CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

The legitimacy of Japanese American

Lesson Title: Date: 11/11/19
internment camps
Unit Central Historical
Question(s):

Subject / Course: U.S. History

Grade: 11
Lesson Duration: 90 minutes

Content Learning Objective (content and product):

e.g., students will be able to [content analysis] by [product and activity].

Students will review the reasons for interning Japanese Americans during World War II and
evaluate the constitutionality of this decision.
ELO: Students will read given sources, differentiate the arguments, and organize their gathered
information into a T-chart with a partner.

Historical Thinking Learning Objective (thinking skill and product):

e.g., students will be able to weigh [historical thinking learning objective] by [activity].
Students will be able to interpret and analyze the claims in various sources and organize this
information into a report defending their position on the legitimacy of the Japanese American
internment camps.

Historical Thinking Skill, California Content, and Common Core Standards Addressed:

HTS- Evidence and Interpretation

11.7.5 California Content- Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home
front, including the internment of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United States of
America) and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens; the response of the
administration to Hitler's atrocities against Jews and other groups; the roles of women in military
production; and the roles and growing political demands of African Americans.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.8
Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with
other information.

Narrative Summary of Tasks / Actions:

 Question on board when students walk in, spend 8 minutes on anticipatory set
 Explain to students the agenda for the day (2 minutes)
 Review previous lessons including propaganda, racism, overall climate of war- answer
questions so far (5 minutes)
 Mini Lecture on Executive Order 9066 and selections from Bill of Rights - have students
take notes (10 minutes)
 Watch YouTube video about Japanese American Internment (10 min)
 Then teacher will pass out packet containing new sources (1 minute)

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 CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

 Teacher will briefly explain each source, but don’t go in depth because that is what the
students will do (4 minutes)
 Explicitly tell students how you want them to read (get two colored pens, with one pen
underline evidence for internment, with the other pen underline evidence against
internment). Have students pair up with a neighbor and work through sources together. (20
minutes)
 After finishing reading the sources, students will work with their partner to create a T-chart,
however both students must have their own copy of the T-chart. (10 minutes)
 Next, the teacher will create a t-T-chart on the whiteboard. Ask for the students evidence
they found and then fill in the T-chart. (5 minutes)
 Then students will use Google Form to turn in a statement of their opinion. This will be
done in a structured sentence. They will write, “I believe the internment of Japanese
Americans during WWII was ___________ (constitutional or unconstitutional) because
_________ (list three pieces of evidence).” (5 minutes)
 Teacher will remind students that the next part of the class is focused on the Court Report.
Teacher will explain directions, show two examples, answer questions, and then share
worksheet link for them to access on their Chromebook or give them a physical copy if they
prefer. (5-8 minutes)
 Students will spend the remainder of class working on the Court Report. It will be due the
next class meeting.

Materials / Equipment:

 Chromebook
 Lecture Sources
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/executive-order-9066 (Executive Order 9066)
https://nccs.net/blogs/americas-founding-documents/bill-of-rights-amendments-1-10 (Bill of Rights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7KJNZUdWR5E&feature=youtu.be&list=PL3XhkxcunJrEQ6ov7Sab9z1V2QyM0FEzq
(YouTube Video)
 Sources about Japanese-American internment
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/letter-to-bannai (Assistant Secretary of War during
WWII)
http://www.sfmuseum.org/war/dewitt0.html (Lt. Gen. J.L. DeWitt’s final report)
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/constitutional-principles-involved-relocation-
program (Director of War Relocation Authority)
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/active_learning/explorations/japanese_internment/munson_report.c
fm (Excerpts from Munson Report)
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/pdfs/internment.pdf (FDR sources)

 Projector: for video and for reviewing sources as a class

 Notebook: for daily warm-up activity, notes from previous classes, and for T-chart
 Court case worksheet handout

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 CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

Inquiry-Based Lesson Plan for History-Social Science

1. Anticipatory Set Time: 10 minutes

“Is there ever a time when military necessity is more important than civil rights? If
so, give an example. If not, why not?”
Students will have one minute to write this question down in their notebook, two
minutes to answer this question in their notebook, one minute to share their
answers with a partner, and 5 minutes to discuss as a class.

2. Central Historical Question for Lesson Time: N/A

Were the Japanese-American interment camps constitutional?

3. Teacher Input (delivery of historical context) Time: 30 minutes

- Review of previous lessons

- Mini Lecture
- YouTube Video
- Go over sources briefly
- Directions

4. Student Activity and Investigation (w/

Time:
differentiation)
- Take notes on lecture (printed slides available for students with visual or fine motor
skill issues)
- Create a T-Chart with a partner
- Fill in the sentence structure on Google Form
- Write a report detailing both arguments and their opinion

5. Lesson Assessment (w/ differentiation) Time:

Content: A student will know

- Knowledge from previous lessons: propaganda, racism, social climate around war
- Executive Order 9066
- Selections from the Bill of Rights and the Constitution

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 CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

- Different perspectives on the necessity of relocating people of Japanese ancestry

Students will create a T-chart and it should include reasons for internment and reasons against internment. I will look
specifically for evidence from Bill of Rights or Constitution on the side against internment and I will look for reasons
related to military necessity on the side for internment.
Skills: A student needs to
- Interpret complex documents
- Evaluate the claims in the sources
- Synthesis relevant information
- Decide on and defend a position
Students will have to pick a position when they fill out the Google Form.
Students will also write a Court Report which will show me they know the arguments from both sides and have formed
an opinion and can defend it with evidence.

6. Closure Time:

7. Student Reflection (metacognition) Time: