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World War II: The Costs

Teacher Resources

Driving Question: What were the consequences of World War II?

The cost of World War II can’t be measured in numbers alone. This lesson explores the human toll of global war and the birth of nuclear-age diplomacy.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Use evidence to support and evaluate claims about global conflict.
  2. Use the historical thinking practice of comparison to evaluate continuities between the First and Second World Wars.
  3. Use evidence to explore how people and nations experienced, remembered, and responded to the costs of World War II.

Vocab Terms:

  • antisemitism
  • casualty
  • diplomacy
  • genocide
  • ghetto
STEP 1

Opener: World War II: The Costs

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 7.8 Teaching Guide Locked .

Begin your exploration of the Holocaust by reflecting on how individual voices and choices shape history. This activity introduces major themes of the lesson and sets the stage for deeper investigation into the causes and consequences of genocide.

STEP 2

A Shattered World

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 7.8 Teaching Guide Locked .

World War II left behind devastation on a scale the world had never seen. With these materials, you'll examine the staggering human cost of the war and explore the idea that the First and Second World Wars were part of a single, decades-long conflict.

The Fallen External link

World War II was devastating on a scale never seen before. This video uses data visualization to reveal the staggering human cost of the war.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 3

Never Again

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 8 of the Lesson 7.8 Teaching Guide Locked .

These materials explore the policies, people, and decisions that made the Holocaust possible. Through personal accounts, legal responses, and global debates, you’ll examine how societies remember violence, assign responsibility, and defend human rights.

STEP 4

The Bomb

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 11 of the Lesson 7.8 Teaching Guide Locked .

The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the Second World War, but at an enormous human cost. Consider multiple historical perspectives on why the bombs were used, and evaluate their impact on war, diplomacy, and the modern world.

STEP 5

Reflections on Global Conflict

Use this informal writing opportunity to connect what you’ve learned about the First World War to big ideas in the course. Consider how conflict, governance, and global connections shaped people’s experiences and transformed the world.

STEP 6

Closer: World War II: The Costs

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 15 of the Lesson 7.8 Teaching Guide Locked .

You’ve just learned about one of the worst atrocities in world history. Use this activity to grapple with the difficult questions you have about who was responsible.

Extension Materials
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These additional materials help develop historical thinking and writing practices and reveal the human, political, and cultural impacts of global conflict.
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Art in a Time of War

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 16 of the Lesson 7.8 Teaching Guide Locked .

The world wars didn’t just change borders—they changed how people saw the world. This article offers a creative lens through which to see how artists processed the loss, nationalism, and resilience that accompanied global conflict.