Dropping of the Atomic Bombs in World War II
Jesse Guzman
AHTC Summer Institute 2007
Abstract
This lesson has two main objectives. First, students will know how the
United States ended the war with Japan.
Second, students will decide for themselves whether the dropping of the
atomic bombs was necessary to end the war with Japan. Students use a thinkquest to learn about the bombings and
about a Hiroshima survivor. Student will also evaluate an interview with one of
the U.S. pilots who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, which is from a local
source. As a result, students will
then be asked to form an opinion on the bombing. Was it necessary? Students will have the opportunity to
review other websites dedicated to the bombings. This leads to the activity of philosophical chairs. Students debate the question: Should
the atomic bombs have been dropped?
The final assessment is a one page reflective paper.
Essential Questions:
1.
What is the purpose of war?
a.
What did the United States do to end the war with Japan?
b.
Was the dropping of the atomic bombs necessary to end the war
with Japan?
Duration: 3 days (45 min. class periods)
Assessment:
The one page reflective paper at the end of the lesson is
the primary assessment. It
requires students answer the questions. What did you learn about atomic bombs,
Hiroshima, and Nagasaki? Should the atomic bombs have been used to end the
conflict with Japan? The point of
view sheet is another assignment that could be collected and assessed. Finally, the philosophical chairs
activity could also be used to assess student knowledge.
Setting the purpose:
The lesson begins with requiring students to think about the
Pacific front of World War II.
This will lead students to be introduced to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. Students will then
be asked to conclude whether or not the atomic bombs should have been
dropped. Students will critically
review primary sources, websites, and participate in a philosophical chairs
debate in order to maximize learning of the key concepts.
Procedure: Day 1
- Introduction
Activity/ Warm-up: Have students
answer the question, ÒDescribe how the war in the Pacific was progressing for
the United States?Ó Discuss the question as a class.
- Next,
have students answer the questions, ÒWhat is an atomic bomb?Ó and ÒWhat do you
know about the history of atomic bombs?Ó
Either have students write a response, discuss them as a class, or
both.
- Present
the Thinkquest to the students either as a class using a LCD projector or have
students review the site individually in a computer lab. Require students to take notes on the
Thinkquest. The site contains information on the history, a comparison chart to
Nagasaki, pictures, and links to other sites. http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214502/index.html
- Concluding
Activity: Have students write a
reflective paragraph on what they learned today. Focus question: ÒWhat did you learn about the atomic bombing
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?Ó
Day 2 (schedule a day in your schoolÕs computer lab or
reserve laptops)
- Introduction
Activity: Have students answer the
question: ÒIs it fair to attack civilians in war?Ó Discuss the question as a class.
- Students
will evaluate two accounts of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima. Students can use the primary source evaluation form attached
or any other form best suited for your class. Students can review sources
individually or in pairs.
o First,
article is an account from a survivor at Hiroshima. http://www.coara.or.jp/~ryoji/abomb/a-bomb1.html
o Second,
article is from a pilot who dropped the first atomic bomb. Stress the local
connection with this source.
ÒFirst A-bomb Dropped RecalledÓ (AbombPilot – WWII CD)
- After
giving the students time to evaluate the primary sources and filling out the
evaluation forms, review them as a class.
- Inform
students that tomorrowÕs activity will be philosophical chairs. It is a debate. A question is presented to the
students. They decide on a
response by moving to a corner of the room. Typically, it is agree or
disagree. Students will then
debate their decisions. If a
student decides to change his position, he can move to the other corner. The question is ÒShould the
atomic bombs have been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?Ó
- Pass
out the Point of view sheet and have
students fill it out. (Reasons for dropping the atomic bombs and against
dropping the atomic bombs) Inform students this will be collected for a
grade. Collect it after
philosophical chairs activity.
- Give
the students the rest of the period to research on the computer. Bookmark the following websites:
o http://www.dannen.com/decision/index.html
¤ Site
contains documents on the decision to drop the atomic bomb.
o http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111041/
¤ Site
has pictures of destruction of atomic bombs and timeline of dropping of atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
¤ Site
has basic information, pictures, and interviews with survivors of the atomic
bombings. (Ensure students know
this is the Japanese point of view.)
- (Homework)
At the end of class remind students to finish filling out the point of view
sheet and be prepared to discuss the philosophical chairs question.
Day 3
- Start
philosophical chairs. Indicate to
students which corner of the room is should have dropped the atomic bombs and
should not have dropped the atomic bombs. Have students pick a corner. Again,
the question is: ÒShould the atomic bombs have been dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki?Ó
- Allow
students to argue their reasoning.
One student speaks at a time. One student speaks for and then against
taking turns. Students should also raise their hand if they want to speak. Teacher is moderator and picks students
to speak and ensures the debate is respectful. Allow students to change corners at any time. This should take anywhere from half to
the entire period.
- Collect
point of view sheet after activity.
- Final
activity, have students complete a one page reflective paper answering the
following questions: What did you
learn about atomic bombs, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki? Should the atomic bombs have
been used to end the conflict with Japan? Give students the reminder of the
class to work on the paper. It
could either be homework or give students an additional day to complete the
paper.
Analysis of Local Primary Sources:
Students will evaluate the article ÒFirst A-bomb Dropped
Recalled.Ó (AbombPilot – WWII CD)
Ties in National Primary Sources:
Students will evaluate several websites dedicated to the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214502/index.html
Atom Bomb
http://www.coara.or.jp/~ryoji/abomb/a-bomb1.html
A Personal Record of Hiroshima
http://www.dannen.com/decision/index.html
Atomic Bomb: Decision
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111041/
The Atomic Bomb
http://www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/ A-bomb WWW
Museum
Annotated List of Materials and Resources:
ÒFirst
A-bomb Dropped Recalled.Ó Unknown
source (AbombPilot – WWII CD)
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214502/index.html
Atom Bomb
http://www.coara.or.jp/~ryoji/abomb/a-bomb1.html
A Personal Record of Hiroshima
http://www.dannen.com/decision/index.html
Atomic Bomb: Decision
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111041/
The Atomic Bomb
http://www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/ A-bomb WWW
Museum
Attachments:
Primary Source Evaluation Form