Oklahoma Academic Standard 5. The student will analyze the United States role in international affairs by examining the major causes, events and effects of the nation’s involvement in World War II, 1933 to 1946. 

Objective 5.2  Analyze the series of events affecting the outcome of World War II including major battles, military turning points, and key strategic decisions in both the European and Pacific Theaters of operation including Pearl Harbor, the D-Day Invasion, development and use of the atomic bomb, the island-hopping strategy, the Allied conferences at Yalta and Potsdam, and the contributions of Generals MacArthur and Eisenhower.

In a Nutshell

The goal of this objective is to provide an overview of the major events of World War II, focusing on highlights and turning points, rather than an extensive study of the war itself.  The role of the United States in working collaboratively with Allied forces on the European front, as well as its own leadership in the Pacific theater, are emphasized. Students should understand the importance of key American leadership during the war, as well as the impact of America’s development of nuclear weaponry on the outcome of the war.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Provide opportunities for students to analyze multiple causation by constructing and interpreting parallel timelines of significant turning points from the two theaters of war. 

• Provide opportunities for students to assess the significance and impact of individuals and groups through national and world history.

• Evaluate the usefulness of primary and secondary sources identifying key information from visual texts.

•  Analyze information from visual texts in order to draw conclusions and defend arguments.  

Key Concepts

Misconceptions

• General Douglass MacArthur, General Dwight Eisenhower, Admiral Chester Nimitz, General Omar Bradley

• Battle of Coral Sea, Battle of Midway, contributions of Indian codetalkers  

• Battle at Stalingrad, Battle of the Bulge

• goals of wartime conferences among Allied leaders 

• Many students will have prior knowledge and understandings of events and turning points of the war, however, may require clarification within a global perspective and from multiple viewpoints regarding major decisions and strategies, such as the use of nuclear weaponry and its impact on civilian populations. 

Instructional Strategies