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American Homefront
The American Experience during World War II
Planning this mini-unit
The American Homefront is the second mini-unit of Unit 9: World War II. This mini-unit is taught after “American Neutrality” (First mini-unit in Unit 9: World War II) and before WWII American at War and Peace (Third mini-unit of Unit 9: WWII). Click 
HERE to get a copy of my pacing guide.
Pacing
Teachers should plan three to five days to teach this unit on a traditional schedule with one-hour class periods. However, for those on a block schedule with 1 1/2 hour classes, teachers should plan for 2-3 days. An effective way to structure this unit includes:
Openers
- Assembly Line
- Careless Talk
- U.S. Bonds Cartoon
- The War Industry
- Executive Order 9066
This FREE resource includes 5 openers to use in order to supplement this unit. Begin each class with an opener question. Opener questions can be found on this webpage as an image (see “opener questions” at the bottom of this webpage) or free on TpT (see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding.
see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding. 
Lessons
After the opener, begin the Google Slides lesson. Students can take notes on paper using the note-taking guide provided with the Google Slides lesson, or they may take notes digitally with the electronic version (also included with the Google Slides).
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- TEACHER TIP: I post a PDF version of the Google Slides to Google Classroom so that students can review their notes if they are absent. To do this, click “File, Download, PDF” on the Google Slide.
- TEACHER TIP: Some teachers post Google Slides in their Google Classroom and digital note-taking guides for students to complete as homework.
- TEACHER TIP: When pressed for time, I will edit the note-taking guides to include answers for some boxes or delete boxes and slides entirely. Teachers should feel free to modify the lesson to meet their students’ needs and individual learning targets.
- After teaching a concept, take a break from the lecture and show a quick review video to reinforce the concepts. Suggested videos to enhance the lesson are on this webpage.
- Mix up your unit by having the students complete the PROP (Point, Reason to lie or distort, Other sources, Public/private) analysis. For a free resource that reviews PROP, click HERE.
- TEACHER TIP: Group students together to complete this activity. This strategy sparks conversation and encourages critical analysis. Discuss as a class.
- Review additional suggested activities found on this webpage:
- FREE: Japanese American Internment from SHEG’s Reading Like a Historian. Free resources with an account.
- FREE: Zoot Suit Riots from SHEG’s Reading Like a Historian. Free resources with an account.
- FREE: Ansel Adams at Manzanar from SHEG’s Reading Like a Historian. Free resources with an account.
- FREE: Japanese American Internment from the Bill of Rights Institute. Free resources with an account
- FREE: The 442nd Japanese American Unit from the Bill of Rights Institute. Free resources with an account.
- FREE: Tuskegee Airmen from the Bill of Rights Institute. Free resources with an account.
- TpT: WWII American Homefront Document Analysis for Groups or Individuals
- Print the Prove It activity included in the Google Slides lesson at the end of the unit. Students read statements and determine if they are true or false. If the statement is false, they correct it. This lesson encourages students to review their note-taking guides.
key terms to know
People to Know
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Henry Kaiser
- A. Philip Randolph
- Fred Korematsu
- 442nd Regimental Combat Team
- Tuskegee Airmen
Events, Government & Legislation
- Attack on Pearl Harbor
- U.S. Declaration of War on Japan
- Selective Service Act
- Office of War Information
- Bracero Program
- Zoot Suit Riots
- Double V Campaign
- Executive Order 8802
- Executive Order 9066
- Korematsu v. The United States
Key Terms
- Liberty Ships
- Government Bonds/War Bonds
- Rationing
- Rosie the Riveter
Essential Questions
1. How did the United States mobilize the following: military, war goods, the homefront workforce
2. How did the U.S. government use the media to increase American support for the war effort? How effective were those efforts?
3. How did women, African Americans, and Mexicans support the U.S. war effort?
4. How did the war affect the movement of Mexicans and African Americans?
5. How did Japanese-Americans and African Americans fight against segregation and inequality during World War II? How successful were those strategies?
6. How did America fund World War II?
7. What is rationing, and how was it used to support the war effort?
8. Who was affected by Executive Order 9066? What happened to those affected?
9. What was the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court case Fred Korematsu v. the United States? What did Congress decide on that court decision in 1988?
10. What is the point of the Atlantic Charter, and why is it significant?
11. What is happening in East Asia, and why is the United States concerned?
12. What events led up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?
13. How did America respond to the Attack on Pearl Harbor?
39 Slides (editable) with graphic organizer note-taking guide and summative assessment worksheet. This Google Slides reviews the American Homefront during World War II
This Google Slides:
- Editable
- Has checks for understanding/thinking questions throughout the Google Slides
- Interesting and varied graphic design
- A variety of different sources to catch your students’ attention and engage them with the content: maps, charts, primary sources, quotes, newspapers, etc.
- Major Concepts Reviewed:
- World War II American propaganda techniques
- Office of War Information
- Selective Service Act
- Rationing
- War-time factories
- Henry Kaiser
- Rosie the Riveter
- Paying for the war: bonds and taxes
- Segregated troops: Tuskegee Airmen and 442 Regiment
- A. Philip Randolph and the Double V Campaign
- Great Migration, Executive Order 8802
- Japanese Internment and Executive Order 9066
- Korematsu v. the United States
- Bracero Program
- Zoot Suit Riots
- Women in the military: WACs, WAVES, WASPs
Note-Taking Guide with a Teacher’s Key:
- Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document, or handwrite)
- Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
- Great for IEP, 504, EL students or students who need modifications
- Helps students be accountable for information during lecture
- Comes with print and digital notetaking guides.
Post-Notes Analysis Worksheet with a Teacher’s Key:
- Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document or handwrite)
- Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
- Has a True/False checking for understanding
- Includes a document that connects to information from the slides.
- Comes with print and digital post-notes analysis guides.
- Students are asked to ” Prove It,” “Analyze It” “Personalize It” and “Explore Limitations.”
Helpful Videos for Your Students
Unit Activities
Click on the images below to access these suggested resources
Japanese American Internment
SHEG: Reading Like a Historian
Zoot Suit Riots
SHEG: Reading Like a Historian
Ansel Adams at Manzanar
SHEG: Reading Like a Historian
Japanese American Internment
Bill of Rights Institute
The 442nd Japanese-American Unit
Bill of Rights Institute
Tuskegee Airmen
Bill of Rights Institute
American Homefront Document Analysis for Groups or Individuals
For a review of the American Homefront download my activity “American Homefront Document Analysis for Groups or Individuals. I use this as a good review prior to an exam, or after I have completed the Google Slides lesson. My students enjoy working in groups in a document pass. During a document pass each group has 5-7 minutes to analyze the document and complete their analysis. After the timer rings, groups pass the documents clockwise. This allows the students to focus on one task at a time. However. I have used this as a sub plan and assigned it via Google Classroom. CLICK HERE to see this source on Teachers Pay Teachers.
DIFFERENT TYPES of PRIMARY SOURCES for students to analyze. Some students struggle with text sources, others struggle with data or political cartoons. This activity allows students to practice their sourcing skills on a variety of types of sources.
ANALYZING WORLD WAR II HOMEFRONT GRAPHIC ORGANIZER for students. Students have a graphic organizer to help them break apart the deeper meaning of each source.
PRINT, DIGITAL, GROUPS or INDIVIDUAL This activity can be tailored to each teacher’s individual needs. Download comes with a copy ideal for printing, as well as a link to a copy that is ready to immediately push out to Google Classroom.
Tips for Using this Resource
This activity is best done after students have learned about the American Homefront during World War II; if you want a Google Slides lesson on this topic click HERE.
Print 4 copies of each document and place them in separate folders: 4 copies of Document A in a folder labeled Document A. 4 copies of Document B in a folder labeled Document B….etc….
Organize the students in groups of 3-4 (there should be 8 groups total, one for each document). This will allow the students to have a good discussion about the context, purpose and symbols of the sources to be analyzed.
Students should sit in an organized group: Their desks are all facing each other to ensure a good conversation and a collaborative atmosphere.
Review the instructions with them: Review what information they will be looking for in each document: Arguments, captions, symbols, etc.
Pass one document folder to each group. Give each group 5-7 minutes to analyze each source and complete the document analysis table. Students should be discussing collaboratively.
After the timer rings, instruct each group to pass their document folder clockwise.
Reset the timer and repeat step 4.
quick links
hey there
Thank you for stopping by Teacher Bistro. I created this place as a resource for educators who wanted a easy way to find resources. In my first ten years of teaching I can’t tell you how many hours I spent gathering lesson plans, video guides and lectures. Hopefully, you have added this site to your bookmarks, and this place can make teaching a little bit easier.