Gente real, historia real: Estudio del libro de novela gráfica "Nos llamaban enemigos"

This is a self-paced version of this class so students will not join in live meetings.  There will be ample opportunities for interaction through discussion questions posted in the chat, assigned Kahoot! quizzes, and graphic organizers that students will use to share their thoughts and ideas.  Students will also be assigned videos to watch that contain first person accounts of the experiences of individuals who lived through this challenging time. Students are welcome to respond to reflection questions or optional videos in our online classroom by making a video or sharing their ideas as a written comment.

In this class students will read and share about the graphic novel "They Called Us Enemy" (New York Times Best Seller and winner of the American Book Award)  as well as other first person accounts and historical correspondence regarding the incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans during WWII. We will also discuss the compare the photographic work of three photographers, Dorothea Lang, Ansel Adams and Toyo Miyatake.  Students will be encourage to think critically and respond to the reading through a number of instructional supports including graphic organizers, creative writing, drawing etc.  Students are also welcome to share their ideas verbally by making and posting videos in our online classroom.  The graphic novel nature of this book and the use of graphic organizers and multiple ways to respond to the text make this an excellent class for kids with ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning differences to learn about history through reading a compelling text.

Week 1: Pearl Harbor and Journey to the Camp

Opening Question via online classroom: If you had to leave home what would you miss?

Videos to watch for the class: 

1) Teacher Reading pages 1-56

2) NPS Evacuation Order 9066 video

Read and respond to an article on the "terms" of Japanese forced removal and incarceration and why words matter.

Questions to answer via classroom post:
Why did President Roosevelt and the US Government make the decisions they did?  What would you have done differently?

Read 57-102 for Homework.  

Share:
What is interesting?
What is frustrating?
What did you learn about history?
Thoughts and questions.

 Optional videos regarding life in the camps from the survivors and US government perspectives. Review and respond if you wish.

Week 2:  Adjusting to Life in the Camp

Opening Question via classroom post:  What is a happy memory you have from when you were younger?  What is a sad memory you have from when you are younger?

Kahoot! Review of Homework Reading

Watch videos about Clara Breed and her correspondence with young people in the camps.  

Respond to video reflection questions:

What do you think Ms. Breed's letters and support meant to the teens who were in the incarceration camps?

What would you have asked Ms. Breed to send you?

What do you think Ms. Breed's letters and support meant to the teens who were in the incarceration camps?

What would you have asked Ms. Breed to send you?

Activity via Google Doc: Venn Diagram:  What life is like for George and what life is like for you?

For next class read "They Called us Enemy" p 103-154

Share:
What is interesting?
What is frustrating?
What did you learn about history?
Thoughts and questions.


Day 3:  Tough Decisions

Opening Question via classroom post: How do you make hard decisions?  What is the hardest decision you ever had to make?

Kahoot! Review of Homework Reading

Share Reflection Sheet

Densho Video in Japanese American responses to Incarceration

Review Allegiance Declaration

Activity: Co-Create via collaborative Google Docs  Pros and Cons sheet: Signing the Allegiance  Declaration

Discussion via classroom post: Would you sign the Allegiance declaration?  Why or why not?

Review of artwork and photographs by Japanese Americans on Calisphere

Vox Video:  Why the US photographed it's own WWII concentration camps


Read 155-206  for homework 

Share:
What is interesting?
What is frustrating?
What did you learn about history?
Thoughts and questions.

Day 4: What does democracy mean to George?

Opening Question via  online classroom: What is one thing that you would like to change about the world or your community?  How could you go about changing it?

Kahoot! review of  homework reading

Watch this video about the friendship between Alan Simpson and Norm Mineta.  Share your thoughts.

Resource Reflection: Read Clara Breed's Hornbook article or Eleanor Roosevelt's speech on the Japanese Internment returnees.  

Analyze the text be answering the following questions:

1) What is the message that the speaker/writer is trying to convey?

2) How do they describe or characterize Japanese Americans?

3) What “calls to action” are issued by the writer speaker?

4) What is the writer/speaker saying about race…how are they comparing the Japanese American experience with those of other racial and ethnic groups?

5) Is there anything that frustrated you, disturbed you, or made you curious?


Discussion via Outschool Classroom: George’s father thinks that American democracy is the best form of government because it is the “People’s Democracy”.  Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Activity: Clara used letters and George used art and writing (Broadway musicals,  interviews, speeches, even this graphic novel) to educate people about the realities and issues surrounding the Japanese internment.  Choose a subject that you care deeply about and want to inform others about.  Share something like a political cartoon, a graphic novel, a letter to a public official, a slide presentation, a video, a work of art etc. that educates others about this subject. 

*Note that this class provides four weeks of unique content, but I keep the classroom open an additional week for learners to get caught up and share any work that they would like to finish up.