Why Study World War II?
For many people, history is merely a collection of names and dates of people who are long gone and of events that happened hundreds of years ago. Many people fail to see why the study of history, and in this case, why the study of World War II is crucial to the development of new ideas, the understanding or past events and has shaped the world that we currently live in.
Big Ideas/Essential Questions:
World War II is important to study because it answers many questions and covers the study of many big ideas. One broad question to ask is Why is World War II important? The answer to this question is huge, because of the fact that so many changes and advancements were made during this time. For example, during World War II the Tuskegee Airmen succeed in the military, which greatly contributed to the advancements of the rights of African Americans. The war also brought about major developments in aviation, weaponry, communication, and medicine. Perhaps, the most important aspect of World War II is the realization of the terrible crimes that humans are capable of (the extermination of Jews, interment of Japanese-Americans and the bombing of Japan) and by remembering these events, trying to ensure that they never happen again.
Important Events:
World War II holds some of the most important events to happen on earth and even though history, some of the events that occurred during the wart have forever changed human history and should never be forgotten. There's the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which led to our involvement in the war and resulted in the United States becoming a worlds power. There are also the atrocities that Jews experiences in concentration camps at the hands of the Nazis, and the realization that events like these should never be allowed to occur again. And of course there was the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which forever changed how wars are fought because of our access to nuclear weapons.
Primary Source Analysis:
History is one of the few content areas in which students get an opportunity to read and analyze primary source documents. However, because most students are used to simply absorbing information it is important that they learn how to analyze a primary sources, this is a skill that they will have for the rest of their lives and will prove to be useful on many occasion. In a primary source analyzes, students learn to Source, learn to gather all the background information, such as who wrote it? Why was it written? and When it was written? Contextualize, learn how to set a document in time (understanding the time and the context in which a primary source was written is crucial to correctly interpret said document). Close Reading, in which students meticulously read a document (underline, highlight, circle, and annotations) And lastly, corroborating, learning that in order to form an opinion they must read and compare two or more primary sources to one another.
Multiple Perspectives:
One of the reason why World War II is important to study and why it is one of the most interesting parts of history is because it allows us to witness history from multiple perspectives. History is often told from the perspective of the victors, however, in World War II, that was not the case. At this point in time in history far more people were literate and as a result they documented their experiences, experiences that are important to study and remember. For example, when reading about concentrations camps we have access to Nazi files as well as the journals of Jews in hiding. When studying Japanese interments, we have Roosevelt’s documents as well as journals and letters written by people in the camp. Because of the availability of multiple perspectives in the form of journals, letters, film, photographs, it is possible to study World War II in a much deeper and critical way.
Big Ideas/Essential Questions:
World War II is important to study because it answers many questions and covers the study of many big ideas. One broad question to ask is Why is World War II important? The answer to this question is huge, because of the fact that so many changes and advancements were made during this time. For example, during World War II the Tuskegee Airmen succeed in the military, which greatly contributed to the advancements of the rights of African Americans. The war also brought about major developments in aviation, weaponry, communication, and medicine. Perhaps, the most important aspect of World War II is the realization of the terrible crimes that humans are capable of (the extermination of Jews, interment of Japanese-Americans and the bombing of Japan) and by remembering these events, trying to ensure that they never happen again.
Important Events:
World War II holds some of the most important events to happen on earth and even though history, some of the events that occurred during the wart have forever changed human history and should never be forgotten. There's the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which led to our involvement in the war and resulted in the United States becoming a worlds power. There are also the atrocities that Jews experiences in concentration camps at the hands of the Nazis, and the realization that events like these should never be allowed to occur again. And of course there was the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which forever changed how wars are fought because of our access to nuclear weapons.
Primary Source Analysis:
History is one of the few content areas in which students get an opportunity to read and analyze primary source documents. However, because most students are used to simply absorbing information it is important that they learn how to analyze a primary sources, this is a skill that they will have for the rest of their lives and will prove to be useful on many occasion. In a primary source analyzes, students learn to Source, learn to gather all the background information, such as who wrote it? Why was it written? and When it was written? Contextualize, learn how to set a document in time (understanding the time and the context in which a primary source was written is crucial to correctly interpret said document). Close Reading, in which students meticulously read a document (underline, highlight, circle, and annotations) And lastly, corroborating, learning that in order to form an opinion they must read and compare two or more primary sources to one another.
Multiple Perspectives:
One of the reason why World War II is important to study and why it is one of the most interesting parts of history is because it allows us to witness history from multiple perspectives. History is often told from the perspective of the victors, however, in World War II, that was not the case. At this point in time in history far more people were literate and as a result they documented their experiences, experiences that are important to study and remember. For example, when reading about concentrations camps we have access to Nazi files as well as the journals of Jews in hiding. When studying Japanese interments, we have Roosevelt’s documents as well as journals and letters written by people in the camp. Because of the availability of multiple perspectives in the form of journals, letters, film, photographs, it is possible to study World War II in a much deeper and critical way.