Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
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Title: Why were the Japanese interned during World War II?
Lesson Author: Matt Walker and Jay Hipes
Key Words: internment, paranoia
Grade Level: 7th
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Rationale/ Purpose (so what?)
The purpose of this lesson is for students to analyze sources to determine why Japanese-Americans were placed in
internment camps during World War II. This will allow students to evaluate historical sources and make their own
conclusions. By doing this students will gain an understanding of how groups and institutions interactions promote
what they perceive to be the common good.
Key Concept(s) include definition:
That individuals rights are sometimes taken by institutions because of fear and paranoia.
NCSS Standard(s)
SOL Information (As written in the Virginia SOL “Curriculum Framework” for the grade level)
NCSS Theme (s) with indicators:
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
b) help learners analyze group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements of culture in
both historical and contemporary settings;
f) challenge learners to evaluate the role of institutions in furthering both community and change; guide
learner analysis of the extent to which groups and institutions meet individual needs and promote common
good in contemporary and historical settings;
g) assist learners as they explain and apply ideas and modes of inquiry drawn from behavioral science and
social theory in the examination of persistent issues and social problems.
Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
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SOL:
USII.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the major causes and effects of American involvement in World War II
by:
c) describing the impact of World War II on the homefront.
Essential Knowledge
Essential Skills
(minimum for SOL Resource Guide)
(minimum for SOL Resource Guide)
While many Japanese Americans served in the armed
forces, others were treated with distrust and prejudice, and
many were forced into internment camps.
Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives. (USII.1d)
Guiding Question(s):
Do institutions have the right to take away rights, even in times of war?
Assessment Tool(s):
Student theories of why Japanese-Americans were detained in internment camps
Student writings
Background: How does this lesson fit into a unit of study? Looking backwards, looking forwards
This lesson would take place after lessons on the Holocaust. Following this lesson the class would begin examining what
life was like on the American homefront during WWII.
Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
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Lesson Objective(s):
Students will be able to:
1. Determine why Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps.
2. Predict if the scenario of people being placed in internment camps could happen again.
Historical Source(s): (include copies in materials
Additional Materials/Resources: (include
section)
copies in materials section)
Executive order
Maps of exclusion areas and internment camps
Article from Los Angeles times
Notice of exclusion
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
Document summary sheets
Procedure/Process:
JUST DO IT! The “Hook”: (A high-interest activity that introduces new content with connections to students’ prior
knowledge. Between 1-5 minutes (Could also introduce the days guiding question)
Students respond to the question of “Have you ever been punished for doing something wrong, when you didn't
do anything wrong?”, or if students haven't experienced that they could respond to the question “How would you feel to
be punished for doing something that you didn't do?”
Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
Obj #
See
above.
Processing Activity and Procedure -include directions,
question frames, assignment detail to be given to
students (these should all be made into explicit materials
(e.g. see material A), and time estimates
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Check for Evidence of Understanding
-Either Formal or Informal(Checks Essential Knowledge and Skills)
Students respond to the question of “Have you ever been
Call on students to respond to the
punished for doing something wrong when you didn't do
question.
Just do it. anything wrong, how did it feel? If you haven't then how would
you feel to be punished for doing something that you didn't do?”
(5 minutes)
After listening to responses ask the students if they felt that it was right that they were punished? Then
Transition: introduce the guiding question for the day. Tell the students they will be investigating the JapaneseAmerican intrernment during World War II to determine the causes for the policy.
Have the students form groups of two or three students. In
Monitor the student groups to ensure that
each group there will be a recorder and detective. Pass out the
they are making progress going through
packets of evidence with the historical materials and the
the evidence.
document summary sheets. Tell the students they will be using
the evidence they have to determine why Japanese-Americans
Objective
were placed in internment camps. They will need to fill out a
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document summary for each source, then once completing
those, they will write a paragraph on why the JapaneseAmericans were placed in Internment camps by looking at their
responses on the document summary sheets.
(25 minutes)
Have the student groups present their reasons why Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps.
Ask the students if they think that it was right for the Japanese-Americans to be place in the internment
camps? Then ask the students why it was right or wrong? Call on different students to respond to this
Transition: question. After calling on four or five students tell the class they are going to take a poll to decide if it was
right or wrong, record this vote on the board.
(10 minutes)
Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
Objective
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In their groups have students discuss whether the placement of
people in internment camps could happen again. Have the
students create a list of reasons to support what they decide.
Then have the students individually write a paragraph answering
the question using the reasons they came up with.
(5 minutes)
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Have the students show their lists of
reasons, collect their paragraphs in the
next class period.
Closure/Writing Prompt:
Students will write a paragraph answering “Could this ever happen again?” using the reasons that they came up
with in their groups. This will be completed for homework and turned in the next class period.
Materials
(one resource per page- so it becomes a teacher or student handout, or overhead directions or ppt
presentation):
Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
Material A: Document summary sheets
Document Title:
What is the purpose of the source:
Does it give any clue about why JapaneseAmericans were placed in internment camps?
If so what clues does it give for why JapaneseAmericans were placed in internment camps?
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Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
Material B: Map of exclusion area and internment camps
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Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
Material C: Notice of exclusion
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Material D: Civil Liberties Act of 1988
CIVIL LIBERTIES ACT OF 1988
Enacted by the United States Congress
August 10, 1988
“The Congress recognizes that, as described in the Commission on Wartime Relocation and
Internment of Civilians, a grave injustice was done to both citizens and permanent
residents of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians
during World War II.
The excluded individuals of Japanese ancestry suffered enormous damages, both material
and intangible, and there were incalculable losses in education and job training, all of
which resulted in significant human suffering for which appropriate compensation has not
been made.
For these fundamental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights
of these individuals of Japanese ancestry, the Congress apologizes on behalf of the
Nation.”
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Material E: Article in Los Angeles Times
Article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times from issue February 2 1942 page 4
The Question of Japanese-Americans
by. W.H. Anderson
Perhaps the most difficult and delicate question that confronts our powers that be is the handling -- the safe and proper
treatment -- of our American-born Japanese, our Japanese-Americans, citizens by the accident of birth, but who are
Japanese nevertheless.
A viper is nonetheless a viper wherever the egg is hatched. A leopard's spots are the same and its disposition is the same
wherever it is whelped.
So a Japanese-American, born of Japanese parents, nurtured upon Japanese traditions, living in a transplanted Japanese
atmosphere and thoroughly inoculated with Japanese thoughts, Japanese ideas and Japanese ideals, notwithstanding his
nominal brand of accidental citizenship, almost inevitably and with the rarest of exceptions grows up to be a Japanese,
not an American, in his thoughts, in his ideas and in his ideals, and himself is a potential and menacing, if not an actual,
danger to our country unless properly supervised, controlled and, as it were, hamstrung.
Thus, while it might cause an injustice to a few to treat them all as potential enemies and to so limit and control their
activities as to prevent the possibility of their becoming actually such, I cannot escape the conclusion and I am by no
means speaking idly or without a reasonable amount of knowledge on the subject -- I cannot escape the conclusion that
such treatment, as a matter of national and even personal defense, should be accorded to each and all of them while we
are at war with their race.
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Teacher Notes (Reflections/clarifications/explanations):
For some students with literacy difficulties, a possible reworded source could be used to help with understanding.