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Overview:
This lesson introduces students to the reasons why the United States became involved in World War II and asks them to consider the reasons Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor. Students will view a detailed interactive map showing the events at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and they will conclude by writing statements that Japanese and American servicepeople in Pearl Harbor might have made immediately before and after the attack.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, United States history, world history
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 13: "How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface"
Time:
Three to four hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Wall map of the world
Objectives:
Students will
- discuss their basic understanding of World War II;
- read about how the United States became involved in World War II and answer questions about what they read;
- view a map of Japanese control and plans in 1941;
- list the reasons Japan was interested in acquiring more territory in Asia and the Pacific;
- list the reasons the United States would have wanted to keep warships in Pearl Harbor;
- look at an interactive map of the attack on Pearl Harbor and answer questions about what they see and read;
- discuss the reasons the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and what it was like in Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack; and
- write statements that Japanese and American servicepeople might have made immediately before and after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Write the dates "1941 to 1945" on the board, and ask students if they know the significance of these dates. Make sure they realize that these are the years the United States fought in World War II.
Ask students to name the primary two countries the United States fought against in World War II. Make sure they realize that these countries were Germany and Japan.
Development:
Introduce students to the beginnings of U.S. involvement in World War II by having them go to the BBC's A Rude Awakening, and answer these questions on paper or in a class discussion:
- Why did Japan want more territory in the Pacific?
- Why did the Japanese choose to attack Pearl Harbor instead of another American location?
Have students point out the continental United States, Japan, and Hawaii on a world wall map.
Have students look at the Japanese Plan and Troop Disposition map to see the areas under Japanese control in November 1941. Explain that the Kwantung and Chinese Expeditionary Armies were Japanese forces that had taken over parts of China. Japan had controlled Korea since 1910 and had also expanded into northern French Indochina (today's northern Vietnam). The dotted line showing the "Defensive Perimeter Plan" indicates territory that Japan planned to overtake and defend.
Divide the class into pairs or small groups, and ask each group to make two lists. The first list should describe the reasons why Japan was interested in acquiring more territory in Asia and the Pacific. The second list should state the reasons students think the United States would have wanted to keep warships in Pearl Harbor. Students should base the lists on the information they have learned at the Web pages.
Have students go to the Remembering Pearl Harbor Attack Map to read about and view pictures of the Pearl Harbor attack. As they go through the Attack Map, have them answer these questions:
- Did the American servicemen and women expect the Japanese to attack?
- Did all members of the Japanese military feel that the attack was necessary? Why or why not? (Hint: Read Kichiji Dewa's statement.)
- Why did the officer on duty ignore the warning of unidentified aircraft?
Closing:
Ask students to explain in a closing discussion the reasons they think Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Then discuss what it was like in Pearl Harbor immediately before, during, and after the attack. What might have been going through the minds of the Japanese and American people who were there?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Remind students that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Ask them to write the dates "December 6, 1941" and "December 8, 1941" on a piece of paper, leaving about ten lines after each date. Have them write statements that a member of the Japanese military might have made on each date. Then have them do the same for a member of the United States military.
When writing their quotes, students should keep in mind the things they have learned about why Japan decided to bomb Pearl Harbor, why the United States operated military bases in Hawaii, and what happened on December 7.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students return to the Remembering Pearl Harbor Attack Map and, on large pieces of construction paper, make their own maps of Pearl Harbor. Their maps should show at least five key events of December 7, 1941, using different colors to represent Japanese versus United States actions. Ask them to write captions to explain each of the events on their maps.
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