Quick Write How do you address student questions about sensitive topics? Have you ever used student questions to drive future instruction? How would student achievement be impacted if you responded to specific student concerns rather than a prescribed curriculum?

Exploring a whole different part of World War II Japanese Internment Exploring a whole different part of World War II

Rationale How can people stand by and let this happen? After reading The Diary of Anne Frank and nonfiction supplements about the European theater of World War II, my students had many questions about the atrocities committed by the Nazis. Some of the most common ones were: How can people stand by and let this happen? How could the Nazis take people from their homes and force them to go to camps? Were all Germans racist against Jewish people?

A word of caution… It is extremely important to explain to the students that the Japanese people were not harmed in the camps in the ways that the Jewish people were killed or harmed in concentration camps. Although I am making a connection between the Nazis’ treatment of Jewish people and the United States’ treatment of Japanese people, I am NOT saying that concentration camps and internment camps are the same thing. During this comparison, which is purely discussion, we focus on issues of property loss, the loss of individual freedom and the subjugation of one race/nationality/religious group under another.

Lesson Sequence Discussion—different theaters of WW II Read Text #1 (we read the whole story) Graphic organizer Read Text #2 (we read this orally) View Text #3 (we view this) Discussion—point of view Discussion—other primary documents Writing! 

Text Excerpt #1 “Camp Harmony” by Monica Sone http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/holt-eol2/collection%208/campharmpg1.htm

Text Excerpt #2 “In Response to Executive Order 9066” –Dwight Okita

Text Excerpt #3 “Uprooted” from the series “We the People” An oral history project produced by the California Museum If you’d like more information, reference www.californiamuseum.org

Graphic Organizer Short story Poem Oral History

Point of View Let’s try it!  At this point, we discuss what it would be like to be in the camps. I tape out a typical barracks on the floor in my room and push the desks back so they can see the size they’d be living in. In their teams, they brainstorm what they’d miss the most and what their number one challenge would be. Then we share on the Smart Board in a T-chart. Let’s try it! 

Other Primary Documents Executive Order 9066 The Fifth Amendment

How we’d feel… What we’d miss the most… What would be our biggest challenge…

Writing Prompt Your persuasive letter must include: A thesis statement that has (1) the topic (2) your opinion (3) a plan of development At least three strong reasons to support your thesis statement A strong concluding paragraph urging President Roosevelt to take action At least three appropriate transitions A date (that matches the topic), a formal opening, a formal closing, a realistic address