World War 2 Unit | 12-Day Bundle | US History Lessons, Review Activity, Test, Keys Included
This **World War 2** unit lesson plan for **US History** students is an **in-depth look at the Second World Wa**r, engaging your students with crucial events like the rise of totalitarianism, Pearl Harbor, D-Day, the Manhattan Project and the Holocaust. Days 1-10 consist of individual one-day lessons, Day 11 consists of a unit review, and Day 12 consists of a unit test. For the complete list of lessons and all topics/events covered, see the end of this description.
This unit is intended to be ready-to-use for any teacher regardless of their prior experience with the content. All student documents are pre-formatted for immediate classroom use, and all answer keys are provided. It is a **very content-rich** unit, and could easily be extended beyond 12 days if a teacher chooses to do so.
**Bundle Contains (in downloadable .zip files):**
* ***Daily Lesson Files (to be used during Days 1-8):***
- Each daily lesson .zip file includes a PowerPoint presentation, student guided notes, and a multiple-choice quiz. Keys are included.
- Each lesson is ready-to-use with no prep required. All answer keys are included.
* ***Review & Test Files (to be used during Days 9-10):***
- Unit Study Guide and Scavenger Hunt Review Activity for interactive student engagement.
- Unit Test with 20 multiple-choice questions, many of which include documents or visuals.
- Full Unit Question Bank containing 47 multiple-choice questions (for test customization).
- All answer keys are included for easy and efficient grading.
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**Topics Covered By Lesson Include:**
* ***American Isolationism – Foreign Policy, 1920s-1930s***
- 1920s foreign policy goals, Washington Naval Conference and treaties signed, Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1930s foreign policy goals, isolationism, “Good Neighbor” policy, Neutrality Acts of 1935-1937, impacts of U.S. isolationism
* ***Rise of the Axis Powers & Start of WW2***
- Rise of dictatorships, Benito Mussolini, fascism, Adolf Hitler, Nazism, Emperor Hirohito, General Hideki Tojo, Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Nazi aggression, the Munich Agreement, appeasement, birth of the Axis Powers, the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, start of WW2
* ***Early Years of WW2 in Europe, 1939-1941***
- Nazi blitzkrieg and its effects, Hitler’s conquest of Western Europe, the Battle of Britain, Neutrality Act of 1939/”cash-and-carry”, the Destroyers-for-Bases Deal, Lend-Lease Act, Operation Barbarossa
* ***The USA Enters WW2***
- Japanese desire to expand, “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”, threats to U.S. Pacific interests, attempts by the USA to restrain Japanese expansion, embargoes, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, US entry into WW2
* ***WW2 on the U.S. Home Front***
- Home front, building up the military, War Production Board, increased production/jobs, “Rosie the Riveter”, victory/liberty bonds, wartime rationing, “victory gardens”, overall economic impacts of WW2
* ***WW2 – Impact on U.S. Minority Groups***
- African Americans overseas (Tuskegee Airmen, 761st Tank Battalion), African Americans on the home front (A. Philip Randolph, the “Double V” Campaign), Latino & Hispanic Americans overseas (158th Infantry), Latino & Hispanic Americans at home (Bracero Program, Zoot Suit Riots), Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders overseas (442nd Infantry), Japanese Americans on the home front (Japanese internment, Korematsu v. U.S.)
* ***Battle of the Atlantic***
- Nazi U-boat tactics, wolfpack attacks in open water, nighttime attacks near coastal cities, early effectiveness of Nazi U-boats, Allied tactics to beat the U-Boats, “liberty ships”, use of convoys, rolling blackouts, new British anti-sub technologies, overall effectiveness of Allied tactics, importance of the Battle of the Atlantic
* ***WW2 Overseas, 1942-1943 (Europe & Pacific)***
- Big 3 Allied leaders, “Europe First” strategy, Soviet sacrifices, Battle of Stalingrad, Operation Torch, Italian campaign, Tehran Conference, Operation Overlord, early Japanese expansion in the Pacific, Bataan Death March, Doolittle Raid, Battle of Coral Sea, Battle of Midway, the Battle of Guadalcanal, “island-hopping” campaign
* ***WW2 Overseas, 1944-1945 (Europe & Pacific)***
- D-Day invasion, Operation Overlord, Yalta Conference, United Nations, rise of Harry Truman, the race to Berlin, Victory In Europe Day, island-hopping continues in the Pacific, Battle of Iwo Jima, Battle of Okinawa, Manhattan Project, Potsdam Conference, start of the Cold War, atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Victory over Japan Day, end of WW2
* ***The Holocaust***
- Definitions of Holocaust, genocide, and anti-Semitism, increasing anti-Semitism in Germany in the 1920s, 1930s persecution of Jews in Germany, Kristallnacht, concentration camps, U.S. refusal to admit Jewish refugees in the 1930s, Polish ghettos, “Final Solution”, death camps, liberation of death camps, global shock and response, Nuremberg Trials, U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
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**Slides/Pages: 435 total (359 slides, 76 pages)**
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**Why Teachers Love This Resource:**
- Huge savings — by purchasing this unit bundle, you save **over 50%** compared to buying each individual component. Comprehensive, No-Prep Unit—everything you need in terms of content for an entire unit of instruction.
- Ready-to-use materials—perfect for any teacher, experienced or new.
- Great for substitutes—all the materials are pre-formatted with answer keys provided.
- Ideal for virtual classrooms—easily adaptable for online teaching platforms.
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**51/Usage Statement:**
This digital resource is my intellectual property, and all rights are reserved. Purchase of this product grants the buyer a single license for personal classroom use only. It may not be resold, distributed, or posted online in whole or in part without prior written permission.
