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    World War II Cause and Effect

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    At a Glance:

    Grades:7
    Subject:Social Studies
    Topic:World War I and II
    Lesson Length:45 - 50 mins

    Standards / Framework:

    What will students learn in this activity?

    Students will make cause and effect connections between World War I and World War II.

    What should students know before this activity?

    Students should have an understanding of the events and ultimate outcome of World War I.

    How can teachers introduce this lesson?

    • Have students imagine that their school bus wrecked on the way to school that morning. As a class, decide on a reason (cause) for the bus wreck. Now, ask students how the different participants, e.g., bus driver, parents, students involved in this wreck will be affected the rest of that day. Possible effects could include:
      • Students late for school.
      • Missed test or quiz - resulting in having to make this up at a different time.
      • Injuries.
      • Parents called.
    • Read and discuss the sample comic about the effects of WWI, e.g., The German economy was left in disarray at the end of WWI.

     

    What will students do?

    • Have students create a two-panel comic highlighting one effect from WWI that ultimately led to a cause of WWII. 
      • Panel 1:  Show an effect of WWI.
      • Panel 2: Show how that effect led to WW2.

    How can teachers wrap up the lesson?

    • Print or digitally share student comics.
    • Discuss which of these effects had the biggest impact on WWII.

    How can teachers differentiate this activity?

    • Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
    • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
    • Allow students to work in pairs or independently.
    • Have students reopen the comic and add a third panel to illustrate the effect that the event in the second panel had.

    Related Resources:

    • Comic to print or display: Comic.

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    Suggested Story Starters:

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