WWII Homefront

Japanese American Evacuation

Two Day Lesson

Pre-lesson preparation: students view documentary film “The Century: America’s Time: Homefront”.

Stanford History Education Group Lesson: Japanese American Evacuation

Homework: reading: Monica Sone’s “Nisei Daughter”

Day Two Lesson

Essential Questions: A. What are the rights of citizens during wartime?

B. Was evacuation the right action to take?

C. How did E.O. 9066 impact Japanese American Lives?

D. How does contemporary American culture remember E.O. 9066?

E. How does place/geography impact the learning of history?

Lesson Objectives: Students will analyze the decision of the federal government to remove west-coast Japanese Americans during World War II. Using primary and secondary sources, students will create a contemporary memorial marking the removal of Japanese Americans from Brentwood, California (students’ home town) and evaluate the importance of teaching history as local history.

Lesson

  1. Focus Question/”Do Now” Exercise: Students examine yearbook photographs presented on front board ELMO projecter. Students are to write down a minimum of three CTQs to identify the people in the photographs and determine significance of the images. Class share of ideas (10 minutes).
  2. Students will then analyze individual photograph (source/content purposely NOT given to students). Same actions as Step #1. (5 minutes)
  3. Building a graphic organizer, students are to write their answers in the upper-left hand corner of the organizer for Step #1. Students place answers for Step #2 in the box below Box #1.
  4. Students are to break up into groups of 3-4. Students are to discuss “Nisei Daughter” excerpt. They are to answer Questions A-C in the upper-right hand corner box (40 minutes)
  5. Slide Lecture: Teacher shares projected image of the photographs from Step #2. Students are to take notes in Box #4, lower ½ page. In viewing the images, students will learn that the images were taken by famous government photographer Dorothea Lange in April and May, 1942. All images were taken in Byron, California, a small farming community less than ten miles from the high school campus. The students from the “Do Now” activity are students who attended Liberty High School until E.O. 9066. Students are to then answer Questions D-E in their small groups.
  6. Homework Question: After completing small group discussion, viewing the WWII-era images, teacher will project images of the current location from where the people were evacuated in 1942. The final lesson question is: Why is this NOT remembered in the local/state community?
  7. Students are assigned the task of creating a public memorial commemorating the evacuation of Brentwood/Byron-area Japanese American citizens. Students are to choose the design of the memorial – a plaque, a statue, marker or other idea. What should the marker commemorate? Where should the marker be located? What shall the purpose of the commemoration be? Students are to reflect upon and include the importance of studying local history and how local markers/geography help the understanding and study of history.