Oklahoma Social Studies MWH.C.6.5.A
The Standard
- MWH.C.6
- Evaluate the global transformation created by the World Wars.
- MWH.C.6.5
- Examine the significant events of World War II from a global perspective.
Describe aggression by the Axis powers (e.g., Italy's invasion of Ethiopia; Germany’s militarization, the Stalin-Hitler Pact of 1939, annexation of Austria, and attack on Poland; Japanese invasion of China, the Nanking Massacre) including the initial responses by the Allied nations.
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · MWH.C.6.5
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Place Italy’s, Germany’s, and Japan’s actions on a map and timeline. Explain how China resisted Japan, why League sanctions did not stop Italy, and how Britain and France moved from appeasement to war.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how the German-Soviet pact cleared the way for Germany’s attack on Poland. They can distinguish Britain’s and France’s response to Austria from their declaration of war after Poland.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Britain and France declared war when Germany annexed Austria. They may also mistake League sanctions for military action or assume the German-Soviet pact made the two countries permanent allies.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: What did Britain and France do after Germany annexed Austria, and what did they do after Germany invaded Poland? How did the German-Soviet pact affect Poland?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
On a blank map, pairs place event cards for Ethiopia, the Rhineland, Austria, Poland, China, Nanjing, and the German-Soviet pact.
Ask: Why did Britain and France declare war after Poland but not after Austria? Write an answer using both events.
Have teams match aggression cards to response cards, including League sanctions, Chinese resistance, U.S. neutrality, and declarations of war.
Pair a 1935 League sanctions headline with a current sanctions headline; have students underline what each response does and does not do.
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- USH.C.5.1.A
Examine fascism in Germany and Italy, including its roots in economic depression, effects of the Versailles Treaty, and ideology, culminating in German rearmame...
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- TOT.C.6.3
Identify Hitler’s motivations for the annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland, as well as the invasion of Poland.
- MWH.C.6.4.C
Evaluate the economic, social, and political conditions that allowed the rise of Fascist militarist regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan.
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