Franklin Roosevelt and World War II
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 9–12
Curriculum Focus: Social Studies
Lesson Duration: 3 class periods
Program Description
Roosevelt Vows to Avoid War (6 min.)—Sets the stage for Roosevelt’s second term as president and
explains why he vowed to keep America out of the brewing overseas war. Roosevelt Strengthens
National Defense (5 min.)—Examines how, after Hitler escalated the war, Roosevelt devised ways to
prepare the U.S. national defense. Roosevelt Finds Ways to Help Britain (6 min.)—Recounts how
Roosevelt sent help to Britain without breaking the laws prohibiting U.S. involvement in the war. U.S.
Support for Britain Grows (9 min.)—Chronicles the political strategies Roosevelt used to increase U.S.
support for Britain in congress and among the people. America Enters WWII (4 min.)— Explains how
Roosevelt’s foresight prepared the United States to gear up for war quickly after Japan attacked Pearl
Harbor.
Discussion Questions
•
What would have happened if the United States had not become involved in World War II?
•
Did most Americans support fighting the war to defeat Adolf Hitler?
•
If some Americans opposed involvement in World War II, what do you think made them feel
that way?
•
Has the United States ever elected a president with a physical disability?
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
•
Identify the circumstances and events that led the United States into World War II and the
reasons many Americans initially opposed involvement in the conflict.
•
Explain the warning signs that caused Franklin Roosevelt to believe the United States had to
prepare for war as a matter of national defense, despite public opposition.
•
Research one of the policies designed by Roosevelt to boost the U.S. national defense and
determine why Roosevelt considered it important.
•
Analyze the geographic locations that played crucial roles in the events that led to America’s
entry into World War II and identify the reasons for their importance.
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Teacher’s Guide
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Materials
•
Franklin Roosevelt and World War II video
•
Computer with Internet access
•
Print resources about Franklin Roosevelt, World War II, and pre-World War II geography
•
A large world map displayed where all the class can see it
•
Pre-printed blank pre-war world maps and current world maps (downloadable from the
Internet)
•
Paper, markers, pens and other supplies for creating reports, maps, and presentations
Procedures
1. Ask some general pre-viewing questions and briefly discuss the topic with the class. What
would have happened if the United States had not become involved in World War II? Did most
Americans support fighting the war to defeat Adolf Hitler? If some Americans opposed
involvement in that war, what do you think made them feel that way? Do you think the United
States has ever elected or would ever elect a president with a physical disability?
2. View the video.
3. After viewing, ask students to share their general observations about Franklin Roosevelt. Which
circumstances and events led the United States into World War II and why did Americans
initially oppose any involvement in that conflict? What warning signs caused Roosevelt to
believe the United States had to prepare for war as a matter of national defense, despite public
opposition? How did the lingering effects of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and World
War I (which people then referred to as “The Great War”) make Americans reluctant to commit
their sons and the nation’s resources to another European war? What events and circumstances
changed their minds and made most Americans favor not only helping the Allies but actively
fighting the war?
4. Ask students to name the actions Roosevelt took that, while not overtly declaring war or
specifically violating the nation’s neutral status, still prepared the U.S. to respond quickly after
it was attacked. As students give their input to the discussion, compile a list on the board of
Roosevelt’s actions. (If students do not volunteer one or more of the following, add them to the
list: the tax increase to boost military spending; reclassification of some military equipment as
“surplus” so it could be sold to U.S. Steel, which could then sell it to Great Britain; bartering
with Britain and trading 50 navy destroyers for leases on Britain’s military bases in the
Caribbean; activating the military draft; creating the Lend-Lease Act, which enabled the U.S. to
officially remain neutral while equipping Allied nations to fight the war.)
5. Ask students to research in more detail one of Roosevelt’s policies designed to bolster the U.S.
national defense and determine why Roosevelt considered it important. After researching, they
will write a report explaining how Roosevelt’s foresight to take this action put the U.S. in a
stronger position to defend itself when it finally went to war. Students may begin their project
research with the Web sites below, but encourage them to visit other sites, as well as the library.
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Teacher’s Guide
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The following Web sites provide resources for student research:
Wikipedia: Lend-Lease
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease
Naval Historical Center: The Lend-Lease Act
www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq59-23.htm
Yahooligans: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/wak/presidents/roosevelt_franklind.html
The American Experience: Franklin Roosevelt
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/32_f_roosevelt/f_roosevelt_foreign.html
World War II Chronology
www.sagehistory.net/worldwar2/topics/WWIIChron.htm
Wikipedia: Selective Service Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_Act
The World at War, 1940
www.euronet.nl/users/wilfried/ww2/1940.htm
Speeches by Franklin D. Roosevelt
http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/prezspeeches/roosevelt/index.html
The American Economy During World War II
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tassava.WWII
6. Later in the week, ask the class to form into groups of four or five students. Each group will
analyze the geographic locations that played crucial roles in the events that led to America’s
entry into World War II and identify the reasons for their importance in the chain of events.
They will then create a map display and oral reports about their chosen geographic locations.
Each group will highlight one location on its map display for each member of the group (four or
five locations total). Each member will make a short presentation to the class about one of the
locations and what importance it had to the beginning and progress of the war.
Students may begin their project research with the Web sites below, but encourage them to visit
other sites, as well as the library.
The following Web sites provide resources for student research:
Blank World Maps
www.geog.ucsb.edu/~vergeer/physgeog/world_map_blank.jpg
www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/maps/blank_world_map_lo_res.jpg
www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/teacher_lessons/worldmap1.jpg
www.anamp.org/nescp_curriculum/illustrations/map-world.jpg
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Teacher’s Guide
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Map of Europe in 1938
www.wall-maps.com/classroom/history/world/europe1938.gif
European Border Changes, 1938-1940
www.biega.com/maps/europe1937-40.jpg
Wikipedia: Sudetenland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudetenland
Sudetenland
www.humboldt.edu/~rescuers/book/Chlup/chluplinks/sudeten.html
Germans Invade Poland
www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005070
Polish September Campaign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_September_Campaign
Survival and Resistance: The Netherlands Under Nazi Occupation
www.webster.edu/~woolflm/netherlands.html
Battle of the Netherlands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Netherlands
Dunkirk Evacuation, Operation Sealion, and the Battle of Britain
www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/background/dunkirk1940.htm
Wikipedia: Battle of France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France
The London Blitz, 1940
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/blitz.htm
Wikipedia: Attack on Pearl Harbor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
•
3 points: Students clearly identified the circumstances and events that led the United States
into World War II and the reasons Americans initially opposed any involvement in the
conflict; students clearly explained the warning signs that caused Franklin Roosevelt to
believe the United States had to prepare for war as a matter of national defense, despite
public opposition; students thoroughly researched one of Roosevelt’s policies designed to
boost the U.S. national defense and wrote an excellent report examining and explaining why
Roosevelt considered the policy important and how it prepared the U.S. to fight the war;
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Franklin Roosevelt and World War II
Teacher’s Guide
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students contributed significantly to their group project, accurately analyzing the
geographic locations that played crucial roles in events leading America into World War II;
students gave an excellent presentation that illustrated the location of the events and
identified the reasons for their importance.
•
2 points: Students adequately identified the circumstances and events that led the United
States into World War II and the reasons Americans initially opposed any involvement in
the conflict; students adequately explained the warning signs that caused Franklin
Roosevelt to believe the United States had to prepare for war as a matter of national defense,
despite public opposition; students adequately researched one of Roosevelt’s policies
designed to boost the U.S. national defense and wrote an acceptable report examining and
explaining why Roosevelt considered the policy important and how it prepared the U.S. to
fight the war; students contributed to their group project, adequately analyzing the
geographic locations that played crucial roles in events leading America into World War II;
students gave a good presentation that illustrated the location of the events and identified
the reasons for their importance.
•
1 point: Students did not adequately identify the circumstances and events that led the
United States into World War II or the reasons Americans initially opposed any
involvement in the conflict; students did not adequately explain the warning signs that
caused Franklin Roosevelt to believe the United States had to prepare for war as a matter of
national defense; students minimally researched one of Roosevelt’s policies designed to
boost the U.S. national defense and wrote an unacceptable report which did not adequately
examine or explain why Roosevelt considered the policy important or how it prepared the
U.S. to fight the war; students did not contribute much to their group project, failing to
analyze the geographic locations that played crucial roles in events leading America into
World War II; students gave a poor presentation that did little to illustrate the location of the
events or identify the reasons for their importance.
Vocabulary
Axis Powers
Definition: Nations that opposed the U.S. and its Allies in World War II, specifically Nazi
Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan
Context: The Axis Powers began with an alliance between Germany and Italy, followed by the
addition of Japan.
Atlantic Charter
Definition: A joint declaration by the United States and Great Britain issuing principles to be
followed in their national policies in the postwar period
Context: President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill created the Atlantic Charter in a
series of meetings aboard a warship in the North Atlantic.
blitzkrieg
Definition: German word meaning literally “lightning war” or “flash war” that became a
popular term for large scale military attacks by Nazi Germany
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Teacher’s Guide
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Context: Germany’s blitzkrieg against Poland convinced the world that Hitler intended to
conquer all of Europe.
Dust Bowl
Definition: Region of the United States that suffered a series of dust storms in the 1930s caused
by a severe drought and farming practices that depleted the land
Context: The Dust Bowl, in addition to the Great Depression, contributed to the disastrous
economic conditions of the 1930s.
Great Depression
Definition: A severe worldwide economic slump which began in 1929 and continued through
most of the 1930s
Context: In 1940 the United States finally began to see some relief from the Great Depression.
isolationists
Definition: People who support a national policy of abstaining from political or economic
relations with other countries
Context: In the 1930s most Americans considered themselves isolationists because of the losses
they saw the nation suffer during World War I.
Lend-Lease Act
Definition: A program that allowed the United States to provide help to the Allied nations in
World War II while officially remaining a neutral country
Context: The Lend-Lease Act became America’s first step away from isolationism since the end
of World War I.
polio
Definition: The common term for poliomyelitis, a viral disease that causes muscle weakness and
paralysis
Context: Franklin Roosevelt led the United States through some of the greatest difficulties in its
history, even though polio had left him with partially paralyzed legs.
Academic Standards
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K–12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
This program addresses the following national standards:
•
Civics—What Is Government and What Should It Do: Understands ideas about civic life,
politics, and government; Understands the essential characteristics of limited and unlimited
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Franklin Roosevelt and World War II
Teacher’s Guide
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governments; Understands the major characteristics of systems of shared powers and of
parliamentary systems.
•
Civics—What Are the Basic Values and Principals of American Democracy: Understands
the central ideas of American constitutional government and how this form of government
has shaped the character of American society; Understands the importance of Americans
sharing and supporting certain values, beliefs, and principles of American constitutional
democracy; Understands the roles of voluntarism and organized groups in American social
and political life; Understands the character of American political and social conflict and
factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity; Understands issues concerning the
disparities between ideals and reality in American political and social life.
•
Civics—How Does the Government Established by the Constitution Embody the Purposes,
Values, and Principles of American Democracy: Understands the major responsibilities of
the national government for domestic and foreign policy, and understands how government
is financed through taxation; Understands what is meant by "the public agenda," how it is
set, and how it is influenced by public opinion and the media; Understands the roles of
political parties, campaigns, elections, and associations and groups in American politics;
Understands the formation and implementation of public policy.
•
Civics—What Is the Relationship of the United States to Other nations and to World Affairs:
Understands how the world is organized politically into nation-states, how nation-states
interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy; Understands the
impact of significant political and nonpolitical developments on the United States and other
nations.
•
Civics—What Are the Roles of the Citizen in American Democracy: Understands the
importance of political leadership, public service, and a knowledgeable citizenry in
American constitutional democracy.
•
History—United States History, Era 8—The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945):
Understands the causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and
abroad, and its reshaping of the U.S. role in world affairs.
•
Geography—The World in Spatial Terms: Understands the characteristics and uses of maps,
globes, and other geographic tools and technologies; Knows the location of places,
geographic features, and patterns of the environment; Understands the characteristics and
uses of spatial organization of Earth's surface.
•
Geography—Human Systems: Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural
mosaics; Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's
surface; Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of
Earth's surface.
•
Geography—Environment and Society: Understands the changes that occur in the meaning,
use, distribution and importance of resources.
•
Geography—Uses of Geography: Understands how geography is used to interpret the past.
•
Language Arts—Writing: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process;
Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
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Franklin Roosevelt and World War II
Teacher’s Guide
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•
Language Arts—Reading: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process; Uses
reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.
•
Language Arts—Listening and Speaking: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different
purposes.
•
Life Skills—Working With Others: Contributes to the overall effort of a group; Works well
with diverse individuals and in diverse situations; Displays effective interpersonal
communication skills.
National Council for the Social Studies
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has developed national standards to provide
guidelines for teaching social studies. To view the standards online, go to:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/.
This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards:
•
Culture
•
Time, Continuity, and Change
•
People, Places, and Environment
•
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
•
Power, Authority, and Governance
•
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
•
Science, Technology, and Society
•
Global Connections
•
Civic Ideals and Practices
DVD Content
This program is available in an interactive DVD format. The following information and activities are
specific to the DVD version.
How to Use the DVD
The DVD starting screen has the following options:
Play Video—This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by using
a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause button is
included with the other video controls.
Video Index—Here the video is divided into sections indicated by video thumbnail icons; brief
descriptions are noted for each one. Watching all parts in sequence is similar to watching the video
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Franklin Roosevelt and World War II
Teacher’s Guide
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from start to finish. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the remote for TV playback; on a
computer, click once to highlight a thumbnail and read the accompanying text description and click
again to start the video.
Curriculum Units—These are specially edited video segments pulled from different sections of the
video (see below). These nonlinear segments align with key ideas in the unit of instruction. They
include onscreen pre- and post-viewing questions, reproduced below in this Teacher’s Guide. Total
running times for these segments are noted. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the TV remote
or click once on the Curriculum Unit title on a computer.
Standards Link—Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic
standards the video addresses.
Teacher Resources—This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address.
Video Index
I. Roosevelt Vows to Avoid War (6 min.)
During Roosevelt’s second term as president, he watched nervously as Adolf Hitler made aggressive
moves in Europe. Discover why Roosevelt vowed to keep America out of the brewing overseas war.
II. Roosevelt Strengthens National Defense (5 min.)
After Hitler escalated the war, Roosevelt knew he had to prepare the U.S. for national defense. Examine
the complex political issues Roosevelt had to consider to keep America safe.
III. Roosevelt Finds Ways to Help Britain (6 min.)
Winston Churchill warned that if America waited to join the war, Hitler might succeed at world
domination. Learn how Roosevelt sent help to Britain without breaking laws prohibiting U.S.
involvement in the war.
IV. U.S. Support for Britain Grows (9 min.)
Roosevelt’s reelection left him free to press Congress for more aid to Britain. Analyze the political
strategies Roosevelt used to persuade Congress to give Churchill the help he requested.
V. America Enters WWII (4 min.)
Roosevelt’s foresight had prepared the United States to gear up for war quickly after being attacked.
Imagine the consequences if Americans had been less prepared to fight Japan and the Nazis.
Curriculum Units
1. American Isolationism in the 1940s
Pre-viewing question
Q: How do you think most Americans felt about the war against Hitler in 1940?
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Teacher’s Guide
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A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: Why did most Americans oppose getting involved in the war against Hitler?
A: Many Americans had been killed and disabled in the Great War, which we now call World War I.
Families suffered because of these losses, and most Americans did not see how involvement in that war
had helped anyone in America except companies that manufactured the tools and supplies for war. The
American economy was still suffering the effects of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, and
Americans wanted their government to direct its attention and resources to problems at home.
2. Roosevelt Before His Presidency
Pre-viewing question
Q: From what disease did Roosevelt suffer before and during his presidency?
A: Polio and its crippling aftereffects.
Post-viewing question
Q: Why did Roosevelt try to hide his disability from the American public?
A: He believed that, for Americans to have the hope and strength they needed to overcome the many
problems they faced, they needed to have confidence in the strength and vitality of their president.
3. Winston Churchill
Pre-viewing question
Q: Who led Great Britain through World War II as Roosevelt led the U.S.?
A: Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Post-viewing question
Q: Why did the British Parliament replace their prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, with Winston
Churchill during a war?
A: Chamberlain wanted to negotiate with and appease the Nazis, even after they had invaded Poland.
The British parliament lost confidence in his strategies when Germany continued its aggression,
attacking Holland and Belgium. Parliament then replaced Chamberlain with Winston Churchill, who
had long warned of the dangers of not fighting the Nazis.
4. The 1940 Presidential Election
Pre-viewing question
Q: What was unusual about Roosevelt running for reelection in 1940?
A: No previous American president had ever run for a third term.
Post-viewing question
Q: Q: Why did Roosevelt want so much to win the 1940 election?
A: His opponent, Wendell Wilke, ran a campaign based on a policy called isolationism. Isolationists
wanted America to stay out of wars and other international affairs and to focus the nation’s resources
on domestic projects rather than defense. Roosevelt feared that, if Wilke won the election, he would not
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Franklin Roosevelt and World War II
Teacher’s Guide
prepare the U.S. for a war with Germany and the nation would not be able to defend itself when
necessary.
5. Pearl Harbor Changes America’s Mind
Pre-viewing question
Q: When did the United States officially enter World War II?
A: In December 1941.
Post-viewing question
Q: What finally convinced Americans of the need to go to war?
A: The Japanese air attack and bombing at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
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