Grade 10 History
Home Page Table of Contents Unit Introduction Unit Outline Unit Overview

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 Unit Test LESSON ONE

Canada Enters
World War II

Introduction


photograph by Donald I. Grant
Source: Courage Remembered

Grade: ten
Time: One period (70 minutes)

Digital Collections Used:
Courage Remembered: The World Wars Through Canadian Eyes

Handout:
Glossary - "W.W. II Glossary"
Glossary- "W.W. II Glossary Teacher's Copy"

Expectations:
Students will:

  • use the Internet as a research tool.
  • copy relevant information into their notes.
  • co-operate in pairs.
  • compare and contrast two historical events (outbreaks of W.W.I & W.W.II).
  • define terms: "phony war", Maginot Line, Dunkirk, Luftwaffe.

Preparation:

  • Ensure that Internet access is available for entire period.
  • Make a copy of the Glossary for each student. Keep a copy of the Teacher Copy for yourself.

Lesson Plan:

  1. Students go into Canada's Digital Collection called Courage Remembered. They then read the section describing the major events of World War II, recording relevant information into their notes.
  2. Have each student divide a piece of note paper into a two column chart labeled "WWI" and "W.W.II." Working in pairs, they use the Courage Remembered site to outline similarities and differences between the outbreaks of the two World Wars.
  3. Give each student a copy of the "World War II Glossary" handout. The class then forms and records definitions for the following terms:
    • "phony war"
    • Magnet Line
    • Dunkirk
    • Luftwaffe
  4. Teacher concludes exercise by quickly taking up the note taking to ensure that all students have the essential information. Any remaining time can be used to clarify early events in the war, such as the phony war period, the collapse of the Maginot Line, or the evacuation of Dunkirk.

Evaluation Opportunities:

  • briefly check notes for neatness and content.
  • mark the one page comparison chart.

W.W. II GLOSSARY

Lesson Term Definition
1 "Phony War"
 
 
 

 
Maginot Line
 
 
 

 
Dunkirk
 
 
 

 
Luftwaffe
 
 
 

 
2 Italian Campaign
 
 
 

 
3 Hong Kong
 
 
 

 
Dieppe Raid
 
 
 

 
P.O.W.
 
 
 

 
Geneva Convention
 
 
 

 
4 Netherlands (Holland)
 
 
 

 
Occupation
 
 
 

 
Resistance
 
 
 

 
Liberation
 
 
 

 
5 Battle of Britain
 
 
 

 
The Blitz
 
 
 

 
Convoy
 
 
 

 
Operation 

Sea Lion
 
 

 
U-Boat
 
 
 

 
Spitfire
 
 
 

 
Lancaster
 
 
 

 
RCAF 
 
 
 

 
Bomber Command
 
 
 

 
6 Telegram 
(Cablegram)
 
 

 
8 Books of 
Remembrance
 
 

 
War Graves
 
 
 

 
War Memorials
 
 
 

 
9 Royal Canadian 
Legion
 
 

 

 
 

W.W. II GLOSSARY
Teacher's Copy

Lesson Term Definition
1 "Phony War" The nickname for the period between the declaration of war against Germany in October 1939 and the German invasion of Denmark in April 1940. It was called the phony war because no battles took place during this period.
Maginot Line A line of forts and machine guns along the French-German border, meant to repel a German attack. Germany was able to successfully invade France anyway by going around it.
Dunkirk Between May 27 and June 4, 1940, almost 350,000 troops (mostly British) were driven back to the coast by the Germans. England sent all the boats it could (including fishing boats) to evacuate the troops safely. The loss of equipment was a disaster, but the evacuation raised British morale.
Luftwaffe The German Air Force, which fought in the Battle of Britain, bombed Britain during the Blitz, and tried to stop Allied bombing runs over Germany. The Luftwaffe's head was Herman Goering.
2 Italian Campaign The first major excursion for the Canadian army was the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. Over 76,000 Canadians then invaded Italy. They continued to push at the German defences through 1944, forcing the Germans to fight in Italy and France following the D-Day invasion.
3 Hong Kong The first battle in which Canadian soldiers fought in W.W.II. Britain sent two untrained Canadian units to defend the garrison from a Japanese attack. When the attack came on December 7, 1941, the Canadians fought hard but were outnumbered and outgunned by the Japanese. They surrender on Christmas Day and were put in horrific prisoner of war camps. Of the 1,975 Canadians in Hong Kong, over 550 did not return.
Dieppe Raid A mission by the 2nd Canadian Division to attack the French coast to gain experience and knowledge needed to plan the Allied invasion of Europe. The attack was a disaster: of the 4,963 Canadians, only 2,210 returned to Britain. Others were killed or taken prisoner. Although unsuccessful, the Dieppe Raid taught the Allies much about the German defences and assisted their planning on D-Day unmeasurably.
P.O.W. A Prisoner of War, captured by enemy forces. Prisoners must be provided with humane treatment on both sides in a war.
Geneva Convention An agreement by countries fighting the war that prisoners will be provided with food, shelter and clothing. It also guarantees that prisoners must be kept free from murder or torture and be allowed to send and receive mail. The International Red Cross inspects POW camps to make sure that the Geneva Convention is enforced.
4 Netherlands (Holland) The country of the Netherlands was captured by the Germans in four days in March 1940. Following the D-Day invasion, the task of freeing Holland was assigned to the Canadian forces.
Occupation When a country is invaded and becomes ruled by an enemy. Usually the enemy army remains to make sure that their orders are obeyed. Europe was occupied by the German army during W.W.II.
Resistance Secret organized movements who fight against an occupying army. In most of Occupied Europe, local people fought to kill German troops, blow up supply trains, and sent information to the Allied armies in Britain.
Liberation When an occupying army is forced to leave, and a country's former government is restored. The Allies did not conquer the European countries the invaded, but allowed them to rule themselves.
5 Battle of Britain On August 12, 1940, the Luftwaffe began attacking Britain to prepare for an invasion. British, Canadian, and other Commonwealth pilots fought an air war against the Germans. The Germans failed to defeat the Air Forces so plans for an invasion of Britain were canceled.
The Blitz Following the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe continued to bomb London and other British targets at night in the final few months of 1940.
Convoy A system of transporting supplies by sea. Ships would travel in large groups, with only a couple warships to protect them. It was dangerous for ships to travel alone because of the threat of German submarines. Canadian convoys were absolutely essential for providing supplies to Britain during the war.
Operation 
Sea Lion		 The code name given to Germany's plan to invade Great Britain in 1940. The invasion was canceled after Germany lost the Battle of Britain.
U-Boat The German abbreviation for Unterseeboot, a submarine. U-Boats blockaded Great Britain during W.W.II in order to prevent supplies and ammunition from arriving. U-Boats also patrolled the Atlantic and torpedoed any merchant ships that were suspected of carrying weapons for the British.
Spitfire The fighter plane flown by Canadian pilots in W.W.II.
Lancaster The bomber plane flown by Canadian bombing crews in W.W.II.
RCAF  The Royal Canadian Air Force, which fought as a unit of Britain's Royal Air Force during W.W.II.
Bomber Command Led by Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, Bomber Command organized the strategic bombing if targets in Germany during the war. Bomber Command was made up entirely of British officers, even though Canadians also flew on the midnight missions over Europe.
6 Telegram (Cablegram) Messages sent by telegraph recorded onto a message card. When Canadian troops were killed in action, their families would be informed by a telegram.
8 Books of Remembrance The decorated books kept in the Peace Tower of Canada's Parliament which list the names of all Canadians who died fighting for Canada in a war.
War Graves Cemeteries of foreign soldiers in other countries. There are currently over 23,000 cemeteries overseas which contain Commonwealth war graves.
War Memorials Monuments constructed to commemorate those soldiers that have no known grave. There are about 200 memorials maintained in overseas countries. 
There are also many war monuments in Canada as well.
9 Royal Canadian Legion The organization of Canadian veterans. The Legion works to take care of veterans and their families, as well as promote the achievements of the Canadian forces so that future generations will appreciate their sacrifice.

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