Approaching Internment in the Classroom

Here are a few existing resources to help students deal with the period of Japanese internment in the United States during World War II.

Resource ♣ “Amendment Violation: Japanese American Internment and the United States Constitution”

From the National World War II Museum, this is a 9-12 grade curriculum that includes readings on the Bill of Rights and Japanese internment camps in order to help students analyze how and why internment was a violation of multiple Constitutional Amendments. The curriculum also contains some detailed enrichment activities as possible extensions.

The curriculum is available as a PDF.

Resource ♣ “Japanese American Internment: Fear Itself”

The Library of Congress created this 5-8th grade curriculum. It is spread across multiple links and includes primary sources, such as photographs and online exhibits. Some of the student primary source framing material is basic, but it can be applied to a variety of documents. The writing that students are asked to do is varied, including creating a two-voice poem and newspaper article.

The curriculum is available via a series of links. Notable is the tool that allows teachers to search Common Core and other state education standards to check alignment.

Resource ♣  Allegiance, the musical: Educational Resources

While the educators’ material isn’t ready yet, I’m posting this in hopes that it will be soon! This is actor George Takei’s passion project, a musical based on his family’s experience in internment camps during World War II.