Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: U.S. Involvement in World War II: The War in the Pacific Name: Kelsey Waters
Content Area: United States History and Geography: Continuity and Grade Level: Eleven
Change in the Twentieth Century
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
11.7 Students analyze America’s participation in World War II.
11.7.1, 11.7.2, 11.7.7

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects

2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing
them in simpler but still accurate terms.
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in
order to address a question or solve a problem.

Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

How did America become involved in the war? What events led to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

What were the strategies of the major battles of Midway, Normandy, Okinawa, and the Battle of the Bulge? What was the significance of each
battle?

Weigh the factors that played into the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After thinking about the consequences, do
you think this was a necessary decision in the war? Why or why not?

Unit Summary:
In this unit we will be learning about America’s entrance and involvement in World War II. The main focus of this unit will be placed on the
War in the Pacific. We will begin the unit by discussing the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which caused America to declare
war on Japan and join the Allied forces in WWII. This discussion will help students to develop their note taking skills. Students will build and
develop twenty first century digital research and communication skills while learning about the key battles in the Pacific and major turning
point in the war globally. Finally, students will employ their critical thinking skills to examine the historical debate surrounding the dropping
of atomic bombs on Japan to end the war. Learning techniques for this unit include individual research, small group collaborative work,
presentation of student work, as well as writing responses.
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: Formative: Summative:

Video discussion before lesson one- Pearl Harbor: The
Last Word- Survivors Share.
Survey before lesson two- List all of the battles in the
War in the Pacific that you have heard of.
Questioning before lesson three- How did the Pacific
War end?
Kahoot Quiz after Lecture- on concepts and events that Formal Essay- Students discuss their position in the
led to the attack on Pearl Harbor. historical debate on the atomic bombing.
Timeline Project during lesson 2- Major battles of the Unit Exam- covering all material from lectures,
Pacific. activities, and discussions over the course of the unit.
Quizlet Match- Key points of the battles in the Pacific.
Graphic Organizer during lesson three- Decision
making guide on the factors that contributed to the
decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.
Class Debate- Students debate whether it was the right
decision to drop the atomic bombs.

Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)

Student Learning Objective:
After this lecture,
students will be able to
describe the events that
led to the attack on Pearl
Harbor and America’s
entrance into WWII with
a minimum of 80%
accuracy.
Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)
Student Learning Objective:
At the end of this activity,
students will be able to
relay the significance of
each battle in the Pacific.
Acceptable Evidence
(Assessments):
Using Kahoot, students
will take a mini quiz,
designed by me, on the
material from the
lecture. A class average
of 80% or higher will
demonstrate adequate
student understanding.
Acceptable Evidence:
Students are able to
distinguish the causes,
strategies, and outcomes
of the battles and their
significance to the war.
Lesson Activities:
Students will take notes during the lecture. Their notes should reflect the 5 W’s. Who,
What, When, Where, and Why. A guided note sheet will also be provided to fill in as the
lecture progresses. The guided notes page is designed to be used as a study tool and to
cover the main points of the lecture.
Students are also encouraged to write down any questions they have and to make note of
terms that are unclear to them for reference later.
Lesson Activities:
Jigsaw activity- Each student will be assigned a major battle; Midway, Normandy, Okinawa,
and the Battle of the Bulge. Students will research their battle through links I have provided
online and take notes on the main points of the battle. Students will also be responsible for
finding one additional online source for information on their battle. Students will form
small groups based on their battles. “Expert” groups will compare notes to ensure that
there is a proper collection of information. I will observe and guide accordingly. Students
will then form new groups with other battle experts. Battle groups will create an interactive

Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)
Student Learning Objective:
At the end of this
exercise, students will
provide three pieces of
evidence to support their
position on the decision
to drop the atomic
bombs on Japan.
Unit Resources:
Assessment timeline
timeline of the major battles in the War in the Pacific and will present the timeline to the
class. Each student is responsible for creating their battle slide and educating their group on
the key points of the battle.
Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Graphic organizers show Towards the end of the unit, students will individually fill out a Decision-Making graphic
that students have organizer. On one side they will list evidence to support dropping the atomic bombs. On the
thought critically and other side they will list evidence to oppose dropping the bombs. Additionally, students will
listed reasons for and fill out a section on alternative strategies and weigh the pros and cons of those. Once each
against dropping the student has their filled out, students will think critically and take a side: For? Or against?
bombs. At least 3 pieces Students will discuss their decisions and supporting evidence with a partner before we
of evidence are needed group up as a class. As a class, we will divide the room by sides. Each side will present their
for each side. best evidence for their decision. Students can make additional notes in their graphic
organizers, using a different colored pen or writing utensil, during the class discussion.

Pearl Harbor: The Last Word - The Survivors Share

Road to Pearl Harbor Lecture

Kahoot Quiz

History Fair Note-Taking Guide

Links for timeline project research:

Midway
Encyclopedia Britannica
Eyewitness to History
Normandy
Encyclopedia Britannica
Eyewitness to History
Okinawa
Encyclopedia Britannica
Eyewitness to History
Iwo Jima
Encyclopedia Britannica
Second World War History
Bulge
Encyclopedia Britannica
Second World War History

Battle Videos for students:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-au50GxIXw -Midway video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDZs442oqxAv -Normandy video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Lbv0K8gCs -Okinawa video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZmPM9s1mTs -Battle Bulge video

Time Glider

Quizlet Match

Decision Making Graphic Organizer created by instructor.

Graphic Organizer Rubric

Links for Graphic organizer research:

Encyclopaedia Britannica
US History.org
History.com
History Extra- Historians’ view of debate
Short documentary on bombings

Essay Instructions and Outline

Unit Exam
Useful Websites:
https://vizzlo.com/
https://kahoot.com/
http://timeglider.com/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack

https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/bombings-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-1945
https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/debate-over-bomb

https://prezi.com/p/mb6esoknfh1l/
https://rubistar.4teachers.org
https://www.quickrubric.com/