Introduction

America has spent the last four years battling the Axis powers to ensure freedom and democracy will triumph.  The Nazi party has finally crumbled and Germany has been defeated.  The Japanese however are refusing to surrender.  President Truman fears the only way to defeat the Japanese military is an all out invasion of  Japan. Such an invasion will cost both sides nearly a million casualties. Does the President have another option?
Learners

This lesson is designed for a fifth grade social studies unit on WWII.  The lesson also involves creative writing skills.

Students should be familiar with participants and basic events of WWII.  Students should also have basic computer skills and be able to search the internet.

The ultimate goal of this lesson is to write an effective persuasive paper.   The students should know the steps of the writing process that will ensure they will meet this goal.
 

Curriculum Standards

 Social Studies  Standards

 Language Arts Standards

The Process

This project will be completed independently. 

First:  You will need to use various resources to research World War II and the atomic bomb. 

Second:  You will use the information you have gathered and you will need to form your own opinion about the creation of the atomic bomb and dropping it on Japan.  You may want to make a list of pros and cons regarding this subject, i.e. positive and negative long term/short term effects for both countries involved.  What effects will this decision have on the rest of the world?

Third: Use the following web links to gather information.  These links will be the basis for your paper. 
            www.dannen.com/decision/

            www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/

            www.atomicarchive.com

            www.trumanlibrary.org

Fourth:  You will construct a persuasive paper (newspaper article) defending your beliefs. Follow the instructions provided by your teacher on developing a persuasive paper.  *Remember to provide evidence in order to support your belief. 
Here are some questions to consider:

What were the U.S. alternatives to dropping the bomb?

Why did 2 bombs have to be dropped?

Who made the ultimate decision? 

Were any other countries developing such a weapon?

What possible impact could this have on the rest of the world?  Environment?

Evaluation
 

Students will be evaluated individually according to each teacher's specifications.  There are several points to keep in mind. Is your paper well organized? Have you clearly stated your belief? Have you provided evidence to sufficiently support your belief?  How strong is that evidence? Has your paper been edited accurately for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure errors?

Congratulations!  You have successfully completed your first assignment as an investigative journalist.  You researched information regarding the first atomic bomb ever used in warfare.  Due to your investigations you formed your own opinions about the development and use of this weapon.  You were able to complete a strong persuasive article that may influence millions of readers.
 
 

Credits & References

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