AJ Hollanquest
Lesson Plan:
· Subject Topic: WWII, Causes of War
· Time Required : 50 minutes
· Essential Question: Did the Allies of WWI cause WWII by having too many restrictions that the Germans couldn’t meet in the Treaty of Versailles?
· Lesson Plan Question: Does Neville Chamberlin deserve the criticism for his part in allowing World War II to occur by signing the Munich Agreement?
Content Rationale:
· Explain and analyze the role leaders take in preventing or starting wars. To have student analyze primary sources to construct new knowledge based off prior events.
Link to National and State Standards:
· State Standards B.12.1, B.12.2,12.15
Link to Unit Goals
· Explaining the causes of not following the terms of the treaty after the treaty had been signed.
Lesson Objectives
· Students can state what the terms of the Munich Agreement are.
· Students will be able to explain the 2 sides of the Munich agreement in a short debate.
· Students will be able to state whether the Munich agreement was a cause of WWII or not
· Students can explain 2 reasons Chamberlin was to blame or not to blame for the war
Technology/Materials Needed:
· Primary Documents from Parliament debate
· Munich Agreement Terms on transparency
· Projector
Things to do Beforehand:
· Prepare hand outs
· Set up projector
Instructional Procedures:
· Introduction-Opening
§ Start Class with YouTube clip of Neville Chamberlain’s speech on appeasement.
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmH5A6QsqRY
o Discuss video with class 5 min
§ What was Neville Chamberlin talking about in this clip?
§ What is the policy of appeasement?
§ Why did Chamberlin feel it was important to sign the Munich Agreement?
· Overview of Lesson
§ Discuss what the Munich Agreement is
§ Present the two stances on whether Chamberlin was right to sign the Munich Agreement
§ Class Debate on the issue
§ Look at the issue from present day
Development:
· Case Study Lesson
o Introduce class to the Munich Agreement. 5 min
§ Project Munich Agreement on overhead.
o Discuss the Munich Agreement with the class and point out the key components of the treaty
§ 4 party agreement(Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain)
§ Sudetenland given to Germany
§ Exchange Hitler will no longer expand into other parts of Europe.
§ Explain Chamberlin’s role in the Agreement
o Introduce the Case Study: 15 min
§ Split class up into 2 groups
o Each student will get a case study
o 1 group will get a speech praising the signing of the Munich Agreement and the other will get a speech discrediting the Munich Agreement and that it will only cause war
§ Then have students read the case study and answer these questions for each
o What stance did the author take on the Munich Agreement
o Why did they think it was good or why do they think it was wrong?
o What do they think will happen now that the treaty is signed?
§ Students will then get back into the big groups and discuss the article with the group. They will then prepare to present their side of the problem.
o Each Group will present their side of the argument of whether Neville Chamberlin was to blame for causing World War 2 by allowing Hitler to gain power by obtaining the Sudetenland. 10 min
o After hearing each side of the argument students will be dissolved of their roles and choose their own stance based off the presentations.
o The class will then be split up based on their stance and I will hold a debate 10 min
§ Debate Questions
o Was the Munich Agreement one of the causes of war?
o Does Chamberlin deserve the blame for starting WWII?
o What are the alternate solutions for the situation Chamberlin was put in? (Give up land or go to war)
Culminating Activities:
· In closing, now that we are 70 years removed from the Munich Agreement and we have the benefit of retrospect, do you believe Chamberlin deserves to be praised or criticized for signing the Munich Agreement?
o Explain your answer in a 2 paragraph written response