(Nuclear)
Bombs
Away!
Introduction
December 7, 1941 was termed a "Day of
Infamy" by United States President Franklin Roosevelt. It was the day
that the Japanese "invited" the United States of America into the war
in the Pacific by bombing the American Naval base at Pearl
Harbor.
August 6, 1945 was also a day of infamy. It
was the day that the United States effectively ended the war in the
Pacific by dropping the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of
Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on the city of
Nagasaki. The devastation was so complete and the effects were so
horrific that the atomic bomb has not been used since.
Background
For the best introduction to this Web
Quest, read the novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, by
Eleanor Cooer. It is the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who
died of "A-bomb Disease" (leukemia). She was two at the time of the
bombing of her home city of Hiroshima. It was not until she turned
twelve that she began to experience illness as a result of the "black
rain" (radioactive fallout) which poisoned Hiroshima that
day.
You have learned that Sadako's classmates
responded to her death with a campaign to build a monument to Sadako
and the other victims of the atomic bomb. What began as a local
outcry has become a worldwide symbol for peace and the need to
forever ban nuclear weapons.
As you enter into this journey, keep in
mind that the purpose of most of the web sites in this Web Quest is
not to entertain you. The final goal is not even to inform you,
although that is a crucial first step. The sincere hope of the people
who designed these web sites is that you will be inspired to take
action, so that the horror of a nuclear bombing is never repeated.
Please proceed with open minds and open hearts through this journey,
sharing your reactions with your partner as you go.
Task
1) You are to become familiar with the
horror that was Hiroshima and Nagasaki by visiting the six web sites
listed under the "Resources" section. Choose the one site that has
the most powerful impact on you and your partner. You will then
collaborate to create a "Response to Literature" according to the
Vermont State rubric. The "literature" in this case is what you have
accessed in your chosen web site. See the "Assessment" section for
this rubric.
2) Visit the two "Sadako" web sites
which will guide you through Sadako's journey. The aim is for you to
identify and feel compassion for Sadako, as well as the other victims
of the atomic bomb.
3) You and your partner will
demonstrate a connection to the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by
creating two additional response pieces. One will be a written
"Personal Peace Declaration". The second will be a poster. The
written piece will be submitted to the 2001 Hiroshima Peace Memorial,
for possible display. The poster will hang in the halls of our school
to inform other students about what you have learned about the danger
of nuclear weapons. You may divide these tasks, or work on each piece
collaboratively.
4) Lastly, you will create as many paper
cranes as you are able. Teach friends and family members and enlist
their help in reaching our goal of sending one thousand paper cranes
to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
Process
Choose a partner with whom you work well.
Task #1: The questions included with each
web site in the "Resources" section are meant to direct your inquiry.
Talk to each other as you work. Keep a log of the sites that you
visit so that you will be able to return easily to the places that
you want to view for a second time. Work together to choose the site
which you both agree is the most powerful.
Discuss elements of the rubric so that you
are clear on what is expected of you. Alternate as speaker and scribe
as you record your impressions. Your finished piece should reflect
both your reactions written as one voice. Yes, use the
"I" voice even though there are two of you.
Task #2: Give yourselves plenty of time to
visit the two "Sadako" web sites. Make a note if you visit related
links, and what those sites consist of. Are they worth visiting? Talk
to each other about Sadako's experiences and attitudes. Be ready to
offer an opinion on how well these two sites help you to understand
what Sadako endured.
Task #3: The Personal Peace
Declaration and poster will be additional means of expressing what
you have learned in this Web Quest. The Kids Peace Station Hiroshima
link describes the purpose and the guidelines for written and
artistic response pieces. Follow those guidelines to create your
written response. You may find it helpful to visit the Kids Peace
Plaza link to read letters that students have written to and about
Sadako.
The poster should illustrate some aspect of
what you have learned in this Web Quest. It could be informational,
for example a time line of the actual bombing, a graph depicting the
onset of radiation-related illness, etc. It could also convey a more
emotional response. In either case, it will be evaluated according to
basic principles of design. Is it visually grabbing? Is the focus
clear? Other considerations are as follows: Did you make good use of
graphics, including those available through technology? Is there a
heartfelt message? Did you and your partner work cooperatively? Did
you make use of the opportunity to ask for critiques from peers and
make revisions? If you have another art form, such as music or
theater, by which you think you could better convey your response to
this Web Quest to the class, please ask.
Resources
You are now ready to visit some of the many
web sites dedicated to sharing the devasting reality of nuclear
weapons with the world. The following is a list of some of those
sites, followed by questions
to help guide your inquiry.
Describe the Monument to the Mobilized
Students. What is written in the arch over the stone coffin? What is
the statement made by Pope John Paul II?
Randomly choose pictures. Be sure to click
"Big" to enlarge the images. Record the picture #, the name of the
person, the person's age at the time of the blast, as well as their
observations. Use direct quotations or your own words to summarize
their experiences.
Scroll down through the table of contents
and choose at least 20 photographs and drawings to visit. Record the
#, title, and a one sentence reaction to the image. Do this for all
the images you visit. Be sure to click on the image to enlarge it.
Next, visit A Thousand Cranes for Sadako. What is the Japanese word
for "crane"? What does the crane symbolize in Japanese culture? What
is thought to be the gift bestowed to one who folds a thousand
cranes? In what year was the monument erected to the memory of Sadako
and the other victims? What does the oval pedestal symbolize? Inside
the pedestal is an open space. Why?
Your task here is to scroll to the Peace
Memorial ceremony. View the MPEG. View each photograph individually.
Scroll down and click on The description of the environment. What is
at the center of the monument, and why? What does the inscription
say? What is the significance of the "Flame of Peace"?
Read the introduction as well as each of
the short accounts of the seven children whose testimonies are
included. Work with your partner, and decide on two which impact you
most. Each of you could make a sketch of that testimony, noting which
child's account you are illustrating.
Scroll down and read the details of "Fat
Man" and "Little Boy". Which was dropped on Hiroshima? Which on
Nagasaki? Same day? Same size? This is one of the best web sites on
the facts surrounding the actual atomic bomb.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the two web sites created by the
Kids' Peace Station. Please tour Sadako and the Atomic Bombing first,
then return to visit Sadako 21.
Return to the Homepage of the "Kid's Peace
Station". Link to "Kid's News" and scroll down until you see the
highlighted link called "The Development of the Atomic Bomb". This
will open still more links in which you will find information
pertaining to the day of the bombing, the scientists' plea to
President Truman not to use the bomb, and much more. You can even
take a virtual tour of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Paper Cranes
In keeping with the hopeful tone of the
book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, our class will begin the
process of folding 1, 000 paper cranes to send to the Peace Memorial
in Hiroshima. You will now visit a web site which will lead you step
by step through the process of creating a paper crane. I will provide
you with printer paper to practice, and then special origami paper
when you think you are ready to do the "real thing". Go to Origami,
under "Resources". Do you think we can fold 1,000 cranes by the end
of the school year? I will make a commitment to send your origami
cranes to Japan, to be placed at the memorial, only if you
enlist your friends and family in reaching the goal of 1,000 cranes.
Start today! Enjoy!
Learning
Advice
* When in doubt, ask for help.
* When a web site contains photographs or
other graphics, these images often take a few seconds to fully emerge
on the screen. Do not rush through these images. Again, you are
working with a partner so that you can talk to
each other and share your impressions.
* Keep a record of where you have been, and
any special images at that site. It will make it easier to find that
place again.
* Be as creative as possible. In creating
your poster, use all the computer graphics and design programs at
your disposal. Do you have an alternate way of showing me that this
subject has had an impact on you? Ask if that would be
acceptable.
* In joint tasks, please experiment. Do not
assume that your partner can or can not draw better than you. You may
divide tasks, but keep in touch. You are a team, and you will be
given a grade as a team.
Standards
Vital Results- Communication
1.6 Writing Conventions Students'
independent writing demonstrates command of appropriate English
conventions, including grammar, usage and mechanics. -
This standard will be addressed, but not assessed.
1.7 Response to Literature In written
responses to literature, students show understanding of reading;
connect what has been read to the broader world of ideas, concepts,
and issues; and make judgments about the text. This standard will
be assessed according to the rubric in the next section.
1.16 Artistic Dimensions Students use a
variety of forms, such as dance, music, theater, and visual arts, to
create projects that are appropriate in terms of the following
dimensions: Skill development; Reflection and Critique; Making
Connections; and Approach to Work. -This standard will be addressed,
but not assessed.
Assessment
See the rubric below to guide your Response
piece. Aim high!
Assessment of your Personal Peace
Declaration will be according to the guidelines at that web site.
Assessment of your poster will be according to the criteria listed in
the "Process" section. Both will be evaluated on a simple "yes" or
"no" basis.
Conclusion
No one ever truly believes that catastrophe
will strike close to home. Citizens of the United States never
imagined that the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor. Neither the
American nor the Japanese people had any idea of the devastation that
was to happen at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
War does not necessarily have to happen on
the scale of nuclear destruction in order to devastate a family, a
community, or a country. The unusual consequence of nuclear war,
however, is that it would most likely mean the end of life as we know
it on this planet. The nuclear weapons of today truly are that much
more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, and the United States is no longer the only country to
possess such weapons.
The whole story of Sadako, however, is one
of hope. My hope is that you have become aware of the devastating
reality of nuclear weapons, as well as the potential of even the
youngest citizens of the world to raise awareness of this threat. My
hope for you is that you take this threat to heart, and that as you
mature and take on responsibility as voters and leaders in your
country, you will be inspired by the epitaph at the base of the
statue of Sadako at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial:
This Is Our
Cry
This Is Our
Prayer
To Create Peace In The
World