Unsung Stories of WWII
Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to describe the stories of underrepresented groups in WWII history and explain why they are significant.
Students will be able to read and summarize text relating to each story's article.
Target Student Group: 9th Grade Modern World History Class
Lesson Context: This lesson should be taught in the middle of a unit about World War II in order to illustrate the key concepts they learned in the previous lessons, such as the alliances of the war, Pearl Harbor and Japanese internment.
Part 1: Do you have a WWII story?
Do you have someone in your family who was involved with the war?
It does not have to be super personal. Maybe you’ve just heard a cool story or hear about something from this time period
All voices are welcome!!
Type a brief description of your story onto the Padlet below, and then if you choose you can share a bit more verbally
Part 2: Story Telling Activity
In groups, you will be assigned one story to read from the list below.
This may be an article, video, or primary source document.
Your breakout room number corresponds to which story you will read
Take 15-20 minutes to read and discuss with your group. Make sure you can identify:
Who this person was
What they did
Why their actions were significant in the war and beyond.
When we come back together as a class, each group will share a summary of their story with the class.
Be prepared to answer questions from your classmates!
Story 1: Noor Inayat Khan
As a descendant of Indian Royalty, a Muslim woman, and British spy, Noor Khan is heralded as a hero for the Allies.
Story 2: Dorie Miller
Dorie Miller was an African American soldier who served as a cook in the Navy during WWII. He was onboard a ship at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by the Japanese.
Story 3: The Red Ball Express
Operated by African American drivers, the Red Ball Express delivered supplies to Allies across Europe.
Story 4: Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Hiroshi Kashiwagi was a Japanese-American poet sent to Tule Lake Interment Camp during WWII. Watch this video to hear Hiroshi recite a poem about his internment experiences.
Exit Ticket:
Complete this exit ticket on Google Forms before you leave class today.
This week's Asynchronous Assignment:
We are getting so close to finishing up the war! For this week's async assignment, you will watch this short video on Khan Academy that details major events in the war during 1944. This picks up right where we left off from synchronous class this week, and it will set up discussion about the end of the war next class.
As you watch the video, complete the worksheet linked below in Google Docs.
