Introduction

This online course is about the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb, 1945. The original course was designed as an in-person U.S. History class; part of the course material is from a lesson plan designed by Stanford History Education Group.

The Challenge

"Our society, particularly the younger generation, has been exposed to a somewhat romanticized and simplified version of war through movies and video games, often glossing over its harsh realities."-- GPT 4

The current generation of students already forgets about how cruel war and weapon of mass destruction is. For movies, they downplay the cruelty of war and try to portray the image of historical heroes; for video games, like the Call of Duty franchise, weapons of mass destruction can be awarded to players of high skill(killing streak).

Overview

This online lesson is powered by Rise 360. It contains a vocabulary test, WWII overview videos, primary and secondary documents about the war from both perspectives (Hiroshima as Triumph or Victimhood), knowledge checks (formative assessment), and a reflection essay (summative assessment). The course aims to deliver an interactive and immersive learning experience.

Target Audiences

High school K-12 students

Learner Goals and Objectives

Learning Goal: Students will develop their historical thinking skills by rethinking the decision to drop the atomic bomb from a different perspective.

Course Objectives:

1. Students can analyze the series of events that led to the drop of the bomb.

2. Students can evaluate the decisions that were made during WWII.

3. Students can create a written reflection about the atomic bomb and its historical significance to ensure it is not forgotten.

Guiding Questions

Central Questions: How should we remember the Atomic Bombs  

Supporting questions:  

1. Did the U.S. do the right thing when it dropped the atomic bombs on Japan?  

2. What were the effects of the atomic bombs?  

Foundational Questions: 

1.  Why did America go to war with Japan?  

2. What happened to the cities and people who were bombed?  

3. What impact did dropping the bombs have on the war?  

4. How did dropping the bombs change America at home and aboard?