Georgia SS5H2.a
The Standard
Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914-1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight against Germany; include the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies · Describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students trace why the United States moved from neutrality to war as German submarines attacked Atlantic shipping. They explain the Lusitania's role and identify U.S. contributions, including troops, supplies, loans, and food. They describe how the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany and created resentment.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can place neutrality, the Lusitania sinking, renewed submarine attacks, and U.S. entry into the war in order. The student can connect American troops and supplies to Allied victory and explain one result of the peace treaty.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often say the Lusitania sinking caused immediate U.S. entry, but the declaration of war came nearly two years later. They may think the Lusitania was a U.S. warship or carried only Americans. They may also confuse the 1918 armistice with the 1919 treaty.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Make a five-box cause-and-effect chain using the Lusitania, submarine attacks, U.S. entry, U.S. contributions, and the Treaty of Versailles. Explain each connection.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs five event cards to place on a desk timeline, then have them add arrows and handwritten cause-and-effect labels.
Ask students to write a 1917 newspaper editorial arguing whether repeated submarine attacks justified entering the war.
Play a cause-and-effect matching game with cards for events, U.S. responses, wartime contributions, and treaty results.
Show a current maritime safety advisory and ask students to compare its purpose with wartime warnings about Atlantic shipping.
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Related Standards
- SS5H2
Describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.
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Describe key events leading up to American involvement in World War II; include the Lend-Lease Act and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
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Explain America's involvement in World War II.
- SS5H4.b
Describe major events in the war in both Europe and the Pacific; include Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, D-Day, VE and VJ Days, and the Holocaust.
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