Goals & Objectives
Students will learn the top three countries associated with both the Allies and the Axis during World War II. Students will identify, and label, the countries on a world map, and also, use computers to do background research on the leaders of each country to write a brief one-paragraph bio on each.
California State Content and Common Core Standards
10.8 Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.
10.8.3. Identify and locate the Allied and Axis powers on a map and discuss the major turning points of the war, the principal theaters of conflict, key strategic decisions, and the resulting war conferences and political resolutions, with emphasis on the importance of geographic factors.
10.8.3. Identify and locate the Allied and Axis powers on a map and discuss the major turning points of the war, the principal theaters of conflict, key strategic decisions, and the resulting war conferences and political resolutions, with emphasis on the importance of geographic factors.
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will assess the prior knowledge of the students by having a classroom discussion regarding the Allied/Axis countries. The students will be asked to assemble a list of the six major countries they believe were involved in World War II.
Vocabulary
Students will label a world map with the Allied/Axis countries and leaders. Using colored pencils, the students will illustrate their knowledge of the differing countries by coloring the Allied countries blue, and the Axis countries red:
- United States (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
- Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin)
- United Kingdom (Winston Churchill)
- Germany (Adolf Hitler)
- Italy (Benito Mussolini)
- Japan (Emperor Hirohito)
- United States (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
- Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin)
- United Kingdom (Winston Churchill)
- Germany (Adolf Hitler)
- Italy (Benito Mussolini)
- Japan (Emperor Hirohito)
Content Delivery (Lecture)
The teacher will compose a brief lecture providing background information on each of the six major countries involved in the war. The lecture will provide significant detail as to why each country became involved in the war, information regarding the leaders, and life within each country while the war was occurring.
Student Engagement
During the lecture, students will record informative notes regarding the countries and leaders on their world map. The lecture will travel one country at a time allowing the students to record important facts from the lecture. The lecture will contain comprehensive questions (ex-why did the leaders do some of the things they did) and questions that allow the students to think critically (ex-what if the Axis countries won the war).
Lesson Closure
Students will choose one leader out of the six and express their opinion of that person in two separate paragraphs. The first paragraph will consist of the students telling the teacher four interesting facts about that leader that they did not know before the lesson. The second paragraph will reflect their opinion of the worldly outcome if the Axis had won the war.
Assessment
Formative- Students will draw conclusions as a class during the introduction of the lesson. The teacher will walk around the room to hear overall thought process. During the lecture, students will be asked questions that allow them to think critically.
Summative- Students will receive a grade on the two paragraph write-up. This will also allow the teacher to see if the students encompassed all of the pertinent information from the lesson.
Summative- Students will receive a grade on the two paragraph write-up. This will also allow the teacher to see if the students encompassed all of the pertinent information from the lesson.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
Allowing students to brainstorm constructively and openly during the lesson introduction is a type of interactive instruction that might help students with special needs and striving readers. This activity allows these students to receive instruction by speaking and listening. English learners will benefit from the map activity. If, at first, English learners do not feel confident speaking in front of others, the map activity will give those students the same information that everyone else receives.
Lesson Resources
World Maps
http://www.wpmap.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/worldblank_bw.jpg
http://www.wpmap.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/worldblank_bw.jpg