Content Standards:
11.7 Students analyze America’s participation in World War II 1. . Examine the origins of American involvement in the war, with an emphasis on the events that precipitated the attack on Pearl Harbor. 2. Explain U.S. and Allied wartime strategy, including the major battles of Midway, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Battle of the Bulge. 3. Identify the roles and sacrifices of individual American soldiers, as well as the unique contributions of the special fighting forces (e.g., the Tuskegee Airmen, the 442nd Regimental Combat team, the Navajo Code Talkers). 4. Analyze Roosevelt’s foreign policy during World War II (e.g., Four Freedoms speech). 5. Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United States of America) and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens; the response of the administration to Hitler’s atrocities against Jews and other groups; the roles of women in military production; and the roles and growing political demands of African Americans. 6. Describe major developments in aviation, weaponry, communication, and medicine and the war’s impact on the location of American industry and use of resources. 7. Discuss the decision to drop atomic bombs and the consequences of the decision (Hiroshima and Nagasaki). 8. Analyze the effect of massive aid given to Western Europe under the Marshall Plan to rebuild itself after the war and the importance of a rebuilt Europe to the U.S. economy. Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy, RH. 11.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. CCSS.ELA-Literacy, RH. 11.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas. CCSS.ELA-Literacy, RH. 11.5. Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole. CCSS.ELA-Literacy, RH. 11.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. CCSS.ELA-Literacy, WHST. 11.1.d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. CCSS.ELA-Literacy, WHST. 11.2.d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic; convey a knowledgeable stance in a style that responds to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers. CCSS.ELA-Literacy, WHST. 11.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. CCSS.ELA-Literacy, WHST. 11.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. |
Essential Historical Questions1. Which world events precipitated Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor?
2. Who were the Tuskegee Airmen, the 442nd Regimental Combat team and the Navajo Code talkers? How did they contribute to the war effort? 3. How did war affect the lives Japanese, Italians and Germans living in the United States? 4. How did the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima affect the outcome of the war? |
Unit Assessments1. Reading Timeline (Pearl Harbor)
2. Lecture and Guided Notes (Special Fighting Forces) 3. Photograph Project (Japanese Interment) 4. Midterm Exam (Major developments in aviation, weaponry, communication, and medicine during the war) 5. Class Debate (Dropping of the atomic bombs- Good vs., Bad Idea) |
Big Ideas1. World War Looms- The World Before the Attack on Pearl Harbor
2. The Special Fighting Forces of World War II 3. Japanese Internment in the United States 4. The Dropping of the Atomic Bombs |