North Carolina at Home and in Battle in World War II

Subjects

Eighth-grade social studies
Eleventh-grade United States history

Competency goals

Social studies: 6
United States history: 10

Instructional materials

• civil defense posters (available at http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/homefront/civil_defense.html and http://www.state.nh.us/ww2/loose.html)
• Plane spotting silhouettes (available at http://www.wingsacrossamerica.us/wasp/arcade/spotter_game.htm)
• poster paper
• crayons or colored markers

Introduction

World War II was raging abroad, and many American citizens were in the thick of the action. But who was defending American soil, North Carolina soil? How did those at home aid the war effort? What part did the concern for national security play in citizens’ daily lives? North Carolinians took their responsibilities for local defense and safety seriously. They volunteered as air-raid wardens and first-aid workers. They learned to identify enemy aircraft and to black out their homes at night.

Procedure

1. Show the online civil defense posters.
2. Ask students to imagine that they are living in North Carolina during World War II. Brainstorm with them to answer such questions as
   -- What can we do locally to prepare for the possibility of an attack on North Carolina? (With German U-boats patrolling the state’s coastline, this was a real threat.)
   -- What can we do in our homes from day to day to aid the war effort?
3. As the students respond, construct a graphic organizer or Venn diagram to demonstrate how events and the actions suggested by the students are linked through cause and effect.
4. Show students the silhouettes of enemy planes that citizens might spot in the air on the above Web site. These silhouettes were printed on playing cards for people to learn easily. Military pilots had to learn the shapes of planes they might encounter. For them, it was a matter of life and death. But many citizens also learned to identify these silhouettes to warn against invading enemy aircraft. Because they were often outdoors, children in particular were encouraged to learn to recognize the planes on the cards. Silhouette cards seem out of date now because of advances in technology. What problems related to national security and home defense does America face today?
5. Use the posters to create another set of cognitive maps and related lists. Suggest the following topics for discussion.
   -- Idle gossip poses a threat to our soldiers.
   -- If you see troops conducting field exercises in your community, do not talk about it or spread it around town.
   -- An enemy spy may be traveling through the area in search of information.
   -- A relative writes home about military information.
6. Students will construct their own posters with a modern twist. What problems do new technologies—the Internet, cell phones, digital cameras, hand-held camcorders, GPS devices—pose and how would a modern poster campaign address these new problems? Student posters should have similar themes as those created during World War II and can be displayed in the room until the class reaches present-day conflicts on the time line of American history.

Extension activity

Have the students research and report to the class on specific civil defense or military activities in North Carolina during World War II, perhaps in the students’ own communities. Good sources of information include older residents and local museums or historical societies.