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A Separate Peace Research
Introduction
You are a teenager living in the United States during World War II. You read the newspapers and hear the radio
broadcasts, but it is hard to make sense of this war that involves so many countries and people. This web quest will
take you back to the Home Front of the 1940's to learn what it was like to grow up during this turbulent time.
In pairs, you're going to explore the topic of World War II. Each member of your team will become an expert on one
part of the topic. Then you'll have to come back together to answer a question that gets to the heart of 'what's the
truth and who says so?
The Question
The main question you will be asked to find an answer for is What would it have been like to have been a
teenager during World War II? How would teenagers of today deal with the conflicts of war and friendship?
You are going to begin by researching some resources to learn about life in the United States during World War II.
Using the information that you learn you will (1) conduct research about life on the Home Front during World War
II. (2)Visit the poster galleries to investigate how the U.S. Government used wartime posters to rally support and
answer questions about the posters.
Background Information
Before becoming an expert on one aspect of this topic, we'd better make sure that everyone on your Web Quest team
knows the basics. Read the following premise:
It is December 6, 1941. The United States is beginning to emerge from the Great Depression and war is raging in
Europe. Every day you hear the reports of how it is spreading to other parts of the world. You have heard of the Nazi
atrocities, but it all seems so far away. Is war the best thing for the nation? Should the U.S. get involved with such a
costly effort?
Use the links below to answer the following questions:
1. List 3 causes of World War II.
2. What were the political conditions in Europe in 1940? What countries were at war?
3. Why did the United States become involved in the war? What was date that the U. S. entered the war?
4. Who were the three main AXIS powers? Who were the three main ALLIES?
5. What was the Maginot line?
6. Who were the Big Three (leaders) who set overall Allied strategy?
7. What was D-Day?
8. Explain what role the following people played in WWII:
a. Joseph Stalin
b. Benito Mussolini
c. Adolf Hitler
d. Franklin D. Roosevelt
e. Winston Churchill
f. Hideki Tojo
g. Dwight D. Eisenhower
h. George Patton
i. Harry S. Truman
j. Douglas MacArthur
World War II - Historical Text Archive – www.historicaltextarchive.com
Very useful for study of WWII.
World War II Theaters – http://baby.indstate.edu/gga/gga_cart/gecar127.htm
Shows major battle fields.
World War II in Europe – www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm
A timeline with photos and text.
The World at War, History of WW 1939-1945 – www.euronet.nl/users/wilfried/ww2/ww2.htm
A military history site.
Causes of World War II – http://infoplease.com/ce6/history/AO852743.html
Information about the events that led up to WWII and good resources.
Causes of the War – www.teacheroz.com/WWIIcauses.htm
Explores causes of the war related to WWI
Individual Roles
Now that you have some overall background knowledge, it's time to return to the main question for this Web Quest.
Questions this big and important are better answered when a few people are working on it at one time. Things work
even better when a group of you decide to look at the question from different perspectives. This way team members
can become experts on different aspects of the question and then come together to poll their learning. This is where
team work pays off. So are you ready to divide and conquer this question?
Home front historian
Use the links below to learn more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1) Explain how the role of women changed during the war.
2) Give an example of how women made a difference on the Home Front.
3) Find a personal account of a family's experience on the Home Front during WWII and describe it in your own
words.
4) How did the war time posters help mobilize the Home Front for war?
5) What are the posters indicating about living conditions in America during this time?
After viewing the posters, select one poster and print it (in color) and answer the following questions:
WWII Commemoration
General information links on WWII.
WWII: The Home front
Examines what happened on the home front during WWII.
At Home during WWII
What was it like on the home front?
Produce for Victory
Posters on the American Home Front
Propagandist
View the web sites on wartime poster art to investigate how the U.S. government used this medium to rally the
support for war efforts.
After viewing the posters, select one poster and print it (in color) and answer the following questions:
1) Describe the poster.
2) Does the poster contain a hidden/implied message? What is the desired effect?
3) What emotions do the images convey? What words are chosen for impact?
4) In what ways does the poster glamorize or villainize war or the people involved?
5) What effect would this poster have had on people of different ages and backgrounds in the 40's? For example,
how would a teenager react to it? A veteran of World War I? A mother? A doctor? A minister?
World War II Poster Database
A comprehensive collection of over 300 posters.
Wartime Poster Gallery
A good resource on posters.
World War II Poster Database
Over 300 posters from WWII
Fighting for an Ideal America
Posters on American Home Front
Group Synthesis
Congratulations! Your team is now full of expertise. Each person on your team have become experts on the topic of
World War II as it will relate to A Separate Peace. You've all learned a lot of information.
So with your team member, carefully read and try answering the main question for this WebQuest. See where you
agree and where differences arise.
After the discussion each individual on your team will write a minimum of two pages as a journal entry responding
to the main question What would it have been like to be a teenager during World War II? How would
teenagers of today deal with the conflicts of war and friendship?