Obasan Webquest

Introduction

Have you ever been falsely accused? Have you ever been punished for something you did not do? Did you stand up for yourself or did you accept the punishment and accusation by keeping silent?

 

Expert Role #1-- You are responsible for determining the Rationale of the American and Canadian governments for passing the laws that interned so many Japanese nationals.  You will want to look for evidence of prejudice towards the Japanese prior to the start of WWII, as well as the political reasons for establishing the orders to evacuate the Japanese-Canadians from the West Coast after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Expert Role #2--You are responsible for researching how the Japanese-Canadians were punished prior to being sent to their assigned camps, as well as how they were treated while in the camps.  Be sure to identify how many camps were established throughout Canada's interior and the differences of each camp.  You will want to look, especially, for living conditions and "jobs" assigned to the prisoners.

 

Expert Role #3--You are responsible for finding information concerning the differences between the way the United States treated their Japanese "prisoners" and how the Canadians did.  You may also want to consider such information as how each country treated them after the end of the war.

 

Expert Role #4--You are responsible for learning about how the Canadian government provided redress to the Japanese after the end of the war.  Consider such questions as: When were the Japanese-Canadians allowed to return to their homes in the west?  What did they  have to go home to?  When did the government officially apologize for their treatment?  What monetary allotment was provided to the survivors of the camps?

If the provided links do not help you, feel free to search the internet yourself for added information.

Task

Obasan, by Joy Kogawa, is the story of a Japanese-Canadian woman's discovery and acceptance of her family's history and treatment during WWII. Her family, and thousands of others like hers, were stripped of their possessions, their heritage, and their dignity and were ordered to leave their homes and move to internment camps in the interior of Canada. The Question: What should be done to keep the innocent from being accused and presumed guilty? Your job, in a group of four students, is to research the background of Japanese-Canadian treatment during and after WWII. You will look for the causes, evaluate the consequences, and develop a personal solution that would help avoid and/or prevent such treatment in the future. Your group will be writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper telling what happened to these people and what society should do to prevent innocent people from being accused and presumed guilty in the future.

Process

1.  Establish a group of four students.

2.  Each student much choose a role

  • Expert on Rationale for Japanese-Candian & Japanese-American internment
  • Expert on the Treatment of Japanese-Canadians during the internment
  • Expert on the Differences between the United States' treatment and Canada's treatment of the Japanese nationals
  • Expert on the Redress after the end of WWII

3.  Go back to the Introduction Page to read through your Role descriptor, then come back here.

4.  Using the following links, read through the articles, documenting information pertinent to your role.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/japanese-internment-banished-and-beyond-tears-feature/

https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation

http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/canadianhistory/camps/internment1.html

http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/the_war_years.htm

5.  After 30 minutes, compile your information as a group.

6.  Now you will start writing your Letter to the Editor.  Start with a thesis paragraph that states your reason for writing the editorial.  Next, dedicate at least one paragraph per Expert to detail your information.  Your last paragraph should focus on what society should do to prevent innocent people from being accused and presumed guilty in the future.

Evaluation

Japanese-Canadian WebQuest Editorial Evaluation Rubric

 

 

4

3

2

1/0

 

 

Rationale

All content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; Rationale for why government interned Japanese-Canadians is answered completely.

Most content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; rationale for why government interned Japanese-Canadians is answered.

Some content is accurate and relevant; rationale for why government interned Japanese-Canadians is answered superficially.

Little to no content is accurate and/or relevant; minimal coverage as to why government interned Japanese-Canadians

 

 

Camp info.

All content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; Information as to how the Japanese-Canadians were treated before/during their internment is addressed completely.

Most content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; information as to how the Japanese-Canadians were treated before/during their internment is addressed.

Some content is accurate and relevant; information as to how the Japanese-Canadians were treated before/during their internment is addressed superficially.

Little to no content is accurate and/or relevant; minimal information as to how the Japanese-Canadians were treated before/during their internment

 

 

Compare/contrast

Canada & U.S.

All content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; information concerning how the two countries were similar and different in their internment is provided thoroughly

Most content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; information concerning how the two countries were similar and different in their internment is provided.

Some content is accurate and relevant; information concerning how the two countries were similar and different in their internment is provided, although superficially.

Little to no content is accurate and/or relevant; minimal information concerning how the two countries were similar and different in their internment

 

 

Redress

All content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; provide information relating how each country provided redress

Most content is accurate & relevant; presented in an interesting fashion; provide information relating how each country provided redress

Some content is accurate and relevant; information relating how each country provided redress is provided superficially.

Little to no content is accurate and/or relevant; minimal coverage as to how each country provided redress

 

Solution/suggestion

for prevention

At least 1 paragraph is dedicated to providing a solution for prevention of this type of hysteria in the future

1 paragraph is dedicated to providing a solution for prevention of this type of hysteria in the future, but may lack A.E.C.

Less than 1 paragraph is dedicated to providing a solution for prevention of this type of hysteria in the future; minimal A.E.C.

No paragraph is dedicated to providing a solution for prevention of this type of hysteria in the future; or no A.E.C.

 

Mechanics/Writing Style

No errors in spelling/grammar; writing style is fluid and coherent; vocabulary is mature & of college material; no plagiarism

1-3 errors in spelling/grammar; writing style is mostly fluid and coherent; vocabulary is good; no plagiarism

4-6 errors in spelling/grammar; writing style is not as fluid as could be; vocabulary is weaker; no plagiarism

Many, many errors in spelling/grammar; writing style is choppy and incoherent; vocabulary is weak; evidence of plagiarism

 

Conclusion

Throughout this rudimentary WebQuest, you have learned some of the basic information concerning the treatment of Japanese-Canadian nationals during WWII; however, there is so much more that happened to which we are not privvy. As you read through Obasan, look for the answers to your remaining questions. As we continue throughout our lives, how can we help these events from ever happening again? When finished with your editorial, please submit to your teacher. You may want to turn to the evaluation link to ascertain how you will be assessed for this writing assignment.