Goals & Objectives
Students will learn about the politics surrounding the end of World War I: the Paris Peace Conference, President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points,” the League of Nations, and the Treaty of Versailles. Students will name major participants of the Paris Peace Conference and list their objectives. Students will identify the major stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles. Students will describe the political climate following the war and its implications.
California State Content
and Common Core Standards
CA History-Social Science 10.6 Students analyze the effects of the First World War.
1 Analyze the aims and negotiating roles of world leaders, the terms and influence of the Treaty
of Versailles and Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the causes and effects of the United
States's rejection of the League of Nations on world politics.
ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
1 Analyze the aims and negotiating roles of world leaders, the terms and influence of the Treaty
of Versailles and Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the causes and effects of the United
States's rejection of the League of Nations on world politics.
ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Lesson Introduction
With students’ eyes closed, the teacher will verbally illustrate the following situational prompt:
Imagine that you got into a fight. It wasn’t even your own fight; it was your friend’s fight, but you were
obligated to help. Then other people started jumping in, and, soon enough, it turned into a huge,
riotous brawl. Some people got caught up in the fight without even knowing for what they were fighting.
In the end, you and your friends lost the fight, and you alone were held responsible for the whole riot –
even though it wasn’t your fight in the beginning. The police decided to heavily punish you: You had to
admit blame for the whole thing. You had to pay for all the damages caused by everyone. You had to
have one arm tied behind your back at all times, and when you were near your opponents, you had to
have both arms tied. You had to give away some of your possessions. To top it off, you had to agree to
all these punishments because you weren’t allowed to eat until you did – they were literally starving
you. Now… how do you feel about all this? Was it fair? Were the punishments too harsh? How could it
have been made more fair? Address those questions in your Daily Journal. Then take the perspective of
your opponent whom was most harmed. How would you feel about punishing your enemy so harshly?
Would you think the punishments were fair from that perspective? How would you expect your enemy
to react to those terms of punishment?
The teacher then projects the questions (shown here in red and blue) onto the screen as a reminder for students. The students will have five minutes to free-write to the prompt in their Daily Journals. At the end of the writing period, the class will spend a few minutes discussing responses, and the teacher will ask the additional question (if it hasn’t already been brought up): Does the situational prompt remind you of anything that happened in history? This is an entry-level assessment of whether students are at all familiar with the Treaty of Versailles, or are at least familiar enough with the concept of peace treaties to recognize that the writing prompt was a dramatization of a war. The teacher will make it understood that the prompt was indeed an adaption of World War I and its conclusion.
Imagine that you got into a fight. It wasn’t even your own fight; it was your friend’s fight, but you were
obligated to help. Then other people started jumping in, and, soon enough, it turned into a huge,
riotous brawl. Some people got caught up in the fight without even knowing for what they were fighting.
In the end, you and your friends lost the fight, and you alone were held responsible for the whole riot –
even though it wasn’t your fight in the beginning. The police decided to heavily punish you: You had to
admit blame for the whole thing. You had to pay for all the damages caused by everyone. You had to
have one arm tied behind your back at all times, and when you were near your opponents, you had to
have both arms tied. You had to give away some of your possessions. To top it off, you had to agree to
all these punishments because you weren’t allowed to eat until you did – they were literally starving
you. Now… how do you feel about all this? Was it fair? Were the punishments too harsh? How could it
have been made more fair? Address those questions in your Daily Journal. Then take the perspective of
your opponent whom was most harmed. How would you feel about punishing your enemy so harshly?
Would you think the punishments were fair from that perspective? How would you expect your enemy
to react to those terms of punishment?
The teacher then projects the questions (shown here in red and blue) onto the screen as a reminder for students. The students will have five minutes to free-write to the prompt in their Daily Journals. At the end of the writing period, the class will spend a few minutes discussing responses, and the teacher will ask the additional question (if it hasn’t already been brought up): Does the situational prompt remind you of anything that happened in history? This is an entry-level assessment of whether students are at all familiar with the Treaty of Versailles, or are at least familiar enough with the concept of peace treaties to recognize that the writing prompt was a dramatization of a war. The teacher will make it understood that the prompt was indeed an adaption of World War I and its conclusion.
Vocabulary
After the opening activity, the teacher will pass out the Guided Notes, and then project onto the screen the list of vocabulary words for the lesson. The teacher will ask the students to think of etymologically related words, synonyms, and possible definitions for each vocabulary word, correcting and augmenting as needed. The students will record related words and synthesize their own definitions in their Guided Notes. The vocabulary words for the lesson are (some are repeats of past vocabulary words – repetition is good!):
alliance annexation armistice conference
imperialism interventionism isolationism nationalism
reparations self-determination socialism treaty
alliance annexation armistice conference
imperialism interventionism isolationism nationalism
reparations self-determination socialism treaty
Content Delivery
The teacher will deliver a lecture presentation on the politics which brought a close to the first World War. The lecture will discuss President Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points," and the Paris Peace Conference and its products (the League of Nations, the Treaty of Versailles, and other treaties negotiated). A focus will be placed on major participants of the Peace Conference and their objectives. Guided notes will accompany the lecture.
Student Engagement
During the lecture, students will complete the provided Guided Notes packet to help them absorb and retain the information from the lecture. The Guided Notes will incorporate the lesson vocabulary, matching and filling-in-the-blank with terms, and both oral and written comprehension, analysis, and synthesis questions regarding the lecture material.
Lesson Closure
After the lecture is completed, the teacher will employ a drill-and-practice technique to summarize and to assess student learning: The teacher will ask the class (as a whole) to name the nation that corresponds to each leader (and vice versa), and ask individual students (being sure to call on a variety of students) to describe the objectives of different nations/leaders during the Peace Conference.
Assessment
Entry-Level The lesson introduction activity (Daily Journal writing and subsequent discussion/questions) serves as an entry-level
assessment, assessing whether students recognize characteristics of the Treaty of Versailles or wars/treaties at all.
Formative The lecture features periodic pauses to discuss questions that promote higher-level thinking, assessing whether the
students are comprehending the subject matter and concepts. The Guided Notes contain multiple means of
assessment throughout the lecture.
Summative The end of the Guided Notes presents some essay questions to be completed for homework. Those essays will
promote higher-level thinking, support Common Core writing standards, and serve as a summative assessment of
retention/comprehension of the lesson’s main ideas (the goals and objectives).
assessment, assessing whether students recognize characteristics of the Treaty of Versailles or wars/treaties at all.
Formative The lecture features periodic pauses to discuss questions that promote higher-level thinking, assessing whether the
students are comprehending the subject matter and concepts. The Guided Notes contain multiple means of
assessment throughout the lecture.
Summative The end of the Guided Notes presents some essay questions to be completed for homework. Those essays will
promote higher-level thinking, support Common Core writing standards, and serve as a summative assessment of
retention/comprehension of the lesson’s main ideas (the goals and objectives).
Accommodations for English Learners,
Striving Readers, and Students with Special Needs
The Guided Notes start with defining and etymologically analyzing vocabulary words, providing a thorough comprehension of the academic language. The lecture presentation contains repetition of vocabulary words and their definitions, color-coded emphases on places and names, and imagery to scaffold learning for students with special needs. The Guided Notes contain imagery and multiple activities that reinforce visual and other ways of learning. Spanish translations of “You Tell Me” slides and essay questions are made available for appropriate English Learners.
Lesson Resources
Brigham Young University: "Fourteen Points" Transcript
British Broadcasting Corporation: Versailles and Peacemaking
Edward N. Jackson: Peace Accord, France
Finding Dulcinea: Treaty of Versailles Signed
McKay, John, et al., A History of World Societies: Since 1500 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007)
Norton, Mary Beth, et al., A People & a Nation: Since 1865 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005)
British Broadcasting Corporation: Versailles and Peacemaking
Edward N. Jackson: Peace Accord, France
Finding Dulcinea: Treaty of Versailles Signed
McKay, John, et al., A History of World Societies: Since 1500 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007)
Norton, Mary Beth, et al., A People & a Nation: Since 1865 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005)