Imaan Murteza

Social studies Small Group Lesson

Penn Alexander School
World War I
Enacted on Wednesday 11/26/2014
Small Group: 4 students from Mrs. Kurlands 5th grade class
Observed by: Connie Major (Penn Mentor)
Duration:
minutes
This lesson plan was guided by the information in Harcourts Horizons: United States History
teachers guide (volume 2)
Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students will have a better idea of the major events surrounding World
War I.
Students will be able to identify the countries that took part in WWI and where on a map the
fighting took place. [See below for sample Map]
Students will be able to explain the reasons behind the United States involvement in the war.

What
The main part of the lesson will be chronicling some of the key events of WWI, specifically, how
it began, the creation of the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, Americas involvement, and the
Treaty of Versailles. I must admit that the objective I have in mind is less to do with teaching skills
for the critical exanimation of history in my allotted time, and more to do with exposing the students
to historical events that are not usually covered in their curriculum but are nonetheless, in my opinion,
important to the development of their understanding of the world and their place in it.
The students will work with the teacher to construct a rough timeline of the events of WWI.
Then, through the examination of several documents the students will build on their knowledge of
these events. The first document will supplement students information with an eyewitness account of
the assassination. The second will be a historical map of the region that students will explore to get a
better picture of the countries we will be talking about and their position and borders. The third will
be a picture of soldiers in the trenches that have become synonymous with WWI. Through an
examination of this photo the students will be asked to draw inferences about the soldiers situation
and their mindset during the war. This is in part to give the students a more personal view of this
historical event [as Levstik and Barton mention, students respond favorably to personal narratives of
history] as well as a set up for my small group literacy lesson which will focus on a poem from WWI.
The fourth will be an American song that encourages young men to join the fight in Europe. This will
hopefully lead to a discussion on the realities of war vs. what was told to the people.

How
I plan to have a timeline constructed on chart paper of the years 1914-1918. The timeline will be
referred to throughout the lesson but not filled out until the end as a culminating activity. To begin,

the students will be asked to brainstorm in pairs the most common causes of war. They will then read
the article declaring the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and discuss the repercussions of the
event.
While looking at a map, I will tell students about the events that followed and formation of the
two sides of the war.[See end for sample of map] Regarding Americas involvement in the war, the
students will read from their textbook about the sinking of the Lusitania and the United States
response. [No mention of the Zimmerman telegraph]
The next step will be to talk about the type of warfare that was occurring on the front. The
students will be asked to imagine or use their prior knowledge to deduce the environment that the
soldiers were in. The students will listen to an American propaganda song designed to encourage
young men to enlist, Over There. A brief discussion will be facilitated about the reality of war,
juxtaposed with the cheery tone of the song.
Finally, the end of the war will be discussed. I expect the students to have an idea of the main part
of the armistice, 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. We will expand on this knowledge by
talking about the other articles in the Treaty of Versailles.

Why
Since Veterans Day (11/11), I have been speaking o the students a little about the history of the
day and why it is celebrated in the US. When I first asked the students why they had a vacation on
November 11th, none were able to tell me. I took that as an opportunity to go over the main points
with the class and they seemed to respond well to it.
Knowing that my Classroom Mentor was planning on teaching a unit on WWII sometime in the
future, I felt that a general idea about the events of the First World War would help give them a better
context for the Second. Additionally, I firmly believe that students need to be just as aware of world
history as they are of American history in order to become informed members of the global society
that they belong to.
As to the particular aspects of the lesson, I feel that a more informal, discussion-based scheme is
the best way to keep the students engaged in the lesson. I also hope that the documents will go a long
way in enhancing the students experience and cementing the knowledge that they receive.

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.4
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C
Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and
elaborate on the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a
historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
Materials:

Chart paper [with timeline of 1914-1918], markers

Count Franz von Harrachs Account of Archduke Ferdinands assassination
Historical maps of Europe
Picture of soldiers in trenches
Harcourts Horizons: United States History textbook
Paper and pencils for students
Over There by George M. Cohan YouTube video
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hRDS3LvQQ]

Lesson Plan:
Introduction: Time [4 minutes]
Begin by reminding students of past conversations about Veterans Day. What do you remember from
what we talked about a few weeks ago regarding Veterans Day? Possible responses are references to
honoring veterans, the end of WWI and so on. As students respond, write relevant answers on the chart
paper.
Talk about todays topic, the First World War. In pairs, students will brainstorm possible causes of war,
based on what they know or have read. Possible responses: aggression, revolution/resistance of
oppression, greedetc.
Discuss students answers.
Beginning of War: Time [8 minutes]
Ask specifically if any know the cause of WWI (at least one student should know this since it was
mentioned a few times in the past weeks) Allow student to describe circumstances of the Archdukes
assassination, adding information if any is missing. Read Count Franz von Harrachs account of the
assassination.
Points to highlight: The archduke was heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown. He was shot by a Serbian
loyalist.
Activity 1: [10 minutes]
Hand out the historical maps. 30 seconds to look them over. [T: I would like you to focus on finding the
countries you think were involved in the war] Ask for volunteer from each group to be in charge of the
map. As we discuss the repercussion of the assassination, the student will keep track of which countries
allied together.

Points to highlight: Austria-Hungary moved against Serbia, Russia moved to protect Serbia, France, a
longtime ally of Russia, also mobilized. This caused Germany to declare war against both Russia and
France. Invasion of France by Germany via Belgium caused GB to enter war. (Anticipated Question:
Where is Poland in all this? Poland did not exist as a country. Its land was divided between Russia
and Austria-Hungary.)
Unites States Involvement: Time [8 minutes]
Up until 1917, America had a policy of isolation and neutrality. After the sinking of the Lusitania,
America Joins the Allied Powers. American soldiers travel to France to help in the fight. (Read from
textbook P.539 about fighting in trenches and the weapons they faced.) Listen to Over There. Give out
lyrics sheet. Ask students what the main idea is. T: What does the song make you think of? Did you see
any images in your head as it was playing? What do you think the song was trying to do? Compare and
contrast to what we read in the textbook. Do you get the same image in your head?

Activity 2: Time [

minutes]

Introduce the photograph. Students are given 1 minute to make inferences from the photograph.
Guiding Questions:

What do you see that can tell you about the soldiers living conditions?
What can you tell about their position?
What can other relevant inferences can you make?
How does it compare to what we read and heard (textbook and song)?

Discussion:
How do their inferences line up with the sentiments of the song?
End of Hostilities: Time [5 minutes]
In 1918, Germany surrendered and an armistice was negotiated. This ended the fighting. About a year
later the Allied leaders gathered in Paris to negotiate the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. (If time
permits and students seem interested, speak to how these terms created the environment that would
lead to WWII.)
Culminating activity: Time [

minutes]

Return to the timeline. Ask students to fill it in with the significant moments we talked about during the
lesson.
1914 --- Assssination of Archduke Ferdinand
1915 --- German U-boat sinks the Lusitania

1917 --- United States Declares war on Germany

1918--- November 11th, armistice declared. Fighting officially ends.
1919--- The Treaty of Versailles is signed and ratified by Germany and UK.
Final Assessment: Time [

minutes]

In pairs the students will color in the countries that were part of the Allied Powers and the Central
Powers.
Exit Slip: Time [

minutes]

Hand out blank lined paper.

Prompt: Briefly write about one thing you learned today that you found particularly interesting.
Modifications:

If students seem to be struggling with identifying the Allies and the Central Powers, turn the
assessment into a whole group activity.
If throughout the lesson the students seem to easily identify the countries, turn the assessment into
an individual one.

Classroom Management:
For questions that require a specific answer that the teacher deems all the students capable of answering,
require students to raise their hands. For more discussion-based or thoughtful questions, allow students to
call out. Since the students have a tendency to call out anyway, remind them before asking the specific
questions that a raised hand is required for answering.
Since this group includes student who has a difficult time putting his thoughts on paper, perhaps if I
gauge that his frustration level is too, I can modify some of the writing tasks to discussions. Or I could
assign him specific writing tasks (list the countries involved) rather than freeform writing.
Further Work:
If I were to teach another lesson on this topic, I would examine more closely the terms of the Treaty of
Versailles and their effect on Germany, as related to the Second World War.
Also, the students would be encouraged to think about how WWI affected the economy of the Unites
States and any connections that may have had to the Great Depression (a subject they learned about over
the last two months.)

Document 1: Eyewitness Account of the Death of Archduke Francis Ferdinand

Count Franz von Harrach rode on the running board of the royal car serving as a
bodyguard for the Archduke. His account begins immediately after Princip fires his two
shots:
"As the car quickly reversed, a thin stream of blood spurted from His Highness's mouth
onto my right check. As I was pulling out my handkerchief to wipe the blood away from
his mouth, the Duchess cried out to him, 'In Heaven's name, what has happened to you?'
At that she slid off the seat and lay on the floor of the car, with her face between his
knees.
I had no idea that she too was hit and thought she had simply fainted with fright. Then I
heard His Imperial Highness say, 'Sophie, Sophie, don't die. Stay alive for the children!'
At that, I seized the Archduke by the collar of his uniform, to stop his head dropping
forward and asked him if he was in great pain. He answered me quite distinctly, 'It's
nothing!' His face began to twist somewhat but he went on repeating, six or seven times,
ever more faintly as he gradually lost consciousness, 'It's nothing!' Then, after a short
pause, there was a violent choking sound caused by the bleeding. It was stopped as we
reached the house."

Citation: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/duke.htm
Map of Europe

Citation: http://www.westpoint.edu/

Allied Soldiers standing in Trench 50 yards from German troops on the Western Front of the War:

Lyrics to Over there:

Johnnie, get your gun,

Get your gun, get your gun,
Take it on the run,
On the run, on the run.
Hear them calling, you and me,
Every son of liberty.
Hurry right away,
No delay, go today,
Make your daddy glad
To have had such a lad.
Tell your sweetheart not to pine,
To be proud her boy's in line.
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming
Everywhere.
So prepare, say a prayer,
Send the word, send the word to beware.
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over
Over there.
Johnnie, get your gun,
Get your gun, get your gun,
Johnnie show the Hun
Who's a son of a gun.
Hoist the flag and let her fly,
Yankee Doodle do or die.

Pack your little kit,

Show your grit, do your bit.
Yankee to the ranks,
From the towns and the tanks.
Make your mother proud of you,
And the old Red, White and Blue.
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming
Everywhere.
So prepare, say a prayer,
Send the word, send the word to beware.
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over
Over there