Nearing Goodbye for the Greatest Generation
Tomorrow is Dec. 7, the 70th anniversary of the day that will live in infamy.
In the sixth grade, I was given an assignment to interview someone who could remember where they were on Dec. 7, 1941.
That's not as easy an option for today's classroom teachers, since the The National World War II Museum estimates that 14 million veterans who survived World War II have since died. The remaining 2 million veterans are dying at a rate of about 900 per day.
Given that so many students already consider Sept. 11 ancient history, I'm wondering how much attention schools are paying to the anniversary of Pearl Harbor? How are the events leading to the United States entering World War II taught, and made relatable?
I found plenty of interesting materials online to help classroom teachers with their lesson plans (click here for one from Scholastic). I also found a solid digital library through the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom. There's also a large collection of resources from U.S. federal agencies, which can be found by clicking here.
I'll be keeping an eye out for education stories on this topic, and I'll share whatever I find. In the meantime, I'd like to hear from you. What were you taught about Pearl Harbor?
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email me at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.
In the sixth grade, I was given an assignment to interview someone who could remember where they were on Dec. 7, 1941.
That's not as easy an option for today's classroom teachers, since the The National World War II Museum estimates that 14 million veterans who survived World War II have since died. The remaining 2 million veterans are dying at a rate of about 900 per day.
Given that so many students already consider Sept. 11 ancient history, I'm wondering how much attention schools are paying to the anniversary of Pearl Harbor? How are the events leading to the United States entering World War II taught, and made relatable?
I found plenty of interesting materials online to help classroom teachers with their lesson plans (click here for one from Scholastic). I also found a solid digital library through the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom. There's also a large collection of resources from U.S. federal agencies, which can be found by clicking here.
I'll be keeping an eye out for education stories on this topic, and I'll share whatever I find. In the meantime, I'd like to hear from you. What were you taught about Pearl Harbor?
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email me at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.
Labels: curriculum, Guardian greatest generation, National World War II Museum, Pearl Harbor
posted by Emily Richmond at
3:00 AM
2 Comments:
Thoughtful subject - the loss of recent history, or when infamy becomes indifference. So I was taught in high school that isolationism though highly popular was tentative given the interests of industry. Land-lease was controversial and Roosevelt was trying to figure out how to position the US as an international leader as well as the more important jump start to the depressed economy without upsetting the populace, who didn't want to to get involved in something so far away. That the atrocities happening at the time in Eastern Europe weren't enough to bring us in was unsettling (and when I was in school there was at least one text book I remember suggesting the US had at least some knowledge of what was happening). I was taught that Pearl Harbor popped the bubble of isolationism and cast our role as leader of the free world (at least in 1983).
Thanks for the feedback. I'm interested to see how the story plays tomorrow. Let me know if you spot any interesting links.
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