1. Home
  2. Educational Resources
  3. Teacher Lesson Plans
  4. World War I Posters

World War I Posters

Lesson Author
Arellano, Elodie
Course(s)
Government
U. S. History
Required Time Frame
Two days
Subject(s)
Political Cartoons
Propaganda
World War I
Grade Level(s)
10
Lesson Abstract
In the classroom students will be creating a list, taking notes, pair sharing, brainstorming, discussing answer, and analyzing posters.
Description

In the classroom students will be creating a list, taking notes, pair sharing, brainstorming, discussing answer, and analyzing posters.

For homework students will be taking notes

Rationale (why are you doing this?)

Students will understand that the U.S. government needed to shape public opinion during World War I to ensure support and participation of the populous.  The government employed propaganda to finance the war effort, encourage enlistment of soldiers, discourage dissent, conserve resources for the war effort and ensure the support of home front organizations and activities.  These posters symbols and messages were to ensure the patriotism of its citizenry and meet the demand for resources.

Lesson Objectives - the student will

1.  Identify the objective and message of a given propaganda poster.

2.  Explain how the United States used propaganda posters to encourage the public to meet its needs during World War I.

3.  Describe how the United States domestic policies were affected by American involvement in World War I.

District, state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met

Hawaii Content and Performance Standards III

Standard 3 History:  United States History-Understand important historical events during the 20th century.

Benchmark

10.3.8  Describe how domestic policies were affected by American involvement in World War I.

SHOW ME STANDARDS

6. Relationships of the individual and groups to institutions and cultural traditions

7. The use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps, documents)

KANSAS STANDARDS

Benchmark 1: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of individuals, groups, ideas, developments, and turning points in the era of the emergence of the modern United States (1890-1930).

6. (A) analyzes the reasons for and impact of the United States’ entrance into World War I.

Benchmark 5: The student engages in historical thinking skills.

1. (A) analyzes a theme in United States history to explain patterns of continuity and change over time.

2. (A) develops historical questions on a specific topic in United States history and analyzes the evidence in primary source documents to speculate on the answers.

Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed

Cayton, Andrew. America:  Pathways to the Present.  Illinios:  Prentice Hall, 2001.

Primary sources needed (document, photograph, artifact, diary or letter, audio or visual recording, etc.) needed

Flagg, James Montomery etal.   American World War I Posters 24 cards.  New York:  Dover Publications, 2003.

Technology Required

Power point presentation created by the teacher of the posters

Fully describe the activity or assignment in detail. What will both the teacher and the students do?
  1. President Wilson declared war on Germany thrusting America into World War I.  As advisor to President Wilson the student will write a list of changes, actions and/or laws that need to happen for the United States to successfully win the war in Europe.  
  2. The teacher will ask for a student to volunteer to read what they wrote on their list.  Teacher will acknowledge what students shared and explain that the government tried to make changes to its domestic policies similar to the changes students suggested.  The government used forms of propaganda to encourage the citizens.  The teacher will tell the students that they will be examining some of the World War I posters.
  3. Students will pair up with another student.  One of the pair will come up to the front of the class and get two American World War Poster Postcard.  When the student returns to their partner as pairs they need to analyze the card and answer the following guided questions:
    1. What was the intent/message of the poster?
    2. Who was the message directed to?
    3. What symbols could be found?
    4. What emotion did the poster try to evoke?
  4. The pair will then join another group and share each poster and their answers.
  5. Students will then take out a piece of paper and create two columns to take two column notes during the teacher lecture.  
  6. The teacher will do a mini-lecture on propaganda posters and how the government used posters to meet the domestic policies of the United States during World War I.  While the teacher is lecturing students will take notes in the left column.
  7. For homework students will read the chapter and notate specific laws, programs and organizations that were formed to meet domestic policies in the right column. 

Day 2

  1. Before class starts each student will pick up 10 sticky notes.  Each student will brainstorm  the answer to the following question using details from the two column notes.  One detail per sticky note:  Describe how domestic policies were affected by American involvement in World War I.
  2. The student will then form a group of 4 and work together to use all their stick notes to make a web.  Duplicate ideas will be stacked on another.  Students will then discuss the answer.  Teacher will wonder to the groups during discussion and listen and clarify for the students.
  3. Students will do a one-minute paper answering the question. 
  4. Students will be given an assessment.
Assessment: fully explain the assessment method in detail or create and attach a scoring guide

The student will analyze 4 posters and explain how each was to meet the domestic policies of the United States during World War I.

 

Novice

Partially Proficient

Proficient

Advanced

Ineffectively describe how domestic policies were affected by American involvement in World War I.

Describe with minimal detail, how domestic policies were affected by American involvement in World War I.

Describe, with detail, how domestic policies were affected by American involvement in World War I.

Describe, with clear and precise detail, how domestic policies were affected by American involvement in World War I.
Online Collection
Harry Truman’s World War I