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World War I
By
Tom Renick
Rationale
The reason for studying World War I is
due to the need for 10th grade students to
study a war that had major repercussions
in the 20th century and has shaped the
world in many ways.
Objectives
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Students should be able to explain how and why the war
started and what the end result was.
They should be able to explain what the words
militarism, nationalism, and imperialism mean and how
they contributed to the war.
Students should be able to differentiate between the
Allied Powers and the Central Powers and what
countries they were made up of.
Finally students should be able to explain what turned
the tide of the war, who won, and what happened at the
peace process that made WWII inevitable.
Materials Needed
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Pen and or Pencil
Notebook
Colored Pencils (some will be provided in class)
Websites
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http://www.worldwar1.com/
http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/index2.html
http://www.firstworldwar.com/
http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/~kansite/ww_on
e/photos/greatwar.htm
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/
Activity One
Country Identification
On a blank map color in the countries that
make up the Central Powers in one color,
the Allied Powers in another color, and the
neutral countries in yet another country.
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Activity Two
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Definitions
Define the following
terms in your
notebook.
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Militarism
Nationalism
Imperialism
Alliance System
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Balfour Declaration
Armistice
Lusitania
U-boat
Treaty of Versailles
Allies
Central Powers
Somme
Activity Three
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Write a letter in which you pretend to be
either a soldier, a nurse, a wife at home, or
a wounded soldier in the hospital.
Pick which country you are from.
Your letter needs to be a minimum of one
page to a maximum of three pages.
Be descriptive!!!
Activity Four
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The students will watch the movie All
Quiet On the Western Front and discuss
how it portrayed World War I. Students will
also keep a journal on the movie everyday.
Roles will be assigned to role play
everyday such as: a German soldier, a
captured French soldier, a poisoned
Russian soldier, an Austrian nurse, etc.
Activity Five
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Write a two to four page paper explaining
what you would have done with Germany
after World War I. Remember:
Were the Allies too hard on Germany?
Was World War II inevitable?
How was the League of Nations supposed
to work?
The Horrors of War
- An Introduction to World
War I
Why Study WWI – Short Term
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Enormous cost in lives and money
Russian Revolution
Creation of new nations in Eastern Europe
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, &
Turkey
Requirement of German Reparations
German Loss of Colonies
Balfour Declaration
League of Nations
Why Study WWI – Long Term
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Economic Impact of War Debts on Europe
Emergence of U.S. and Japan as
Important Powers
Growth of Nationalism in Colonies
Rise of Fascism – Mussolini & Hitler
World War II!!!
Connection To Today
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Ethnic Tensions in the Balkans
International Ban of Poison Gas
First use of airplane, tanks, and
submarines for military purposes
Arab – Israeli Conflicts
How the War Started
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Nationalism – Loyalty and Devotion to a Nation
Militarism – A policy of aggressive military
preparedness
Imperialism – The policy, practice, or advocacy
of extending the power and dominion of a nation
The European Alliance System
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Invasion of Belgium by Germany
Countries Involved
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The Allied Powers –
France, Britain,
Russia, Italy, Belgium,
Serbia, Canada,
Australia, & U.S.
The Central Powers
– Germany, AustriaHungary, Bulgaria,
Ottoman Empire
Total War
Total War
Total War
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Many Fronted War – Eastern, Western,
Italian, & Middle Eastern
Millions of Casualties – 9 million dead, 18
million wounded
Destruction of Land and Cities
Stalemate
Armenian Genocide – 500,000 to 1 million
killed