Title of Unit:
World War II
Topic:
Causes, Events, and Aftermath
Stage 1- Desired Results
Established Goal(s): NYS Standards #1-5
NYS Social Studies Core Curriculum Unit 6, Section D, #1-12
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that…
1. There are consequences (anticipated and/or
unexpected) for every action taken.
2. Events in history are linked; the results of one
event are the causes of another.
3. Heads of state can truly change the course of
history.
4. The political landscape is never static.
(May need revision to be more historically specific.)
Students will know…
1. Key terms – appeasement, pacifism, total war,
balance of power, genocide, home front, turning
points, containment, ‘iron curtain’
2. Key individuals - Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin,
Hitler, Mussolini
3. Key events – Blitz of Poland, Pearl Harbor,
Operation Barbarossa, Bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, Battle of the Bulge, the fall of Berlin
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Template adapted from “The Big Ideas of UbD” by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, 2004.
Subject/Course:
Global History 2H
Designer:
Dean F. Schuler
Essential Questions:
1. How did World War I cause World War II? (How
did aggression and appeasement contribute to the start
of WWII?)
2. How did the resolution of World War II lead to
Cold War tensions? (Why were allegiances
[Axis/Allies] formed during World War II?) (How did
the conclusion of World War II lead directly to the start
of the Cold War?) (What philosophical differences exist
between the United States and the Soviet Union?)
3. How did the major events of World War II shape
its eventual outcome? (Which regions were attacked
and occupied by Axis powers, and what was life like
under their occupation?) (How did Hitler’s invasion of
Russia change the balance of power in the European
war?) (How did the Allies ultimately defeat the Axis
powers?)
4. How did Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Hitler, and
Mussolini impact history? (How did individual beliefs
and ideas shape the development and aftermath of
World War II?) (How did the Allies mobilize all of
their resources for the war effort?) (How did the actions
of key individuals shape the Cold War?)
Students will be able to…
1. Use new technologies to collaborate, communicate,
and create their performance assessment.
2. Demonstrate their understanding that World War I,
World War II, and the Cold War are directly linked.
3. Demonstrate their understanding that the heads of
state during World War II changed the course of
history.
4. Demonstrate their understanding that specific events
during World War II shaped the eventual outcome of
the conflict.
 Performance Task(s):

No individual performance assessments

Other evidence:
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:

Template adapted from “The Big Ideas of UbD” by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, 2004.