Lesson Planning Template

GOALS

(A) What is the goal(s) of the broader unit, lesson, or activity that you will be pushing into?
World War II

(B) What is the goal(s) of the particular lesson or activity that you are planning for this
exercise? To evaluate the choice President Truman made within the context of the time he
made it.

HOP: Under what circumstances do we as a society justify the taking of a human life?

CHQ: How does President Truman justify dropping the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan?

SKILLS:disciplinary close reading, contextualization

EVIDENCE

How will you know if your students have achieved the goal(s) that you listed in (B)?
Consideration and critique of alternate options

LEARNING PLAN

Time Teacher Actions Student Actions Resources

5 min Do Now Canvas

5 min Do Now Discussion (consider the HOP)

5 min EBK on USA v Japan leading

up to through and beyond
Pearl Harbor, economic
sanctions, Midway highlight
loss of American lives

5 min Read The World At War https://www.neis

Chpt 24: pg. 793-795 d.net/cms/lib/TX
America’s History for the 02215002/Centr
AP Course: 8th Ed. icity/Domain/51
45/americas_his
tory_for_the_ap
 __-_james_a_h
enretta_complet
e.pdf

5 min Discussion: why does discuss

Truman drop the bomb?
What did Truman’s advisors
think would happen if the US
invaded Japan? What other
options did Truman rule out?

1 min Read excerpt from Truman http://www.dann

speech en.com/decision
/hst-ag09.html

5 min Discussion What reason did

Truman give this time?
Truman makes a distinction
between Hiroshima as a
“military base” and other
industrial cities. Why might
that matter to him?

4 min Read NPS doc https://www.nps

.gov/articles/tru
manatomicbom
b.htm

5 min Discussion: How does

Truman characterize the
nation of Japan and its
people this time? How might
this characterization influence
his consideration of the
alternate options? What are
the alternate options? Are
any of them valid?
Talk at your table specifically
answer those questions
10 min Lead whole class discussion Each table shares out
answer to the 2 questions

Remainder of Create doc answering CHQ

class and citing quotes from texts
as evidence. Then answer
question of whether you think
Truman’s justification is valid?
Re-consider HOP

REFLECTION

Ethical Dilemma: Do the previous justifications for taking a life still hold up here?