Propaganda & Patriotism in World War I

Brandon J. Sethi

Urbana Middle School

AHTC Unit Plan

Illinois State Archives: Springfield, IL

To download this lesson in PDF format, click here.

Lesson #1: What is Patriotism?

Abstract:

Students will be setting the context for the course of the week with several vocabulary terms. Further, this lesson is the first in the series and looks at how the government encourages patriotism through different policies and why they use patriotism.

Essential Questions:

1. What does it mean to be an American?

2. What is patriotism? How or can patriotism be measured?

Assessment:

1. Students will need to successfully complete a Frayer Model worksheet defining the following terms:

- Patriotism, Propaganda, American and Media.

2. Within small groups, students will analyze documents and complete a document analysis form and present their findings to the class.

Setting the purpose:

This lesson is the first of the mini-unit and will be used within the context of a larger World War I unit. To this point, students have studied and learned the causes behind the first World War and are familiar with what propaganda is and how it is used but will be refreshed on that topic during this, the first lesson of the mini-unit.

Analysis of local primary sources:

No local sources used in this lesson.

Ties to national primary source or sources:

1. To start the lesson off, students will complete a think, pair, share as they fill out the Frayer Model template defining the terms: Patriotism, Propaganda, American and Media.
2. After a few moments of group discussion regarding the 4 terms, ensuring students are all on the same page they will be broken into six groups. Each group will be analyzing one of the three sets of documents below. Two groups should have the same documents and when it comes time for discussing the completed document analysis form. After groups have analyzed documents, bring the class together, display the documents on overhead or projector so they may be viewed by all. Call both groups for each document to offer up their interpretation.

Annotated list of materials and resources for the lesson or series of lessons:

1. Frayer Model
2. Document Analysis
3. Patriotism 1a-b.jpg – Formation of Americanization Committee and magazine to be distributed around the nation with the goal of assimilating foreign born people in the United States.
4. Patriotism 2a-b.jpg – Pamphlet advocating for the conservation of coal in the States so that the soldiers overseas would have more coal to use for themselves. People who overuse coal are to considered unpatriotic in this document.
5. Patriotism 3a-b.jpg – Document regarding the structure of community choral groups and their presence at patriotic events. Document outlines the way group should sing, songs they should sing and how they should appear. The goal is in part to teach the songs of the United States to the people through these groups.