No worksheet this time, just worthwhile discussion and some creative writing!
Warm-up for the brain: What are the worst conditions you have ever been in? Now think about being away from your loved ones for months on end...no email, no internet, no cell phones. Just the hope that a letter might make its way to you. And the hope that the letter doesn't contain any bad news. Now think about extreme heat, extreme cold, dirt, mud, no showers, maybe blisters on your feet, frostbite, snakes, insects, bad odors, hunger. Now think about the enemy that is trying to kill you with artillery, booby traps, grenades, snipers, bombs, etc. This is what the fighting men of WWII had to deal with. When you're having a bad day, think of them. Check out the video on the Battle of Bastogne below for a first hand account.
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Click here to read primary source accounts from the fighting men who were there on the battlefields of WWII. Pick two accounts that stood out to you and comment on them in the Course Blog. Here are some more primary sources, not all from fighting men but definitely interesting. Respond to at least two other students' comments by the end of the module.
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Creative writing. Take on the role of a fighting man in WWII. Research the internet for primary sources on what life was like on the battlefield. Put yourself in a famous battle such as D-Day or Bastogne. Make the reader feel what it was like to be on the front lines. Here is a link to help you get started. Adhere to the Creative Writing Rubric. Standards are at least 4 pages, typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12. Share through Google when complete. Use of media to enhance is optional but encouraged! (space utilized by media does not replace the 4 pages of text required)
The fighting men of WWII had to overcome tremendous obstacles and hardships. Over 400,000 U.S. servicemen paid the ultimate price in WWII. Now that you have learned about the fighting men of WWII and the challenges they faced, here is a way to look at war casualty numbers and make it more relevant and personal to you. Instead of simply looking at a huge number and forgetting about it later that day, try to remember that for each life lost in WWII, there were a number of people touched by the life of that soldier, sailor, airman or marine. For example, let's just say that one soldier killed in WWII had significantly touched the lives of 25 people (probably more, but we'll just use this number). Now multiply 400,000 by 25. That is 10,000,000 people that were personally affected by a military death in WWII. The number would likely be much greater as many people have more than 25 people in their circle of family and friends. Whenever you look at war casualty numbers in the future, remember to look at it in this way to really get the full magnitude of that number. And also remember, that number we just discussed did not count the American servicemen who came back to their families wounded/disabled. That number by the way was over 670,000. (statistics retrieved from the National WWII Museum)