Message from jcsmyth

[Anonymous]

This year there was considerable discussion on Japan. The bombing of Pearl Harbor always creates a lively discussion for my fifth graders. It would an interesting exercise on" points of views" by assuming the position of Japan and why they would assume the aggressor role in the Pacific. There are many reasons the Japenese might felt trapped by the Europeon powers and the U.S. when it came to their oil supplies. The ABCD Alliance played a role. You could also bring in geography and the feeling of living on a limited land base and an archapalegio. Then you could move toward a discussion of when is war ever justified. Peace and conflict resolution need to start early.
I do this sometimes with George Washington and have them think about him as a patriot or a traitor for the purpose of generating a discussion. In the eyes of the British, he wa a patriot in the French Indian War while in the American Revolutionary War Washington he was a traitor through British eyes.