Putting It All Together
The following activities will help demonstrate to
students the chronology of World War II and the context of Americans at war.
Activity 1: Setting the Context
Have the students first check their own history textbooks to see if Attu or the Aleutian Islands are mentioned. Then have them choose one of the following assignments:
- Research the Battle of Attu more fully and make a
report to the class.
- Examine the entire war in the Pacific to better understand the particular role the Battle of Attu played in
the full campaign.
- Call veterans' groups in the community and try to
arrange for members who fought in World War II to
come to class and speak about their personal experiences.
Activity 2: The Local Impact of World War II
Have students investigate their own region to see how it
was affected by World War II. If there were active military bases, they might find out where the armed forces
who trained there were sent. They might also check to
see if local factories were engaged in war work. If these
bases or factories no longer exist, the students could
find out what is now located on the sites. Local papers
published during the 1940s are good sources both for
information and photographs. These can usually be
found in the archives of public libraries or in the
morgue of the newspaper office. Senior citizen centers
are good places to conduct interviews about how the
military base or factory affected the local community.
Activity 3: War and the Individual
Encourage students to invite a veteran of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Iraqi Freedom to visit the classroom to describe another recent military
engagement where climate and logistical problems
played a very large role. After the presentation, have
students discuss similarities and differences between
the two battles. Then ask them to write an essay on the
role of the ordinary soldier (both American and Japanese) during the crisis of war.
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