Lesson 1: Introduction to Native American Involvement in WWII

Lesson 1: Introduction to Native American Involvement in WWII

This lesson plan is meant to expose students to how Native Americans contributed to WWII and how that contribution is remembered today. While this lesson plan looks specifically at Native American code talkers, the more traditional war roles (i.e. soldiers) that Native Americans had are not delved into here. Students are asked to analyze sources from standardized textbooks, a New York Times article, and Native American testimonies. By comparing various sources, this unit demonstrates that Native American code talkers are seldom recognized for their vital contributions to WWII. Due to the volume of sources, if you run out of time, you can save the Native American testimonials for Lesson 2.

Ruth Isaac

1941-12-07/1945-09-02

1 Day

Students should understand the crucial role Native Americans had in WWII by creating an unbreakable code. Along with the inadequacies present in standard history textbooks that scantily cover Native American efforts in WWII.

Lesson 1: Worksheet

This lesson plan is meant to expose students to how Native Americans contributed to WWII and how that contribution is remembered today. While this lesson plan looks specifically at Native American code talkers, the more traditional war roles (i.e. soldiers) that Native Americans had are not delved into here. Students are asked to analyze sources from standardized textbooks, a New York Times article, and Native American testimonies. By comparing various sources, this unit demonstrates that Native American code talkers are seldom recognized for their vital contributions to WWII. Due to the volume of sources, if you run out of time, you can save the Native American testimonials for Lesson 2.

Essential Questions: What are the implications of excluding Native American contributions to World War II; why has it been erased? What was the role of Native Americans in WWII?

Introduction to Native Americans in the War: 5 minutes
Open class with asking students if they know anything about code talkers, as students respond write down their responses on poster paper/on the board
If no responses/conversation helpers: ask about the roles Native Americans could have had in the war, what they think code talkers means (deconstructing the word – what does it make them think of?), some reasons why Native Americans would and wouldn’t want to serve in WWII
Be sure to save the information

Activity: 45 minutes
Hand out the first source, textbook narratives, and give students 10 minutes to read the source and answer the attached questions (can work with a partner to help answer the questions but make sure to give enough time to read the different excerpts), if students finish earlier than the allotted 10 minutes, start classroom share earlier
Do a classroom share, for 5 minutes, and write down on the board what students say
Ask students: how does this differ from what you thought about code talkers? What does this make you think about code talkers?
Hand out the second source, newspaper coverage, and give students 10 minutes to read the source and answer the attached questions (can work with a partner to help answer the questions but make sure to give enough time to read the excerpt from the source), if students finish earlier than the allotted 10 minutes, start classroom share earlier
Do a classroom share, for 5 minutes, and write down on the board what students say (make a new column; be sure not to erase what was written for the last two classroom shares)
Emphasize: how does this complicate the textbook narratives? What does it mean when we put the two different sources in conversation with one another?
Hand out final source, Native American testimonials, and give students 10 minutes to read source and answer the attached questions (can work with a partner to help answer the questions but make sure to give enough time to read the different excerpts), if students finish earlier than the allotted 10 minutes, start classroom share earlier
Do a classroom share, for 5 minutes, and write down on the board what the students say (make an additional column on the board/use another piece of poster paper)
Ask students: what does it mean that all of these tribes contribute but most aren't recognized? How do these three different sources try to tell the same story? How do the Native American testimonials complicate the other two sources?

Closing Activity: Exit Ticket
On post – it note have students write down one way one of the sources expanded on their initial brainstorming idea or what they learned from one of the sources; if stuck ask them what seems like the most complete source of Native American code talkers? What is missing from some of the sources? Do textbooks give the most accurate type of account?
As they exit, have students put their post-it note with the corresponding column on the board

Lesson Sources:

America: Pathways to the Present: Modern American History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
Danzer, Gerald A., J. Jorge Klor De Alva, Larry S. Krieger, Louis E. Wilson, and Nancy Woloch. The Americans. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School, 2008.
Nash, Gary B. American Odyssey: The 20th Century and Beyond. New York: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 2005. Native Words Native Warriors. Accessed May 09, 2017. http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/codetalkers/html/.
"Navajo Code Talk Kept Foe Guessing." New York Times, September 19, 1945.