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News Coverage WWII

Created By: Paul Hohulin, Centennial High School (Champaign, IL)
Content Area: U.S. History


Illinois Learning Standards Achieved

Standard Achieved

Activity that Meets this Standard
14.D.4: Analyze roles and influences of individuals, groups and media in shaping current debates on state and national policies. Students will consider how Americans were affected by news coverage of the war during WWII. Students will read about reactions of Americans to events of WWII. Students will also consider the governments' use of news and propaganda to rally American public opinion.


Sources:


Lesson:


Students will analyze interviews, writings, and posters published during WWII.

  1. Students will consider the accuracy of news reporting during WWII.
  2. Students will discuss the impact of individual writers such as Clare Boothe Luce on the war effort in the United States.
  3. How have recent photographs of the war in Iraq affected your opinion of the war?
  4. Students will analyze WWII posters and evaluate their effectiveness in generating support for the war.

Assignment:


Students will write a 3-5 page paper on the role of the news media, iindividual writers, and government propaganda in rallying the American public opinion.