Curriculum Materials

 

Educator Resources User Guide has an Introduction to the curriculum, Credits, and the Table of Contents.

Standards that the lessons are based on include:
National Primary Standards
California Primary Standards
National Secondary Standards
California Secondary Standards
Take a look at the standards to find a corresponding lesson that meets your needs.

Primary Curriculum (4th Grade)

Some files are quite large. Lesson 1 is available as a complete lesson. Lessons 2 - 4 are available both as complete lessons and as individual activities. Download based on your classroom needs or your internet connection speed.

Lesson 1: Identity(2.8 MB)
How do we Start to Understand Different Life Experiences?
Includes Activities:Who Am I? What is Your Family Story? What is a Shared Past?

Lesson 2: Connections to the Past(16.8 MB)
How do we Connect With the Past?
Includes Activities:
1. Setting the Scene: America in the 1940s (1MB)
2. What Was Life Like in the 1940s?(6 MB)
3. Learning From Each Other(.4 MB)
4. Tracing the Past(8.6 MB)
5. KWL(1 MB)

Lesson 3: War(7.7 MB)
How does War Affect our Lives?
Includes Activities:
1. So Far From the Sea(.9 MB)
2. War(1.2 MB)
3. Introducing War Hysteria(4.9 MB)
4. KWL(.9 MB)

Lesson 4: Remembering Manzanar(17 MB)
How did Japanese Americans' Identities Shape their Internment Experiences?
Includes Activities:
1. Remembering Manzanar(1.6 MB)
2. Interned(3.2 MB)
3. 10,000 Lives, 10,000 Stories(2.3 MB)
4. Extra, Extra! Read All About It!(10 MB)
5. Daily Activities(2.8 MB)
6. Who Were These People?(19.8 MB)
7. Life After Camp(2.7 MB)
8. What is Freedom and Who Will Guarantee it?(2.8 MB)
9. KWL(.6 MB)

If you have a fast connection, you are welcome to download the entirePrimary Curriculum(23.6 MB).

Secondary Curriculum (10th and 11th Grades)

Lessons 1 - 5 are available both as complete lessons and as individual activities. Lesson 6 is just one activity.

Lesson 1: Identity Awareness(7.7 MB)
How do we Start to Understand Different Life Experiences?
Includes Activities:
1. Who Am I?(1.3 MB)
2. Friends(4 MB)
3. Perceptions(1.3 MB)
4. KWL(1.3 MB)

Lesson 2: Connections to the Past(10.5 MB)
How do we Connect with the Past?
Includes Activities:
1. Setting the Scene: America in the 1940s(1.4 MB)
2. Learning From Each Other(1.7 MB)
3. Tracing the Past(6.7 MB)
4. KWL(1 MB)

Lesson 3: War(4.6 MB)
How Does War Affect America's Identity?
Includes Activities:
1. History of Japanese Americans(1.4 MB)
2. War(1.3 MB)
3. Introducing War Hysteria(1.5 MB)
4. KWL(.7 MB)

Lesson 4: Internment Experiences(4.4 MB)
How did the Identities of Japanese Americans Shape their Internment Experiences?
Including Activities:
1. Remembering Manzanar(1 MB)
2. Interned(.8 MB)
3. Identities(1.5 MB)
4. Daily Motion(.7 MB)
5. KWL(.7 MB)

Lesson 5: Perspectives and Consciousness(5.9 MB)
How can Perspectives Dictate the Treatment of a Race or a Community?
Includes Activities:
1. The Power of Words(2.3 MB)
2. Perspectives(.9 MB)
3. Racism and Racial Profiling(2.4 MB)
4. KWL(.8 MB)

Lesson 6: Identity Shaping Experiences(1.3 MB)
How can we Stand for Freedom?
Includes Activity:Apology

If you have a fast connection, you are welcome to download the entireSecondary Curriculum(26.6 MB).

Additional Resources

ID Booklets
These biographical booklets tell the personal stories of internees and others directly affected by the internment experience.

KWL Chart
Use this chart when directed in lessons to have students reflect on "What do I know?"; "What do I want to know?"; and "What have I learned?"

Related Books, Videos, and Web Sites
With the wealth of resources available today about Manzanar and the internment experience, you will always find more to learn and share.

Manzanar NHS Education Program Reservation Request
You can reserve a ranger-led program. Depending on the length of your visit, a program may be a 30 minute introduction to the site, or a lengthier in-depth tour of Manzanar. Please email e-mail us to schedule a trip. You may download and fill out the Reservation Request Form and email it to the address at the top of the form. There is no charge for the tour or for parking.

Manzanar National Historic Site requires that school groups include one adult for every 15 students. Our maximum group size is 100. We are not able to accommodate more. Please be prepared to split groups larger than 25. We will do everything we can to confirm your tour, however not all requests can be accommodated due to lack of staffing. If we cannot accommodate your request, please know that you can visit Manzanar on your own. With our extensive exhibits, introductory film, self-guiding driving tour, and rangers at the front desk, tour leaders can lead their own excursions to Manzanar.

Last updated: 2018