Introduction
What made President Truman believe dropping the atomic bomb was the right thing to do? This webquest will help you gain more insight in this extremely controversial decision. Here you will examine the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan and ultimately end World War Two.
Task
You will picture yourself as an advisor to President Truman, trying to figure out the best way to end World War Two with the least casualties. You will examine the sources and write a 2 paragraph letter to President Truman either supporting or opposing the atomic bomb.
Process
1. Read through the sources on the link below, start with page 3 and the last one is page 11 and take notes about the pros and cons of the atomic bomb.
http://jsg558.tripod.com/pros-of-dropping-the-atomic-bomb.html
http://www.eastconn.org/tah/WouldYouDropTheBomb.pdf
2. Write a 2 paragraph (minimum of 12 sentences) letter to President Truman, advising him to drop the bomb or find an alternative way to end the war. Use 2 examples from the sources you read. MUST BE SCHOOL APPROPRIATE!
3. Type it up and email it to me at mcgrake@masd.k12.wi.us, you will have until 1120 to complete the assignment.
When you are finished, use the remainder of the time to work on your WWII website and podcast script, you need 1 battle from the European front and 1 battle from the Pacific front.
Evaluation
Evaluation
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 5 |
Accomplished 10 |
Score |
|
|
Length
|
Student did not complete the required length of project |
Student completed half of the required length of project |
Student completed the full requirement for the length of the project |
|
|
Historical Accuracy
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Several historic flaws in the student's project |
Few historic flaws in the student's project |
Completely historically accurate |
|
|
Persuasiveness
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Student did not persuade the reader one way or the other |
Student was persuasive but did not have very good detail |
Student completely persuaded the reader with very good detail |
Conclusion
I am looking forward to reading your opinion letters and hope that this activity helped you get some insight into the tough decisions that Presidents make on a regular basis, like President Truman with the atomic bomb.