Injustice of Japanese American Internment Camps During WWII

for 8th Grade

Betty Nafziger

Grangeville Elementary Middle School nafzigerb@jsd241.org

12,000 persons of Japanese ancestry were ordered by the U.S. government into internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The U.S. government feared that Japanese living mainly in California (68% of them were American citizens) would aid a Japanese invasion on the west coast. This feared caused drastic actions to take place and Executive Order 9066 was issued by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This order authorized a mass removal of Issei (first generation Japanese ancestry in U.S.) and Nisei (second generation and mainly American citizens) from the west coast into relocation centers. They had only a few days to sell their homes, businesses, vehicles, and other properties. They could take with them only what they could carry.

What justification did our government have to induce such action against the Japanese American people?

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The Task

The student’s task will be to read materials related to Japanese American Internment and find on line primary sources such as photos and real life experiences to add to their information. Based on their researched information and other resources and knowledge of the Bill of Rights, students will discuss and conclude on injustices forced upon people of Japanese ancestry and Japanese American citizens.

Students will learn about injustices against Japanese Americans during the Japanese Internment.

Students will defend injustices based on information researched.

Students will design Power Points to convey researched information to classmates.

Students will search for primary sources such as pictures or videos to support their findings of injustices.

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The Process

Day 1:

The focus of the first lesson is for students to discuss people and possessions that are important to them. Have the students work individually or in small groups to answer the following questions. Answers can be listed on an overhead or have the students record their own answers and then share with the class.

Some example questions are:

1. What people do you enjoy spending time with?

2. What is your daily routine like. What kinds of things do you do on a regular basis?

3. Describe your bedroom. How big is it? Do you share it with another sibling? What is in it?

4. How far (minutes/seconds, feet/yards/or number of steps) is it from your bedroom to the bathroom, kitchen, dining room or the place that you eat your meals?

5. What are your favorite foods? Are they always in your house?

6. What things do you see, smell, or hear outside the front door of your house?

7. Describe your pet. Tell something funny or interesting about them.

The following site contains a lesson plan and worksheet that will be used to continue this lesson for day 2.

http://bss.sfsu.edu/internment/lessonplanaskasia.html

Day 2:

Introduce to the students some background information related to the Japanese Internment during WWII. Connect with students how they answered their questions on Day 1 to how a Japanese teenager their age would handle suddenly being uprooted from the only way of life that they knew.

After discussion, begin reading to class The Journal of Ben Uchida. Continue to read the journal each day even once the assignment is completed. It is important to finish the book so that students can relate this first hand information to what they had learned previously about Japanese Internment.

Day 3 and Day 4:

Students will now go on line and compile information about the Japanese Internment and gather information showing the injustices and rationales of it. Review with students the Bill of Rights and have them consider any violations of these rights to the Japanese Americans that were relocated. Use the following process to begin this lesson:

1. Divide the students into groups of two- three.

2. While researching on line, students will work to gather information to answer the following questions:

a. What injustices were done to the Japanese population that were relocated to internment camps? Give examples. Save a few pictures.

b. What rationales were given by the U.S. government to justify the relocation of Japanese Americans?

c. In what ways were the rights of Japanese Americans violated during their internment?

3. Students will be given sites to view. They are to save materials that they can use to support their answers to the above questions. They need to save about 4-5 pictures to have in their power point presentations.

4. Each student group will present their information in a power point to the class.

Sites for students to use are the following:

http://www.lib.utah.edu/spc/photo/9066/9066.htm

http://www.scu.edu/SCU/Programs/Diversity/memorial.html

http://education.nebrwesleyan.edu/eisenhower/partsites/northeastpage/safarik/internmentpage.html

http://www.children-of-the-camps.org/documentary/participants.html

http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/redress.htm

http://www.army.mil/CMH-PG/BOOKS/70-7_05.htm

Day 5:

Students will complete gathering information and develop a power point to present their researched material. Suggestion for power point presentation:

a. 8-10 slides minimum

b. minimum of 3 photos of internment camps or people

c. each group member will participate in narration of power point

d. Do not use any sound effects

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Evaluation

    Students projects will be assessed using the following rubric. You will be evaluated in 5 areas: Introductions/topics, Conclusions reached, Information gathered,Summary paragrah, and Punctuation, capitalization, spelling. Each catagory will be worth points ranging from 20, 17, 14 and 10.

The project is worth 100 points.

               A = 100 - 90 points

               B = 89 - 80 points

               C = 79 - 70 points

                  D = 69 - 60 points

               F = 59 and below

Grangeville Elementary/Middle School

Research Project: Internment of Japanese

Name: ________________________ Teacher: Mrs. Nafziger

Criteria

Points

20

17

14

10

Introduction/ Topic
Student(s) properly generate questions and or problems around a topic. Student(s) generate questions and or problems. Student(s) require prompts to generate questions and or problems.
Questions or problems are teacher generated.

____

Conclusions Reached
Numerous detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered. Several detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered. Some detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered. A conclusion is made from the evidence offered.
____

Information Gathering
Information is gathered from multiple electronic and non-electronic sources and cited properly. Information is gathered from multiple electronic and non-electronic sources. Information is gathered from limited electronic and non-electronic sources. Information is gathered from non-electronic or electronic sources only.
____

Summary Paragraph
Well organized, demonstrates logical sequencing and sentence structure. Well organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing or sentence structure. Well organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing and sentence structure. Weakly organized.
____

Punctuation, Capitalization, & Spelling
Punctuation and capitalization are correct. There is one error in punctuation and/or capitalization. There are two or three errors in punctuation and/or capitalization. There are four or more errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.
____

Total---->

____

Teacher Comments:

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Conclusion

Based on student information gathered and presented in power points, students will have accomplished a better understanding and knowledge of the treatment of Japanese American during WWII.

Extensions of lesson: Using their researched information, students can compare the treatment of Japanese Americans after the attack of Pearl Harbor to the treatment of Arab Americans after the September 11 attacks.

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Teacher Information

Grade Level(s): Grade 8

Subject(s): American History

Length of project: 5-6 Days

Teaching models used: Problem Solving Model

Extensions to additional grades and subjects: Grades 7 and 8, American Literature in connection with Language Arts

Prior knowledge/critical skills needed (either for students or teachers):

Prior knowledge needed for students would be knowledge of events that led up to WWII, and an understanding and knowledge of the ancestry and immigration of Japanese to the United States prior to WWII.

Learning Outcomes/Curriculum Standards:

Learnning outcomes attained from students should include more of an understanding of not only the Japanese culture but how minorities of any culture can be exploited or misunderstood based on bias and prejudice. Students should hopefully learn from this research the importance of using primary sources for research and understanding of historical events.

Skills that students will learn outside of the content area are critical skills such as:

- Understanding cause and effect

- Distinguishing facts and opinions

- Making comparisons

- Recognizing bias

- Problem solving

Idaho Standards addressed in this lesson:

Social Studies Standards:

#473 The student will acquire critical thinking and analytical skills by differentiating against historical facts and historical interpretations.

#476 The student will understand the role of migration and immigration of people in the development of the United States.

#479 The student will understand the cultural and social development of the United States.

#480 The student will understand the foundations and principles of the American political system. They will be able to identify fundamental values and principles expressed in basic documents such as the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Language Arts Standards:

#743 Students will read a varity of traditional and electronic materials for information and understanding.

#744 Writing

02 Students will write and edit for correctness and clarity

06 Students will write to gather, synthesize, and communicate research findings

#747 Viewing

01 Students will view for information and understanding

03 Students will view media to engage in critical analysis and evaluation

Other Information:

Possible Stumbling Blocks of lesson:

Since students are encouraged to use pictures and first hand accounts of the Japanese internment, some of this material may be disturbing to them. Additional time spent on racial prejudice that esculated as a result of Pearl Harbor would be beneficial to students to have a sense of the mind set of many Americans during this time.

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Credits, References & Resources

http://www.lib.utah.edu/spc/photo/9066/9066.htm

http://www.scu.edu/SCU/Programs/Diversity/memorial.html

http://education.nebrwesleyan.edu/eisenhower/partsites/northeastpage/safarik/internmentpage.html

http://www.children-of-the-camps.org/documentary/participants.html

http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/redress.htm

http://www.army.mil/CMH-PG/BOOKS/70-7_05.htm

http://bss.sfsu.edu/internment/lessonplanaskasia.html

The Journal of Ben Uchida by Barry Denenberg

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Based on a template from The WebQuest Page

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