World War II- The Rise of Dictators

This lesson will have students explore World War II and the historical circumstances and events from which dictators’ rose to power. Although the central focus of this lesson is to have students critically examine WW II dictators, an overview of important facts and historical events leading up to Pearl Harbor will also be explored. Students will analyze and compare three major dictators of this time period using multiple, primary based resources; power-point, video clips & supplementary materials. Students will document their findings on two separate graphic organizers, which they will use to create a speech from the perspective of one of the assigned dictators; Hitler, Mussolini, & Tojo. The final stage of this learning activity will involve having the students create a Venn diagram, and transform into character and perform their speech in front of their peers. A full description of this 5 day lesson plan is available in the packet.

This lesson includes:

- One 48 slide Power-Point

Handouts:

- Power-Point Guided Notes
- Dictator Instructions for Writing and Speech Activity
- Grading Rubrics
- Graphic Organizers