The students working in groups and as an individual will summarize key events of World War II and then develop movie ideas for those events. The students will then pitch those ideas to the class. The class will vote on the ideas and determine the best one.
California Academic Standard(s)
Time Frame
- 10.8.1 - Compare the German, Italian, and Japanese drives for empire in the 1930's, including the 1937 Rape of Nanking, other atrocities in China and the Stalin-Hitler Pact of 1939.
- 10.8.3 - Identify and locate the Allied and Axis powers on a map and discuss the major turning points of the war, the principal theaters of conflict, key strategic decisions, and the resulting war conferences and political resolutions, with emphasis on there importance of geographic factors
- 10.8.5 - Analyze the Nazi policy of pursuing racial purity, especially against the European Jews; it's transformation into the Final Solution; and the Holocaust that resulted in the murder of six million Jewish civilians
- Class Time: Two to three (50 min) classes
- Total Time: One week
Goal
The students will develop critical thinking, writing and social skills while understanding and analyzing key events and causes of World War II.
Learning Styles
- Linguistic
- Auditory
- Social
- Logical
- Intrapersonal
Anticipatory Set (10 min)
The instructor will write a question on the board that states "If you were going to sell a movie idea to a Hollywood studio, what are elements the studio will be looking for before accepting your idea?" The instructor will allow the students two minutes to think about their answer and the instructor will ask random students to provide their answers. The instructor will write the answers on the board.
Direct Instruction (15 min)
The instructor will briefly discuss the causes and consequences of World War II. Using the overhead and projector or the white board, the instructor will write the following:
World War II Event Summaries
Working in groups of three, you will provide a summary of the following events of World War II:
- Rape of Nanking
- Stalin/Hitler Pact of 1939
- Yalta Conference
- The Holocaust
- Battle of the Bulge
- Invasion of Normandy
- What happened
- When did it happen
- Where did it happen
- Who was involved
- Why did it happen
Modeling (5 min)
The instructor will take a World War II event that is not on the list and complete a summary.
Guided Practice (20 min)
The instructor will place the students in groups of three. Each student in the group will complete two summaries. The students will then collaborate to verify that each summary is correct.
Checks for Understanding (15 min)
The instructor will call on random students to provide answers about the summary questions. (To enhance the lesson, you can give points to teams with correct answers and provide extra credit for the team that wins)
Direct Instruction (5 min)
The instructor will provide the students with the following handout:
The Movie Pitch
You will develop a movie idea for one of the following World War II events:
- Rape of Nanking
- Stalin/Hitler Pact of 1939
- Yalta Conference
- The Holocaust
- Battle of the Bulge
- Invasion of Normandy
- A brief description of the overall plot
- A detailed explanation of the story (you may also show a scene by scene description to demonstrate the story)
- At least three different reasons why a movie studio should produce your movie
Goal: Not only does your movie idea need to be compelling and interesting, it also needs to describe the event so someone who is not familiar with it will understand.
For extra credit, you can present the movie pitch to the class. The class will vote by secret ballot and the top three movie ideas will receive extra credit points.
- First Place - 30 extra credit points
- Second Place - 20 extra credit points
- Third Place - 10 extra credit points
Using the computer and overhead, the instructor will use the event described previously and show a movie idea for the event.
Independent Practice (50 min)
The students will complete their project on the Movie Pitch
Checks for Understanding (30 min)
The students will either submit their movie ideas to the instructor or will present them to the class for an extra credit opportunity.
Direct Instruction (5 min)
The instructor will announce the winners of the movie pitch contest.
Direct Instruction (15 min)
The instructor will lead a discussion about the key events of World War II and their causes and consequences.