A global war fought by an imperial army
I can explain why the global nature of the Second World War had an impact on Britain.
A global war fought by an imperial army
I can explain why the global nature of the Second World War had an impact on Britain.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The Second World War was fought across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
- During the war, soldiers from all over the British Empire and Commonwealth fought against Nazi Germany and their allies.
- Before the war, most people in Britain would only rarely travel abroad or meet people from other countries.
- With large numbers of British soldiers mixing with Empire and Commonwealth troops this changed.
- In Britain itself, many people travelled from across the Empire to assist the war effort, bringing ethnic diversity.
Keywords
Empire - a group of countries ruled by one country or leader is called an empire
Allied Forces - the Allied Forces included Britain and those countries that fought with Britain in WWII
Ethnic diversity - ethnic diversity refers to many people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
Common misconception
Some pupils may think that the fighting in the Second World War only happened in Europe.
Discuss how the fighting was global and happened across three different continents with millions of people worldwide involved.
To help you plan your year 6 history lesson on: A global war fought by an imperial army, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 6 history lesson on: A global war fought by an imperial army, 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.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Significant turning points: how did experiences differ during WWII? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended