Lesson video

Hello, everyone, how are you? I hope you're doing really well.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your teacher for this lesson.

I'm really looking forward to that because we've got a very interesting topic ahead.

Our lesson is looking at the outbreak of the Second World War.

I wonder how much you know about the Second World War, when it started, and how it started.

Don't worry if you know not.

That's what we're gonna be getting into in our lesson today.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work, Significant turning points: How did experiences differ during World War II? So if you're ready to get into this, if you have some energy, focus, enthusiasm, and also some sensitivities, as this topic may feel quite tender for some people depending upon experiences you've had or people that you know have had.

So if you're ready with all of that, we'll begin our lesson now.

The outcome for today's lesson is: I can recall some key information about the Second World War.

I hope that sounds interesting to you.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

I'd like us to go through them one at a time, saying them out loud, my turn, your turn.

Nazi Germany.

Poland.

Ration.

Good to hear those keywords out loud.

Pause here and share with someone.

Do you know what any of these keywords mean? Have you heard of any of them before? Thanks for sharing.

Let's find out what these keywords mean.

When Germany was governed by a group of people called the Nazis, it was called Nazi Germany.

Poland is a country that lies between Germany and Russia.

When there's not enough of something, a ration is the small amount that each person is allowed to have.

So these are our keywords: Nazi Germany, Poland, and ration.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about these keywords.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called The outbreak of the Second World War, and it has three learning cycles: How was Britain involved in the start of World War II? How did life change in Britain during World War II? How did the changes affect people after the war? Let's begin by exploring how Britain was involved in the start of World War II.

From 1936 to 1939, Nazi Germany invaded other countries around them.

Countries like Britain and France had asked them to stop, but they continued.

And we can see on this map of Europe countries that were invaded by Nazi Germany before 1939.

Pause here and share with someone the names of some of these countries that were invaded by Nazi Germany.

Thanks for sharing.

On the 1st of September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

Britain and France had made promises to defend Poland if Nazi Germany invaded.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which two countries had promised to defend Poland? Choose from this selection: A.

Germany.

B.

Britain.

C.

Australia.

D.

France.

Pause here while you decide which two countries had promised to defend Poland.

Well done if you selected Britain and France.

These were the two countries that had promised to defend Poland.

The British and French governments told Nazi Germany that if the German soldiers did not leave Poland, they would declare war.

Pause here and share with someone, do you know what happened next? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

The German soldiers did not leave Poland.

So, on the 3rd of September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany.

And here's a photo of the British Prime Minister at the time in 1939.

His name was Neville Chamberlain, and he made a radio broadcast to announce Britain was at war with Germany.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Choose the date that Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany.

Choose from this selection: A.

1st of September 1939.

B.

3rd of September 1939.

C.

3rd of September 1940.

Pause here while you decide on which date Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany.

Well done if you selected answer B.

It was the 3rd of September 1939 when Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany.

Well done if you chose this answer.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to label the map with how each of these countries were involved at the start of World War II.

And you can begin your labels in this way: Britain and France were involved because.

Nazi Germany was involved because.

And Poland was involved because.

So pause here while you label the map with how each of these countries were involved in the start of World War II.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with labeling the map with how each of these countries were involved at the start of World War II? Britain and France were involved because they had promised to protect Poland and so declared war on the 3rd of September 1939.

Nazi Germany was involved because it had invaded lots of countries, including Poland, from 1936 to 1939.

Poland was involved because Nazi Germany had invaded it in 1939.

Well done if you labeled the map with how the countries were involved in the start of World War II in this way.

Well done for having a go at this task.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle: How did life change in Britain during World War II? The Second World War lasted from 1939 to 1945 and changed the lives of many people forever.

Soldiers were sent away to war and had to leave their families behind.

All men aged between 18 and 41 had to join the armed forces.

There were many propaganda posters produced at the time.

And here we can see a poster made in 1942 showing a bomb-damaged street over which is superimposed new, modern flats.

How do you think this poster persuaded men to join the armed forces? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you talked about these two contrasting images, and perhaps this could be persuading men to join the armed forces, the prospect of modern flats or bomb-damaged streets.

The 8.

5 million people that joined the British armed forces did not all come from Britain.

They came from countries in the British Empire such as India, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.

And here we can see a map showing countries that were in the British Empire at the time, in red.

Pause here and share with someone, can you identify any of the countries in red on the map? Thanks for having a go at that.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these countries fought with Britain during World War II? Choose from this selection: A.

India.

B.

Germany.

C.

South Africa.

D.

Australia.

Pause here while you decide which of these countries fought with Britain during World War II.

Well done if you selected India, South Africa, and Australia.

All of these countries fought with Britain during World War II.

Life also changed in many ways for British women during World War II.

In 1938, the ATS was set up for women to fill jobs in the army.

And ATS stood for Auxiliary Territorial Service, which was the women's branch of the British army.

And here we can see an ATS recruitment poster.

And Alex is asking, "How do you think this poster persuaded women?" Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you talked about this poster persuading women by showing the women supporting the war effort.

Women from all over Britain and the British Empire joined the ATS.

Even the young Princess Elizabeth joined.

And here is a recruitment poster promoting a glamorous image of the ATS.

From 1939, thousands of children were evacuated from their homes in the cities to live with strangers in the countryside.

This was for their own safety, as there was less risk of bombing in the countryside.

This photo is showing the danger posed to children in London, which resulted in the evacuation scheme.

Evacuees had to say goodbye to their parents and start at new schools.

But many saw evacuation as an adventure.

And here we can see a photo of British children being evacuated, boarding a train away from the city to the countryside to relative safety.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Where were British children sent for safety during World War II? Choose from the selection: A.

The cities.

B.

The countryside.

C.

Another country.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer B, the countryside.

This is where British children were sent for safety during World War II.

There was not enough food in Britain during the war.

To make sure that what food there was was shared equally, the government introduced food rationing.

Everyone had a ration book with coupons inside.

And here's a photo of Winston Churchill's ration book from 1941.

Pause here and share with someone, what are some of the details on the front of this ration book? Thanks for sharing.

People could only buy things like sugar, meat, and cheese if they had enough coupons in their ration book.

Vegetables were not rationed, as people were encouraged to grow their own.

And here we can see a "Dig for Victory" government pamphlet encouraging people to grow more fruit and vegetables.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Life only changed for soldiers during World War II.

Pause here while you decide is this statement true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer by choosing from one of these two statements: A.

Life changed for everyone during World War II, including for women and children.

Or B.

Life only changed for children during World War II.

Pause here while you choose which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected statement A.

Indeed, life changed for everyone during World War II, including for women and children.

This statement justifies your earlier answer.

And now it's time for your next task.

I'd like you to complete the sentences below about how life changed for people during World War II.

1, lots of women's lives changed because.

2, lots of children's lives changed because.

3, what people ate in Britain changed because.

So pause here while you complete these sentences about how life changed for people during World War II.

I'll see you when you're finished.

So, how did you get on with that task, completing the sentences about how life changed for people during World War II? Perhaps you wrote something like this: Lots of women's lives changed because they learned to do the jobs that men had done before they went to war.

2, lots of children's lives changed because they were evacuated from their homes and families in the cities to live in the countryside for their safety.

And 3, what people ate in Britain changed because the British government gave everyone their own ration book, and people were encouraged to grow their own vegetables.

Well done if you completed the sentences about how life changed for people during World War II in this way.

Well done for having a go at this task.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle: How did the changes affect people after the war? Even though the war ended in 1945, rationing did not end in Britain until 1954.

People still had ration books, queued for hours, and sometimes items sold out before everyone could buy what they needed.

Food items including tea, eggs, sugar, cheese, butter and milk remained rationed until the 1950s.

When evacuees were able to return to the cities, life was very different to how it had been before they left.

Lots of their homes and schools in the cities had been destroyed, and they had not seen their families for years.

And we can see a photo of bomb damage in London.

Thousands of soldiers from across the globe fought for Britain.

These soldiers and their families were invited by the British government to live in Britain and help rebuild after the war.

Here we can see a photo of a ship carrying Jamaicans arriving in Britain in 1948.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence about how people were affected after World War II.

1, food rationing continued in Britain until 1945/1954.

2, evacuees sometimes found that their homes were destroyed/unharmed when they returned after the war.

And 3, the British government invited people from around the world/the UK to help rebuild after the war.

Pause here while you choose the correct word to complete each sentence about how people were affected after World War II.

Here are the correct words to complete each sentence.

Food rationing continued in Britain until 1954.

Evacuees sometimes found that their homes were destroyed when they returned after the war.

The British government invited people from around the world to help rebuild after the war.

Well done if you completed the sentences about how people were affected after World War II in this way.

And now it's time for your next task.

Here are Lucas ans Izzy.

Lucas: "World War II changed people's lives in lots of ways at the time and even after it was over." And Izzy: "World War II changed people's lives only when it was happening.

After the war, everything went back to normal." 1, do you agree with Lucas or Izzy? Tell your learning partner your ideas.

And 2, write two sentences explaining your decision.

Use evidence from this lesson to support your answer.

So pause here while you have a go at this task of explaining whether you agree with Lucas or Izzy and why.

Remember to use evidence to support your answer.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? Let's look at a response.

I agree with Lucas because British people's lives did not just go back to how they were before once the war was over.

For example, people still had to ration food until 1954.

Houses and schools had been destroyed, and many towns and cities needed rebuilding with the help of people from the British Empire.

Well done if you explained your answer in this way.

Well done for having a go at this task.

In our lesson: The outbreak of the Second World War, we've covered the following: The Second World War broke out in 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany because they had promised to defend Poland.

When war was declared, many people from all over the British Empire were encouraged to join the armed forces with recruitment posters.

The war lasted six years and brought many changes for those left at home, with children evacuated, ration books introduced, and large areas of cities and towns destroyed.

The Second World War has been seen as a turning point because of the long-lasting changes it caused to people's lives.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

I thought it was really interesting to explore how and why the Second World War broke out, when Britain got involved, and the impact this had on people across the country and indeed across the British Empire.

I hope you learned some interesting new facts in this lesson and gained some understanding of this period of history.

I really enjoyed teaching you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Bye for now.