Modified by
Alton C. Crews Middle School
Lawrenceville, Georgia
A Seventh Grade WebQuest
Imagine your news group was alive during WWII, more specifically, the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Japan. You are writing for a special edition magazine and your assignment is to capture and relay the perspectives of the people during this period. Keep in mind, there were many different feelings concerning the attack. Should the United States have dropped the bomb? Was there any other alternative? Did it save more lives in the end? You decide.
To explain how and why the attack on Hiroshima took place, your group will research and answer a series of questions. Each group member will then "interview" someone who had a different perception of the bombing. Using Microsoft Word, each interview should be typed in magazine article form that portrays the interviewee's perspective along with your own personal thoughts and conclusions. Be prepared to take a stance on "To drop or not to drop" as you will be participating in a class debate.
PROCESS
(1) As a group, find the answers to the group questions through research. Check "Other Resources" for a listing of research avenues you can take.
(2) Each member of your newsgroup will
interview one of the following:
An American Soldier
A Japanese Survivor
Your interview can be obtained in one of two ways:
You can conduct real interviews with people who fit the above descriptions, or
you can conduct research on the Internet using the links provided. Your
interview should consist of feelings toward the attack on Hiroshima and any
other information that you feel will help you understand their point of
view.
(3) Meet as a group to discuss each of the perspectives shared.
(4) Each individual will write a magazine article that expresses the interviewee's view on the bombing that is at least 2 pages in length. Make sure to appropriately title your article. Your article should include:
- background information (answers to the group questions)
(5) At the conclusion of this project you
will break away from your group and individually take a stance on the dropping
of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Use the following links to find your
information.
| An American
pilot A Japanese Survivor Journal from a soldier More Japanese survivors |
|
1) What was given the name "Little Boy" and who was it designed for?
2) Why did Japan not surrender
before the bombing?
3) How did President Truman justify
dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima? Why was there
controversy surrounding it?
4) Do you
think that the U.S. should have bombed Hiroshima? Why?
5) What events lead up
to the bombing of Hiroshima?
6) What was the other alternative
to dropping the bomb and why wasn't it
used?
7)
What kind of damage did the bomb cause - physically and
structurally?
1) Encyclopedias
2) Family member who was alive during the
attack or a veteran of the war
3) Periodicals and books
4) Useful
Internet Links
Affects of Bombing (Pic) A Bomb Museum
Background to Japan
expansion
The Atomic
Bomb
Pictures of
effects
By researching the background and factual information regarding
this historical event students gain the knowledge of how it occurred, why it
occurred, and what effects it had on a global level. But by using primary
resources, such as interviews and journal entries, the students can go
beyond the textbook renditions and view the bombing of Hiroshima through the
eyes of people who witnessed it first hand. Sharing the information and
personal accounts allows students to see the many perceptions held on this
controversial decision and formulate their own conclusions and opinions.
Should the United States have dropped the bomb? What is your conclusion?
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