HASS · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Appeasement and the Path to War

Active learning works for this topic because students need to confront the gradual normalization of persecution and the choices of individuals in extreme circumstances. Moving beyond lectures allows students to analyze primary sources, debate ethical dilemmas, and recognize how ideology and policy unfolded in real time, making the historical narrative more tangible and thought-provoking.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9H10K01

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Individual

Gallery Walk: Personal Narratives of Resistance

Display stories of individuals like Oskar Schindler, the Bielski partisans, and ordinary citizens who hid Jewish families. Students move through the room, taking notes on the risks these individuals took and their motivations. This shifts the focus from victimhood to agency and moral courage.

Evaluate the effectiveness of appeasement as a diplomatic strategy.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, circulate with guiding questions that prompt students to look beyond the text for emotional tone and subtext in the personal narratives.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was appeasement a necessary evil or a catastrophic mistake?' Ask students to take a stance and support it with at least two specific historical events or decisions discussed in class, referencing the motivations of leaders and the impact on Hitler's actions.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Nuremberg Laws

In small groups, students examine the 1935 laws and track how they systematically stripped Jewish people of their rights over time. They create a timeline showing the transition from social exclusion to state-sanctioned violence. This helps students understand that the Holocaust was a process, not a single event.

Analyze the motivations behind British and French appeasement policies.

Facilitation Tip

During the Collaborative Investigation, assign small groups specific sections of the Nuremberg Laws to analyze, then have them present their findings to the class for comparison.

What to look for

Provide students with a short primary source quote from a leader involved in appeasement (e.g., Chamberlain, Churchill). Ask them to identify the speaker, explain the context of the quote, and state whether it supports or critiques appeasement, justifying their answer with evidence from the quote and their knowledge of the period.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The World's Response

Students read excerpts from the 1942 Joint Declaration by members of the United Nations regarding the 'cold-blooded extermination' of Jews. They discuss in pairs why more wasn't done to intervene at the time, considering factors like wartime priorities and antisemitism. They then share their reflections on the responsibility of the international community.

Predict the alternative outcomes if appeasement had not been pursued.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share on the World's Response, provide a structured graphic organizer to help students organize their thoughts before sharing with the class.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence explaining why Britain and France pursued appeasement, and one sentence explaining a direct consequence of this policy for Hitler's territorial ambitions.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching this topic requires balancing historical rigor with sensitivity. Experienced teachers approach it by grounding discussions in primary sources to avoid abstract generalizations, while also providing clear frameworks for analyzing ideology and policy. It’s important to create a classroom environment where students feel safe to wrestle with difficult questions, but also guided to avoid oversimplification or emotional overload. Research suggests that structured discussions and role-playing can help students grasp the complexities of decision-making during this period.

Successful learning looks like students interpreting primary sources critically, identifying patterns in policy decisions, and articulating connections between ideological beliefs and state actions. They should also be able to contextualize human responses, recognizing both the constraints and courage of individuals during this period.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk: Personal Narratives of Resistance, students may assume that resistance only involved physical acts like armed uprisings. Watch for this assumption as they read the narratives.

  Redirect students by pointing out the variety of resistance forms in the sources, such as spiritual resistance, hidden documentation, or small acts of defiance in daily life.

• During the Collaborative Investigation: The Nuremberg Laws, students may believe that the laws were universally accepted or hidden from public view. Watch for this during group discussions.

  Use the primary sources from the activity to show how the laws were publicized and normalized in newspapers and public announcements, making their visibility a key focus of the investigation.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share