Topic: From Westerplatte to Hiroshima. World War Two Across the World

Target group

8th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

XXXIII. World War II and its stages. Pupil:

1. presents and situates in time and space groundbreaking events of World War II (political and military);

2. explains the causes of the disasters of the Axis countries;

3. lists the main decisions of the big three conference (Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam);

4. presents the immediate effects of World War II, including the problem of changing borders and population displacement.

General aim of education

Students will learn about the most important events of the Second World War.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• tell when and where World War II broke out;

• list what were the most important and groundbreaking military operations of 1939‑1945;

• describe where they were fighting during World War II;

• explain the meaning of World War II for the modern world.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. Students recall information from previous lessons about World War II (* Polish campaign *, * Under two occupations *, * Warsaw Uprising *).

Introduction

1. The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

2. Teacher, referencing to the homework, asks students what were the reasons for the outbreak of World War II and who was its first victim. Students perform ** Exercise 1 ** and ** Exercise 2 **, marking soldiers of countries fighting in the September campaign and the place of battles.

Realization

1. The teacher introduces the students to the subject of the lesson, talking about the outbreak of World War II, the strange war and the world's reaction to German and Soviet aggression. He reminds and explains to the students why the conflict of 1939‑1945 is considered world‑wide. The students get acquainted with the map of military operations of 1939‑1941 and assign the countries from ** Exercise 3 ** to individual fronts.

2. The teacher divides the students into 5 groups and assignes to each of them one front of World War II (1. Western Front, 2. Eastern Front, 3. African Front, 4. Front in the Far East, 5. Italian Front). The task of each group is to compile the most important information about the war operations on „thier” front. The note should include the names of the operations, the fighting parties, the most important battles and their dates, the names of the commanders and the effects of military operations. Students can use their own knowledge or the Internet. While working on the exercises, the teacher uses a set of cards in three colors: green, yellow and red. Using the cards, the students signal to the teacher if they have difficulties in carrying out the exercises (green color – I'm doing great, yellow - I have doubts, red - I'm asking for help).

3. Then the teacher asks the groups to organize their information chronologically and then present them. Students' results are confronted with the calnder from ** Task 1 **.

4. Asking students about the impact of World War II, the teacher begins a discussion about the consequences of the largest armed conflict in history.

Summary

1. Pupils, summarizing the lesson, perform ** Exercise 4 **.

2. At the end, the teacher explains to the students that the Second World War, even though it ended 70 years ago, still has an impact on today's societies. One of the examples he gives can be the delayed development of Eastern Europe.

3. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare an evaluation questionnaire for self‑assessment and evaluation of the teacher's work.

Homework

1. The teacher tasks willing pupils with homework: Recall the consequences of the First World War, in particular the number of victims. Then compare the data. Why do you think it is possible to see such large differences and what influenced them?.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

From Westerplatte to Hiroshima. World War Two Across the World

World War II was the largest conflict in the history of humanity. It took place between 1939‑1945. The conventional date of its beginning is that of the German attack on Westerplatte – the Polish military unit in the Free City of Danzig. The fighting took place in Europe, Africa and Asia, on land, on the seas, and in the air. Until 1941, the Germans and their allies (mainly the Italians and the Japanese) achieved victories. The Germans defeated France (1940) and conquered almost all of Europe (except for Great Britain), and the Japanese conquered vast territories in the Far East and Oceania (until 1942).

In June 1941, Germany attacked the USSR. After initial success, the clashes on the Eastern Front quickly took an unfavorable turn for Hitler (the defeats in the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk in 1943). The United States joined the war on the side of Great Britain and her allies (Poland, Free France and others) after being attacked by the Japanese in December 1941. The Germans were pushed back from Northern Africa. In 1943, after the government of Mussolini was abolished, Italy left the Axis. In June 1944, the Western Allies landed in Normandy (France), creating a second front. France was recaptured, and the Allied airforce started destructive carpet bombings of the German cities.

Germany had the most powerful army in the world, but they were unable to hold their own against the alliance of other great powers on multiple fronts. In the end, the German army fell in 1945. The Polish and Soviet armies entered the German territory and captured Berlin. Hitler committed suicide. In May 1945, the war in Europe ended. Germany found itself under American, Soviet, British and French occupation.

In the Far East, the Americans were still fighting the Japanese. Met with the fanatical resistance of the Japanese soldiers who defended every island until the last man, the US authorities decided to use a new weapon of mass destruction – the nuclear bomb – on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. They ceased to exist in mere minutes. The hopeless situation and the extent of destruction influenced the Japanese surrender. It was signed on 2 September 1945 aboard the American battleship, “Missouri”. World War II officially ended.