World War II

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Introduction:

            World War II was one of the darkest periods in the history of the world. It raged from 1939 to 1945, and involved almost the entire world. Countries were destroyed, created and changed forever. Fifty million people lost their lives and hundreds of millions more suffered injuries and wounds.

Task:

          A primary goal of your education is to encourage you to become independent learners of technology. With the aide of the 21st century technology, you will research a significant aspect of World War II. You may present the information in one of three ways:

        1) Develop a power point presentation with at least 8 slides

        2) Create a newspaper ( front and back) which must be at least 2 pages

        3) Typed report with at least 3 typed pages and font no larger than size 14

 

ORAL PRESENTATION:

        Students will give a 2 - 3 minute oral presentation to the class at the end of the project as part of their final grade.

The Process:

The Topics:

Ø      The Holocaust

-         describe the philosophy and details of the “Nazi’s Final Solution” to the “Jewish Problem”

-         Describe life in one of the major concentration camps: Auschwitz, Treblinka, Dachau,  Buchenwald

 

Ø      World Leaders

- describe the role and contributions made by one of the following major World War II players:

§         Winston Churchill

§         Adolph Hitler

§         Franklin Delano Roosevelt

§         General George Patton

§         General Douglas MacArthur

§         Benito Mussolini

 

Ø      The Soldiers

          -  you must include soldiers from several different countries ( check with your teacher) 

Ø      The Geography

-         using maps of the European theater, create a visual depiction of the progression of the war

-          

Ø      The Russian – German Rivalry

-         describe the German invasion of Russia, including the dates, major battles, and casualty figures

 

Ø      The War in the Pacific

-         The Battle of the Midway

-         Hiroshima

 

Ø      The Japanese Internment Camps

-         describe the U.S. policy that led to the establishment of the internment camps

-         describe life in one of the camps

 

Ø      D-Day

-         describe the scope and implementation, successes and failures of this turning point of the war.


 

The Resources:

 

You may use the web sites listed below, or find your own. Regardless, you must include a bibliography of the web sites that you utilize, along with an evaluation form for each site indicating that you addressed the issue of the credibility and reliability of your sources.

 

General:

            The History Place

            The World at War

            Encyclopedia of the Second World War

            Effects of World War II

            WW2 Events, People & Battles (links)

            Encyclopedia of World War 2 naval battles: Home page

            The WWII Sound & Image Archive

            

 

The Holocaust:

           

            A Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust (for teachers and students)

            United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

            The Holocaust: A Tragic Legacy

 

World Leaders:

o       Winston Churchill

-         The Winston Churchill Hope Page

-         Winston Churchill

-         A Chronicle of His Life and Times

-         Britain’s Finest Hour

o       Franklin D. Roosevelt

-         The FDDR Presidential Library and Museum

-         Fireside Chats

-         Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 

o       Benito Mussolini

-         Benito Mussolini

       

o       Josef Stalin

-         Biography and Photos

-         www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin

 

The Geography:

            Maps of WWII

           

The Russians:

            The Coming of the Russians

1999-02-16 World War II, Through Russian Eyes

 

The War in the Pacific:

            The Battle of the Midway

            

 

D-Day:

            The Spanish wartime Spy Garbo tricks the Nazis

            Normandy

            D-Day

            The National D Day Education Resources

 

The Japanese Interment Camps:

            Children of the Camps

            Images and photos

            An Interment Experience

 

Codebreaking & Secret Weapons:

            Codebreaking & Secret Weapons of WWII

The Secret of Military Communication

 


Conclusion:

World War II is destined to be studied as a momentous historical event for generations to come, by students of all ages, backgrounds and levels of knowledge. The l939~45 war is history, pure history, and a topic we should all understand and be able to have a knowledge of.