Download WWII Inquiry Unit - goals and questions

WWII Inquiry Unit
Topic 1: Propaganda & The War Effort (3 classes)
Overall Learning Goals
1. How were people made to “buy” into the war?
2. What did people do to help contribute to the war?
Guiding Questions
- Government Control  propaganda, censorship, limitation of rights & freedoms
- Economic Expansion  production of war materials
- Women’s Roles  non-traditional employment, military involvement
- Community Efforts  fundraising, “One Percent Scheme” (NFLD), scrap drives, “Victory
Gardens”, packing boxes, rationing (“Meatless Tuesdays & Fridays”), Victory Bonds
- Conscientious Objectors & Pacifists  what groups were involved? How influential were they on
the feelings of the nation?
- Conscription of 1943  what is a plebiscite? What were the outcomes? How did the nation feel
about conscription?
Topic 2: Fascism, Racism & The Rise of Hitler (3 classes)
Overall Learning Goals
1. How did the prevalence of Fascism and Anti-Semitism around the world set the stage for Hitler’s
rise to power? What were the consequences?
2. What role did Canada play in perpetuating these feelings?
Guiding Questions
- German economy after WWI  paying back reparations, hyperinflation; what hardships did the
German people face?
- Rise of the Nazi Party  why did people buy into Hitler’s message? What changes did he
propose to how Germany should run as a country? What did he do to finally get full power of
the country? How did Hitler change Germany’s policies?
- Fascism around the World  what other major countries were involved with fascist agendas?
What did it mean to be a fascist?
- Rise of Anti-Semitism  restrictions on the freedoms of Jewish people; how did Hitler’s Aryan
sentiments influence the German population? What were the Nuremburg Laws?
- Canada’s Role  why did Canada not want to accept Jewish refugees? How were other
Canadians from enemy countries treated during the war (ie. Japanese Canadians)?
Topic 3: Technology & Advancements (3 classes)
Overall Learning Goals
1. What types of advancements in technology (products or training) were improved or created as a
result of the war?
2. What was Canada’s role in this boom of technological advancement?
Guiding Questions
- Training  Air Force, Camp X
- Creation of the Atomic Bomb
- Use of radar for Air Force missions
- Development of weapons through the war  for use on land, in the air and at sea
Topic 4: The Holocaust (3 classes)
Overall Learning Goals
1. Why did Hitler’s Nazi party focus on the elimination of the Jews?
2. How did the Holocaust change the world’s view on the protection of human rights?
Guiding Questions
- Kristallnacht  catalyst leading to Hitler’s “Final Solution”; what was the “Final Solution”?
- Ghettos  how were ghettos used to control the Jewish population?
- Concentration vs. Death Camps  who was put in these camps? What are the differences
between the two types of camps? What are examples of each?
- Liberation of Concentration Camps  who was involved with the liberation? How were
survivors assisted?
- Nuremburg Trials  what was their overall goal?
Topic 5: Battles of World War II (5 classes)
Overall Learning Goals
1. What were the main battles of WWII that Canadians were involved with? (5 Ws)
2. How did our efforts overseas change our own and the world’s view of Canadian identity?
Guiding Questions
- Hitler’s Road to War  how did Hitler violate the Treaty of Versailles? What were his
actions that lead to the outbreak of the war?
- The War at Sea  Battle of the Atlantic
- The War on Land  Hong Kong, Dieppe, Pacific, Italian Campaign, D-Day
- The War in the Air  air raids, Battle of Britain
- Canadian Communities contributions  aboriginal, African, Chinese
- American contributions  defending against Japan, Pearl Harbour, nuclear bombing of
Hiroshima & Nagasaki
- Liberation of the Netherlands  “Operation Market Garden”; why was this an important
point in the relationship between the Netherlands and Canada?
- Women in the War  Air Force (1941), Navy (1942), Nursing
Resources
Websites
Juno Beach Center – Canada in WWII (http://www.junobeach.org/main.html)
Canadian WWII Propaganda Posters (http://www.airmuseum.ca/postscan.html)
Canadian Military Heritage Project (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canmil/ww2/ww2view.htm)
Veterans Affairs Canada – WWII (http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/history/secondwar)
1939-1945: A Soldier’s War (http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/second_world_war/topics/103/)
Songs & Music of WWII (http://www.pastperfect.com/detail.aspx?itemid=36)
Maps of WWII (http://www.onwar.com/maps/wwii/index.htm)
Spartacus Educational – WWII (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WW.htm)
WWII Sites: Rise of Fascism (http://connections.smsd.org/veterans/wwii_sites.htm)
BBC History: WWII (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/)
BBC: On This Day WWII
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/themes/conflict_and_war/world_war_ii/default.stm)
Science & Technology of WWII (http://www.ww2sci-tech.org/)
WWII Science & Technology Timeline (http://www.ww2sci-tech.org/timeline/timeline.html)
The Holocaust: A Tragic Legacy (http://library.thinkquest.org/12663/)
Museum Exhibit Examples (http://sewardlm.blogspot.ca/2010/12/examples-of-museum-displays.html)
Movies & Documentaries
Schlindler’s List
Saving Private Ryan – opening scene (D-Day landings)
Enemy at the Gates
National Geographic – Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler
 (Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hEG-5_9nK4)
 (Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqPc93Pvs0U)
PBS: Legacy of War – Nuremburg Trials Excerpt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsOpcMFkrFs)
Battle of Britain (climax of movie): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zVRey2XEs)
Swing Kids
X-Men: The New Generation
Readings & Texts
Experience History (our textbook)
Making History (academic textbook)
A People’s History (black cover textbook)
Canada: Our People, Our Story (white cover textbook)
RLDHS Holocaust Kit
WWII Kit
OHASSTA – Atomic Bomb Fact Sheet
Camp X Background Info