INTRODUCTION

The decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has always been a controversial topic with many points of view. Now, students can take on the roles of the decison-makers and look at the issue from different perspectives.

This WebQuest is a classroom debate between four different teams of students, each representing one of the following roles: President Truman, Military personnel, a Japanese survivor, and the scientists who created the bomb. In this exercise, each student will use Internet resources to research their particular topic and gather information for the assigned group. Each group will then pool together their results to prepare an argument defending its position about the bomb.

Students will improve their critical thinking skills by applying historical views to an argumentative setting. They will be motivated to participate in this project because instead of reading about the decision from a textbook, they will be actors in the decision, recreating a moment in history.

ENTRY LEVEL SKILLS

Before participating in this project, students must have background information on World War II, in order to understand the events that led up to the Hiroshima/Nagasaki decision. They must also have practice using the Internet, since this is a technology based research project-debate. The Internet will be THE source of information for students. It is also important for students to be able to communicate effectively, in both oral and written form. At the Advanced Placement level, though, it is assumed that students will be able to demonstrate such entry level skills.

TEACHER RESOURCES

As the moderator of the debate, you will ask the students critical questions. For preparation you can read the same sites that have been provided for the students. We have provided some suggested questions you may want to ask.

Suggested Questions for the Moderator:

1) What would have happened if the bomb had not been dropped?
2) How would you have felt if you were the one who dropped the bomb that killed 110,000 people?
3) Aside from dropping the bomb, could there have been an alternative method of ending the war?
4) How do you feel about the death and destruction caused in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

According to the Virginia SOLs, the students should be able to understand the origins and effects of World War II such as major battles, military turning points, and key strategic decisions. Due to the critical nature of this topic, this project is better suited for higher level American History classes.

EVALUATION

You will evaluate the students on the following:

10% Preparation work = 10 note cards on day 3
50% Debate = How well they present their information
10% How well they worked in a group, based on evaluation from members within the group
30% Written Paper: historical content, analytical thinking, writing style, and overall presentation.

Make sure that the students abide by the instructions provided in the process. Allow only one week for preparation and keep track that the students are in fact doing research. During the course of the preparation week, have the students hand in 10 note cards per group that they are planning to use as historical information in the debate. Ask for the note cards on day 3.

CONCLUSION

After this assignment, your students will be able to:

- Plan and organize arguments
- Think critically
- Execute a plan of action
- State the sequence of events during World War II
- Draw their own conclusions about the necessity of dropping the bomb
- Research and analyze the issue of the atomic bomb using technology
- Work effectively under time constraints
- Collaborate in teams
- Improve their public speaking and leadership skills
- Take on the role of a given character
- Make decisions about controversial issues