11-13-2023, 06:53 PM
Session 3 materials: World War II- Quoting the Causes, World War II- Making a Statement
Focus Question: What were the main causes of World War II? How did individual behavior, domestic issues and the international system pave the way for such circumstances?
Having worked through the individual, domestic and systemic levels of analysis, we focused this week on discussing how these three components worked together in starting World War II. We first opened the class with a short video about World War II. After watching half of the over 13 minute video, we recapped the video’s main details, especially the countries and leaders that differentiated the Allied and Axis Powers. To complete the worksheet, we worked on the first quote together as a class before splitting them into three groups—each one categorizing two of the remaining six quotes. This Thursday lesson was a Think-Pair-Share activity to demonstrate two analytical tools: levels of analysis and a continuum.
Starting the class with a video was more engaging in theory than in practice. The original, more interesting video we showed to the class was hidden by the district, so we had to show a video that was a bit more monotonous, even to me. Most students were on their phones or distracted, so, when we recapped the video’s main details, we honed in on specific details of the war that students already understood, such as the infamous leaders Stalin and Hitler, while lecturing on more complicated components, like the ideologies that separated the Allied and Axis powers. So, when it came time to work on the first quote, it wasn’t too hard to get participation since students were familiar with Stalin. What the quote discussed—tariffs, military conflicts and trade wars—was a bit difficult for them to grasp, but we explained them as ways of fighting a war without violence to help them understand.
After splitting them into groups, Kayli, Josh and I each took charge of a different group where I worked with Group 3 on quotes from Cordell Hull and Goebbels. Of all the names on the handout, these were the two the students were most unfamiliar with, so I spent the first five minutes explaining who these characters were. When students learned that Hull was Secretary of State for the United States, it aided their understanding of the quote, as they understood the impact of the U.S on the international system. However, when it came time for categorizing the quote, I received two main answers: National Attributes and Systemic Conditions. Student A saw that this was Hull demonstrating the collective beliefs of the U.S as a nation, whereas Student B identified that Hull was demonstrating these beliefs in aiding the international system. Though Student A was on the right track, I worked with them specifically by asking them to read through the entire quote, aloud this time, while referring to the variables listed on the first page. It was on the second reading that the student located words like treaties, international relations and all nations, guiding them to the right answer of systemic conditions.
When discussing Goebbels quote, Student C was first curious on what the Fuhrer was. After paralleling it to a declaration of sorts, it helped the student categorize it under human behavior, focusing on the last sentence “right or wrong, we must win.” Student C was also persistent in their understanding of the quote, as they asked questions about Bolshevizing Europe and what it means to bleed a country white. Student A and Student C ended up being the two students who spoke out the group’s answers when we came back together to discuss the answers to all the quotes.
This class was definitely more successful than the last class in terms of engagement, and they’re all starting to gauge levels of analysis better. The only component I’d want to improve in is collective participation. The students are willing to engage with us in smaller groups but, in a bigger group, it’s the same four people who are always talking. In the next class, I hope to use either a role-play or some simulation-type activity to make everyone talk more.
Word Count: 652
Focus Question: What were the main causes of World War II? How did individual behavior, domestic issues and the international system pave the way for such circumstances?
Having worked through the individual, domestic and systemic levels of analysis, we focused this week on discussing how these three components worked together in starting World War II. We first opened the class with a short video about World War II. After watching half of the over 13 minute video, we recapped the video’s main details, especially the countries and leaders that differentiated the Allied and Axis Powers. To complete the worksheet, we worked on the first quote together as a class before splitting them into three groups—each one categorizing two of the remaining six quotes. This Thursday lesson was a Think-Pair-Share activity to demonstrate two analytical tools: levels of analysis and a continuum.
Starting the class with a video was more engaging in theory than in practice. The original, more interesting video we showed to the class was hidden by the district, so we had to show a video that was a bit more monotonous, even to me. Most students were on their phones or distracted, so, when we recapped the video’s main details, we honed in on specific details of the war that students already understood, such as the infamous leaders Stalin and Hitler, while lecturing on more complicated components, like the ideologies that separated the Allied and Axis powers. So, when it came time to work on the first quote, it wasn’t too hard to get participation since students were familiar with Stalin. What the quote discussed—tariffs, military conflicts and trade wars—was a bit difficult for them to grasp, but we explained them as ways of fighting a war without violence to help them understand.
After splitting them into groups, Kayli, Josh and I each took charge of a different group where I worked with Group 3 on quotes from Cordell Hull and Goebbels. Of all the names on the handout, these were the two the students were most unfamiliar with, so I spent the first five minutes explaining who these characters were. When students learned that Hull was Secretary of State for the United States, it aided their understanding of the quote, as they understood the impact of the U.S on the international system. However, when it came time for categorizing the quote, I received two main answers: National Attributes and Systemic Conditions. Student A saw that this was Hull demonstrating the collective beliefs of the U.S as a nation, whereas Student B identified that Hull was demonstrating these beliefs in aiding the international system. Though Student A was on the right track, I worked with them specifically by asking them to read through the entire quote, aloud this time, while referring to the variables listed on the first page. It was on the second reading that the student located words like treaties, international relations and all nations, guiding them to the right answer of systemic conditions.
When discussing Goebbels quote, Student C was first curious on what the Fuhrer was. After paralleling it to a declaration of sorts, it helped the student categorize it under human behavior, focusing on the last sentence “right or wrong, we must win.” Student C was also persistent in their understanding of the quote, as they asked questions about Bolshevizing Europe and what it means to bleed a country white. Student A and Student C ended up being the two students who spoke out the group’s answers when we came back together to discuss the answers to all the quotes.
This class was definitely more successful than the last class in terms of engagement, and they’re all starting to gauge levels of analysis better. The only component I’d want to improve in is collective participation. The students are willing to engage with us in smaller groups but, in a bigger group, it’s the same four people who are always talking. In the next class, I hope to use either a role-play or some simulation-type activity to make everyone talk more.
Word Count: 652