World War II (1939-1945) killed more people, destroyed more property, disrupted more lives, and probably had more far-reaching consequences than any other war in history. It brought about the downfall of Western Europe as the center of world power and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The development of the atomic bomb during the war opened the nuclear age.
The exact number of people killed because of World War II will never be known. Military deaths probably totaled about 17 million. Civilian deaths were even greater as a result of starvation, bombing raids, massacres, epidemics, and other war related causes. The battlegrounds spread to nearly every part of the world. Troops fought in the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia, in the deserts of northern Africa, and on islands in the Pacific Ocean. Battles were waged on frozen fields in the Soviet Union, below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, and in the streets of many European cities.
The Task
Your task is to conduct independent research on a variety of topics relating to the Second World War ranging in scope from the war's major battles to its main personalities. Your final product will be presented either as a formal research paper or as a Powerpoint presentation, the choice is yours. Throughout the different stages of this project a number of competencies will be developed including those relating to critical thinking, information gathering and reporting, problem solving, communication, and computer technology. When completing this project you should use the resource links provided under each categorical listing found on the student page to illustrate the importance of your particular topic to the war. Some questions to be considered include:
What is the name of your topic?How is your topic significant to World War II?
What are some of the main events or aspects of your topic?
If any, how did your topic affect the war itself, the war's outcome, or the post-war world?
Following this brief introduction, students will now pick their respective web quest research topics. To ensure that all students are treated equally in this process all of the topics pertaining to this World War II project have been placed in a paper bag. The design of this project centers around five main areas of research: Allied leaders (Political & Military), Axis leaders(Political & Military), European and North African Battles, Pacific Ocean Battles, and finally Wartime Conferences. The topics that you draw from the bag will be associated with one of these five areas. To access the respective topics and the relevant information click on the following links.
Allied Leaders (Politicians, Military commanders, etc...)Axis Leaders (Politicians, Military commanders, etc...)
Wartime Conferences(In addition to the links provided within the above topics, a list of resources that you may find helpful is provided in the resource page)
Now that each
of you all have a topic you must submit a final research project in the
form of a formal research paper. This section will provide hands-on experience
in such areas of research, writing, problem solving, communication, and
use of technology. When submitting your final paper a bibliography, highlighting
the resources that were used, must also be included. A good bibliography
will include a wide variety of sources including historical publications,
materials from the school's Learning Resource Center, in addition to the
Internet resources provided within this page. When completing this process
it is essential that MLA style citation be used to document your material.
Bedford
Books' MLA Citation Guide and Internet
Sources: ACW Style Guide can be referred to when developing you bibliography.
Students completing a research paper will include their bibliography at
the end of the paper.
Here is how you will be evaluated based on your method of presenting. To effectively evaluate this major project each student will be marked accordingly on the guidelines provided below.
Research Project (20%)
Research Stage: 5% (1 mark each for sources given, source relevance, source interpretation, research skills, and source variety)
Writing Stage: 10% (1 mark each for grammar, organization, structure, creativity, originality and content. 2 marks each for a bibliography and documentation of source within the text.)
Technology Use: 5% (Students will receive marks for their demonstration of computer skills necessary in the completion of the various stages of this project.)
Conclusion
After successfully completing this Web Quest, the student will have a better understanding about some of the major events and personalities of the Second World War. Once you have completed this activity, the class should reflect on what was gained through this project by discussing some of the following questions:
What conditions lead to the outbreak of war in Europe? in the Pacific?
What nations formed the 'Allies' during the Second World War?
What nations comprised the 'Axis' powers?
Who were some of the major figures ( political and military) associated with each side?
Name some of the decisive battles of the war. Concentrate on both the European and Pacific theatres of operation.
How did the major wartime conferences covered in this project affect both the war itself and the post-war world?
Resource Page
D. Welshman
Summer 2000
last updated October 22, 2006