Imaan Murteza

Social studies Small Group Lesson

Penn Alexander School
World War I
Enacted on Wednesday 11/26/2014
Small Group: 4 students from Mrs. Kurlands 5th grade class
Observed by: Connie Major (Penn Mentor)
Duration:
minutes
Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students will have a better idea of the major events surrounding World
War I.
Students will be able to identify the countries that took part in WWI and where on a map the
fighting took place. [See below for sample Map]
Students will be able to explain the reasons behind the United States involvement in the war.

What
The main part of the lesson will be chronicling some of the key events of WWI, specifically, how
it began, the creation of the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, Americas involvement, and the
Treaty of Versailles. I must admit that the objective I have in mind is less to do with teaching skills for
the critical exanimation of history in my allotted time, and more to do with exposing the students to
historical events that are not usually covered in their curriculum but are nonetheless, in my opinion,
important to the development of their understanding of the world and their place in it.
The students will work with the teacher to construct a rough timeline of the events of WWI.
Then, through the examination of several documents the students will build on their knowledge of these
events. The first document will supplement students information with an eyewitness account of the
assassination. The second will be a historical map of the region that students will explore to get a better
picture of the countries we will be talking about and their position and borders. The third will be a picture
of soldiers in the trenches that have become synonymous with WWI. Through an examination of this
photo the students will be asked to draw inferences about the soldiers situation and their mindset during
the war. This is in part to give the students a more personal view of this historical event [as Levstik and
Barton mention, students respond favorably to personal narratives of history] as well as a set up for my
small group literacy lesson which will focus on a poem from WWI. The fourth will be an American song
that encourages young men to join the fight in Europe. This will hopefully lead to a discussion on the
realities of war vs. what was told to the people.

How
I plan to have a timeline constructed on chart paper of the years 1914-1918. The timeline will be
referred to throughout the lesson but not filled out until the end as a culminating activity. To begin, the

Comment [CM1]: Do you know if your students

have prior knowledge of WWI? Its not clear to me
how they will be hooked into this lesson.

students will be asked to brainstorm in pairs the most common causes of war. They will then read the
article declaring the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and discuss the repercussions of the event.
While looking at a map, I will tell students about the events that followed and formation of the
two sides of the war.[See end for sample of map] Regarding Americas involvement in the war, the
students will read from their textbook about the sinking of the Lusitania and the United States response.
[No mention of the Zimmerman telegraph]
The next step will be to talk about the type of warfare that was occurring on the front. The
students will be asked to imagine or use their prior knowledge to deduce the environment that the soldiers
were in. The students will listen to an American propaganda song designed to encourage young men to
enlist, Over There. A brief discussion will be facilitated about the reality of war, juxtaposed with the
cheery tone of the song.
Finally, the end of the war will be discussed. I expect the students to have an idea of the main part
of the armistice, 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. We will expand on this knowledge by
talking about the other articles in the Treaty of Versailles.

Why
Since Veterans Day (11/11), I have been speaking o the students a little about the history of the
day and why it is celebrated in the US. When I first asked the students why they had a vacation on
November 11th, none were able to tell me. I took that as an opportunity to go over the main points with
the class and they seemed to respond well to it.
Knowing that my Classroom Mentor was planning on teaching a unit on WWII sometime in the
future, I felt that a general idea about the events of the First World War would help give them a better
context for the Second. Additionally, I firmly believe that students need to be just as aware of world
history as they are of American history in order to become informed members of the global society that
they belong to.
As to the particular aspects of the lesson, I feel that a more informal, discussion-based scheme is
the best way to keep the students engaged in the lesson. I also hope that the documents will go a long way
in enhancing the students experience and cementing the knowledge that they receive.

Materials:

Chart paper [with timeline of 1914-1918], markers

Count Franz von Harrachs Account of Archduke Ferdinands assassination
Historical maps of Europe
Picture of soldiers in trenches
Harcourts Horizons: United States History textbook
Paper and pencils for students

Comment [CM2]: Heres a worrywill these

students get wardo they have parents.
Grandparents or other family mmbers who have
had a military experience?

Over There by George M. Cohan YouTube video

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hRDS3LvQQ]

Lesson Plan:
Introduction: Time [4 minutes]
Begin by reminding students of past conversations about Veterans Day. Who remembersWhat do you
remember from what we talked about a few weeks ago regarding Veterans Day? Possible responses are
references to honoring veterans, the end of WWI and so on. As students respond, write relevant answers
on the chart paper.
Talk about todays topic, the First World War. In pairs, students will brainstorm possible causes of war,
based on what they know or have read. Possible responses: aggression, revolution/resistance of
oppression, greedetc.

Formatted: Font: Not Italic

Comment [CM3]: Good! This should help with

hooking.

Discuss students answers.

Beginning of War: Time [8 minutes]
Ask specifically if any know the cause of WWI (at least one student should know this since it was
mentioned a few times in the past weeks) Allow student to describe circumstances of the Archdukes
assassination, adding information if any is missing. Read Count Franz von Harrachs account of the
assassination.
Points to highlight: The archduke was heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown. He was shot by a Serbian
loyalist.

Comment [JN4]: Maybe turn this into a writing

prompt before they address as a group? Students
may need time to think this through.
Comment [iM5]: Keep this as a talking
discussion, rather than a writing activity since a few
of the students have trouble putting their thoughts
on paper in a timely manner.

Activity 1: [10 minutes]

Hand out the historical maps. 30 seconds to look them over.. [T: I would like you to focus on finding the
countries you think were involved in the war] Ask for volunteer from each group to be in charge of the
map. As we discuss the repercussion of the assassination, the student will keep track of which countries
allied together. [This will be a student who has trouble focusing on long narratives]
Points to highlight: Austria-Hungary moved against Serbia, Russia moved to protect Serbia, France a
longtime ally of Russia also mobilized. This caused Germany to declare war against both Russia and
France. Invasion of France by Germany via Belgium caused GB to enter war. (Anticipated Question:
Where is Poland in all this? Poland did not exist as a country. Its land was divided between Russia
and Austria-Hungary.)
Unites States Involvement: Time [8 minutes]
Up until 1917, America had a policy of isolation and neutrality. After the sinking of the Lusitania,
America Joins the Allied Powers. American soldiers travel to France to help in the fight. (Read from

Comment [JN6]: I would scaffold how you have

them look these documents over. Supplement with
a worksheet? This way, they pay attention to the
areas that are critical for their engagement of your
lesson.

textbook P.539 about fighting in trenches and the weapons they faced.) Listen to Over There. Give out
lyrics sheet. Ask students what the main idea is.

Activity 2: Time [

Comment [JN7]: Could you supplement with a

written out version of the lyrics?
Comment [CM8]: This feels like a really big
concept for students to grasp. Anticipate their need
fr supportmaybe compare it to current USA
events.

minutes]

Introduce the photograph. Students are given 1 minute to make inferences from the photograph.

Comment [JN9]: What guiding questions will

you provide for students to make inferences?

Guiding Questions:

What do you see that can tell you about the soldiers living conditions?
What can you tell about their position?
What can other relevant inferences can you make?

Discussion:
How do their inferences line up with the sentiments of the song. Talk with students about the growing
disillusionment with the war as it took its toll on the countries and the people.

Comment [JN10]: What explicit questions will

you pose for this discussion?

End of Hostilities: Time [5 minutes]

In 1918, Germany surrendered and an armistice was negotiated. This ended the fighting. About a year
later the Allied leaders gathered in Paris to negotiate the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. (If time
permits, speak to how these terms created the environment that would lead to WWII.)
Culminating activity: Time [

minutes]

Return to the timeline. Ask students to fill it in with the significant moments we talked about during the
lesson.
1914 --- Assssination of Archduke Ferdinand
1915 --- German U-boat sinks the Lusitania
1917 --- United States Declares war on Germany
1918--- November 11th, armistice declared. Fighting officially ends.
1919--- The Treaty of Versailles is signed and ratified by Germany and UK.
Final Assessment: Time [

minutes]

In pairs the students will color in the countries that were part of the Allied Powers and the Central
Powers.
Exit Slip: Time [

minutes]

Hand out blank lined paper.

Comment [CM11]: Caution here: please take a

moment to gauge the studentsbe sure they can
handle more #wa.

Prompt: Briefly write about one thing you learned today that you found particularly interesting.

Comment [JN12]: What will this exit slip entail?

Excellent assessment!

Modifications:

If stue SDP curriculum omits WWI/If students seem to be struggling with identifying the Allies
and the Central Powers, turn the assessment into a whole group activity.
If throughout the lesson the students seem to easily identify the countries, turn the assessment into
an individual one.

Classroom Management:

Formatted: Keep with next

For questions that require a specific answer that the teacher deems all the students capable of answering,
require students to raise their hands. For more discussion-based or thoughtful questions, allow students to
call out. Since the students have a tendency to call out anyway, remind them before asking the specific
questions that a raised hand is required for answering..

Comment [CM13]: Good Move!

Further Work:

Comment [JN14]: You also need a section on

accommodations you may need to make for
particular students.

If I were to teach another lesson on this topic, I would examine more closely the terms of the Treaty of
Versailles and their effect on Germany, as related to the Second World War.
Also, the students would be encouraged to think about how WWI affected the economy of the Unites
States and any connections that may have had to the Great Depression (a subject they learned about over
the last two months.)

Comment [CM15]: Have you given thought to

why t
The SDP omits WWI in its curriculum? While your
intentions are admirable here, a worry is that the
lesson topic is based on your opinion, not so much
the curicilum and its standards. Ever since USA
adopted a national assessment stance there has
been Craziness surrounding asssment, No matter
where you teach in the USA there will likely be angst
about curriculun, assewssment and standards. In
America the public, parochial, private and
independent adhere to standards.
Which leads me to another pointthis lesson
confounds ans surprises methere is no mention or
consideration of standards and core curriculum in
this project. How is that working withyour Penn
professors?

Document 1: Eyewitness Account of the Death of Archduke Francis Ferdinand

Count Franz von Harrach rode on the running board of the royal car serving as a
bodyguard for the Archduke. His account begins immediately after Princip fires his two
shots:
"As the car quickly reversed, a thin stream of blood spurted from His Highness's mouth
onto my right check. As I was pulling out my handkerchief to wipe the blood away from
his mouth, the Duchess cried out to him, 'In Heaven's name, what has happened to you?'
At that she slid off the seat and lay on the floor of the car, with her face between his
knees.
I had no idea that she too was hit and thought she had simply fainted with fright. Then I
heard His Imperial Highness say, 'Sophie, Sophie, don't die. Stay alive for the children!'
At that, I seized the Archduke by the collar of his uniform, to stop his head dropping
forward and asked him if he was in great pain. He answered me quite distinctly, 'It's
nothing!' His face began to twist somewhat but he went on repeating, six or seven times,
ever more faintly as he gradually lost consciousness, 'It's nothing!' Then, after a short
pause, there was a violent choking sound caused by the bleeding. It was stopped as we
reached the Konak."

Citation: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/duke.htm
Map of Europe

Citation: http://www.westpoint.edu/

Allied Soldiers standing in Trench 50 yards from German troops on the Western Front of the War: