85
ATOMIC BOMBS
The War in the Pacific
LESSON PLAN
PROCEDURE
1. Use the Overview Essay to introduce your students to the US development and use of atomic weapons
and to the debate among historians over the reasons for dropping the bombs, the alternatives that
existed at the time, and whether the bombs were necessary to end the war.
2. Introduce the two interpretations from historians Sadao Asada and Barton Bernstein regarding the use
of atomic weapons during World War II (page 87), informing students that they will be examining
multiple primary and secondary sources in order to determine which interpretation they find most
convincing. As you introduce the interpretations, have students identify the similarities and differences
between them and clarify difficult vocabulary.
3. Distribute copies of the Evidence Collection Worksheets (pages 91–92) to students and explain that
they will use the worksheets to gather and organize evidence according to the interpretation that the
evidence best supports. Inform students that they will also be responsible for explaining how individual
pieces of evidence support a particular interpretation. You may need to give each student multiple
copies of the worksheet.
4. Divide the class into groups and distribute one set of the images (pages 88–90 and online at
ww2classroom.org) and the evidence strips (available as an insert with the printed guide and at
ww2classroom.org) to each group. Alternatively, you may want to have students work in pairs, assigning
each pair a single evidence strip or image to examine and discuss before rotating to analyze additional
sources.
5. Instruct students to assign each image and evidence strip to at least one interpretation and to record
that evidence and an explanation of how it supports the interpretation on the appropriate Evidence
Collection Worksheet. Remind students to be attentive to the date, origin, and type of each source they
are examining and to consider how those features affect the source’s reliability. To model this exercise,
you may want to highlight evidence from one of the strips and/or images that supports each
interpretation and provide explanations for each of those pieces of evidence before students practice
independently.
6. After students have assigned each source to an interpretation, have them identify the interpretation
for which they have compiled the most convincing supporting evidence and explanations.
7. Have students engage in a historical debate about their preferred interpretations, drawing upon the
evidence they gathered to support their claims.
ASSESSMENT
You will be able to assess students’ understanding of the relevant standards through the notes they take
on their Evidence Collection Worksheets, their discussion, and their homework assignment.
EXTENSION/ENRICHMENT
• For homework, have students write a 250-word text panel for a museum display about the US use of
atomic bombs during World War II. Emphasize to students that, given space limitations, they will need
to choose an argument or point of view in order to frame their narrative.
• Have students learn more about the atomic bombs through the oral histories and photographs that are
part of the Museum’s Digital Collections. Students can find relevant oral histories and photographs
by searching the Collections at http://www.ww2online.org/advanced and entering either “atomic bomb,”
“Hiroshima,” or “Nagasaki” in the search field. Of particular note are the photos of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki after the bombing as well as the oral-history interviews with Enola Gay navigator Theodore
“Dutch” Van Kirk and Manhattan Project scientist Lawrence Johnston. An excerpt from Johnston’s
interview is also included in the online materials accompanying this curriculum volume.
TEACHER