World War II: Pearl Harbor and Propaganda

11th Grade U.S. History: 3/7/19

Objective​: After completion of the political cartoon analysis, students will be able to evaluate
whether a political scandal affects the legacy of a President.
Standard Focus​: Evaluate the Motivation for United States’ abandonment of isolationism and
entry to WWII. (Standard 1, Theme 4)
Materials​: Chromebooks- 1 per student, Pearl Harbor Primary Source 1 per student,
Propaganda Analysis sheet 1 per student.
Introduction​: The United States enters WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but today we are
going to examine the different points of view of the attack on Pearl harbor. One perspective is
from a U.S. soldier, the other is from a Japanese soldier, and the last is from the United States’
press.
Instructional Input​:
● Class will begin with Lecture (15-20 minutes)
● Students will be numbered off into groups of three and their number will be associated
with what primary source they will read. Then one student from each group grab one of
each of the documents for their group. Students will read and annotate their readings for
15 minutes and then in 5 minutes share with their group the point of view that they read
and they will take notes on what their members share with them.
● Annotations: students will circle or underline 3 interesting items and 2 things students
learned when reading this.
● Class Discussion: How did the perspectives differ over the event of Pearl Harbor? Why
is it important to consider all perspectives of an event such as Pearl Harbor? What are
some feelings that U.S. citizens have after Pearl Harbor? (25-30 min)
● Students will stay in same groups of 3 to work on Homefront Propaganda analysis. Who
is the target audience, what’s the message, what are they trying to get citizens to do?
(15-20 min)
● Canvas writing piece (10 minutes)
● Discussion over propaganda (finish up class)
Assessment/Evaluation​: Students will be monitored and evaluated by informal formative
methods such as monitoring the students working cooperatively. The class/small group
discussion will be evaluated throughout the lesson.
Differentiation/Modifications/Accommodations​: Students who learn through visual, auditory
and verbal styles. Visually pictures and the political cartoons help students visualize what they
are learning. Auditory learners may listen to the lecture and listen to their peers discuss the
content allowing them to excel. There are going to be discussion questions throughout the
lesson and students who verbally learn will be able to discuss their thoughts or questions.
Reflection on lesson: ​Went very well overall. The students were discussing the content and
asking question beyond what the lesson was about. Students enjoyed working on the
propaganda analysis.