Content Area Blog websites #2

Content Area Blog

Charlotte Wesley-Musonda  EDU 551-50

February 21, 2011

I am teaching a grade 10 level U.S. History unit on the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.  In addition to three book sources to supplement the textbook, I have chosen the two websites below to provide additional perspectives on the internment.

 

1. “Letters from the Japanese American Internment”, correspondence between San Diego librarian Clara Breed and young internees. Smithsonian Institution.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/japanese_internment/index.html

Retrieved February 21, 2011.

I would assign a letter to each student to read and write a short reflection comparing the letter to what they have learned factually about the Japanese-American internment and conditions in the camps.  The reflections would be shared with the class.

JARDA: Japanese American Relocation Digital Archives

http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/jarda/

Retrieved February 21, 2011.

I would ask each student to choose a work of art (painting) contained within the website and write a reflection on what the artist is trying to portray and express, and to compare/contrast the scene in the painting with what the student has learned about the internment from factual sources. The reflections would be shared with the class.

At the end of the unit, the students’ reflections will be compiled into a PowerPoint presentation, or into an online document where they can post comments on each other’s work.