ILC ELA 8: Module 3a - Japanese-American Relations During World War II 1st Semester

In unit 1, students will build background knowledge about Japanese-American relations during World War II. Students will consider the causes of both Japanese and American involvement in the war, beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Students will read President Roosevelt's and the Japanese government’s responses to the bombing and will consider conflicting perspectives of the same event. In the second half of unit 1, students will begin reading the central text of the module, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.

In unit 2, students will continue to closely examine the case study of imprisoned Louie Zamperini as they read Unbroken. Students will expand their study as they learn about interned Japanese-American Miné Okubo in a separate biographical account.

In unit 3, students finish reading Unbroken and study the transition of the imprisoned or interned from invisible to visible after release. Students will briefly research Miné Okubo’s life after internment and then write a narrative in which they tell the story of Okubo’s journey from invisible during internment to becoming visible post-internment.

Note: This module is an integral part of the program to ensure all standards are addressed; therefore, it should be downloaded with the ILC ELA 8 - 1st Semester content; it is available as an alternative for module 2a within the 1st Semester module, while still providing the same opportunity to address the grade level standards.