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    The Events Leading to WWII

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    At a Glance:

    Grades:7
    Subject:Social Studies
    Topic:The Interwar Years and the Events Leading to WWII
    Lesson Length:55 - 60 mins

    Standards / Framework:

    What will students learn in this activity?

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

    What should students know before this activity?

    It helps for students to have an understanding of the effects of WWI. Remind students that the “interwar years” means the period of time between WWI and WWII. Terms to know: League of Nations, Treaty of Versailles, Great Depression, reparations.

    How can teachers introduce this lesson?

    • Ask students to remember and discuss a significant event in their lives. 

    • Introduce the expression “hindsight is 20/20” and discuss with students how they might change the course of that event after looking back at what happened. 

    • Lead this into a discussion of how historians view the interwar years. 

    • Read and discuss the sample comic.

      • What might have prevented an evil leader such as Hitler from coming to power?

      • Could anything have been done during the interwar years to prevent his rise to power?

    What will students do?

    • Assign each student a significant event from the interwar years (1920-1939). Events may include:
      • Benito Mussolini becoming Premier
      • The Beer Hall Putsch
      • The Munich Pact
      • Stalin takes control of the Soviet government
      • The Locarno Pacts
    • Using the sample comic as a guide, have students create a two-to-three-panel comic describing this event. Comics should include:
      • The significance of the event and its connection to WWII.
      • The date of the occurrence.
      • The important people and/or places that played a role.

    How can teachers wrap up the lesson?

    • Have students create a class timeline using their printed comics or simply write the name of the event on a timeline on the board. 

    • Have students present their finished comics to the class.

    How can teachers differentiate this activity?

    • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
    • Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
    • Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
    • Display comic expectations for independent work.

    Related Resources:

    • Comic to print or display

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