Gold Seal Lesson:
Japanese Internment Camps

Copernicus Education Gateway

Subject:

Language Arts

Grade:

9-12

ICLE Standards:

Language Arts: Produce imaginative texts that use language and text structures that are inventive and multi-layered. Make effective use of details, evidence, and arguments and of strategies to influence an audience to adopt their position.

Social Studies: Research and analyze the major themes and developments in U.S. history. Consider different analyses of the same event in U.S. history to understand how different viewpoints and/or frames of reference influence historical interpretations.

Visual Arts: Understand and use sensory elements, organizational principles, and expressive images to communicate original ideas in works or art.

Performance Task:

A. Research the internment of Japanese-Americans on the West Coast during World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Consult three different resources: recent periodicals, biographies, autobiographies, histories, and other nonfiction sources. Use technology as available. Fill out both sides of one 3 x 5-note card for each resource with important data and information that is new to you.

B. Write a poem of 16 lines or more in the voice of a teenager whose family has been moved into a camp. Capture both the events and the emotions connected with them.

C. Draw a sketch, diagram, map, landscape, blueprint, cartoon series, or other visual representation of events and/or feelings expressed in the poem.

D. Write a persuasive business letter asking the Chamber of Commerce of a city near the internment camps to dedicate a plaque to these victims in the city center. Cite events and human-interest examples from your research to convince the chamber to take action.

Knowledge / Skills:

Apply in writing the rules and conventions of grammar, usage, punctuation, paragraphing and spelling.  (ela1)

Understand and use graphs, charts, and visuals to enhance informational writing.  (ela29)

Understand the nature and purpose of a variety of technical formats such as business letters, memos, instructions, policy statements, technical proposals, user manuals, lab reports, etc.  (ela30)

Use writing as a way of expressing personal creativity.  (ela31)

Use writing as a tool for learning in formats such as learning logs, laboratory reports, note-taking, and journals.  (ela40)

Plan and apply real or hypothetical models and constructions to facilitate investigation and learning and the solution to practical problems.  (xs2)

Rubric:

4 Points  =  The student independently completes all assignments. Note cards contain specific data from source materials. The Poem re-creates a strong and informed voice of a teen at the time and includes pertinent information as well as an emotional response. The form of the poem reflects the student's understanding of conventions of the genre. The visual representation is detailed and neat, demonstrating knowledge gained from reading articles on this issue. The persuasive letter is correctly formatted and organized, giving strong arguments with vivid and pertinent examples from the reading as evidence. The call to action is clear and leaves a strong impression on the audience. Written work is free of spelling, grammar, or mechanics errors.

3 Points  =  All assignments are   completed. The note cards may not be filled out completely, but it is evident the student has read and understood the articles. The poem does not maintain the voice of the teenager throughout, or it may lack emotional response or information about the situation. The poem's form is acceptable and reflects creativity. The visual representation may not fully respond or relate to the poem, or it lacks details, neatness, and/or creativity. The persuasive letter has weak organization or convincing evidence is not given for each point made. Written work contains a few errors in spelling, grammar, or mechanics.

2 Points  =  The student may have completed only parts of the overall project. The note cards may be hastily filled out or lack data and evidence of the research. The poem is not carefully crafted, is incomplete, or does not fulfill the assignment. The visual representation is not creative, detailed, or carefully organized and produced. The business letter may not follow standard business format, may be poorly organized, or may have weak arguments and evidence. Written work has problems with sentence structure, spelling, grammar, or mechanics.

1 Point  =  The student does not complete parts of the assignment. Note cards are incomplete or information is sketchy. The poem is short, lacks creativity, or does not include details of the history and emotions of the time. The visual representation is not finished, is sloppy, or does not represent the sentiment of the poem. The business letter does not follow correct format, is organized badly, lacks arguments and evidence, and is not convincing. Written work is not well developed, lacks cohesion, and has major problems with sentence structure, spelling, grammar, and mechanics.

Keywords:

READING
RESEARCH
INFORMATION WRITING
CORRESPONDENCE
CREATIVE WRITING
GRAMMAR
MECHANICS
NOTE TAKING
SPELLING
TECHNICAL WRITING
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
VISUALS
PERSUASION
MODELS AND CONSTRUCTION 

LITERATURE
NON-FICTION
POETRY

Grades:

Kg [] - 1 [] - 2 [] - 3 [] - 4 [] - 5 [] - 6 [] - 7 [] - 8 [] - 9 [X] - 10 [X] - 11 [X] - 12 [X]

ICLE Application:

D

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