Life at Manzanar: A Japanese Internment Camp
Jennifer Smith
El Paso Gridley High School
Summer 2011
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,
Ansel Adams, photographer, [LC-A351-3-M-22]
This lesson in an introduction to Japanese internment camps during World War II before
reading the book “Farewell to Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D.
Houston.
Overview/ Materials/Historical Background/LOC Resources/Standards/
Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension
Overview
Objectives
Recommended time frame
Grade level
Curriculum fit
Materials
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Students will:
 be able to explain why Japanese Americans were
placed in internment camps
 be able to describe the living conditions within the
camps based off of photographs
 be able to write about the experience of living in an
internment camp
3 or 4 class periods
9-10 Special Education
This lesson can be used in an English Literature class or
a History class.
 Lined paper
 Pen/ pencil
 Computer with a smart board or projector
 Photographs of a Japanese internment camp
 Photo analysis sheet (9 of them/ one for each
picture)
 KWL chart
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University

Rubric and guidelines for writing assignment
Illinois State Learning Standards
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Language Arts:
GOAL 3: Write to communicate for a variety of
purposes.
 3A. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation,
capitalization and structure.
o 3.A.4 Use standard English to edit documents for clarity, subject/verb agreement,
adverb and adjective agreement and verb
tense; proofread for spelling, capitalization
and punctuation; and ensure that documents
are formatted in final form for submission
and/or publication.
 3B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for
specific purposes and audiences.
o 3.B.4a Produce documents that exhibit a
range of writing techniques appropriate to
purpose and audience, with clarity of focus,
logic of organization, appropriate elaboration
and support and overall coherence.
Listening and Speaking:
GOAL 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of
situations.
 4A. Listen effectively in formal and informal situations.
o 4.A.4b Apply listening skills in practical
settings (e.g., classroom note taking, interpersonal conflict situations, giving and
receiving directions, evaluating persuasive
messages).
Research:
GOAL 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess
and communicate information.
 5B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from
various sources.
o 5.B.4a Choose and evaluate primary and
secondary sources (print and nonprint) for a
variety of purposes.
Procedures
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Day One:
 As students come into class, have a bell ringer
writing assignment on the board.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
“If the word internment means the act of confining
especially during war then what do you think an
internment camp is?”





When students are done with bell ringer, discuss
their thoughts of what an internment camp must be.
Tell students that they are going to be learning about
internment camps during World War II. Explain that
they will be reading a book written by a woman who
lived in an internment camp as a child.
Give students a copy of the KWL chart. Help them
fill in the blanks by leading a discussion on what
they already know about: World War II/ being
confined/ forced to do something that you didn’t
want to do/ being cold or hot
Have students generate some questions about what
they would like to know more about. They should
write that on their KWL chart in the W section.
Students will fill in the L part of the chart after they
have read the book “Farewell to Manzanar”
Go the website What was an internment camp?
and read through what an internment camp was
during World War II and who was confined in them.
Day Two:
 Tell students that today and tomorrow they will be
looking at several photographs of people living at
Manzanar, a Japanese internment camp during
World War II
 Give students a copy of the photo analysis sheet for
each picture being shown and explain how to use the
sheet.
 Show them the first picture and model filling out the
form. Students should fill theirs out along with you.
 Have students complete the rest of analysis sheets
while showing each picture. Assist students as
necessary and guide them to look for the important
aspects of the pictures.
 Tell students that tomorrow they will write a journal
entry as if they were a child living in a Japanese
internment camp. They will use their photo analysis
sheets to help them with the details of their journal.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Day Three:



Give students a rubric for their journal assignment.
Read over the requirements with them and see if
they have any questions.
Allow students to work on their journal entries.
When everyone is done and time allows, have
students add any new questions that they may have
thought of to their KWL chart.
Evaluation
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Students will be assessed on:
 Classroom discussions
 KWL Chart
 Photo analysis
 Written journal assignment
Extension
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


After reading “Farewell to Manzanar” students
could research other Japanese Americans
experiences living in the internment camp and
compare those with Jeanne’s experiences.
Students could write a journal entry from the
point of view of an American girl or boy who
had a friend taken to an internment camp. What
thoughts might be going through their head?
Students could research the different camps and
compare and contrast them. They could write an
argument for why one camp was worse than the
others.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Historical Background
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After the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941, more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were put
in internment camps. The government was afraid that these Japanese Americans would
be more loyal to Japan and sabotage the war. There were no such cases of sabotage or
Japanese Americans spying for Japan though. Many of those taken to internment camps
were US citizens and half of them were children. Many Americans justified this
internment by believing that it was safer for the Japanese Americans to be living in the
camps because many had become prejudice.
In 1988, the US government apologized to those who were interned and mandated that
every person who spent time in an internment camp was to be given $20,000. The lasting
effects of the camps can be seen in the health of those that had been interned. Those who
have lived in internment camps are twice as likely to have heart disease or to die
prematurely.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Primary Resources from the Library of Congress
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Image
Description
Nurse Aiko
Hamaguchi, Mother
Frances Yokoyama,
Baby Fukumoto
Citation
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA35-5-M-04]
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA35-5-M-24]
URL
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00104))
Benji Iguchi driving
tractor in field
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA35-5-M-16]
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00116))
Unloading produce
truck, Tsutomu
Fuhunago
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA35-6-M-32]
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00327))
Baseball
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LC-
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00202))
Dressmaking class:
Mrs. Ryie
Yoshizawa,
instructor
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00126))
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
A351-3-M-06]
Calisthenics.
LC-A35-6-M-08
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA35-6-M-08]
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00160))
Tom Kobayashi,
Landscape (looking
at camera).
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA351-3-M-20]
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00218))
Mrs. Naguchi and
two children.
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA351-3-M-22]
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00220))
Tojo Miatake [i.e.,
Tōyō Miyatake]
Family, Manzanar
Relocation Center
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, Ansel
Adams,
photographer, [LCA351-3-M-37]
http://lcweb2.loc.go
v/cgibin/query/i?ammem
/manz:@field(NUM
BER+@band(ppprs
+00236))
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Rubric
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You are to write a journal entry as if you were a child living in a Japanese internment
camp. You will use your photo analysis sheets and what you already know about
internment camps to help you. You must include what your parents are doing during the
day, what you and your siblings are doing during the day, and the living conditions of the
camp. Use the following rubric to help you with your journal. The journal is worth a total
of 15 points.
5 points
Spelling and There are no
punctuation
more than 1
spelling or
punctuation
mistakes
Requirements Student
met
included and
adequately
covered all 3
areas.
Organization
Paper was
well
organized
and easy to
read.
4 points
There are no
more than 2
spelling and
punctuation
errors
Student
included all
of the
required
areas but not
in much
detail.
3 points
There are no
more than 3
spelling and
punctuation
errors.
Student
included and
adequately
covered 2 of
the areas.
Paper was
sort of
organized
and it made
some sense
2 points
There are no
more than 4
spelling and
punctuation
errors.
Student
included 2
of the
required
areas but not
in much
detail.
1 point
There are
more than 4
spelling and
punctuation
errors.
Student
included and
adequately
covered
only 1 area.
Paper was
not well
organized
and I had a
had a hard
time
following
their train of
thought.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Handouts
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Name:_______________________________________
Date:__________________________
KWL Chart
K
Know (what do I already
know)
W
Want to learn (what do I
want to learn during this
unit)
L
Learned (what have a I
learned that I didn’t already
know)
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Name:_____________________________
Date:__________________________
Photo Analysis Sheet
1. What people and objects do you see?
2. What is the setting?
3. What are the people doing?
4. How are the people dressed?
5. What else do you notice?
6. Write one question you have about the photograph.