TOPIC/TITLE:
Atomic Warfare/On the Eve of Destruction

QUESTION THIS LESSON WILL ANSWER:
Was it necessary to use the Atomic bomb to end World War II?

PURPOSE/RATIONALE/GOALS OF THE DAY'S LESSON:
The purpose of this lesson is to discover some of the consequences of the Atomic bomb.  The Atomic bomb was a turning point in American and World history.  The consequences go far beyond the initial destruction.  Foreign policies all over the world had to adjust to the new threat of world destruction.

OBJECTIVES:
SWBAT:

• Editorialize the use of Atomic weapons;
• Debate the pros and cons of Atomic Warfare;
• Hypothesize what the world would be like without atomic weapons.

• The reshaping of the United States' role in world affairs after the war;
• Entrance into the atomic age.

NCSS THEMES W/ INDICATORS:
Theme Eight:  Science, Technology, and Society

• Enable learners to identify, describe, and examine how atomic weapons interact with society in a variety of cultural settings;
• Provide opportunities for learners to make judgments about how atomic weapons have transformed the physical world and human;
• Have learners analyze atomic weapons influence core societal values, beliefs, and attitudes.

• Manhattan Project: The United States Army project begun in 1942 to research and develop an atomic bomb to be used in warfare.  Research headquarters in Alamagordo, New Mexico, reported the first successful atomic detonation on July 16, 1945.
• Hiroshima: A seaport in southwest Honshu, Japan, an the Inland Sea; largely destroyed on August 6, 1945, by the United States Atomic bomb, the first ever used in warfare.
• Enola Gay: B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb.

ANTICIPATORY SET:

• When students first arrive into class, ask them whether they believe atomic weapons have benefited the world or not.  This will be a free writing exercise to get the students interested in the day's topic.  Allow the students to write in their journals for approximately 5-10 minutes.  When this time expires, ask students to volunteer their journals to read and state the main points.  If no one volunteers, move on to the lesson.

• Begin the class by passing out a worksheet and listening to We Interrupt This Broadcast, compact disc 1, track 7 and 8.
• Students are to complete the worksheet with the help of the compact disc.  The tracks last about 10 minutes.
• When the tracks are over, allow students to pair up and compare their answers.  You should allow 5 minutes for students to share with each other.
• Open up the class for discussion about the Atomic bomb.  Ask questions such as:
• Should the bomb have been used?
• What were the benefits/consequences?
• While the class is discussing, use the overhead to show some of the consequences of the bombs.
• Ask the students to describe the pictures and what their first reactions to them are.
• This discussion should last approximately 20-25 minutes in order to have time to complete the conclusion.  However, if the class discussion is going well, keep going with it until the period is over.

• Have the students write down three things that they learned from today's class period.

• For homework, have students write an editorial to a newspaper discussing the use of Atomic bombs on Japan.  This should be no longer than 1 page.  This will be a graded assignment.

1. How many atomic bombs were dropped on Japan?

2. When and where?

3. If the United States did not drop the Atomic bombs, what would their plan of action have been?

4. What was the reason for using atomic weapons on Japan?

5. How many people died in Hiroshima immediately following the detonation of the atomic bomb?

6. Where was the 2nd atomic bomb dropped and why?

7. When was V-J day declared?

8. How many lives were lost during World War II?