Download - Canada ALPHA

ESSENTIALS QUESTION
THAT WILL FOCUS
TEACHING AND LEARNING:
In what ways were American
POWs and conquered civilians
treated inhumanely by the
Japanese Imperial Army, and
what was their experience as
forced laborers?
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
• What are the details related
to the treatment of American
POWs by the Japanese during
the Asia Pacifi c War?
• How was the forced
labor system organized and
developed?
• How was the forced labor
system used for profi t by the
Japanese government?
• What countries besides the
United States had citizens and
soldiers who were used in the
forced labor system?
• Identify the geographic
locations of various forced
labor camps throughout the
conquered territories and in
Japan.
• What is the importance of
eyewitness testimony in the
discussion of prisoners of war
and slave laborers during the
Asia Pacifi c War from 1931-
1945?
• What is presently being
investigated and discussed in
relation to POWs and slave
labor?
• What is the position of the
Japanese government today
in regard to an apology for
mistreatment and other war
crimes and atrocities?
ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ENDURING
UNDERSTANDINGS:
A: STUDENTS WILL KNOW:
• The Japanese Imperial Army committed atrocities against the
Allied Forces and civilians in conquered territories during the
Asia Pacifi c War through an organized system.
• The testimony of both victims and perpetrators confi rms the
atrocities.
• The Japanese government currently continues to avoid this
piece of their history in education and the media, so there is
no national consciousness related to the historical facts of the
Japanese atrocities committed during the Asia Pacifi c War.
• Victims continue to petition the Diet (The Japanese
Parliament) for an offi cial apology and compensation for slave
labor using Germany as a model.
• Several countries, including the United States, have passed
resolutions condemning Japanese atrocities during the Asia
Pacifi c War.
B: STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THAT:
• Although the victims of Japanese atrocities have many
supporters, current economic and political relationships among
nations stand in the way of a concerted effort to press Japan
for an apology.
• An apology on the part of the Japanese government today
will give justice to the victims who survived and honor the
memory of those who were murdered.
C: STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
• Conduct research on topics related to the Japanese atrocities
including an examination of eyewitness testimonies of those
who were victims and perpetrators – the Bataan Death March,
POW experiences, Palawan Island, Japanese Forced Labor
System.
• Respond to eyewitness testimonies.
• List the ways that the Japanese treatment of POWs violated
the treaty signed at Geneva Convention in 1929.
• Understand that protections for civilians during wartime were
outlined in a treaty signed at Geneva Convention in 1949.
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ASSESSMENT (EVIDENCE
OF KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING):
STUDENTS WILL:
• Use internet to research the organization
and treatment of Allied POWs during
the Asia Pacifi c War.
• Conduct research and list the Allied
countries who fought against the
Japanese in the Pacifi c Theater and
document the types of atrocities
committed against them.
• Investigate the Bataan Death March and
write a brief report.
• Research the atrocities committed by
the Japanese on the island of Palawan
in December 1944, when 145 American
POWs were murdered.
• Investigate the origins of the Japanese
Forced Labor System and chronicle the
development of the system in Japanese
occupied territories and in Japan.
• Report on the numbers of slave laborers
used by the Japanese government and
private industry throughout the war.
• Research examples of prisoner of
war treatment in Japanese POW
camps. Include the types of labor
(coal mining, manufacturing, road and
rail construction), locations, length of
detention, escape attempts.
• List the country/national origin of the
civilians and soldiers in the forced labor
system.
• Research the “hell ships” that were used
to transport POWs to Japan. Describe
the conditions on the ships and the
resulting casualties.
• Use a blank map of the Asia Pacifi c
Theater and mark the locations of
forced labor camps throughout the
conquered territories and in Japan.
• Recount the experiences of several
victims of the Japanese and juxtapose
with the testimony of the perpetrators
who have come forward to report their
experiences.
• Using current news articles,
research the current position of the
Japanese government on their treatment
of POWs and civilians during the Asia
Pacifi c War and the response of the
world community