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Sample Lesson Plan on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their relevance today

This is a sample of how a lesson on Hiroshima and Nagasaki might be presented, with suggested follow-ups.

Learning Objectives
Developing knowledge of a historical event and its implications


Developing skills of enquiry and communication:

  • justify orally a personal opinion about a topical moral/political issue (S1/2)
  • express, justify and defend a personal opinion about a topical political/moral issue (S3 - S6)

Differentiation
Suggested under Learning Objectives, above, and will also affect which quotes, comments and considerations, and which items from the information sheet are used with the class.

Introduction
Show the posters and give a brief outline of the history of Hiroshima and Nagaski.

Main Part
Divide into groups, each group has the set of information and activity sheets and quotes, comments and considerations (cut up from the sheets provided).

Group should talk about each quote/ comment / consideration and decide which issue it is dealing with. Each group should also choose at least three comments and decide if they agree or disagree with each one, giving two reasons to support their view.

Plenary
Bring the class together to find out the results. A larger A3 set of the information sheet items could be used to make a wall display with the agreed quotes / comments / considerations stuck on.

Follow-up
Jigsaw principle: groups take one item on the information sheet and do further research and report back to the class

Debate: using one of the issues from the information sheet.

Creative writing: e.g. journalist reporting the bombings, medic administering first aid writing home, diary entry from one of the ground staff preparing the aeroplanes that dropped a bomb.

Investigate further topics, such as:

  • Differences between atomic and conventional weapons
  • What are the effects of radiation on people?
  • What is the Hiroshima Memorial Museum?
  • What are Trident submarines?
  • What is the difference between a nuclear powered and a nuclear armed submarine?
  • Nuclear proliferation, what is it?
  • What countries have a nuclear capability?
  • UK government's policy on nuclear weapons (and other major parties)

Resources
4 Then and Now Hiroshima posters
Activity sheet
Quotes, comments and considerations sheets
Information sheet
Hiroshima booklet

Other resources could include:
Access to the SCND website or printouts
Information leaflets

Cross curricular links

Modern Studies, RME, History, English

 

 

 

created 5 May 2005

 

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