---
title: World War II Cause and Effect
description: Students will make cause and effect connections between World War I and World War II.
image: https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/jordan_cause_effect-001-1.png
---

**Subject: Social Studies**

**Lesson Length: 45 - 50 mins**

**Topic: World War I and II**

**Grade Level: 7**

**Standards / Framework: **

- [C3: D2.His.14.6-8](https://www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/2017/Jun/c3-framework-for-social-studies-rev0617.pdf)

**Brief Description:**  Students will make cause and effect connections between World War I and World War II.

**Know Before You Start:** Students should have an understanding of the events and ultimate outcome of World War I.

**Hook:**

- 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.

 

**Activity:**

- 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.

**Closure:**

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

**Differentiation:**

- 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.

**Resources:**

- Comic to print or display: [Comic](https://share.pixton.com/q86q9qe).

**Suggested Content:**

- [![](https://img.pixton.com/content-pack/1828458285796323328/thumbnail.png) World War II ](https://content.pixton.com/world-war-ii)
- [![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/thumbnail-boystriped-2.png) The Boy In The Striped Pajamas ](https://content.pixton.com/the-boy-in-the-striped-pajamas)
- [![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/thumbnail-bookthief.png) The Book Thief ](https://content.pixton.com/the-book-thief)
- [![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/thumbnail-codetalker.png) Code Talker ](https://content.pixton.com/code-talker)
- [![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/thumbnail-dday-1.png) D-Day ](https://content.pixton.com/d-day)
- [![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/thumbnail-numberthestars.png) Number The Stars ](https://content.pixton.com/number-the-stars)

**Suggested Story Starters:**

- [ Explain a Historical Event ](https://story-starters.pixton.com/explain-a-historical-event)
- [ Fill in the Blanks Historical Events: World War II ](https://story-starters.pixton.com/fill-in-the-blanks-historical-event-world-war-ii)
- [ Reorder Historical Events: World War II ](https://story-starters.pixton.com/reorder-historical-events-world-war-ii)

Assign Activity

## Related Ideas

[![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/the_events_leading_to_wwii-001.png)](https://ideas.pixton.com/the-events-leading-up-to-wwii)

### [The Events Leading to WWII](https://ideas.pixton.com/the-events-leading-up-to-wwii)

Students will investigate key events during the interwar years that indirectly or directly lead to World War II.

[![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/analogies-001.png)](https://ideas.pixton.com/making-sense-of-analogies)

### [Making Sense of Analogies](https://ideas.pixton.com/making-sense-of-analogies)

Students will better understand the relationship between words by completing analogies.

[![](https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/political_cartoons-001.png)](https://ideas.pixton.com/political-cartoons)

### [Political Cartoons](https://ideas.pixton.com/political-cartoons)

Students will learn about the impact imperialism had on indigenous peoples and cultures from around the world.