FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
(6TH – 12TH GRADE)
Here you will find four short documentaries (5-6 mins), each providing a deep dive into different aspects of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Each film and corresponding lesson plan can be stand-alone, but you may choose to use multiple films based on the goals and needs of your classes. The materials, recommended for grades 6 to 12, focus on the experience of Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their communities and incarcerated at Minidoka, an American concentration camp in southern Idaho. The topics in these films and lessons apply broadly to the experience of Japanese Americans at other camps as well. The lesson plans utilize primary sources as learning tools and are standards based. The lessons range from a full one-hour lessons to short ten minute activities, so we encourage educators to adapt them to meet the needs of their students and classes.
Download the lesson plans and supplemental documents for educators.
Lesson Plans for Educators
Key Terms List
Historical Timeline (educator version)
Educational Standards (National and State)
Download the worksheets and supplemental documents for students.
Worksheets for Students
Key Terms List
Historical Timeline (student version)
patriotism & Protest
Minidoka survivors and subject matter experts explain how the U.S. government’s loyalty questionnaire during World War II divided the Japanese American community in many different ways.
Power of words
Japanese Americans highlight and explain the euphemisms used by the U.S. government to describe the World War II incarceration and how those words and phrases did not match the reality of their imprisonment.
Power of the press
Students will learn about the power of the media through the history of racism against Asian Americans and how community allyship can have a profound effect in combating propaganda.
Standing up for others
Japanese Americans draw parallels between their experience during World War II and the experiences of Muslim Americans and asylum-seeking refugees.
