards Coding Key: 

Civ= Civics Geo= Geography Eco= Economics His= History Inq= Inquiry

Content Standards

MW.His.15.a. 

Develop a historical argument about the long-term causes and triggering events that led to World War II (e.g., militarism, nationalism, Treaty of Versailles, Japanese imperialism, appeasement)

MW.His.1.e. 

Evaluate how the causes and effects of World War I influenced global conflicts in the 20th century (e.g., imperialism, industrialization, nationalism, collapse of empires, communism, socialism, fascism).

MW.His.2.b. 

Analyze how changes in military technology impacted the outcomes of various conflicts throughout the 20th century (e.g., barbed wire, bio-chemicals, flamethrowers, submarines, tanks, aircraft, computer technology, nuclear weapons).

MW.His.1.f. 

Investigate the ways in which anti-Semitic beliefs and other discriminatory policies in Europe led to the persecution and murder of millions of Jews as well as Roma, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and political prisoners during the Holocaust (e.g., Nuremberg Race Laws, Final Solution, Aktion T4).

MW.His.9.a. 

Synthesize sources from the Holocaust to develop questions and explore the experiences of survivors, victims, resisters, collaborators, bystanders, and rescuers (e.g., survivor testimony, memoirs, government documents, museums exhibits, historical fiction, and film).

Inquiry Standards (all units) 

MW.Inq.1.a. 

Explain how a question reflects an enduring issue in Modern World History.

MW.Inq.1.b.

Explain how supporting questions contribute to an inquiry and how new compelling and supporting questions emerge when engaging sources that represent varied perspectives.

MW.Inq.1.c.

Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration multiple points of view represented in the sources, the types of sources available, and the potential uses of the sources.

Aligned to District Vision of a Graduate

An Effective Communicator 

• clearly and concisely conveys information for shared understanding

  • MW.His.15.a.

  • MW.His.9.a

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

• command of the language; written and verbal

  • MW.His.15.a.

  • MW.His.9.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

Skilled Socially 

• uses effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills

  • MW.His.15.a.

  • MW.His.9.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

A Critical Thinker 

• applies unbiased analysis and evaluation

  • MW.His.1.e.

  • MW.His.15.a.

  • MW.His.2.b.

  • MW.His.1.f.

  • MW.His.9.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

• willing to adapt new information and question things

  • MW.His.1.e.

  • MW.His.15.a.

  • MW.His.2.b.

  • MW.His.1.f.

  • MW.His.9.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

A Problem Solver

• can persevere and adapt

  • MW.His.15.a.

  • MW.His.1.f.

  • MW.His.9.a.

  • MW.Inq.1.b.

  • MW.Inq.1.c.

• able to determine the root cause of issues

  • MW.His.1.e.

  • MW.His.15.a.

  • MW.His.2.b.

  • MW.His.1.f.

  • MW.His.2.b.

• How did the long-term causes and immediate events, such as militarism, nationalism, and the Treaty of Versailles, contribute to the outbreak of World War II?

• How did the causes and effects of World War I, including imperialism, industrialization, and nationalism, influence global conflicts and political ideologies in the 20th century?

• How did advancements in military technology, such as tanks, aircraft, and nuclear weapons, impact the outcomes and strategies of conflicts throughout the 20th century?

• How did anti-Semitic beliefs and discriminatory policies in Europe lead to the persecution and murder of millions of Jews and other marginalized groups during the Holocaust?

• How can sources from the Holocaust, such as survivor testimonies and historical documents, be used to explore the experiences of victims, resisters, collaborators, and bystanders?

• The long-term causes and immediate events of World War II, such as militarism, nationalism, and the Treaty of Versailles, created the conditions that led to global conflict.
  
  

• The causes and effects of World War I, including imperialism, industrialization, and nationalism, significantly shaped global conflicts and political ideologies in the 20th century.
  
  

• Advancements in military technology, such as tanks, aircraft, and nuclear weapons, changed warfare strategies and significantly impacted the outcomes of 20th-century conflicts.
  
  

• Anti-Semitic beliefs and discriminatory policies in Europe led to the systematic persecution and murder of Jews and other marginalized groups during the Holocaust.
  
  

• Sources from the Holocaust, like survivor testimonies and historical documents, provide insight into the diverse experiences of victims, resisters, collaborators, and bystanders.

MW.His.15.a.

• World War II

• Long-term causes: militarism, nationalism, unresolved WWI issues

• Triggering events: Treaty of Versailles, Japanese imperialism, appeasement

• Political ideologies and regimes: fascism, totalitarianism

• Global conflict patterns

MW.His.1.e.

• World War I

• Causes of global conflict:

  • Imperialism

  • Industrialization

  • Nationalism

• Effects of World War I:

  • Collapse of empires (e.g., Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, German)

  • Political ideologies (e.g., communism, socialism, fascism)

• Global conflicts of the 20th century

MW.His.2.b.

• Military technology innovations:

  • WWI/WWII: barbed wire, chemical weapons, flamethrowers, tanks, aircraft, submarines

  • Cold War/modern era: computer technology, nuclear weapons

• Impact of technology on warfare

• Battle strategies and outcomes

• 20th-century conflicts

MW.His.1.f.

• Holocaust

• Anti-Semitism and discriminatory ideologies

• Persecution and genocide

• Victim groups: Jews, Roma, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, political prisoners

• Key policies and events:

  • Nuremberg Race Laws

  • Final Solution

  • Aktion T4

• State-sponsored violence

• Human rights violations

• Consequences of prejudice and dehumanization

MW.His.9.a.

• Holocaust survivors, victims, resisters, collaborators, bystanders, rescuers

• Primary and secondary sources: survivor testimony, memoirs, government documents, museum exhibits, historical fiction, film

• Experiences of oppression and resistance

• Historical inquiry methods

• Memory and representation

MW.Inq.1.a. 

• Compelling questions

• Enduring issues (conflict, power, inequality, innovation)

• Historical significance

• Continuity and change

• Global connections

MW.Inq.1.b.

• Supporting questions

• Inquiry process

• Sources (primary and secondary)

• Perspectives

• Historical evidence

• Interpretation

MW.Inq.1.c.

• Primary sources

• Secondary sources

• Point of view

• Bias

• Source type (text, image, artifact, map)

• Credibility

• Use of evidence

MW.His.15.a.

• Develop a historical argument about WWII causes

• Analyze long-term and immediate factors leading to WWII

• Explain cause-and-effect relationships between WWI outcomes and WWII

• Use evidence from treaties, policies, and events to support claims

• Compare different nations’ roles in triggering WWII

MW.His.1.e.

• Evaluate how WWI causes and effects influenced later global conflicts

• Explain connections between imperialism, industrialization, nationalism, and war

• Analyze the political and ideological outcomes of WWI

• Use evidence to support claims about global conflict patterns

• Make connections between WWI and subsequent 20th-century conflicts

MW.His.2.b.

• Analyze how military technology influenced conflict outcomes

• Evaluate the effectiveness of new weapons and strategies

• Explain how technology changed the scale and nature of war

• Use evidence from specific conflicts to support conclusions

• Make connections between technological advances and political/military power

MW.His.1.f.

• Investigate the causes and execution of the Holocaust

• Explain how discriminatory beliefs were enacted through laws and policies

• Analyze the impact on targeted groups and society

• Evaluate the consequences of state-sponsored persecution

• Use evidence from historical documents and policies to support claims

• Make connections between ideology, policy, and human rights violations

MW.His.9.a.

• Synthesize sources to understand diverse experiences of the Holocaust

• Develop questions for historical inquiry

• Analyze perspectives of different groups affected by the Holocaust

• Interpret evidence from multiple types of sources

• Draw conclusions about human behavior and ethical choices under oppression

• Communicate findings supported by historical evidence

MW.Inq.1.a. 

• Explain how a question connects to an enduring historical issue

• Identify enduring issues within historical topics

• Develop compelling questions about world history topics

• Justify why a question is historically significant

• Connect past issues to present-day concerns

MW.Inq.1.b.

• Develop supporting questions that break down a larger inquiry

• Explain how supporting questions guide research

• Revise questions based on new information from sources

• Compare different perspectives found in sources

• Generate new compelling and supporting questions during investigation

MW.Inq.1.c.

• Identify types of sources useful for answering questions

• Evaluate sources for perspective and bias

• Select appropriate sources for specific inquiry questions

• Compare sources representing multiple points of view

• Explain how different sources can be used as evidence

• Justify why certain sources are more useful than others

Assessments:

Formative Assessments: 

REQUIRED:

• CFA - Unit 7

Suggested:

• Annotations and close reading analysis

• Quick writes and on-demand writing samples

• Do Nows/Bell Ringers

• Exit tickets

• 1:1 or small group conferring

Summative Assessments: 

REQUIRED:

• In development 

Suggested:

• Reading written response to text/thinking during reading assessment 

• On-demand writing assessment to revise/add to an existing story using style and craft of the author

• Performance task (see below)

• Independent Reading survey/reflection

• Book club/short story discussion observations

• Militarism 

• Nationalism 

• Treaty of Versailles 

• Appeasement 

• Fascism 

• Imperialism 

• Nuclear Weapons

• Antisemitism 

• Communism

• Socialism 

Resources:

Technology:

• Actively Learn

• Blooket

• BreakoutEDU

• EdPuzzle

• Kahoot!

• Kami

• Padlet

• SORA

• YouTube

Suggested Texts:  

• OER Project Unit 7 

• McGraw Hill Textbook Topics 18

Cross Cycle Tasks:

Suggestions: 

• Have students begin reading a brief connected text at the end of the academic and finish during trade cycle.

• Use Google Forms for a questionnaire or survey about upcoming topic.

• Brief writing task related to end of cycle lesson or as a discussion piece for upcoming lesson.

• Student question development about upcoming topic. Provide question starters: Classroom Question Stems by Cormier; Hess; DOK; Bloom's Taxonomy.

• Quizlet Study Sets activity.

Last day of the Cycle:

• Students meet in small groups to read and discuss upcoming text for next cycle.

First day of the New Cycle:

• Students meet in small groups to discuss reflection, response, and question posts from previous cycle (approx. 15 minutes)

Project Based Learning: 

World History CFA Unit 7

Use these reflective questions to enhance critical consciousness for diversity and equity for both educators and students.

• Why is it important for me and my students to be critically conscious for diversity and equity?

• How do I define diversity? How do my students define diversity? What do I need to learn? What do my students need to learn?

• How do I define equity? How do my students define equity? What do I need to learn? What do my students need to learn?

• How does my identity and my students’ identities impact my teaching and classroom practices? How does it impact my students’ learning and engagement?

• What do I know about various aspects of identity? What do I need to learn?

• What do my students know about various aspects of identity? What do they need to learn?

For information on how to support English Learners in this unit, refer to the Connecticut English Language Proficiency (CELP) Standards with Correspondences to the K-12 Practices and Connecticut Core Standards. 

Use the EL Strategies Desk Cards (Tip Sheets for ALL Classroom Teachers) for specific questioning techniques and teaching strategies to support students’ learning.