WORLD WAR II Interactive Module

Chris Inman

World War IIInteractive Module

Big 3 at Yalta:Who were the Big 3?

Leaders Home front European Theater

Pacific Theater The Holocaust

To the left you will see the opening home page to the module “World War II Interactive Module”.

The title will appear at the top, a photograph of the big 3 leaders (FDR, Churchill, and Stalin) will appear in the middle. There is a caption and a question under the picture.

An audio introduction button which introduces students to the module is just above the image.

The various parts of the module are listed as buttons under the image. Students can go to any part by clicking on either “Leaders”, “Home Front”, “European Theater”, “Pacific Theater”, or “Timeline”.

The background will not be white, but will instead be a color of some kind.

The AHSGE button takes students to a page where they will create their own encyclopedia entries for the AHSGE.

Audio Introduction

AHSGE

* Module Content covers ACOS 11.7: Explain the entry by the United States into World War II and major military campaigns in the European and Pacific Theaters.

Leaders of

World War II

Click on a leader below to visit their page.

Text Text

The Allied Powers

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The Axis Powers

Text Text Text

This is the first page of the “Leaders” part of the module.

Again, the title is at the top, and I have an audio introduction as well. To visit a leader’s page, students can click on the leader’s picture or the leader’s name. At the end of this part, students will be able to identify the leaders and the country they led.

The leaders are FDR, Stalin, Truman, and Churchill for the Allies; Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito for the Axis Powers.

The text under each leader’s picture will be their name, title, and dates served in that position.

Home Page

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Page

Text: Simply stating his name, title, dates of leadership, and some key facts in relation to World War II.

Movie: FDR’s speech to Congress after Pearl Harbor-Text will be available here explaining the speech

This is FDR’s page. Students will have already studied FDR extensively due to the Great Depression and the New Deal.

The page will have pictures of FDR during WWII, including pictures of him as his health began to decline. The war took a terrible toll on his health.

Movie of FDR’s speech to Congress after Pearl Harbor.

Political Cartoons of FDR during WWII, with captions.

Navigation buttons at the bottom of the page with sound.

FDR image

FDR image

FDR image

Political Cartoon

Caption

Political Cartoon

Political Cartoon

Caption Caption

Leaders Page Next LeaderHome Page

Animation of a dime flipping back and forth; FDR is on the dime.

Joseph Stalin’s Page

Text: Simply stating his name, title, dates of leadership, and some key facts in relation to World War II.

Text: Review of Lenin and birth of Soviet Union-students will have already covered this during WWI unit.

Narration of Lenin Text

Leaders Page Next Leader

Political Cartoon about Pact

Text: Cartoon satirizes the brief pact between Stalin and Hitler

The purpose of the leader pages is not to give students an incredibly in-depth portrait, but rather to give students an idea of who was leading the various major powers in the conflict.

Sound: An introduction to the page; narration of Lenin info and review of Bolshevik Revolution; sound with the button at the bottom.

Photographs: Stalin and Lenin, other Soviet images.

Image: Political cartoon with Stalin and Hitler.

Home Page

Animation of Lenin

Harry S. Truman’s Page

Text: Simply stating his name, title, dates of leadership, and some key facts in relation to World War II.

Leaders Page Next Leader

Text: Movie of atomic bomb, etc.

Brief Narration explaining support for dropping the bombs

Brief Narration explaining other side

What side do you agree with? Do you think Truman should have dropped the bomb? Explain your opinion.

Harry S. Truman’s page. To current high school students, the dropping of the atomic bomb is fairly controversial. To that end, I think they should be given the opportunity to look at both sides and express their opinion.

Movie: Atomic bomb dropping on Nagasaki and/or Hiroshima.

Sound: Narrations, introduction, sounds at the bottom.

Home Page

Animation of atomic bomb

Winston Churchill’s Page

Text: Simply stating his name, title, dates of leadership, and some key facts in relation to World War II.

Leaders Page Next Leader

Text: Sound clip of Churchill proclaiming that Great Britain will never give up, will never surrender.

Text: Sound clip of Churchill coining the “Iron Curtain after WWII.

Link Churchill quotes and sound clips

Churchill’s page focuses primarily on pictures, text, and sound clips.

Sound: Churchill speeches, introduction to his page, sound at the bottom.

Text: The text will reinforce the narration. The speeches will be written in text, and background information provided.

Additional link available to more Churchill quotes and sound clips.

Home Page

Animation: UK flag waving

Adolph Hitler’s Page

Text: Simply stating his name, title, dates of leadership, and some key facts in relation to World War II.

Leaders Page Next Leader

Text: with narration, explaining the true origins of the swastika. Image is linked to several encyclopedia entries at Answers.com.

Text: Click on the musical note to go to a page to listen to, and read about, music that Hitler and the Nazi Party approved for German listening.

Text: Movie of Hitler-brief story of Hitler and his rise to power from seemingly out of nowhere. This text will summarize the video as they view.

Adolph Hitler’s page. The page focuses on Hitler the person, and touches upon the Nazi Party. An entire module devoted to the Holocaust comes later.

Pictures: Of Hitler and the Nazi Flag.

Sound: introduction, narration.

Music: Nazi approved “good” German music. With text

Movie: narrating the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. With text.

Home Page

Benito Mussolini’s Page

Text: Video Clip of Mussolini giving a speech

Leaders Page Next Leader

Text: Simply stating his name, title, dates of leadership, and some key facts in relation to World War II.

Text: Narration-What is Fascism?

Mussolini Picture

Mussolini Picture

Mussolini Picture

Much of the information on Mussolini’s page will focus on his rapid rise to power in Italy, and the new philosophy he helped to establish, fascism.

Movie: A movie clip of a Mussolini Speech-introducing Hitler. Text will provide background information.

Sound: Introduction, explanation of fascism (with Text).

Additional Mussolini pictures.Home Page

Emperor Hirohito Page

Text: Simply stating his name, title, dates of leadership, and some key facts in relation to World War II. The picture is also linked to extensive encyclopedia information at answers.com.

Leaders Page Next Leader

Caption

Japanese Imperial Seal of the Chrysanthemum. Picture is linked to JapanZone.com, which does a good job of briefly explaining the history and role of the emperor in Japanese history and culture.

Caption Caption Caption

Brief movie clip explaining tensions between Japan and the United States before WWII.

Emperor Hirohito’s page will focus on Hirohito and a brief history of Imperial Japan.

Important for students to know the unique culture and link between the emperor and the Japanese people before and during WWII.

Picture: Of Hirohito, possibly more than one. With explanatory/summary text.

Images: The Imperial seal, and various Japanese flags. With explanatory/summary text, sound, and a link to JapanZone.com providing brief history of imperial positon.

Sound: Introduction, various narration.

Movie: Clip, or clips discussing the relationship between the U.S. and Japan. Explanatory/summary text provided as well.

Home Page

On the Home Front: The United States at home during World War II

Home PagePrevious Page

U.S. Flag Animation

Video Clip: U.S. mobilizing to War time economy; with Summary Text

Propaganda Poster section, along with captions and summary text.

Text: Photograph is linked to the Manzanar Historical site. Site has photographs and text discussing the internment of Japanese-American citizens in the United States during World War II.

Text: Photograph is linked to a great web site covering the Second Great Migration of African-Americans out of the South to the industrial centers of the North during WWII. Summary Text provided.

Narration telling students which key people, terms, and events to know for the AHSGE.

On the Home Front focuses on the many changes taking place in the United States during World War II.

These changes were complex: women’s roles changed, African-Americans migrated yet again for better economic opportunities, Japanese-Americans were treated like traitors, and our economy undertook several changes, including the end of the Great Depression.

Multimedia Elements: Video clip, propaganda posters, animation, links to photographs and information, narration.

European Theater: War in Europe

Home PagePrevious Page

Animation: German ship, BismarckText: Movie Clip-beginning scene of

Saving Private Ryan; summary text added.

Maps: Map links to a set of maps along with dates and summary text; it is essentially a timeline. Also narrated.

World War II music: Picture links to authentic music clips and lyric sheets of popular music during World War II. Assignment: Choose a WWII topic and write your own song or rap. Bonus: Record it (video or cd) and bring it to class.

Text and Narration: Section focuses on key people and battles—specifically geared toward AHSGE; text also has links to further images and readings.

Alabama in World War II-Part of state requirements. Picture is linked to information about Alabama during WWII.

European Theater during WWII. Again, this page is not meant to be exhaustive.

Animation: Hitler’s supposedly indestructible ship, Bismarck.

Maps: Some are interactive, and all provide summary text. The maps act as a timeline.

Music: Link to a website with WWII American music and lyrics. Students will write their own song or rap, and record it.

Text with narration, and links to further images and more in depth information.

History teachers must incorporate Alabama History in the curriculum, and fortunately, Alabama has a good bit of history connected to World War II.

Movie Clip and summary text: The Tuskegee Airmen

Pacific Theater: War in the Pacific

Home Page

Animation: Japanese airplane dropping a torpedo

Text: Summary of opening scene of Pearl Harbor, which they are viewing

Text: Summary of map of the War in the Pacific and Japan’s conquests.

Previous Page

Animation: USS Arizona being bombed

Assignment: Class Discussion of War in the Pacific

Text and Narration: Section focuses on key people and battles—specifically geared toward AHSGE; text also has links to further images and readings.

Movie Clip: Flags of Our Fathers-Battle of Iwo Jima from US perspective

Movie Clip: Letters from Iwo Jima, Battle of Iwo Jima from Japanese perspective

This portion, like the others, is meant to be a springboard into classroom discussion and further study of the material. It is not meant to cover every aspect—that is impossible to do.

Sound: Various narration of different sections

Animations: Japanese Zero plan dropping torpedo; USS Arizona being bombed at Pearl Harbor—both have captions.

Movies: Clips from three movies are available, all unique. Summary text also provided here.

Text and Narration section focusing on specific terms for the AHSGE—links to extra content available as well. This material is also easy for quick review.

Summary assignment for class discussion. Be ready to participate!

The Holocaust

Home PagePrevious Page

Movie Clip: Scene in Band of Brothers where U.S. troops reach their first death camp. With summary text.

Image linked to transcripts of original speeches by Hitler and Nazi Party members discussing the “Jewish Problem” and the “Final Solution”.

Picture

Image linked to “History of Holocaust: An Overview”, provided by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Some narration provided by the teacher.

Image of Anne Frank linked to excerpts of her diary provided by Anne Frank Center, USA, and her story. This helps put a face on the holocaust.

Assignment: Making Connections classroom discussion about the holocaust.

The Holocaust Page.

Movie Clip: Band of Brothers miniseries by HBO, with summary text.

Images and pictures of the Holocaust, victims and survivors.

Portions of transcripts from speeches given by Hitler and Nazi Party officials concerning Jews.

Quotes from Anne Frank’s diary.

Links to further resources available throughout.

Leads to classroom discussion about victims of persecution, Jews, and other groups.

Home Page

AHSGE World War II Encyclopedia

Group 1: Leaders of World War II

Group 2: The Home Front during WWII

Only place encyclopedia entries into your group’s area of focus.

Group 3: The European Theater

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Group 4: The Pacific Theater

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Group 5: The Holocaust

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This page will contain an encyclopedia which the students will create to help them study for the AHSGE.

The students are free to add pictures and sound as well.

Students will be divided into groups—I will give them a specific set of entries to do, and they must add a specified number of further entries. This will also help them locate reliable resources.