Goals and Objectives:
Goal: Students will understand the role that the atomic bomb played in forcing Japan’s surrender and ending World War II.
Objective: Students will evaluate the U.S. decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan by taking on historical roles and identifying arguments for and against the use of the bomb.
Objective: Students will evaluate the U.S. decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan by taking on historical roles and identifying arguments for and against the use of the bomb.
California State Content Standards:
10.8.6 Discuss the human costs of the war, with particular attention to the civilian and military losses in Russia, Germany, Britain, the United States, China, and Japan.
Common Core Literacy Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.3
Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Driving Historical Question:
Was the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan justifiable?
Lesson Introduction:
When students take their seat in the classroom the teacher will orally administer a quick write prompt that student have to write down and answer in their journals. The prompt will be: Is there room for morals in war? Why or why not? If you think there are morals during war, what would they be? After students write down their responses the teacher will randomly call upon students to share their responses with the class.
Vocabulary:
1. Atomic bomb
2. Hiroshima
3. Nagasaki
4. Moral
5. Harry S. Truman
6. Advisors
7. J. Robert Oppenheimer
8. The Manhattan Project
Vocabulary will be introduced and discussed throughout the lesson. The vocabulary words will be written in the front board in order to ensure that students are aware of the vocabulary that will be utilized throughout the lesson. Furthermore, students will also be provided with a vocabulary handout that includes the definitions of the vocabulary words that are introduced in this lesson so that students can reference them as they come up and later on when they are studying.
2. Hiroshima
3. Nagasaki
4. Moral
5. Harry S. Truman
6. Advisors
7. J. Robert Oppenheimer
8. The Manhattan Project
Vocabulary will be introduced and discussed throughout the lesson. The vocabulary words will be written in the front board in order to ensure that students are aware of the vocabulary that will be utilized throughout the lesson. Furthermore, students will also be provided with a vocabulary handout that includes the definitions of the vocabulary words that are introduced in this lesson so that students can reference them as they come up and later on when they are studying.
Content Delivery:
The teacher will introduce background information regarding the creation of the atomic bomb and the U.S. decision to drop them in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This background information will be introduced through the use of a brief power point presentation that introduces the topic. The power point presentation will help students familiarize themselves with the material and serve as a point of reference during the lesson. Understanding the ideas and concepts presented in the power point and warm up activity will enable students to analyze the political and human impact of the U.S. decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This understanding will help students make decisions and formulate arguments later in the lesson.
Student Engagement:
The classroom will be split in half and both groups will be given role cards that contain the names of historical figures and describe their position regarding the use of the atomic bomb. The role card students receive will determine the role that they play during the simulation. The roles will be: President Truman, five scientists, five generals, and five political advisors. Once in their groups, students will reenact a committee panel that will determine whether or not to utilize the bomb and if they decide to use the bomb they must decide how to use the bomb. Thus, students working in this nuclear bomb committee will formulate a plan of action that describes whether the atomic bomb should be dropped on Japan and why. Every student will present their historical figure’s point of view and listen to the opinion of other student’s figures. At the end, the committee must draft a final decision and students must sign as their historical figure or write their opposing plan. As students are engaging in the simulation they will be completing their atomic bomb decision handout in which they describe their historical figure’s opinion and the decision that their committee reached. Once both group committees have decided whether to use the atomic bomb, the student playing Harry S. Truman from each group will declare their final decision. Students will then engage in a whole class discussion regarding how the decision was reached and how they addressed opposing viewpoints from historical figures in their committee.
Lesson Closure:
At the end of the lesson students will be asked to stay in their character and imagine that they are writing a short diary entry in which they explain their opinion regarding the U.S. decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This short letter will serve as their ticket out the door for the day.
Assessment (Formative and Summative):
Formative: The warm up activity at the beginning of the lesson in which students write about whether there is room for morals in war would serve as a formative assessment. Student discussion and whole class discussion will also serve as formative assessment.
Summative: The handout in which students describe their assigned roles and formulate their decided plan of action regarding the use of the atomic bomb would serve as a summative assessment. The handout would be collected and graded for completion and accuracy. The ticket out the door would also serve as a summative assessment that will enable the teacher to assess students’ understanding of the information and concepts addressed in this lesson.
Summative: The handout in which students describe their assigned roles and formulate their decided plan of action regarding the use of the atomic bomb would serve as a summative assessment. The handout would be collected and graded for completion and accuracy. The ticket out the door would also serve as a summative assessment that will enable the teacher to assess students’ understanding of the information and concepts addressed in this lesson.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs:
Accommodations for English Learners: Providing vocabulary handouts and writing the terms on the board will help English language learners familiarize themselves with the vocabulary that will be used throughout the lesson. The interactive nature of this simulation will encourage English Learners to participate and feel supported by their peers as they work towards solving problems and making decisions. Engaging in the simulation in a group format will enable English learners to receive clarification and help from there peers. Furthermore, working in groups will give English Learners an opportunity to practice their speaking skills.
Accommodations for Striving Readers: The use of this interactive simulation will help striving readers by providing them support from their peers and an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of texts to their group. Having the vocabulary handout would also help striving readers get a sense of what the texts they encounter will be about.
Accommodations for Students with Special Needs: Being presented with material in a variety of ways will help students with special needs by providing them with multiple opportunities to understand the content in different ways. The nuclear bomb decision committee handout would also help students with special needs organize their thoughts and understand their historical figure’s position. Furthermore, special accommodations will be made according to the needs of individual students.
Accommodations for Striving Readers: The use of this interactive simulation will help striving readers by providing them support from their peers and an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of texts to their group. Having the vocabulary handout would also help striving readers get a sense of what the texts they encounter will be about.
Accommodations for Students with Special Needs: Being presented with material in a variety of ways will help students with special needs by providing them with multiple opportunities to understand the content in different ways. The nuclear bomb decision committee handout would also help students with special needs organize their thoughts and understand their historical figure’s position. Furthermore, special accommodations will be made according to the needs of individual students.
Resources:
1. Textbook- Modern History: Patterns of Interaction. 2006 by McDougal Littell.
2. Role cards
3. Primary source excerpts from each historical figure
4. http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp
5. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/
2. Role cards
3. Primary source excerpts from each historical figure
4. http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp
5. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/