Sometimes the New Order becomes synonymous with its implications for European countries, but what about its consequences for East Asia? The final instructional activity in a four-part series teaches scholars about World War II. High...

Dazai Osamu’s short story, “A Sound of Hammering” is the focus of a three-day investigation of modern Japanese literature and life in post-World War II Japan. The events in Osamu’s story mirror those in his own life, and give a...

How did the women in France feel about their country’s involvement in World War II? Class groups are assigned a country involved in WWII, and individuals within the group adopt the point of view of leaders, laborers, businessmen, women,...

Ninth graders analyze political cartoons and posters relating to the United States and Japan in the period following World War II. They discuss the positive and negative consequences of the United States occupation of Japan.

“The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable. . .” After reading “The Aftermath,” the final chapter of Hiroshima, class members use a Question Answer Response (QAR) strategy to reflect on issues raised...

Ninth graders examine and discuss reasons United States occupied Japan after surrender in World War II, view photographs of Japan at end of War and explore how U.S. occupation affected Japan's political, economic, and social systems, and...

Ninth graders examine and discuss reasons for end of U.S. occupation of Japan in 1952, locate surrounding Asian countries on map, explore changes to Japan after World War II, and discuss how changes in Japan impacted other countries.

Scholars find out how the government used propaganda to mobilize children to help in the war effort. Lesson exercises include analyzing a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, viewing propaganda images and posters, and participating in a lively...

Ninth graders explore the relationship between the United States and Japan. In groups, classmates research the treatment of Koreans and Americans as prisoners of war. Pupils examine the effect of politics and agreements during the war....

Students explore pre-World War II Japanese art. For this patriotism lesson, students analyze Eternal Fuji and Red Sun by Yokoyama Taikan. Students discuss the techniques used to create the painting as well as the symbolism behind it....

Students discuss the decision after World War II of Japan's to follow a policy of pacifism. After reading an article, they identify the ways Japan is strengthening its military. They watch a video to discover how their Constitution was...

Tenth graders study "A Sound of Hammering," which is a letter written by a former soldier after the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II.

The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...

Students research the conditions of post-war Japan. In groups, they examine the plans that were put into place for the country and identify the attitude of the Allies. To end the instructional activity, they discuss the changes that came...

Ninth graders explore empires by researching Japan's history. In this Japanese research instructional activity, 9th graders discuss the history of Japan and the elements of World War II that caused Japan to become an enemy of the United...

Explore Japanese society and national identity. Class members share ideas about the Japanese economy and then investigate a series of resources, including an article, a film, a lecture, and a poem, to learn about Japan's Bubble Economy...

Students explore the role of women in Japan and the United States during World War Two. They focus on women and the family and women and the workplace and the changes within each. Students create an informational brochure of women...

This compelling plan based on the letters in the book Dear Miss Breed engages readers in learning what it was like for Japanese Americans following the attacks at Pearl Harbor. After reading the letters, young scholars will...

Students experiment with being a dictator and sorting students into "desirable" and "undesirable" groups. They discuss freedoms and contrast U.S. government to dictatorships.

Students explore how Harry Truman became President and in what ways was Truman an atypical President. They examined World War I changed Truman's life and what opportunities World War I gave certain people and how World War II affected...

Second graders explore world history by writing newspaper articles. In this Greek history lesson, 2nd graders investigate the geography and society of Ancient Greece by utilizing the Internet as a research tool. Students collaborate with...

This is a very extensive look at the Yalta Conference. Find the problems addressed at the conference, the enumerated possible solutions, the positions each of the Big Three leaders held, and the actual results of the conference. Included...