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After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in WWII, the U.S. government declared Japanese Americans on the West Coast needed to be separated from their lives and sent to internment camps. This was a violation of their civil rights but the were, sent to the camps.
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English/Language Arts
Find individual stories on the internet and in the library about Japanese Americans who were interned in the camps. Write an essay from the perspective of one of them about his or her camp experience.
Research poetry written by internees, along with art work produced by them to depict their time in the camps. Share these with your classmates and explain what you find meaningful in each poem or piece of art. (Hint: if you research a specific internment camp, such as Manzanar, Tule Lake, Gila River, Minidoka, etc., you’ll be on your way.)
Social Studies
Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? You may find more than one explanation and may want to compare them.
When Japanese Americans returned to their homes after the war, what awaited them? Cite several of their experiences. Did it matter where they were returning to? For example, was returning to Bainbridge Island, Washington, different than returning to Salinas, California?
STEM
Research the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in Wyoming and find out why growing crops there was called the Miracle of Heart Mountain. What obstacles made it so difficult? What unique way did internees develop to keep vegetables fresh?
Research Skills
It’s often mentioned that a third of the Japanese Americans sent to internment camps were not US citizens, but rarely is an explanation offered to explain this. In truth, we had laws at that time that forbade Asians born outside the U.S. from becoming American citizens. Their children born in the U.S., however, received citizenship at birth. Asian immigrants were also not allowed to own property in the state of California. Research the Asian exclusion laws as they pertained to the United States. When were Asian immigrants finally allowed to become citizens?
Find individual stories on the internet and in the library about Japanese Americans who were interned in the camps. Write an essay from the perspective of one of them about his or her camp experience.
Research poetry written by internees, along with art work produced by them to depict their time in the camps. Share these with your classmates and explain what you find meaningful in each poem or piece of art. (Hint: if you research a specific internment camp, such as Manzanar, Tule Lake, Gila River, Minidoka, etc., you’ll be on your way.)
Social Studies
Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? You may find more than one explanation and may want to compare them.
When Japanese Americans returned to their homes after the war, what awaited them? Cite several of their experiences. Did it matter where they were returning to? For example, was returning to Bainbridge Island, Washington, different than returning to Salinas, California?
STEM
Research the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in Wyoming and find out why growing crops there was called the Miracle of Heart Mountain. What obstacles made it so difficult? What unique way did internees develop to keep vegetables fresh?
Research Skills
It’s often mentioned that a third of the Japanese Americans sent to internment camps were not US citizens, but rarely is an explanation offered to explain this. In truth, we had laws at that time that forbade Asians born outside the U.S. from becoming American citizens. Their children born in the U.S., however, received citizenship at birth. Asian immigrants were also not allowed to own property in the state of California. Research the Asian exclusion laws as they pertained to the United States. When were Asian immigrants finally allowed to become citizens?
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
