SUBJECT: US History
GRADE: High
School
TECHNOLOGY: PowerPoint
BY: Brian Swets,
Christoph Fehrenbach
COMMUNICATING WORLD WAR II
Target Grade/Subject
We are creating a Social Studies Lesson plan for 21 eleventh graders (16-17 year olds) in an AP US History class from an affluent suburban school. Judging by the input from parents at the beginning of the year, teachers can assume that students have the resources at home to have a solid understanding of pertinent technology. The class is a World History Survey course. We will be focusing on the chapter about World War II. These students are not necessarily interested in History; this is a course they must all take as a school requirement, so it is our job to relate the information to them in an interesting manner. World War II is different from the other topics covered in class because the students have been more directly affected by it, through movies, television shows, and even family members who participated in the war. Multi-media would be well suited for this situation. The kids and the teacher are both starting to become bored with hour-and-a-half lectures, and as a result, they have not been fully grasping the course material. Because of the fact that students haven’t seemed to understand the material so far, we want to design a lesson that is more interactive. It is our hope that more direct interaction with the material would stimulate internalization of the lessons. Further, this lesson would give students who don’t have the same level of success in a traditional classroom setting a chance to help their grade. Using the cultural tools (45 Woolfolk) of a video or field trip, as well as asking the students to reflect on the information would break the possibility of hyperactivity or ADHD (137 Woolfolk). We are attempting to match our strategies to the kid’s abilities (39 Woolfolk). World War II itself is important for the children to learn because of the implications it has had in our global world today, and they can also be knowledgeable of such current events of genocide, etc. as in the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere
Objective(s)
SOL (9.10)
-The students will have an in-depth understanding of World War II, including its causes; major people, places, and events; and the larger social implications of a world war. Students will also be expected to effectively use technology to present what they have learned, and each student will have to take an active individual part in the presentation to the class.
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/wmstds/hist9.shtml
To demonstrate proficiency in the stated objectives, the students will present projects utilizing the PowerPoint program to their classmates. Seven groups of three students each will cover the following topics:
1. Long Term Causes of World War II, from the Treaty of Versailles to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party.
2. Immediate causes of World War II, from Hitler’s installation as Chancellor to the appeasement meetings.
3. Hitler’s conquering of Europe, from the invasion of Poland to the Battle of Britain.
4. America’s isolationist stance, from strict neutrality to the Atlantic Charter.
5. American entrance to the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to V-J Day.
6. American entrance to the war in Europe, up to V-E Day.
7. Long term effects of World War II, especially the Cold War.
During this lesson, the teacher will act more like a resource and a guide than a teacher. Students will be expected to justify their choices through their presentation. The teacher will be around to answer questions and assist students in getting started on the project, but the teacher will not tell students what to do. After having finished the class unit on World War II, it is expected that the students will have the background knowledge to include at least three main points in their project. To receive an “A”, students must go above and beyond the basic expectations.
-Classes will be held in the computer lab to allow students access to computers and the internet.
-A computer lab teacher will be present to assist students with any technological questions they may have.
-Students will have three days of class time in the computer lab to work on their presentations. The two following days will be devoted to presenting their projects to the class.
At the beginning of the project, students will receive a checklist of objectives to complete each day they are working on the project:
-form groups
-decide on topic
-delegate tasks for each group member
-begin collection of resource information
-spend time productively gathering information for respective topics, using books and the internet
-bring gathered information together in PowerPoint
-PowerPoint will include at least 10 slides, 5 transitions, 3 builds, 2 graphics, 2 pictures, and a bibliography
-groups should plan the basic structure of their oral presentation
The students will also receive the following scoring rubric for their actual class presentation:
1. Pertinent information (35%)
-is information accurate and relative to the topic?
2. Clarity (15%)
-is information concise and easily understood?
3. Organization (10%)
-does presentation flow in logical, linear manner?
4. Use of technology (5%)
-does the PowerPoint enhance the information?
5. Individual student input (15%)
-is it obvious that each student thoroughly understands the information and contributed to the group effort
Oral presentation (20%)
-do presenters speak clearly and project to the rest of the class?
Each student will receive the same 80% of a grade as dictated by the first five evaluations. The last 20% will be based on the individual presentation of each student.