The Documents of World War: Examining World War I and World War II through Primary and Secondary Sources

Sarah Hund, Social Studies, US History, Randolph IB Middle School

Final Unit (PDF)

Implementing Common Core Standards

200 Word Synopsis

In this unit students will analyze primary and secondary documents from the World Wars. Through examining the documents, students will use critical thinking and high level analysis skills in order to understand of the causes and effects of World War I and II. Such documents as the Zimmerman Telegram, FDR’s Fireside Chats, Winston Churchill’s “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” speech, and political cartoons students will participate in classroom discussions, debates, and Socratic Seminars that outline the history of global war. Students, who will be participating in this unit, have a foundation on the events of World War I and World War II. This foundation is critical to their understanding and usage of documents in this unit.