Lesson 1

Lesson: Introduction, Title Page, and Vocabulary

Objective: Students will be able to connect WWI and the period between the wars to the
beginning of WWII. They will be able to define basic vocabulary for the unit, including
terms like D-Day, Allies, Nazis, Hitler, Churchill, etc.
Common Core Standards:
10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources,
attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide
an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
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.
Materials: Tablets, access to blogs, internet, WWII movie trailer
Directions: Show a movie trailer depicting scenes from World War II. The trailer has clips
of the D-Day scene in Saving Private Ryan, and other clips and pictures of people and
battles from the war. Explain to the class that they are going to begin learning about WWII
and remind them that theyve already learned about the Holocaust, as well as events that
led to WWII, particularly the Treaty of Versailles and its harsh treatment of Germany. Now
theyll be learning about the steps Hitler took that led to another world war, as well as the
roles of Japan, Italy, Britain, France, and others. Have students take out their tablets and go
to their blogs.
Have students go to the class website and find the vocabulary for the unit. Students are to
use the web to define each word in their blogs. They should also find pictures to illustrate
each term. Students are allowed to work in pairs of they wish, but each student is
responsible for his or her own vocabulary in their blogs.
Students also create a collage in their blogs of key events and people from the unit, based
on the vocabulary terms.