Activity overview
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Students will analyze secondary accounts of the Italian campaign.
In this activity, students will engage in a debate over the success or failure of the Italian Campaign. The teacher will divide the class in half, one group representing the “failure” argument, and one group representing the “success” argument. Each group will be a “newsroom”, and will be under a deadline to publish a class newsletter with short, concise sections on topics that highlight their side of the argument. Some suggested topics include:
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Primary HTC concept(s)
explored in this activity Perspectives guidepost 3 The perspectives of historical actors are best understood by considering their historical context. Secondary HTC concept(s)
explored in this activity Ethical Dimensions guidepost 2 Reasoned ethical judgments of past actions are made by taking into account the historical context of the actors in question Ethical Dimensions guidepost 3 When making ethical judgments, it is important to be cautious about imposing contemporary standards of right and wrong in the past. |
Please see The Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts (2012) by Peter Seixas and Tom Morton, as well as the Historical Thinking Project website for further ideas for student assessment or to adapt these activities.
Questions posed to students in this activity
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Research question: What are the arguments for each side of the debate?
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Inquiry question(s): How might the Italian campaign be justified from an Allied perspective?
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Considerations for teachers to introduce in student inquiry
Additional guiding question for students: Can there be a definitive answer to whether or not a military campaign is a success or a failure? What criteria might you establish to make such a decision?