​rethink.

     Pearl Harbor was a traumatic event in worldwide history, and especially in American history; it has affected the way that we as a country respond to war to this day. It’s important that children learn about the events that surrounded Pearl Harbor, so that they can understand and interpret the event in a subjective way.

     The Pearl Harbor Unit will focus on the event and its relationship to the United States of America, in a way that will also bring to light the Japanese-American perspective of the event. The first lesson, will inform students about what happened on the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed. Next, a lesson about American-developed propaganda will be taught; Dr. Seuss will be explored, and children will learn about why and how many Americans formed Japanese-American stereotypes that still exist today. The third lesson will educate students on the Japanese Internment Camps, and then allow them to experience what life was like in a camp. The last lesson will help students understand the atomic bomb drop from the Japanese point of view. We will then discuss problems and retaliations, and how to respond appropriately to aversive situations. To do this, we will utilize the art form of graphic novels and the novel Barefoot Gen.

     In general, the Pearl Harbor Unit was designed to encourage students to think about the events that surrounded Pearl Harbor in a multi-perspective view. The lesson is not designed to shape students’ beliefs, but to encourage them to develop their own personal opinion about the events of Pearl Harbor.