World War II

Standards

Michigan High School Content Expectations

7.2 World War II-Examine the causes and course of World War II, and the effects of the war on United States society and culture, including the consequences for United States involvement in world affairs.

• 7.2.1 Causes of WWII– Analyze the factors contributing to World War II in Europe and in the Pacific region, and America’s entry into war including:• the political and economic disputes over territory (e.g., failure of Versailles Treaty, League of Nations, Munich Agreement) • the differences in the civic and political values of the United States and those of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan• United States neutrality• the bombing of Pearl Harbor
• 7.2.2 U.S and the Course of WWII– Evaluate the role of the U.S. in fighting the war militarily, diplomatically and technologically across the world (e.g., Germany First strategy, Big Three Alliance, and the development of atomic weapons).
• 7.2.3 Impact of WWII on American Life – Analyze the changes in American life brought about by U.S. participation in World War II including: • mobilization of economic, military, and social resources• role of women and minorities in the war effort• role of the home front in supporting the war effort (e.g., rationing, work hours, taxes)• internment of Japanese-Americans
• Responses to Genocide– Investigate development and enactment of Hitler’s “final solution” policy, and the responses to genocide by the Allies, the U.S. government, international organizations, and individuals (e.g., liberation of concentration camps, Nuremberg war crimes

Common Core State Standards

• SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• SL 9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
• RH.9-10.3 Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
• RH 9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
• RH 9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
• RH 9-10.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claims.
• RH.9-10.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
• WHST 9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• WHST 9-10.2
• Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.

C3 Framework

• D2.His.9.9-12. Analyze the relationship between historical sources and the secondary interpretations made from them.
• D2.His.13.9-12. Critique the appropriateness of the historical sources used in a secondary interpretation.
• D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
• D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
• D4.2.9-12. Construct explanations using sound reasoning, correct sequence (linear or non-linear), examples, and details with significant and pertinent information and data, while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of the explanation given its purpose (e.g., cause and effect, chronological, procedural, technical).
• D4.3.9-12. Present adaptations of arguments and explanations that feature evocative ideas and perspectives on issues and topics to reach a range of audiences and venues outside the classroom using print and oral technologies (e.g., posters, essays, letters, debates, speeches, reports, and maps) and digital technologies (e.g., Internet, social media, and digital documentary).

Unit Compelling Question: Should freedom be sacrificed in the name of national security?

Supporting Questions

• When does warfare protect human rights and when does it violate them?
• How did Europe change after WWI?
• Was the Treaty of Versailles just?
• What role did appeasement play in causing WWII?
• How did the U.S. gradually get involved in World War II in the late-1930s and early-1940s?
• Should the United States have dropped the bomb?
• Should the United States have done more in the Holocaust?
• How did the American government use propaganda to gain support for involvement in World War II?
• How do media images of women conflict with and constrict the roles of women?
• How did U.S. involvement in World War II change life on the “home front”?
• What government policies contribute to social mobility?
• Is there one American experience?

Instructional Materials/Texts

Causes of WWII

1. Causes of WWII: The Treaty of Versailles

Standards: RH 9-10.5, 9-10.7

Learning Targets:

1. I can analyze a map to determine how the Treaty of Versailles changed Europe.
2. I can analyze Hitler's speech to determine his arguments against the Treaty of Versailles and how he appeals to his audience.

Supporting Questions: Was the Treaty of Versailles just? How did Europe change after WWI? How was the world plunged into WWII after 1939? What is the most effective response to aggression—appeasement or collective security?

3. American Neutrality

Standards: RH 9-10.3, WHST 9-10.2b

Learning Targets:

1. I can build an argument supported with evidence advocating for or against U.S involvement in WWII.
2. I can analyze sources to explain the chronological steps to U.S involvement in WWII.

Supporting Question: How did the U.S. gradually get involved in World War II in the late-1930s and early-1940s? What arguments were made for and against American preparation for war in 1940 - 1941?

4. Four Freedoms

Standards: RH 9-10.2, 9-10.5, 9-10.6

Learning Targets:

1. I can compare FDR's Four freedoms with the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
2. I can explain how FDR used the Four Freedoms to build an argument to join the war.
3. I can explain why African Americans were upset by the Four Freedoms speech.
4. I can analyze paintings by Norman Rockwell to determine how they represented the Four Freedoms.

Supporting Questions: What were the Four Freedoms? How could they be used to build an argument for US intervention in World War II? Why were African Americans outraged after hearing President Roosevelt’s speech?

5. Pearl Harbor

Standards: RH 9-10.2, 9-10.5

Learning Targets:

I can analyze President Roosevelt's speech to determine how he builds his argument to enter WWII.

Supporting Questions: What happened at Pearl Harbor? How did President Roosevelt respond to the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor?

6. The Course of the War: The European Theater

Standards: RH 9-10.3, 9-10.5, 9-10.6

Learning Targets:

1. I can analyze primary source documents to explain the events of D-Day.
2. I can analyze a newspaper article about the invasion of Normandy to determine how the author's tone impacts the interpretation of the document.
3. I can analyze multiple perspectives about the invasion of Normandy to make a claim about the "real war."

Supporting Questions: What happened on D-Day? What was the allied invasion at Normandy? What can we learn about WW2 from analyzing the experiences of soldiers operating along the front lines? How can different types of primary sources help us understand historical events?

7. The Holocaust

Standards: RH 9-10.4, 9-10.5. 9-10.6, WHST 9-10.1, SL 9-10.3

Learning Targets:

• I can analyze a Holocaust survivor's account to determine which words and phrases they emphasize to provide the reader with a detailed account of their experience.
• In a simulated Congressional Hearing, I can present an argument answering the question: Should the United States have done more in the Holocaust.

Supporting Questions: What was the "final solution?" What is dehumanization? What was life like in Concentration camps? Who were the SS? What was Krystallnacht? What actions did the U.S. military undertake against the extermination camps during the war? Should the United States have done more in the Holocaust?

Life on the Homefront

8. Life on the Homefront

Standards: RH 9-10. 2, 9-10.5

Learning Targets: I can analyze government propaganda to determine its overall message and how it tries to convince its audience to support the war.

Supporting Questions: How did U.S. involvement in World War II change life on the “home front”? What arguments did the government use to convince it's audience to support the war?

9. WWII Propaganda

Standards: RH 9-10.2, 9-10.9

Learning Targets:

1. I can analyze WWII propaganda posters to determine how the U.S gained support for the war.
2. I can analyze primary sources to make a claim about the differences between the US Government’s Rosie and actual American women who worked in the war industry during WWII.

Supporting Questions: How did the American government use propaganda to gain support for involvement in World War II? What were the goals of the propaganda campaign directed by the Office of War Information (OWI)? What would you LIKE to see the government create propaganda about? How did government propaganda about women workers during WWII compare with the real experiences of working women?

10. Japanese Internment

Standards: RH 9-10.3, RH 9-10.9

Learning Targets: I can analyze the geographical and historical context of the Japanese Internment Camps.

1. I can make a hypothesis about Japanese Internment.
2. I can assess primary documents to determine which make the strongest arguments.

Supporting Questions: Why were Japanese-Americans forced to live in internment camps during World War II? Where were internment camps located? Is there one American experience?

Effects of WWII

11. The Atomic Bomb

Standards: RH 9-10.9, WHST 9-10.2b

Learning Target:

1. I can explain the development of the atomic bomb.
2. I can evaluate two accounts of the dropping of the atomic bomb to make a claim about which account is more credible.
3. In a class debate, I can compare the perspectives of Americans and the Japanese on the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan.
4. I can evaluate the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
5. I can make connections between Japanese internment and the Patriot Act of 2001.

Supporting Questions: How should we remember the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan? Should the United States have dropped the bomb?

12. African Americans during WWII: Executive Order 9981

Standard: RH 9-10.2, 9-10.5

Learning Target: I can analyze Executive Order 9981 and other primary source documents to determine how WWII impacted African-Americans.

Supporting Question: How did World War II impact the African American civil rights movement?