Ragghianti 9
Student Learning PlanUS Involvement in World War I
Inquiry Lesson: Historical Scene Investigation
Context
Overview/ Background
This lesson focuses on two main Standards of Learning, the reasons for US entry into World War I and ability to use primary and secondary sources, and is taught in an inquiry fashion. This is a second semester lesson that should be taught after looking at why World War I in general began but before exploring the US’s role in the war. The topic of US involvement in World War I is a very important event in US history as it marks a defined change from the Monroe Doctrine which stated that the US would remain neutral in European affairs and marked the arrival of the US as a player on a global scale. Any event that features this radical a change in US policy is worth of careful study and I feel an inquiry lesson utilizing a Historical Scene Investigation is an excellent way to do this.
Rationale
A study of the United States involvement in World War I provides an excellent opportunity for students utilize the inquiry method of learning as there were a variety of events that lead to entry that students can discover more about through the use of sources. The change in policy from the Monroe Doctrine had to occur for a reason, and this inquiry lesson will allow students to really understand why the change occurred. The format of inquiry lesson that will be utilized is a Historical Scene Investigation, or HSI. HSI’s are a highly structured form of inquiry that allows for students to work independently and without much teacher guidance. In HSI’s, students act as a historian to discover the reasons an event occurred, in this case the United States entry into WWI, by using teacher selected resources. The students are guided through steps that provide sources as well as questions to guide the inquiry utilizing skills of historians. I chose to do this HSI using a wiki site. The reason for this is two fold. One, there is a vast amount of information available online that cannot be provided in textbooks. By providing students with sources found on the internet, students gain access to information and prospectives difficult to find in the classroom. In addition, most students when conducting internet research will simply use the first website they find and this often times can lead to issues with reliability. This online HSI shows students what good sources look like and will hopefully result in more careful research in the future. In addition, wiki sites can act as a discussion board as members of the wiki can edit the pages. As a result, I have added a discussion board element to this HSI in the form of class wide opinion article. Students will be asked after their investigation to act as a reporters and edit the last page of the wiki by adding a short opinion article highlighting what they think are the two most important reasons the US entered WWI. By doing this activity using a wiki in this way rather than a simple essay, students will be able to view the work of other students and learn from each other. It also provides a concrete archive that students can refer back to in order to remind themselves of the reasons the US entered WWI to review for tests as well as arguments for which reasons are more powerful.
Time
This Inquiry Lesson will ideally take an entire class period as it is timed out to take 90 minutes. If time is short, the article can be assigned as homework
Grade Level/ Course
- Intended Uses
o 11th Grade
o American Studies/ US History (Williamsburg James City Schools)
- Applicable To
o Any US History course
o Pre-requisite
§ Knowledge of primary and secondary sources
Objectives
SOL Objectives:
USII.5c The student will demonstrate knowledge of the changing role of the United States from the late nineteenth century through World War I by
c) explaining the reasons for the United States’ involvement in World War I and its international leadership role at the conclusion of the war.
USII.1a The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to
a) Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history from 1877 to the present;
WJC Objective:
31 Explain US involvement in World War I
a. Submarine Warfare
b. Military Technology
c. Wilson’s “Make the World Safe for Democracy”
d. Wilson’s 14 Points
e. Treaty of Versailles
f. Uncle Sam
g. French Warfare
Essential Understanding
1) The United States involvement in World War I ended a long tradition of avoiding involvement in European conflict and set the stage for the United States to emerge as a global superpower late in the 20th Century.
Essential Knowledge
1) Reasons for US involvement in World War I
a. Inability to remain neutral
b. German Submarine Warfare
i. Sinking of the Lusitania
c. US ties to Great Britain
d. The Zimmerman Telegram
e. Wilson’s Desire to “Make World Safe for Democracy”
Lesson Objectives
1) Students will be able to identify the major reasons for US involvement in World War I by discovering at least five causes in an inquiry lesson using the Historical Scene Investigation format.
2) Students will be able to analyze four primary documents and one secondary document to determine reasons for US involvement in a Historical Scene Investigation.
3) Students will be able to synthesize the information they learn in the Historical Scene Investigation by writing a short, four paragraph opinion article arguing for the two most important reasons for involvement which will be included in a class wide opinion article using a wiki site.
Assessment
- Students will be assessed in two ways
o 1) Completion of the guided note taking worksheet
§ Completion grade
· Based on percentage of worksheet completed
o 2) Opinion Article
§ 25 possible points
· Title: 2 points
· Introduction: 5 points (one for identifying each of the major reasons for involvement)
· Reasons: 5 points for each (arguments well supported and grounded in historical evidence)
· Conclusion: 3 points (powerful and highlights key arguments)
· Structure/Grammar: 5 points
Content and Instructional Strategies
Instruction Strategies
- Mini Lecture
- Guided Inquiry
- Historical Research and Reporting
Procedures
- Set Up (10 mins)
o Take class to the computer lab (be sure you have reserved and confirmed)
o Assign one to student to each computer
o If the number of computers is low, allow students to pair up.
- Introduce the lesson style and why it is useful. (5 mins)
o Inquiry- discover reasons for an event through a study of sources.
o HIS- a guided inquiry that provides sources and allows the students to act as a historian.
- Mini Lecture (5 mins)
o Review briefly why World War I began in general.
o Review major points of the Monroe Doctrine.
- Begin HSI (5 mins)
o Set the stage by explaining that a change in policy has occurred
o Direct students to the wiki page with the HSI
o Explain the assignment by giving students their roles as first a historian and then a reporter.
o Pass out note taking guide (Appendix I)
- Exploration (40 mins)
o Allow students to work through the HSI and provide assistance when necessary
o Should be a student driven assignment.
- “Mr. R’s Class Special Edition” (20 mins)
o After about 40 minutes, direct students to the last page of the HSI.
o Reiterate that it should not be a long article, but short and to the point.
o Highlight the wiki and the article as a resource.
- Conclusion and Summation of Content (5 mins)
Resources (Appendix II)
- Course Textbook: The Americans. McDougal Littell. Boston, MA 2003.
- HIS and Article Wiki Site: http://worldwarone.wmwikis.net/
- Primary Sources
o Zimmerman Telegram (Coded and Decoded)
o The New York Times: May 7, 1915 “Germany’s Policy Piracy”
o The New York Times: May 8, 1915 “Look Now to Neutrals”
o Wilson’s War Resolutin (Page 586 of text)
- Secondary Source
o US Loyalties (Page 583 of text)
Differentiation
Guided Worksheet
- Students in regular American Studies will be provided the Guided Worksheet
- Student in Advance American Studies will need to develop their own guide
o Will be responsible for turning in some form of notes on the lesson
Timing
- Will be based primarily on familiarity with primary and secondary documents
- If time is short, eliminate the Exit Quiz
Adaptations
IEP and 504
- Lesson will be adapted where necessary to accommodate Individual Education Plans (IEP) and 540 documentation
- Examples
o Provide Partial Notes
o Have students read sources together
o Adapt assessment assignment where necessary
§ Bullet points
§ Guiding Questions
Reflection
SEE ATTACHED
APPENDIX I
GUIDING WORKSHEET: US INVOLVEMENT IN WORLD WAR I
Name:______
Period:______
Date:______
Source / Type of Source / Author/Writer / Main Points / Why a Reason for Involvement / One WordThe New York Times: May 7, 1915 “Germany’s Policy Piracy”
The New York Times: May 8, 1915 “Look Now to Neutrals”
Zimmerman Telegram
Wilson Quote
US Loyalties
APPENDIX II
Wilson’s War Resolution
“Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and innocent people cannot be. The present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind. ….We are glad….. to fight….. for the ultimate peace of the world and for the liberation of its people….. The world must be made safe for democracy….. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities….. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war…. But the right is more precious than peace”
- Woodrow Wilson, April 2, 1917 (Page 586 of text)
US Loyalties
Millions of naturalized US citizens followed the war closely because they still had ties to the nations from which they had emigrated. For example, many Americans of German descent sympathized with Germany. Americans of Irish descent remembered the centuries of British oppression in Ireland and saw there was as a chance for Ireland to gain its independence.
On the other hand, many Americans felt close to Britain because of a common ancestry and language as well as similar democratic institutions and legal system. Germany’s aggressive sweep through Belgium increased American sympathy for the Allies. The German’s attacked civilians, destroyed villages, cathedrals, libraries, and even hospitals. Some atrocity stories- spread by British propaganda- later proved to be false, but enough proved true that one American magazine referred to Germany as “the bully of Europe”.
More important, America’s economic ties with the Allies were far stronger than its ties with Central Powers. Before the war, American trade with Britain and France was more than double its trade with Germany. During the first two years of the war, American transatlantic trade became even more lopsided, as the Allies flooded American manufactures with orders for all sorts of was supplies, including dynamite, cannon powder, submarines, copper wire and tubing, and armored cars. The United States shipped millions of dollars of war supplies to the Allies, but request kept coming.
- Page 583 of text