Topic: Consequences of World War II

Target group

8th‑grade students of an elementary school

Core curriculum

XXXVI. World after World War II. Pupil:

1. characterizes the direct effects of World War II, distinguishing political, social, economic and cultural consequences, taking into account the creation of the United Nations;

13. describes the most important cultural and social changes after the Second World War.

General aim of education

The student will learn about the effects of World War II.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• what was the outcome of World War II;

• what inventions and discoveries brought World War II;

• what were the material, social and cultural war losses;

• how and where the Allies judged German and Japanese war criminals;

• why the UN was founded and what its purpose was.

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

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. The teacher plays the recording of the abstract. Every now and then he stops it, asking the students to tell in their own words what they have just heard. This way, students practice listening comprehension.

Realization

1. Reading the content of the abstract. The teacher uses the text for individual work or in pairs, according to the following steps: 1) a sketchy review of the text, 2) asking questions, 3) accurate reading, 4) a summary of individual parts of the text, 5) repeating the content or reading the entire text.

2. Discussing information presented on the timeline. The teacher then divides the class into groups - as many as there are events on the axis. Each team works on one assigned issue, deepening the information contained in the abstract. Then the students present their discussions.

3. The teacher together with the students sums up the current course of classes.

4. Students analyze the illustrations and execute Task 2 and Task 3. To answer the questions, they can use Internet sources or other publications. The teacher checks the correctness of the answer and provides feedback to the students.

5. Students in pairs solve the Exercise 1. The teacher checks if the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback to students.

6. Students analyze the illustration and execute Task 4. To answer the question, they can use Internet sources or other publications. The teacher checks the correctness of the answer and provides feedback to the students.

Summary

1. The teacher asks: If there was going to be a test on the material we have covered today, what questions do you think would you have to answer?
   If the students do not manage to name all the most important questions, the teacher may complement their suggestions.

2. The teacher asks a willing student to summarize the lesson from his point of view. He asks other students if they would like to add anything to their colleague's statements.

Homework

1. Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

2. Make at home a note from the lesson, for example using the sketchnoting method.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Consequences of World War II

World War II was the largest conflict in the history of the world. Sixty‑one countries from all continents were involved. Over the six years the war lasted, an estimated 110 million people took part in it, of which more than 60 million perished.

Material losses were also immense. Many European and Asian cities—Warsaw, Dresden, Stalingrad, Rotterdam or Tokyo—were utterly destroyed, not only during the fights, but also as a result of retaliation and carpet bombings. All of this had a huge impact on the post‑war economic situation of numerous European countries, most of which were on the verge of an economic and financial crisis.

The war also revolutionised the military technology. New types of weapon were developed, the most impactful and most powerful of which was the atomic bomb, dropped by the USA on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Damage to society and culture was heavy as well. The destruction of numerous historical monuments, works of art and culture, and ordinary towns and villages with no military significance left a tragic mark on the nations. The cruelty and crimes (Holocaust) on an unimaginable scale scarred many people for life.

Justice for these atrocities was sought at the trials of the main war criminals in Nuremberg and in Tokyo, and then in the countries of the victorious coalition. As a result, the leaders of the Nazi Germany and Japan were sentenced to death or long‑term imprisonment.

The most lasting consequences of World War II was the new order and division of the world. The pre‑war superpowers—Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan—lost their position to the new powers that were to shape the world, the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The borders of individual countries all over the world were also changed, and decolonisation processes commenced. A new institution was established at the time, the United Nations (1945), whose main objective was to ensure global peace and international security.