Title: Points of Views during World War II
Type of teaching unit: Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 6th grade
Time Frame: 4-50 minute sessions
Subject Matter: Conditions of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II
Teacher Information:
Name: Julee A. Baysinger
School: William Holliday School
AAM affiliation: Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Email Address: jbaysinger@stclair.k12.il.us
Lesson plan description and rationale:
We will research the camps of Manzanar to sensitize and see different points of views in regards to the treatment of the Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II.
State standards:
16.A.2b Compare different stories about a historical figure or event and analyze differences in the portrayals and perspectives they present.
16.A.2c Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from historic documents, images and other literary and non-literary sources.
Objectives:
After completing our unit on World War II, the students will become aware of what happened to Japanese Americans in the United States. The students will have a picture of the camp of Manzanar and a copy of the photographic analysis form (from the Learning Page). We will then research the relocation of the Japanese Americans, looking at the various viewpoints of the relocation. The students will create a power point to showcase their findings. They will have a 6 slide minimum.
Resources:
Adams,
Ansel. "Manzanar from Guard Tower, view west, (Sierra Nevada
in Background) Manzanar Relocation Center, California." 1902. "Suffering
Under a Great Injustice": Ansel Adams's Photographs
of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar. (Picture of the Manzanar
Camp) [LC-A351-3-M-4-Bx]
[Date visited 4/12/04]
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/manz:@field(NUMBER+@band(ppprs+00200))
"Suffering Under a Great Injustice": Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar [Date visited 4/12/04]
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aamhtml/aamhome.html
National Park Service [Date visited 4/12/04]
Beyond Manzanar [Date visited 4/12/04]
http://mission.base.com/manzanar/
Methods:
1. The students will view the picture of the campsite at Manzanar and fill in the photographic analysis form (Learning Page, lesson plans, photographic analysis) in pairs. Refer to this link http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/brady/photo.html
2. In pairs, the students will read through the Ansel Adam collection. They will be looking through the site to answer these questions:
a. Where was the camp?
b. Who was taken to the camp?
c. Where did they live originally?
d. What were the conditions?
e. How were they treated?
f. How different are the points of views from the Japanese Americans from Americans?
3. The students will also visit the other websites to further their knowledge of the camps.
4. The students will use the information to create a power point slide to describe their findings. The students will use at least 6 pictures from the Ansel Adam collection to describe the relocation camps.
5. The students will showcase their results by giving an oral presentation along with their power point presentation.
Evaluation:
The students will be evaluated on the content within their power point and their
oral presentation.
Keywords for this lesson:
Ansel Adam
Manzanar
Relocation of Japanese Americans
World War II