Lesson Plan Template

Name: Kyle Deger Class/Subject: US History (Atomic Bomb) Date: April 12, 2011 Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: Students will develop a definition for the term Kamikaze in their own words and connect this component of warfare to contemporary terrorist attacks. Students will assess the United States decision to drop the atomic bomb by ranking which variables/values are most important in making a global decision on the board. Students will evaluate the options the United States had to end WWII in the Pacific through a group discussion and full-class debate.

Content Standards: 16.D.4b (US) Describe unintended social consequences of political events in United States history (e.g., Civil War/emancipation, National Defense Highway Act/decline of inner cities, Vietnam War/anti-government activity). 16.C.3c (W) Describe the impact of technology (e.g., weaponry, transportation, printing press, microchips) in different parts of the world, 1500 - present. 16.A.4b Compare competing historical interpretations of an event.

Materials/Resources/Technology: Chalkboard/Chalk Pen/Paper BBC History of World War II: Hiroshima (DVD) DVD player/Television (Computer/Projector) Picture of 9/11 Terrorist Attack

Teachers Goals:
Students will be able to define the term Kamikaze. Students will decipher the pros and cons of the different options the United States had to end the war with Japan.

Students will understand the variables and ethics that go into an executive decision like the dropping of an atomic bomb on a nation. Students will see the effects of dropping an atomic bomb and have the ability to defend their own opinion on what action the United States should have taken to end the war.

Time

7:50

7:55

Start of Class: Teacher will show picture of the 9/11 terrorist attack to the class. Teacher will asks students if they know what happened on this, and if no response, briefly describe the event. Next, teacher will ask the students what words they would use to describe this behavior (erratic, suicidal, and violent). hopefully a student will pose the term Kamikaze, to describe the attacks and if not, teacher will begin to describe what Kamikaze behavior is. Teacher will link suicide attacks of 9/11 to Kamikaze attacks of the Japanese, but point out how the Japanese attacks were more military oriented and used war planes rather than commercial planes. The act of giving up ones life in order to attack the enemy is where we see a similarity with this contemporary issue and the Kamikaze attacks in WWII. Students will write down a rough definition of what they think Kamikaze refers to based on the example provided. Introduction of Lesson: Todays lesson will focus on the options the US had in order to end this fighting with Japan and ultimately the war. The US was posed with the dilemma, When you are running out of options, what choices do you have to make? Japan continued to keep fighting, even when it looked bleak towards the end of war. Kamikaze attacks and a refusal to surrender its armed forces put the US in a tough spot. So, after further discussing this notion of Kamikaze attacks, we will break up into groups and evaluate the options the US had to end the war. After weighing out the pros and cons of each of these options, you will all hopefully be able to defend what option you would have chosen had you been Harry Truman in 1945. Lesson Instruction: Teacher will begin instruction by defining Kamikaze for students and having them make changes to their rough definition. Kamikaze: a member of a special corps in the Japanese air force charged with the suicidal mission of crashing an aircraft laden with explosives into an enemy target, especially a warship. *Students will keep out the sheet of paper with the written definition to later take notes during the class discussion on the decision to drop the bomb. Teacher will then briefly describe how the Potsdam Conference in Berlin, consisting of all the Allied leaders, called for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces. Japan ignored this. Japan showed no willingness to surrender because they continued to wage war and resort to radical military tactics such as the Kamikaze attacks we just discussed. So, the US was faced with a couple options. One of these options is what we will see in this clip and that is the dropping of an Atomic Bomb on Japan. Teacher will begin instruction by showing clip from BBC History of World War II: Hiroshima (47:00-53:00). This clip will show the choice the US Actually made to end the war, and it will contain footage of the explosion and the effects the bomb had on Japan and its people. Teacher will then discuss with students the four options the US had to end the war (discussed in the previous lecture with co-op): invade Japan with the army, blockade Japan (four major islands), drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan, flaunt the Atomic Bomb by dropping it on an area which has little to no casualties and hopefully having this shake up Japan and forcing them to

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