Japanese Internment
Students will learn about life in an interment camp by analyzing primary sources (photographs, letters and journal entries) and answering accompanying worksheet questions.
Goals and Objective
Goal: Students will learn what life was like in a Japanese internment camp.
Objective: Students will learn how to analyze primary source documents about Japanese interment in the United States by answering questions about the primary sources. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the primary source documents by writing a 2 paragraph response about what life was like in a Japanese internment camp.
Objective: Students will learn how to analyze primary source documents about Japanese interment in the United States by answering questions about the primary sources. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the primary source documents by writing a 2 paragraph response about what life was like in a Japanese internment camp.
California State Content Standards
11.7 Students analyze America’s participation in World War II
5. Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens.
5. Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens.
Common Core Literacy Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy, RH. 11.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy, RH. 11.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy, WHST. 11.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy, RH. 11.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy, WHST. 11.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Driving Historical Question
How did the U.S. government depict life in the internment camps? What was life actually like in a Japanese internment camp?
Lesson Introduction
Lesson will begin with students watching an excerpt from the youtube.com video, “Japanese American Internment (U.S. Government Propaganda)” Students will then have 2 minutes to answer the question, “What do you think about the living conditions of an internment camp? How do they compare to the living conditions of a Nazi concentration camp?” During this time students can access their prior knowledge and write down something the already know, something they read about or something they want to learn about. After they are done writing, students will turn to their elbow partner and share with them the answers to their questions. Once students are done sharing, the teacher will randomly select 3 to 4 students to share what they wrote with the class. (This activity is designed so that students become curious about Japanese internment camps. Because of the film clips, most students will assume that life in the interment camps was great. However, when analyzing their primary source document they will soon come to realize that that was not the case.)
Vocabulary
- Executive Order 9066
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Toyojiro Suzuki
- War Relocation Authority (WRA)
- Internment Camps
- Relocation
- Racial Prejudice
Content Delivery (Primary Source Analysis with Accompanying Questions)
Students will learn about life in an internment camp by analyzing primary source photographs and documents and then answering the accompanying worksheet questions. The primary source that the students will analyze are varied; Primary Source #1 is a collection of 3 propaganda photos that the U.S. government took. Primary Source #2 are two letters written to a teacher by students who were living in internment camps. Primary Source #3 are entries from the diary of Suzuki, who was also living in an internment camp. Students will learn what life in an internment camp was really like by analyzing the primary sources and answering all the accompanying questions. Once student finish answering the question to “Primary Source #1” they will have an opportunity to share what they wrote with their elbow partner. Once they are done sharing, the teacher will lead a quick discussion in which she will randomly select students to answer the worksheet questions (this will be done in order to ensure that all students have the correct answers). Once the discussion is over students will move on to “Primary Source #2”. Once student finish answering the questions they will have an opportunity to share what they wrote with their elbow partner. Once they are done sharing, the teacher will lead a discussion in which she will randomly select students to answer the worksheet questions. Once the discussion is over students will move on to “Primary Source #3”. Once student finish answering the questions they will have an opportunity to share what they wrote with their elbow partner. Once they are done sharing, the teacher will lead a discussion in which she will randomly select students to answer the worksheet questions. After they are done analyzing all the primary sources and answering the accompanying questions students will review the information on their worksheet and prepare for the formative assessment that will take place at the end of class.
Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities)
Student will remain engaged by analyzing “Primary Source #1”, “Primary Source #2”, and Primary Source #3”. Students will begin by independent analyzing the primary source documents and answering the accompanying questions. (The teacher will walk around the room monitoring student learning, answering questions and making sure that students remain on task). Once they are done answering the worksheet questions students will engage in conversation with their elbow partner and share what they wrote in their worksheet (this will provide students the opportunity to compare their answers with their classmates). Students will continue to remain engaged in the lesson by participating in a class discussion, in which students will be randomly selected to share with the class their answers to the worksheet questions (students will have to remain engaged in the lesson because they don’t know if they will be called upon or not). This process will repeat itself for “Primary Source #2” and “Primary Source #3”
Lesson Closure
At the end of the primary source analysis students will have a formative assessment in which they will have to write a 2 paragraph response answering the question that is written under the “Formative Assessment” section of their worksheet. Question: In the first paragraph of your document analysis you will compare and contrast the different sources. (What do these document have in common? How are these documents different from each other?). In the second paragraph of your document analysis explain what YOU think life in an internment camp was really like (make sure to use quotes from the text to support your claim).
Assessments
Formative:
- Students will have to answer all the questions that are asked in their primary source analysis worksheets. Teacher will walk around the room: monitoring the class, answering questions and making sure that all students remain on task.
- At the end of the photograph/document analysis, students will write a two paragraph analysis about these sources. (Question: In the first paragraph of your document analysis you will compare and contrast the different sources. (What do these document have in common? How are these documents different from each other?). In the second paragraph of your document analysis explain what YOU think life in an internment camp was really like (make sure to use quotes from the text to support your claim).
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
- Each primary source document will provide students with a brief explanation of what the document is about, who wrote it and when it was written. Furthermore, each primary source will be accompanied by questions that students must answer (which will aid their understanding of the primary source)
- Through out the lesson students will have and opportunity to share and compare their answer with their elbow partner (the person that is sitting next to them). This will ensure that students have an opportunity to interact and learn from one another.
- At the end of each primary source analysis section, the teacher will bring the class together and will then randomly select students to share the information they wrote with the class. If students get the answer correctly, they will be given extra credit. If they don’t, then the teacher will explain what the correct answer was in order for all students to have the correct information.
- During their formative assessment, students will be allowed to use their primary source worksheets.
Resources
- Japanese Interment Video, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OiPldKsM5w>
- Primary Source #1 Photographs, <http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/activities/internment>
- Primary Source #2 Letters, <http://www.lib.washington.edu>
- Primary Source #3 Journal Entries, <http://history.nd.gov/textbook/suzuki_diary_all.pdf>