​rethink.

Lesson Overview

The lesson is designed to define the term ‘internment camp’ and to illustrate to students what it was like inside of a Japanese Internment Camp during the second World War. First, the term ‘internment camp’ will be defined by the class, with the use of a chart constructed by the teacher. The book, The Children of Topaz, will be read aloud to the class to help build their understanding of Japanese internment camps, and they will also be given time to research the topic on their own. Lastly, life inside of a Japanese Internment camp will be experienced by the students.

 

Preparation

- The Children of Topaz by Michael O’Tunnell and George W. Chillcoat

- Computer Access

- Markers

- Poster Board/ White Board

 

Instruction

 

1. The teacher will prompt a discussion about what the students have already learned about Pearl Harbor, the second World War, and the Japanese Internment Camps. In this discussion, the teacher will focus on the point of the Japanese Internment Camps, and facilitate the creation of  a ‘What You Know, What You Want To Know’ chart with the class. The teacher, and the class, will use the ‘What You Know’ portion of the chart to develop a class definition of the term ‘internment camp’. The teacher will prompt the formation of this term with a question like: “So, based of what we know, how could we define the term ‘internment camp’?

2. After the class has defined ‘internment camp’, the teacher will ignite an exploration of the ‘What You Want to Know’ portion of the chart. The teacher will read aloud to the class sections from the book, The Children of Topaz, by Michael O’Tunnell and George W. Chilcoat, that relate to, or support the students’ questions and comments that were addressed on the chart. The book is about an elementary classroom inside of a Japanese internment camp. As the teacher reads, the students will be encouraged to identify important or interesting points in the book, and the teacher will write these points down.

3. When the students have demonstrated an understanding of what life was like inside of the Internment Camps, they will be allowed to research the topic further on their own, on the Internet, and collect more information.

4. \The teacher will end the lesson by turning the classroom into a Japanese Internment Camp for half of a day. The student will follow rules, be given ration cards, and participate in activities that were typical of daily life in a Japanese internment camp.

 

Standards

R4.A.1.3.1: Make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on information from text.

R4.A.1.4.1: Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from text.

R4.A.2.5.1: Summarize the major points, processes and/or events of a nonfictional text as a whole.

 

Bibliography

• Stamberg, Susan. "The Creative Art Of Coping In Japanese Internment." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126557553>

• "Japanese American Internment." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <"Japanese American Internment." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.>