Welcome!
Welcome to the American Participation unit plan. This unit will focus on a multitude of topics such as the reasons why America joined World War, Roosevelt's foreign policy, and the decision to drop the atomic bomb.
Content Standards
11.7 Students analyze America's participation in World War II.
- Examine the origins of American involvement in the war, with an emphasis on the events that precipitated the attack on Pearl Harbor.
- Explain U.S. and Allied wartime strategy, including the major battles of Midway, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Battle of the Bulge.
- Identify the roles and sacrifices of individual American soldiers, as well as the unique contributions of the special fighting forces (e.g., the Tuskegee Airmen, the 442nd Regimental Combat team, the Navajo Code Talkers).
- Analyze Roosevelt's foreign policy during World War II (e.g., Four Freedoms speech).
- Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United States of America) and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens; the response of the administration to Hitler's atrocities against Jews and other groups; the roles of women in military production; and the roles and growing political demands of African Americans.
- Describe major developments in aviation, weaponry, communication, and medicine and the war's impact on the location of American industry and use of resources.
- Discuss the decision to drop atomic bombs and the consequences of the decision (Hiroshima and Nagasaki).
- Analyze the effect of massive aid given to Western Europe under the Marshall Plan to rebuild itself after the war and the importance of a rebuilt Europe to the U.S. economy.
Unit Plan Outline
- The reasons why American joined World War II
- Major battles and wartime strategies
- Contributions of special fighting forces (Tuskegee Airmen)
- Major issues on the home front. Such as Japanese internment and roles of women in production
- Decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan
- Analyze the Marshall Plan
Assessment Ideas
- Journal write on what students already know about World War II (Entry-Level)
- Compare and Contrast reasons why or why not America should drop the atomic bombs (Progress Monitoring)
- Group presentations on special fighting forces ex. Tuskegee Airmen, Navajo Code Talkers (Progress Monitoring)
- Unit exam (Summative)