The No-No Boys of WWII

• Students will be able to use analytical reading skills to identify the main ideas and supporting details of the primary and secondary sources.
• Students will engage in discussion around the impact of Japanese Incarceration and the Loyalty Oath.
• Students will develop a claim with evidence and reasoning to answer the compelling question.
• Students will use their learning to develop a pamphlet of rights.

• The No-No Boys of WWII Lesson Plan with Activity Sheet (form fillable pdf)
• The No-No Boys of WWII Excerpt Text Set
• From Personal justice denied: report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians 1992
  • Excerpt Chapter 7 "Loyalty: Leave and Segregation"
  • Excerpt Chapter 9 "Protest and Disaffection"
• From Community Analysis Notes from the War Relocation Authority 1944-1945
  • Excerpt Report no. 1 "From a Nisei Who Said 'No'"
• The No-No Boys of WWII Focused Note Taker (form fillable pdf)
• The No-No Boys of WWII Lesson Plan with Activity Sheet (editable document)
• The No-No Boys of WWII Activity Sheet (editable document)

• SSS1.6-8.1.  Analyze positions and evidence supporting an issue or an event.
• SSS3.6-8.1.  Engage in discussion, analyzing multiple viewpoints on public issues.
• H3.6-8.3.  Explain, analyze, and develop an argument about how Washington state has been impacted by:
  • Individuals and movements.
  • Cultures and cultural groups.
  • Technology and ideas.

Focused Inquiry

Staging the Question

Compelling Question: Can it be patriotic to refuse your country?

• Have the students create a Venn diagram of the words loyalty and patriotism. Students should come up with ideas, examples, and/or definition that show the similarities and differences of each of the words.
• Have students share their thinking in a class Venn diagram. Encourage students to be clear with their thinking. Teachers should also give students opportunities to question their own paradigms about ideas around loyalty and patriotism.

Background knowledge that students may need to support this lesson:

• Students should be exposed to the following terms
• Nisei
• Japanese Incarceration
• Executive Order 9066
• Manzanar
• Tule Lake Detention Center

• Sources that may be helpful:
• Densho Project
• National Park Service (Tule Lake and Manzanar)

Supporting Question: Why did incarcerated Nisei not sign the loyalty oath?

Formative Performance Task

Have students read the excerpts from “Personal justice denied.” Have students annotate four main ideas and supporting details. When they are done with each of the readings, have them complete the focused note taker for each. This document will have students capture their noticings and wonderings about the each other’s readings.

After students complete the focused note taker, teachers could have them share any questions that they have about Japanese Incarceration and/or the loyalty oath. The teacher may want to ask students where they would put this on their Venn diagram that they did at the beginning of the lesson.

When that is completed, have students read the interview between the War Relocation Authority and a Nisei prisoner. The teacher may choose to do this reading from a “reader’s theater” approach. Students should complete the focused note taker for the excerpt when they are done. This graphic organizer also includes an area for students to capture their noticings and wonderings. Teachers may want to have students share their questions again and add to their Venn diagram.

Taking Informed Action