Title: The Role of Women on the Homefront in World War II Key Words: World War II, homefront, war industry Grade Level: 7 th Grade, US History Part II Time Allotted: 90 minutes Lesson Overview Guiding Question(s) Students will examine primary and secondary sources from WWII to determine what women s roles were, in support of the war effort on the homefronts of the U.S., England, and Germany. To narrow this topic, the focus will be on women working in the factories of the war industries. How did women support the war effort in the war industries of the U.S., England, and Germany? What similarities and differences do you see between the roles of women in support of the war in these countries? Learning Objectives (SWBAT ) *Students will be able to examine and analyze primary and secondary source artifacts and documents from WWII, in order to identify the most likely time period (before or after Pearl Harbor) and ways that women were mobilized in the war industries. *Students will be able to compare and contrast the role of women in the war industries of the U.S., England, and Germany. They will be able to identify similarities and differences in how women were mobilized during WWII, in these 3 countries. Standards of Learning Virginia State Standards US History Part II: World War II USII.6c The student will demonstrate knowledge of the major causes and effects of American involvement in World War II by describing the impact of World War II on the homefront. -American involvement in World War II brought an end to the Great Depression. Factories and workers were needed to produce goods to win the war. -Thousands of American women took jobs in defense plants during the war (ex: Rosie the Riveter).
OAH Historical Skills Taught: Chronological Thinking The student will analyze primary resources and determine whether they were created closer to the date of the Attack on Pearl Harbor or the D-Day Invasion during WWII. Historical Comprehension The student will use primary and secondary source artifacts such as posters, photos, articles, letters, and song lyrics/poetry to piece together the motivations, experiences, and impacts on women and the war effort during WWII in the countries of the U.S., England, and Germany. Historical Analysis and Interpretation The student will compare and contrast the differing perspectives of the U.S., England, and Germany toward women s roles in the war effort for WWII. The student should be able to challenge arguments of historical inevitability by examining how different choices in how to mobilize women in the war effort could have led to different outcomes in the war. Assessment Tool(s) -The student will create a Pyramid Foldable (Dinah Zike s, Big Book of United States History, p. 20) which will display what they have gleaned from the information presented on women s roles on the homefronts of the U.S., England, and Germany. OR -The student will complete a 3-2-1 Exit Slip: 3 things they learned about women on the homefronts of the U.S., England, and Germany, 2 things they were surprised about, 1 way women s experiences varied based on where they lived. Materials/Resources and Additional Materials Lesson Plans Teacher Notes Powerpoint Presentation Student Handouts Packet A Student Handouts Packet B
Class worksheet Assessments: Foldable or 3-2-1 Exit Slip Suggested answers Key Modifications and Extensions *Students needing more support may use only Packet A or B, to reduce the number of documents and artifacts that they must analyze. *Students needing more support may need to be placed in groups with stronger students. *Higher achieving students may wish to analyze the role of women in WWII in regard to: military service, nursing, rationing, the USO, Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc. by researching and creating their own powerpoint presentations on any of these topics. Instructional Procedures/Process 1. Bell ringer Activity: Using the PowerPoint Presentation, display SLIDE 2: SLIDE 2: Question :What do we need for war? Give the class 2 minutes to jot down in their notebooks, what they think we need for war. Then list on your board some of their ideas. Hopefully SOMEONE will come up with the idea that we need factories and laborers to make the things needed for war: uniforms, food, tools, weapons, ammunition, etc. Without these laborers to work in the factories, the soldiers would not have what they need to win a war. SLIDE 3: Question : If most of the able bodied men go off to war, who will work in the factories? Give the class 1 minute to jot down in their notebooks, who they think will work in the factories. List on your board some of their ideas. Hopefully someone will come up with the idea that we will need women to work in the factories. Women in the 1940 s were used to being homemakers. They stayed home to focus on their children and create a comfortable living environment for their families. This was the culture of the time, and women would have to be persuaded to change how they lived their lives. SLIDE 4-7: Today our lesson will use Primary Sources and Secondary Sources. Let s quickly review what these terms mean. SLIDE 8: Today we will be discussing The Role of Women on the Homefront of WWII. What is home? Ask the class and record some of their answers on the
board. You re looking for an answer like, it s where you are left to carry on without the presence of those who serve their country in the military. Home what is home? A place you live? A place where you are comfortable and safe? The place where you reside with loved ones? The place from which you come? For the purpose of this lesson, home is where you are left to carry on without the presence of those who serve their country in the military. During the 1940 s men (for the most part) fought on the warfront. While a workforce made up of men and women carried on in support of the war, on the homefront. Women were mobilized on homefronts across the world. This lesson will compare how women were mobilized in support of the war effort during WWII in three countries: the United States, England, and Germany. England was chosen as another Allied country to examine. Germany will provide an Axis Power country s perspective. There are many facets in which women were mobilized. Women worked in the factories, joined the military, served as nurses, worked with contractors, and performed jobs that were formerly only given to men. Women performed these tasks to free up more men to serve militarily and to enable their country s military to function at their best. This lesson will focus on how women served in the factories on the homefront. SLIDE 9: Locate the US, England, and Germany on the world map. As we delve into this lesson on women s roles on the homefront during WWII, these are the 3 countries that we will focus on. We will compare how women responded to the need for laborers in the war industries in these 3 countries. Notice that England was part of the Allied Forces, while Germany was an Axis Power country. 2. Pass out the Student Handouts Packet A and the class worksheet. Have the students follow along in Packet A as you discuss SLIDE 10. Refer to the Teacher Guide for information about each slide. Discuss the first few slides together and guide the students in filling out their worksheets for the first few documents/artifacts. 3. Arrange the class in groups to work together in analyzing the documents and artifacts and recording the data on their worksheets.
4. When they ve had ample time to complete their analysis of the items in Packet A, use the PowerPoint to display the slides and discuss the group findings. 5. Pass out Packet B and have the students repeat this procedure in their groups, starting with SLIDE 22 analyzing the documents and artifacts and recording their findings. 6. Once again, use the powerpoint to guide a discussion of their findings. Give the students a chance to record any interesting details brought up in the class discussion on their worksheets. You may wish to let your students use their worksheets to complete their assessment. 7. Closure: What have we learned? Allow students time to complete one of the assessments provided.(pyramid foldable OR 3-2-1 Exit Slip) Examples of what we would like students to take away from the lesson follow: a. Women worked in the war industries in all 3 countries. b. In England and Germany, women did not have a choice in whether they would go to work to support the war effort. English women were drafted or conscripted to work. German women were informed by the government of where they would work, and for how long. (Is there much difference?) c. In the U.S. women were encouraged to go to work in the war industries, but it was their choice ultimately. d. In Germany women were also encouraged to give birth to at least 4 children for their country. They were even given medals for bearing 4 or more children. e. Women who worked in the war industries made a valuable impact on the outcome of the war. f. Women who worked in the war industries filled the positions of men who were needed to serve in the military during the war. g. During the 1940 s the role of women in the family was quite different from today. Women were used to being homemakers or stay at home mothers. Going to work involved making a cultural change in the dynamics of the family, and a change in the expectations of society in what was socially acceptable for women. h. Many women liked working outside the home. (The self-confidence, self-esteem, and financial independence they earned were precursors to the Women s Movement.)
i. Numbers of women workers mentioned in these documents include: a. England by the end of the war 80% of all married women worked outside the home, and 90% of all single women. b. The U.S. by the end of the war women made up 1/3 of the work force. 18,000,000 women were working. c. Germany early in the war it was estimated that 16,000,000 women were working outside the home. They started being forced to work 5 years before the war actually began.