Activity Overview
As with many wars, there is not one singular cause of World War II. In this activity, students will select on possible cause for the war and create a spider map outlining and defining the 5Ws to explain one cause of World War II. Students should include a written description that describes the background information along with a visual representation.
Teachers can pre-select possible reasons or have students complete research to determine which reason they would like to examine.
Possible Reasons for Students to Use:
- Treaty of Versailles
- Rise of Fascism
- Policy of Appeasement
- Failure of the League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles 5 Ws Example Questions
- WHO signed the Treaty of Versailles?
- WHAT was the Treaty of Versailles?
- WHEN was the Treaty of Versailles signed?
- WHERE was the Treaty of Versailles signed?
- WHY was the Treaty of Versailles a cause of World War II?
Extended Activity
For this extended activity, the class can debate “What was the most significant factor that lead to World War II?” Using their created storyboards, students should make their claim as to what reason they found to be most significant and use at least three central reasons why they believe it was the most significant. For more advanced classes, allow students to provide rebuttals or counter arguments to dispel the arguments of their peers.
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a 5W analysis of one cause of World War II: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- In the title box for each cell, type Who, What, When, Where and Why.
- In the descriptions, answer the question.
- Create an image for each cell with appropriate scenes, characters, and items.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 5 Points | Emerging 3 Points | Beginning 1 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | The student clearly, thoroughly, accurately chooses and answers the who, what, where, when, and why questions. | The student chooses and answers the who, what, where, when, and why questions. Some of the information is clear, thorough, and accurate. | The who, what, where, when, and why questions and answers are incomplete, confusing, or inaccurate. |
| Illustrations | The illustrations represent the written information using appropriate scenes, characters and items. | The illustrations relate to the written information, but are difficult to understand. | The illustrations do not clearly relate to the written information. |
| Evidence of Effort | Work is well written and carefully thought out. | Work shows some evidence of effort. | Work shows little evidence of any effort. |
| Conventions | Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are mostly correct. | Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are somewhat correct. | Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are mostly incorrect. |
More Storyboard That Activities
World War II: An Introduction
- Château de Versailles • Victoriano Rivero • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Château de Versailles - Galería de los Espejos • Victoriano Rivero • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Conference Table at Versailles • Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Archives • License No known copyright restrictions (http://flickr.com/commons/usage/)
- Wood • palacy • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
- Wood • palacy • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
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