The lesson starts by building historical context and content vocabulary. Students do multiple readings while taking different points of view, then use what they’ve learned to take part in a scored class discussion in which they use powerful and persuasive language.

Through an in-depth examination of a primary source excerpt, Churchill’s Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat:Address to Parliament on May 13th, 1940, students will identify meaningful passages of text that might bring citizens to support the entry into war. They will contextualize,analyze,and interpret the passage, then use evidence from it to answer the lesson’s overall focus question, What was Churchill’s purpose in giving this speech?