Alabama Social Studies SS24.WH.7a
The Standard
- SS24.WH.7
- Explain causes and consequences of World War I, including imperialism, militarism, nationalism, and the alliance system.
Assess the effects of trench warfare and new military technologies on combat during World War I.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how trenches protected soldiers but made attacks across open ground dangerous. They assess how machine guns, artillery, gas, tanks, and aircraft changed fighting and casualties.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a trench diagram or battle account, a student can explain why an advance was costly and identify the weapons involved. They can explain why gas and early tanks did not quickly end the stalemate.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think trenches kept soldiers safe from all weapons, including artillery. They may also assume that new weapons let armies advance quickly.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A unit must cross open ground toward a defended trench. Name two weapons it might face, explain how each affects the attack, and say why the front might barely move.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Lay two paper trench lines on a grid, add wire and machine gun markers, then count the exposed squares on an attack route.
Show a trench photo and ask: How did trenches protect soldiers while making attacks harder? Cite two visible details.
Give pairs cards showing five weapons and five battlefield effects, then have them match each weapon to an effect.
Examine a museum photo of a World War I gas mask and write an exhibit label explaining what it protected against and what it could not stop.
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Related Standards
- SS24.US2.2c
Analyze how government actions in the United States during World War I produced both economic growth and social division.
- SS24.WH.8
Analyze the global cultural, economic, and political developments immediately following World War I.
- SS24.US2.11a
Evaluate the effects of the arms and space races on the growth of the military-industrial complex.
- SS24.US1.12d
Summarize the effects of technological and scientific advancements of the mid-1800s on the strategy, battlefield tactics, and consequences of the Civil War.
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