Reflection Paper About War

A hypothetical lesson that I might teach about war that is age appropriate for 5th graders is a lesson about Pearl Harbor and the events and circumstances that surrounded it. I chose Pearl Harbor as my topic because not only does it involve the United States, but also because it was one of the main events that took place during World War II. Their main activity in this lesson would be to take on the role of a newspaper journalist during the 1940s and create/write a newspaper article on the events of Pearl Harbor. First, we would begin the lesson by activating prior knowledge. I would do this by having the students complete a KWL chart as a class on what they know about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then as a class we would fill out the

Students will not care about something that you are teaching unless they can connect/empathize with the topic. I previously skimmed over said activities/exercises in the previous paragraph but now I will go into greater detail. To teach about War I would ask them about their opinion of war, why it happens, and how we deal with it. I would also connect the Wars of the past (WWII) to wars that are currently happening in our world today. A good majority of people know someone or know of someone who is currently or in the past has served overseas in the military. Making that connection to their personal life would really bring them into the conversation. Second, to teach students about the concept of Fear I would ask them to think about a time they were fearful and then compare that feeling to what the soldiers and the people at the Pearl Harbor base might’ve felt when they were attacked. There isn’t a person alive that hasn’t experienced fear at one point or another. Fear brings people together because it creates an understanding. Third, I would teach the concept of Conflict by setting up a controlled conflict in the classroom between the students. I would put a statement up on the board (EX. Dogs are better than cats) and then allow the students to