Mr. Larsen's Amazing unit plan, Featuring wwII
WWII is over, now what
Goals & Objectives
-Students will empathize with the varying perspectives that clashed during WWII
-Students will write a reflective piece from varying perspectives analyzing the different opinions
-Students will recognize that each country had differing causes for entering the war and consequences afterwards
-Students will be able to articulate why each country's reasons were logical, popular opinions
-Students will empathize with the varying perspectives that clashed during WWII
-Students will write a reflective piece from varying perspectives analyzing the different opinions
-Students will recognize that each country had differing causes for entering the war and consequences afterwards
-Students will be able to articulate why each country's reasons were logical, popular opinions
Content & Common Core Standards
10.8 Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II
CCSS.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically (using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation) such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose (e.g., argument, narrative, informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task
10.8 Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II
CCSS.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically (using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation) such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose (e.g., argument, narrative, informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task
Lesson Introduction (Hook/Access Prior Knowledge)
Teacher will begin class with a period of Socratic questioning in order to both access prior knowledge and trigger the students' brains to begin critically reflecting on their personal views regarding the offenders of WWII and the Holocaust. With a planned question structure and an ability to effectively use student responses, teacher will be able to conduct the lesson introduction as follows:
Teacher will begin class with a period of Socratic questioning in order to both access prior knowledge and trigger the students' brains to begin critically reflecting on their personal views regarding the offenders of WWII and the Holocaust. With a planned question structure and an ability to effectively use student responses, teacher will be able to conduct the lesson introduction as follows:
Vocabulary (Content Language Development)
Holocaust, concentration camp, bystander effect, obedience, diffusion of responsibility, cognitive dissonance
Holocaust, concentration camp, bystander effect, obedience, diffusion of responsibility, cognitive dissonance
Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) & Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities)
Day 1
After completing the Socratic questioning, teacher will introduce two popular studies done after WWII called Milgram Experiment and Stanford Prison Experiment. Showing two YouTube videos describing each study, all will be able to begin building an empathy for all involved in WWII; finally shattering the good guy vs. bad guy view of history most come to class with. Also, the students will be reading Lord of the Flies in their English classes (as confirmed with their teacher) during this time, and thus will be primed and ready to begin responding to such questions as: why does violence and evil occur in our world? Are violence and evil innate in all of us or are these behaviors learned from our surroundings? To boil it down further, are violence and evil a result of nature or nurture? A worksheet with these questions will be passed out for each to respond to as they reflect on the powerful implications introduced to them. Teacher will use ClassDojo to select a few students to respond to each of the given questions. Teacher will encourage opinions of all kinds while challenging each to continually develop their views. The goal of Day 1 will be to culture an environment in the classroom that promotes personal views, challenges linear thinking, and praises empathy when supported with factual understanding.
Day 1
After completing the Socratic questioning, teacher will introduce two popular studies done after WWII called Milgram Experiment and Stanford Prison Experiment. Showing two YouTube videos describing each study, all will be able to begin building an empathy for all involved in WWII; finally shattering the good guy vs. bad guy view of history most come to class with. Also, the students will be reading Lord of the Flies in their English classes (as confirmed with their teacher) during this time, and thus will be primed and ready to begin responding to such questions as: why does violence and evil occur in our world? Are violence and evil innate in all of us or are these behaviors learned from our surroundings? To boil it down further, are violence and evil a result of nature or nurture? A worksheet with these questions will be passed out for each to respond to as they reflect on the powerful implications introduced to them. Teacher will use ClassDojo to select a few students to respond to each of the given questions. Teacher will encourage opinions of all kinds while challenging each to continually develop their views. The goal of Day 1 will be to culture an environment in the classroom that promotes personal views, challenges linear thinking, and praises empathy when supported with factual understanding.
Day 2
Teacher will begin facilitating a class Socratic debate with prepared questions, though student lead discussion is the goal of the day. All students are reminded that this days forum counts as the summative exam for the unit. Everyone must participate, and those who are responding too frequently will be given a five minute time-out (not as punishment, but rather to allow others time to speak as well). As the subjects can spark much controversy, teacher will keep students focused on personal responses to the questions provided by the teacher rather than allowing ongoing back-and-forths between classmates. Students will raise their hands when they have something to add to the discussion, and must wait for the teacher to tell them when it is their turn. Teacher will thus keep a list of people whose hands were risen, in order to allow them to answer in turn (this strategy also helps combat tit-for-tat debates because a student who raises their hand in response to the person talking might not be able to speak until 3 or 4 students later, meaning the issue has moved on). Teacher will begin class by writing "Agree/Yes" on one side of the classroom and "Disagree/No" on the other. Students will be informed that they must chose a side for each question (this will give teacher the ability to make sure voices from both sides can be heard). Once the instructions are understood, teacher will discuss the rubric by which they will be graded (posted below) and that all notes will be collected before they leave class that day. All questions will be projected on the board and teacher will allow discussion of each question as long as hands are being raised.
Questions to ask:
-Is Hitler and the Nazis solely to blame for World War II?
-Is Hitler and the Nazis solely to blame for the Holocaust?
-Should all Nazi soldiers have been punished?
-Were attacks on civilian population (strategic bombing) justified during World War II?
-Was the United States justified in dropping the atomic bombs?
-Is the use of propaganda ethical during wartime?
-Should the United States enter wars when we are not personally attacked?
-Could a totalitarian government be a positive form of government?
-Are Germans who supported their government evil?
-Is America the reason WWII was won by the Allies?
Teacher will begin facilitating a class Socratic debate with prepared questions, though student lead discussion is the goal of the day. All students are reminded that this days forum counts as the summative exam for the unit. Everyone must participate, and those who are responding too frequently will be given a five minute time-out (not as punishment, but rather to allow others time to speak as well). As the subjects can spark much controversy, teacher will keep students focused on personal responses to the questions provided by the teacher rather than allowing ongoing back-and-forths between classmates. Students will raise their hands when they have something to add to the discussion, and must wait for the teacher to tell them when it is their turn. Teacher will thus keep a list of people whose hands were risen, in order to allow them to answer in turn (this strategy also helps combat tit-for-tat debates because a student who raises their hand in response to the person talking might not be able to speak until 3 or 4 students later, meaning the issue has moved on). Teacher will begin class by writing "Agree/Yes" on one side of the classroom and "Disagree/No" on the other. Students will be informed that they must chose a side for each question (this will give teacher the ability to make sure voices from both sides can be heard). Once the instructions are understood, teacher will discuss the rubric by which they will be graded (posted below) and that all notes will be collected before they leave class that day. All questions will be projected on the board and teacher will allow discussion of each question as long as hands are being raised.
Questions to ask:
-Is Hitler and the Nazis solely to blame for World War II?
-Is Hitler and the Nazis solely to blame for the Holocaust?
-Should all Nazi soldiers have been punished?
-Were attacks on civilian population (strategic bombing) justified during World War II?
-Was the United States justified in dropping the atomic bombs?
-Is the use of propaganda ethical during wartime?
-Should the United States enter wars when we are not personally attacked?
-Could a totalitarian government be a positive form of government?
-Are Germans who supported their government evil?
-Is America the reason WWII was won by the Allies?
Lesson Closure
Day 1
Students will be given time at the end of class to prepare notes for the following days final summative exam. Topics upon which they will be asked to discuss will be known, though the exact questions will not. Students are encouraged to use their time wisely to prepare, and can ask any questions about the nature/grading of the exam. Teacher will make sure students are using all notes taken from the unit to prepare for the next day's test.
Prompts given:
-Scope of blame for WWII/Holocaust
-Civilian casualties and war
-Isolationist vs. Interventionist
-WWII and the concept of 'evil'
-America's involvement in WWII
Day 2
Students will be given an exit slip question as the last part of their final exam to help them reflect on what they learned through diverse learning strategies.
-Respond to the following question from the perspective of an American, British, and German person your age during WWII: Why do I support my country fighting this war? (you will have 3 different responses, 1 for each perspective).
Historical perspective is difficult to teach when many can hardly empathize with their neighbors today. I hope, with the strong lessons provided, that my students will pull more from WWII than simply memorizing the key figures, battles, dates, and events that occurred (as would have been tested by conventional summative examination).
Day 1
Students will be given time at the end of class to prepare notes for the following days final summative exam. Topics upon which they will be asked to discuss will be known, though the exact questions will not. Students are encouraged to use their time wisely to prepare, and can ask any questions about the nature/grading of the exam. Teacher will make sure students are using all notes taken from the unit to prepare for the next day's test.
Prompts given:
-Scope of blame for WWII/Holocaust
-Civilian casualties and war
-Isolationist vs. Interventionist
-WWII and the concept of 'evil'
-America's involvement in WWII
Day 2
Students will be given an exit slip question as the last part of their final exam to help them reflect on what they learned through diverse learning strategies.
-Respond to the following question from the perspective of an American, British, and German person your age during WWII: Why do I support my country fighting this war? (you will have 3 different responses, 1 for each perspective).
Historical perspective is difficult to teach when many can hardly empathize with their neighbors today. I hope, with the strong lessons provided, that my students will pull more from WWII than simply memorizing the key figures, battles, dates, and events that occurred (as would have been tested by conventional summative examination).
Assessment (Formative and Summative)
Day 1 will be comprised of formative examinations in the form of class participation (those who fail to participate adequately will be made aware that they will perform poorly on the next day's exam), worksheet filled out in class will be collected, and accuracy/clarity of reasoning will be critiqued in order to prepare everyone for my expectations for the following class.
All of Day 2 (discussion and exit slip) will be the summative exam. Students will be made aware of the rubric beforehand and allowed to start preparing notes the day before. Rubric below.
Day 1 will be comprised of formative examinations in the form of class participation (those who fail to participate adequately will be made aware that they will perform poorly on the next day's exam), worksheet filled out in class will be collected, and accuracy/clarity of reasoning will be critiqued in order to prepare everyone for my expectations for the following class.
All of Day 2 (discussion and exit slip) will be the summative exam. Students will be made aware of the rubric beforehand and allowed to start preparing notes the day before. Rubric below.
Accommodations for English Learners, Struggling Readers and Students with Special Needs
For the first day, students will be asked to reflect on the human condition which will be made abundantly clear to them through the powerful psychology studies done. Shown through YouTube, along with guided response forms, none in my class shown be unclear of what they are responding to. However, if any are, I will make myself available to answer any questions or allow another student to translate if necessary. Using ClassDojo will make sure that all are called upon, rather than the three students that will raise their hands consistently. All are expected to participate everyday in class, though special attention and accommodations will be made as necessary (extra notes on what they should prepare for the final, the rubric to take home, etc.).
For the second day, giving overly-talkative students a 'time-out' will free up time for less participatory students to get involved. I will continue to encourage those who have not yet spoken to do so. For EL students who are less likely to get involved in an ongoing discussion, I can pick on them first when a new topic is started.
For the first day, students will be asked to reflect on the human condition which will be made abundantly clear to them through the powerful psychology studies done. Shown through YouTube, along with guided response forms, none in my class shown be unclear of what they are responding to. However, if any are, I will make myself available to answer any questions or allow another student to translate if necessary. Using ClassDojo will make sure that all are called upon, rather than the three students that will raise their hands consistently. All are expected to participate everyday in class, though special attention and accommodations will be made as necessary (extra notes on what they should prepare for the final, the rubric to take home, etc.).
For the second day, giving overly-talkative students a 'time-out' will free up time for less participatory students to get involved. I will continue to encourage those who have not yet spoken to do so. For EL students who are less likely to get involved in an ongoing discussion, I can pick on them first when a new topic is started.