STANDARD USII.

7b: Events and Turning Points in WWII

Teacher name

Wendy Nelson

Subject

Social Studies

Grade Level

Seventh

Time duration

80 minutes (mostly as homework though it will begin in class)

Materials needed

Classroom Edmodo site

Lesson Objective

STANDARD USII.7b
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the major causes and effects
of American involvement in World War II by
b) locating and describing the major events and turning points of the war
in Europe and the Pacific.

Purpose of the lesson

Students will individually explore in-depth documents regarding the following

major events and turning points of World War II, then summarize, share, and
discuss with classmates.
Germany invaded Poland, setting off war in Europe. The Soviet Union also
invaded Poland and the Baltic nations.
Germany invaded France and captured Paris.
Germany bombed London, and the Battle of Britain began.
The United States gave Britain war supplies and old naval warships in return for
military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean (Lend Lease).
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the United States.
The United States declared war on Japan and Germany.
The United States was victorious over Japan in the Battle of Midway. This
victory was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union defeated Germany at
Stalingrad, marking the turning point of the war in Eastern Europe.
American and other Allied troops landed in Normandy, France, on D-Day to
begin the liberation of Western Europe.
The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan (Hiroshima and
Nagasaki) in 1945, forcing Japan to surrender and ending World War II.
(History and Social Science Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework,

2008)
Activity

On Edmodo class site, teacher will post assigned links to relevant documents
regarding major events and turning points of WWII under each students name.
(Example: for Germany invaded France and captured Paris:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/fall_france_01.shtml)

Each student will read and examine one document, researching

parts they dont fully understand.
Each student will be tasked with creating a discussion thread. In
the first post on each discussion thread, the student will

Assessment

summarize in about 300 words the article or document they

examined, placing it in context with the event he/she learned
about. The student may also post questions about information that
the student did not fully understand.
Once these initial postings are complete, the teacher will divide
the class into three groups: Ask, Answer, and Discuss. The first
group must ask a question on two threads. The second group must
answer a question posed either in the original post or one of the
Ask groups questions. The Discuss group must post something
that expands on a previous posters thoughtsor discuss!.
Once this phase is done, the students must switch groups until
they have each had a turn in the Ask, Answer, and Discuss groups.
(This can be repeated as often as necessary.)

Students will primarily be assessed on how thoroughly their initial posts

enable their classmates understanding of the document they reviewed as
well as the quality of their writing and their demonstration of
understanding of the major event of World War II. A smaller portion of
points will be allotted for contributing to a quality discussion as well as
demonstration of understanding.

Resources:
Virginia Department of Education. (2008) History and social science standards of learning curriculum
framework. Richmond, Virginia: VDOE. Retrieved from:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/history_socialscience/

Lesson Plan Exemplar: https://www.edmodo.com/post/322415213

(See below for screenshot if you cant access this.)