America's entry into the war and the D-Day landings
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why America's entry into the war and the D-Day landings were major turning points in the Second World War.
Key learning points
- Now that America had ended its policy of isolationism, it was committed to fighting Japan and her ally, Germany.
- The Japanese occupied most of southeast Asia, their brutal conduct was influenced by a military code.
- The daring amphibious D-Day landings took place in June 1944, meaning Nazi Germany was now fighting on two fronts.
- The landings were a major turning point in the war as they hastened Germany's surrender in May 1945.
- Germany surrendered after being surrounded by the Allied armies from the west and the Soviet forces from the east.
Keywords
Isolationism - the policy or practice of showing interest only in your own country and not being involved in international activities or war
D-Day - the day during WW2 when the Allies began their invasion of Europe by attacking the coast of northern France; Operation Overlord
Amphibious - relating to both land and water; warfare consisting of naval and air forces and involving the landing and establishing of forces on a hostile shore
Munitions - military weapons such as guns and bombs
Common misconception
America and Britain won the war by defeating the Nazis in Berlin.
The Soviets had pushed the Nazi army back across eastern Europe; four out of five German soldiers killed in WW2 were killed on the Eastern Front.
Teacher tip
Play the radio broadcast of the opening lines of the poem "Chanson d'Automne" which secretly signalled the start of D-Day to the French Resistance.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 1941, Hitler launched an invasion of...
Q2.Hitler ordered Operation Barbarossa because he had always wanted to destroy...
Q3.A population of 200 million and the Soviet Union's geographical size helped it to absorb Nazi Germany's tactics.
Q4.In which Russian city did besieged citizens turn to desperate measures to avoid starvation?
Q5.The Japanese attack on brought the USA into WW2.
Q6.Which country had Japan invaded before the start of WW2?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Following WW1, America adopted a policy of...
Q2.At which battle did the USA stop Japan's Pacific expansion?
Q3.On 6 June, British, American and Canadian troops took part in the largest invasion in history.
Q4.Nazi Germany's defences along the coast of Western Europe were known as the...
Q5.__________ out of five German soldiers killed in WW2 were killed on the Eastern Front.
Q6.Which German city had Soviet forces surrounded by the end of April 1945?
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: America's entry into the war and the D-Day landings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: America's entry into the war and the D-Day landings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the WW2: which events turned the tide in the story of the Second World War? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.