GRIT Lesson Plans

The project is designed to be implemented in the classroom over three 45-minute sessions.

Click to download complete lesson plans and materials as pdf.

Highlights

Session One – The Play, GRIT

Aim:  Introduce the WWII Japanese American story, raise awareness and prompt curiosity.

Guiding Question:  What should the country do to preserve our security?

GRIT video:

Performance in WA, March 2019
 

Session Two - World War II Focus

Aim:  Explore issues of constitutionality and the Japanese American incarceration.

Guiding Question:  Should wartime affect Americans' civil liberties?

1. Learning from People Who Experienced Incarceration: Three Oral History Interviews

Worksheet for students:  Color-Symbol-Word

Grace Hata  was incarcerated at Manzanar in California.  Her interview was recorded 3/16/12. (See transcript) 

This clip is an excerpt from Grace Hata's Densho oral history interview conducted March 16, 2012. To see the complete interview segment, visit the Densho Digital Repository (http://ddr.densho.org/interviews/ddr-densho-1003-10-13/).
 

Mits Koshiyama  was incarcerated at Heart Mountain in Wyoming.  His interview was recorded 7/14/01. (See transcript)

This clip is an excerpt from Mits Koshiyama's Densho oral history interview conducted July 14, 2001. To see the complete interview segment, visit the Densho Digital Repository (http://ddr.densho.org/interviews/ddr-densho-1000-130-10/).
 

Frank Isamu Kikuchi was incarcerated at Manzanar in California.  His interview was recorded 11/6/02. (See transcript)

This clip is an excerpt from Frank Isamu Kikuchi's oral history interview conducted November 6, 2002, by the Manzanar National Historic Site. To see the complete interview segment, visit the Densho Digital Repository (http://ddr.densho.org/interviews/ddr-manz-1-5-15/).
 

2. Develop a Character

See student work samples

 

Session Three - Injustice Today

Aim:  Identify injustices in the play and connect them to issues today.

Guiding Question:  Are all Americans treated equally?

Develop a scene about a contemporary issue.