United States History Unit 7

Big Idea:

Analyze major characteristics of World War II.

Student Expectations:

Priority TEKS

USH.2(A) [Supporting] identify the major characteristics that define an historical era;

USH.2(B) [Readiness] identify the major eras in U.S. history from 1877 to the present and describe their defining characteristics;

USH.2(C) [Supporting] apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time periods; and

USH.2(D) [Supporting] explain the significance of the following years as turning points: 1898 (Spanish-American War), 1914-1918 (World War I), 1929 (the Great Depression begins), 1939-1945 (World War II), 1957 (Sputnik launch ignites U.S.-Soviet space race), 1968-1969 (Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and U.S. lands on the moon), 1991 (Cold War ends), 2001 (terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and the Pentagon), and 2008 (election of first black president, Barack Obama).

USH.7(A) [Readiness] identify reasons for U.S. involvement in World War II, including Italian, German, and Japanese dictatorships and their aggression, especially the attack on Pearl Harbor;

USH.7(D) [Readiness] analyze major issues of World War II, including the Holocaust; the internment of German, Italian, and Japanese Americans and Executive Order 9066; and the development of conventional and atomic weapons;

USH.7(E) [Supporting] analyze major military events of World War II, including the Battle of Midway, the U.S. military advancement through the Pacific Islands, the Bataan Death March, the invasion of Normandy, fighting the war on multiple fronts, and the liberation of concentration camps;

USH.7(F) [Supporting] evaluate the military contributions of leaders during World War II, including Omar Bradley, Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Chester A. Nimitz, George Marshall, and George Patton; and

USH.7(G) [Readiness] explain the homefront and how American patriotism inspired exceptional actions by citizens and military personnel, including high levels of military enlistment; volunteerism; the purchase of war bonds; Victory Gardens; the bravery and contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Flying Tigers, and the Navajo Code Talkers; and opportunities and obstacles for women and ethnic minorities.

USH.17(A) [Readiness] describe the economic effects of World War II on the home front such as the end of the Great Depression, rationing, and increased opportunity for women and minority employment;

USH.19(B) [Readiness] explain constitutional issues raised by federal government policy changes during times of significant events, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the 1960s, and 9/11;

Focus TEKS

USH.7(B) [Supporting] evaluate the domestic and international leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman during World War II, including the U.S. relationship with its allies and domestic industry’s rapid mobilization for the war effort;

USH.7(C) [Supporting] analyze the function of the U.S. Office of War Information;

USH.26(F) [Supporting] discuss the importance of congressional Medal of Honor recipients, including individuals of all races and genders such as Vernon J. Baker, Alvin York, and Roy Benavidez.

USH.27(B) [Supporting] explain how specific needs result in scientific discoveries and technological innovations in agriculture, the military, and medicine, including vaccines; and

Ongoing TEKS

USH.29(A) use a variety of both primary and secondary valid sources to acquire information and to analyze and answer historical questions

USH.29(B) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and- effect relationships, comparing and contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations, making predictions, drawing inferences, and drawing conclusions

USH.29(C) understand how historians interpret the past (historiography) and how their interpretations of history may change over time

USH.29(D) use the process of historical inquiry to research, interpret, and use multiple types of sources of evidence

USH.29(E) evaluate the validity of a source based on language, corroboration with other sources, and information about the author, including points of view, frames of reference, and historical context;

USH.29(F) identify bias in written, oral, and visual material

USH.29(G) identify and support with historical evidence a point of view on a social studies issue or event

USH.29(H) use appropriate skills to analyze and interpret social studies information such as maps, graphs, presentations, speeches, lectures, and political cartoons

USH.30(A) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information

USH.30(B) use correct social studies terminology to explain historical concepts

USH.30(C) use different forms of media to convey information, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using available computer software as appropriate

USH.31(A) create thematic maps, graphs, and charts representing various aspects of the United States

USH.31(B) pose and answer questions about geographic distributions and patterns shown on maps, graphs, charts, and available databases

USH.32(A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution

USH.32(B) use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision

Student Learning Targets:

• I will analyze the causes and effects of World War II
• I will identify reasons for U.S. involvement in World War II
• I will compare and contrast internment camps and the Holocaust.
• I will evaluate Truman’s decision to drop the Atomic bomb.
• I will analyze visual sources such as propaganda.
• I will compare and contrast different types of governments and economies. (ex.: fascism/democracy, communism/capitalism)

Essential Questions:

• What factors led to the outbreak of World War II?
• How were the United States and its Allies able to win victory in World War II?
• What were the major effects of World War II on America and the World?

Extra Information:

Adopted Textbook: The Americans: US History since 1877 Texas Edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Holt McDougal

District Grading Policy

Texas Gateway Online Resource Center