WWII Metacognition

Instructor:

Date/Duration:

Class/Block:

Jonathan Estrella

Date: February 23, 2016

Duration: 92 minutes

Class: CP World History 1stBlock

World History Honors 3rd Block

Student Objectives:

SC Standards/National

Unit:

Students will be able to:

- Identify what they know and do not know about
WWII, as well as what they would like to learn about
WWII.
- Analyze what they know about WWII by researching
if what they know is true, false or opinion.

MWH-7.1 Analyze the relative

importance of economic and
political rivalries, ethnic and
ideological conflicts, social class,
militarism, and imperialism as
underlying causes of World War I
and World War II, including the
role of nationalism and
propaganda in mobilizing civilian
populations around the world to
support the two world wars.

WWII

MWH-7.2 Analyze the ways that

the responses of the governments
of Britain, France, Germany, and
Italy to the economic and political
challenges of the 1920s and 1930s
contributed to the renewal of
international hostilities in the
years leading to World War II.

Resources and Materials

Pen or Pencil
WWII Pre-test
Misconceptions Worksheet
School-issued Samsung tablets
Internet Access

Assignment(s):
WWII Pre-test
Misconceptions Worksheet

Activities:
Students will take a WWII Pre-test to determine what information students know and do not know, and examine
how to adjust learning to meet their needs.
Students will be involved in a class discussion in which they share and make a list about what they know about
WWII, the holocaust, and the post-war world.
Working individually or in small groups and using pre-selected websites, students will determine if what they
know about WWII is fact or opinion, and whether their facts are true or false.

Assessment:
Students will be assessed based on their participation in the class discussion.
Students will be assessed based on their completion of the Misconceptions Worksheet.

Lesson Outline / Notes: (Introduction, Development, Conclusion)

Before class, the teacher will outline the lessons objectives and write on the board the schedule of the day so that
students will be prepared for various class transitions.
Introduction: When class begins, the teacher will take attendance, and the students will watch CNN Student
News to keep up-to-date on current affairs. (10 minutes)
Pre-test: The teacher will explain to the students what will happen for the rest of class. Students will first take a
quick pre-test on WWII which will determine how much they know and do not know. The teacher will use this
information to adjust future lessons. After all students complete the pre-test, the teacher will hand out their WWII
Misconceptions Worksheet and then invite students to have a candid and informal discussion on what they know
about WWII and what they do not know, as well as what they would like to learn. Finally, students will make a
list of the things they know, and then use the misconceptions worksheet to determine if what they know is fact or
opinion, and true or false. The teacher will then hand out the pre-test and allow students no more than 30 minutes
for students to take the test. (20-30 minutes)
Activity One: After all students complete the pre-test, the teacher will hand out the WWII Misconceptions
Worksheet (titled WWII Facts) and redirect student attention. They will then begin asking students to informally
talk about things they know and do not know about WWII. As students talk more about what they know, the
teacher will write answers on the board or type answers into a Word document displayed on the Smart Board. As
the teacher writes responses on the board, he will instruct students that they should be writing the same thing on
their worksheets in the first column (titled Facts:). After students have created an exhaustive list of facts, the
teacher will invite them, individually or in small groups no larger than three members, to use their tablet/ phone to
visit the websites listed and determine if their facts are true, false, or opinion. (40-50 minutes)
Activity Two: If there is still time and most students have finished researching their facts, the teacher will
redirect student attention to the front and quickly go over some of the facts together, paying particular attention to
the facts that can be considered opinion. In doing so, the teacher can help students understand the fluidity of
history, the differing interpretations of history, and how a strong background in history is built upon strong
argumentative capabilities a skill that is important no matter what the persons interest. (10-15 minutes)
Closing: A few minutes before the final bell rings, the teacher will redirect student attention to the front and thank
them for their participation and for taking the pretest so soon after taking their last exam. He will remind them
that how they do on the pretest can help adjust student learning and redirect towards what they need to learn and
want to learn. Finally, the teacher will tell students that in the next lesson, they will be examining the road to
war or in other words, some of the more immediate causes of WWII. (2-3 minutes)