The Japanese Internment: A Dark Chapter in American History.

Japanese Internment Posted by: Krenk, Laura Email: laura. krenk@ops. org[->0] Grade Level: All Themes: 1. Internment Camps 2. Racial discrimination 3. World War II Objectives: The student will: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the key terms as outlined in the text 2. Analyze why Japanese-Americans were sent to Internment Camps 3. Speculate why German-Americans and Italian-Americans were not sent to Internment Camps 4. Visualize what an Internment Camp looks like 5. Relate to students of the same age by interpreting the emotions expressed by seventh graders sent to Japanese Internment Camps Intro Set:

In their notebooks, have students answer the following scenario: “The government says that you and your family need to move to support the war effort.

You have been given two hours and one small suitcase to gather all of your belongings before you leave. What would you take with you if you knew you would never see your home again? ” Meterial: 1. Letters of interned students located at Japanese Internment Letters. http://www. lib. washington. edu 2. Overhead projector; transparency sheets and overhead pens 3. If students do not have notebooks for daily assignments) Paper for students to use to complete their anticipatory set, notes, etc. Process: 1. After a short discussion of the anticipatory set, have students break into seven small groups. You may want to create these groups yourself. 2. Assign each group one of the letters. Have them complete the following questions as a group: a. How does this letter make you feel? b. What emotions does the writer express in the letter? c. What do you think this person’s life was like during World War Two? d.

Why do you think Japanese-Americans were forced to go to Internment Camps, and not German- or Italian-Americans? 3. Have each group trade letters for the duration of the activity, so that they may read as many primary source documents as possible. 4. To conclude, lead a discussion as to what the students felt about the activity. Then, have them complete the assessment activity. Advice: This activity requires the teacher to set-up expectations prior to the activity. It is suggested that the teacher use this activity in classrooms that have done group work, and are used to moving around in the classroom.

Provide students with copies of the letters located at Letters of interned students located at Japanese Internment Letters. http://www. lib. washington. edu Camp Harmony, Washington (Japanese-American Internment Camp located in Puyallup, Washington, near Seattle, Washington) Summary: This activity can be expanded depending on the needs of the curriculum. This activity is primarily used to understand the feelings of young people forced to relocate to Internment Camps. Some background information: · The letters were written to Ella C.

Evanson who taught seventh grade at George Washington Junior High School in Seattle, Washington · Letters 1, 2, 3, and 4 were written in Miss Evanson’s autograph book before the students left · Letters 5, 6, and 7 were written from Camp Harmony, the Internment Camp located at Puyallup, Washington · Conditions in the camps were very poor. Japanese-Americans slept in beds filled with straw, lined-up for hours in order to receive meals, and had very little to do within the camps to keep themselves busy. · The majority of the people sent to Japanese Internment Camps were United States citizens Activities:

Have students create a postcard in their notebook, and write a letter as if they were a student sent to an Internment Camp. Require students to use information gathered in class, and encourage students to use artistic flair as appropriate. Notes: For classrooms where moving about the room and working in partners is not cohesive to the learning environment, you can read the letters aloud while the students take notes in their notebooks. Internet: The History Channel (http://www. historychannel. com) National Council for the Social Studies (http://www. ncss. org) Grolier’s Encyclopedia Online (http://www. rolier. com) Japanese Internment Letters. http://www. lib. washington. edu Japanese Internment Letters (http://www. lib. washington. edu) LETTER ONE March 20, 1942 Dear Miss Evanson, I will start out my letter by writing about the worst thing. I do not want to go away but the government says we all have to go so we have to mind them. It said in the Japanese paper that we have to east of the Cascade Mountains but we were planning to go to Idaho or Montana. Now that the war is going on many Japanese men, women, and girls are out of jobs and a lot of friends’ fathers are in concentration camps.

If I go there I hope I will have a teacher just like you. And rather more I hope the war will be straightened out very soon so that I would be able to attend Washington School. LETTER TWO April 17, 1942 Dear Miss Evanson, It makes me sad to write in this book for it will mean departure. I hate to be leaving Seattle, for I’ll not see my friends, my teachers, nor my school but there is nothing we or anyone can do about it. I have enjoyed being a pupil of yours very much. LETTER THREE March 25, 1942 Dear Miss Evanson, When the time comes for the Japanese people to move out of Seattle it will be hard to go because I was born here.

But I will not forget the teacher of my old school and Washington School because they are so kind and I learn many things from them. I wish I can find some teacher that was a nice as you teachers were. I am an American. LETTER FOUR March 23, 1943 Dear Miss Evanson, I am sorry we have to evacuate because I will miss my studies, teachers, friends, and our principal Mr. Sears. Maybe it is better for use to go and do what the government says. I hope there is a school where I can continue with my studies. As you know Seattle is my hometown so I am sorry to leave here.

I hope this war will soon be over because then I could come back and attend the dear old Washington School. LETTER FIVE Camp “C”, Block 2 43rd Quarter Puyallup, Washington May 10, 1942 Dear Miss Evanson and pupils, After 2 days of packing and fixing our new home in Puyallup I wish to say “hello” in a short way. Now to begin with our room, we have one room shared among 7 people and the walls are full of holes and cracks in which cold and chilly air struck us in a funny way that I could not sleep at all last night. We had too little to eat so after reaching our room I ate a sandwich and some crackers. Our beds are from the U.

S. Army and our mattress is a cloth bag filled with hay. Now is a nice place to end my letter so “good bye” until next time from your Seattle evacuee. LETTER SIX B-2-48 Camp Harmony Puyallup, Washington May 10, 1942 Dear Miss Evanson, How are you? I am fine, but I had my typhoid shot and now I have a headache and my arm aches. I arrived in Puyallup Friday. We passed Kent, Auburn, Sumner, and then to our camp. I guess you’re wondering why we came here so late. Well, we were delayed because we had to go to the clinic. We have to make our own chairs, tables, and the mattress for the bed with hay in it. Isn’t it terrible? ) We eat from 6 to 7 (morning), 11:30 to 12:30 (afternoon), 5 to 6 o’clock in the evening. The shacks are cold and they have holes in between the logs. Our place is in Camp B. Please write to me, and the class also because it is lonely here. May I have your picture too? LETTER SEVEN D-2-88 Camp Harmony Puyallup, Washington May 15, 1942 Dear Seven B3 Class, Hello! Hello! These exclamations were said by all who came out on Friday morning. Our family had a little difficulty in finding our cabin for someone had written the wrong number on the d Date submited: 06/15/2011