Lesson Plan
Concept / Topic to Teach:
Mansfield, Ohio’s contribution to the WWII “homefront effort”
Grade Level:
10th Grade
Standards Addressed:
History: #11-A; Economics #5
Duration:
Two days.
General Goal(s):
To give students a clear picture of their city’s special role in WWII production.
Specific Objectives:
1) Meeting two O.D.E. Social Studies benchmarks (see above).
2) Give students the chance to see a large number of primary sources.
Required Materials:
General background information on production/mobilization/homefront on a national level.
Primary Sources Used:
- Search for photos and production documents on the Internet
- Richland Source's, "A WWII Film of Mansfield: 1942"
- VETERAN'S STORY | Among the first WWII draftees from Morrow County
- Mansfield Memorial Museum (34 Park Avenue West, Mansfield, Ohio, 44902) field trip. The museum is open by appointment. (email: sschaut@richnet.net) (phone: 419-525-2491) This museum has a very nice WW II theme.
Warm-up:
Prior to any lecture/discussion, students who have living relatives (or the next generation) who lived in Mansfield (or any other town/city during WWII) tell their stories of what they did for the war effort. Attempt to make a personal connection. (My personal stories of my parents and grandparents, etc. “break the ice” for further discussion.)
Step-By-Step Procedures:
This two-day lesson would be just a part of the study of U.S. involvement in WWII. Thus, a rather comprehensive background has hopefully been built. The following steps would then be taken as part of the “big picture.”
1) The Americans readings (see below);
2) Completion of an ONA (open-note-assignment) from the readings;
3) Lecture/discussion/PowerPoint/overhead projection of forma notes (of which they are given a copy);
4) Field trip to Mansfield Memorial Museum (if funding is available)
5) Completing a primary source worksheet on selected items viewed at the museum; and
6) Aspects of this Mansfield mobilization would be touched upon as part of a comprehensive WWII Test given at the end of the WW II unit.
Homework and Practice:
Readings from The Americans text (Chapter 17, Section 1, pp. 570-577). Prepare a question worksheet from the above reading assignment to assign students as “homework.”
Closure (Re-teach):
First of all, much of this lesson would be based upon a rather extensive WWII background on national mobilization. Closure should cover the mobilization of the entire nation of which Mansfield played a small, but significant role. The use of a “review puzzle” personally constructed from www.puzzleworks.com is a common method used in re-teaching/closure/review.
Assessment Based On Objectives:
The principal assessment of the objectives in this lesson plan would be covered as part of a comprehensive WWII test-with multiple choice, matching, true and false, extended response, and short answer questioning.
Possible Connections to Other Subjects:
Language Arts