World War II: The Costs
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:
- Use evidence to explore how people and nations experienced, remembered, and responded to the costs of World War II.
- Use the historical thinking skills of claim testing and CCOT to evaluate the era of global conflict.
- Create arguments using historical evidence to support claims and communicate conclusions through information and formal writing.
Vocab Terms:
Did you know: The US Navy had a floating ice cream factory in the Pacific. Three large, refrigerated barges carried thousands of tons of frozen food for American soldiers, including morale-boosting ice cream. The barges included ice cream production equipment that could make five tons of the frozen dessert every day. This is a great way to illustrate how the Allies won the war. Supply lines and logistics were often just as important as battlefield heroics.
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.
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.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
The two graphic biographies in this lesson are great ways to provoke a discussion about individual responsibility during times of atrocity and crisis. Paired with the Assessing Responsibility and Conscience activity, they help bring attention to those people who claim that they were “just following orders” or that something “wasn’t their problem.” More important, these two biographies focus on two people who refused to use those excuses.
Did you know: At Nuremberg, the court used one of the earliest large-scale systems of simultaneous interpretation so the trial could function in English, French, German, and Russian.
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.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
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.
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Guiding Questions
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.
For insightful strategies on teaching genocide, see this thread on “Teaching that Genocide Didn’t End with the Holocaust.”
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.
Khanmigo Writing Coach is an AI-powered tool designed specifically for teachers and students in K–12 and secondary classrooms. This tool can help you teach many OER Project: World History writing activities. It can be used to provide individual feedback and revisions on early student work. If you’re interested, check out this Khanmigo Writing Coach Guide.
Examine sources and build a historical argument about the Nazi Party’s rise to power. This assessment asks you to connect causes, perspectives, and consequences using evidence from across the lesson.
This collection highlights commonalities and differences in how people across regions experienced and responded to the Second World War.
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.
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Guiding Questions
