It's no secret - teaching history in the elementary classroom can be a struggle. Teachers are faced with the challenge of making people and events of the past relatable to young students who have a hard time even remembering or caring about the events and people of last week, let alone last century!

That's why making history come alive in your classroom is so crucial to making students care about what they are learning.

But - lucky for you - I love a good challenge! I've created a unit that will make you the hero in your next social studies lesson (bonus if it happens to be a lesson you're getting observed on!)

This unit is loaded hands-on and interactive activities to teach students in grades 4, grades 5, or grades 6 about the events and battles of WW1.

HOW IT WORKS:

Each lesson has 3 components to help you structure your instruction effortlessly.

• Introduction - During this portion of the lesson you'll review previously learned content and add on or introduce new concepts and content vocabulary that students will be working on that day. You'll start as a whole group using anchor slides before breaking out into small groups for hands-on practice.

• Lesson Activity - During this time of your lesson students will interact with you and each other as they explore history through varied hands-on activities, often in partners or small groups. They'll record their learning all in one place in their students activity packet.

• Lesson Reflection - Bring students back together at the end of the lesson to review, share, and discuss what they have learned during the lesson activity. Students reflect on what they've learned through journal questions right in their student activity packet.

CONCEPTS COVERED:

1. The M.A.I.N Causes of WW1 and growing tensions in Europe in the early 1900's

2. The event that "sparked" WW1: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

3. A closer look at the countries and war leaders on both sides of the war (Allied and Central Powers, as well as a look at neutral countries during WW1)

4. Major Battles and Events of WW1 including: Assassination of the Archduke, Battle of Marne, Christmas Truce, Gallipoli Campaign, Sinking of Lusitania, Battle of Verdun, Battle of Jutland, Battle of Somme, the US' entry into WW1, The Russian Revolution, Second Battles of Marne and Somme, Armistice, and The Treaty of Versailles

5. War Technologies of WW1 including: tanks, poison gas and masks, grenades, zeppelin, fighter planes, U-boats, warships

6. WW1 By The Numbers (post-war statistics)

7. Post WW1 including the League of Nations, isolationism, and important people of the 1920's (Henry Ford, Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong)

This unit is loaded hands-on and interactive activities to teach students in grades 4, grades 5, or grades 6 about the events and battles of WW1.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

• Detailed Teacher Guide with everything you need for each lesson. All needed resources are downloadable directly from the guide making prep a breeze! The teacher guide includes a unit overview and detailed daily lesson plans (some lasting more then 1 day) The lesson plans include easy-to-follow information about student objectives, materials needed, teacher preparation required, and the steps on how to conduct the lesson. You'll even find sample anchor charts and answer keys embedded right into the teacher guide.

• Student Activity Packet - Student activities to go along with the daily lessons (printable OR google classroom compatible.)

• 34 anchor slides to go along with each lesson. This anchor lessons are provided in PowerPoint, PDF, and PNG image files to meet your needs.

• A 40+ (full-colored) piece Bulletin Board set to reinforce learned concepts

• 5 learning folders with information about the Allied Powers, Central Powers, Neutral Countries, War Leaders, and U.S. involvement in WW1

• LINKtivity® Digital Learning Guide on the major events and battles of WW1. Students complete a flipbook to go along with the LINKtivity (printable or digital)

• Two originally written student articles (Google Classroom Compatible!)

• Picture Cards for group discussion groups (Google Classroom Compatible!)

• War Technology Learning Cards (Google Classroom Compatible!)

• "WW1 By The Numbers" Cards (War Statistics) (Google Classroom Compatible!)

• Walk, Talk, Trade - whole-class review game

• Formal Unit Assessment (Google Classroom Compatible!)

What other teachers are saying:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"This was the most well organized, easy to use resource I have ever purchased on TPT. Not kidding. The materials coincide perfectly with the Georgia Social Studies standards for fourth grade. It's informative and well written. I would highly recommend purchasing this product. - Scarlett W., 4th grade teacher"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"If I could give a better review (more stars), I would! This unit is so well organized and resourceful. I literally want to purchase all your units now. I haven't even taught this unit yet but I couldn't wait to come and give my review. We will be using this right after our spring break next week and this unit makes me very excited to use it/teach. As a new teacher to 4th grade, I can already tell this will be a lifesaver for me. Kudos to you! You should train others how to organize their units so that they are easy for teachers to access." - Brittney, 4th grade teacher

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"This resource is FABULOUS, I can not say enough good things about it! It is fool proof for teachers, the lessons are laid out step by step, and links to all the materials are in the lesson plans. This was so great to use for teaching this unit virtually with a great variety of student interaction through notes and other activities." - Rachel S. 4th & 5th grade teacher