Study Group

Literature

Hiroshima Memorial Park
Children's Peace Monument
Permission from Takeshi Murase

SADAKO

Overview

During 1939 and 1945, the world was enmeshed in a war that changed the course of history and left a lasting impression for generations to come. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The city of Hiroshima was devastated and the loss of lives and suffering were immense. Sadako is the true story of a young, Japanese girl who developed leukemia from the atomic radiation, caused by the bombing of Hiroshima. She raced against time to make 1,000 paper cranes before she died. This story exhibits the character's heroism as she deals with the tragic effects of the war. Living among us in Hawai'i, are some survivors of the bombing.

Sadako was chosen as an introduction to the study of the effects of World War II, in preparation for the experiential theater presentation of excerpts from Farewell to Manzanar by Roosevelt High School students.

Suggested Level: Grade 1

Time Frame: 2 weeks

Learner Outcomes

Develop an awareness and understanding of the effects of WWII on the people of Hawai'i and Japan.

Performance Standards: Cultural Anthropology
Identify commonalties and differences among cultures. (p. 125)
Compare ways that various ethnic groups address similar issues.
(p. 125)
Experience intra/interaction within the Harbors Project schools.

Performance Standards: Speaking and Listening
Demonstrate courteous, attentive listening. (p. 11)
Use speech for different functions and uses. (p. 11)
Communicate ideas and issues of personal significance. (p. 11)
Participate in discussion in a relevant way. Follow the direction of talk and stay on topic. (p. 11)
Minimize communication breakdowns by listening, seeking clarification, and checking perceptions. (p. 11)
Read a variety of literature that spans WWII years and cultures, and presents the universal themes that relate to their and others' lives.

Performance Standards: Reading and Literature
Discuss texts with others. (p. 12)
Connect text meanings with personal experiences, prior knowledge, and other texts. (p. 13)
Describe patterns, characters, plot, and setting. (p. 13)
Demonstrate understanding through discussion, retelling, and/or extensions. (p. 13)
Extend text reading to other ideas and situations. (p. 13)
Respond to literature in a variety of ways (e.g. writing, art, music, drama, etc.). (p. 14)
Learning Processes/Strategies

Prereading
Have class create a word map of "war" (e.g. cause, effect, solutions). Chart student ideas.

Reading
Read the story, Sadako.

Postreading
After reading the story, have students discuss it. Then have them draw pictures and write responses to:

What was the most interesting part of the story?
What would you have done if you were Sadako?

Collect the pictures and place them in a class booklet. Have students write in a daily journal.

Have students sequence the story (beginning, middle, and end) and do a story board with illustrations and text. In cooperative groups of two or three, have students use Kid Pix to create a slide show. Have the groups present their slide shows in class.

Participate in experiential theater presentation by high school students. Have students write their reactions in a daily journal:

How did you feel?
What did you learn?
What would you have done?

Integration with Other Subject Areas
Have students make paper origami cranes. (Discuss the belief that if one completes one thousand cranes, one will become healthy.) They may glue their origami cranes on construction paper and complete their pictures (e.g. drawing a background).

Bring in books on cranes and discuss their habitat, eating habits, life cycle, etc.

Do worksheets on Japan (map, clothing, traditions, etc.) as part of Social Studies and/or Japanese class. Practice some of the traditions that are still being observed in Japan and/or Hawai'i.

Literature Extension
Read The Paper Crane, Faithful Elephants, Pearl Harbor Child, and Baseball Saved Us.

Resources

Coerr, Eleanor; Sadako
Mochizuki, Ken; Baseball Saved Us.
Nicholson, Dorinda Makanaonalani; Pearl Harbor Child
Tsuchiya, Yukio; Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War
Bang, Molly; The Paper Crane
High school students for experiential theater

Materials

Origami and construction paper
Computer program, Kid Pix, and disks

Equipment

Computers

Assessment

Daily journal, stories, storyboards, and slide shows with oral presentation will be used to assess student learning.

The following may be considered:

role of learner (identify own learning and communicate learning to others)

learner feedback (what did you learn about personal insights and subject matter content)

audience feedback (what did you learn from this presentation/project?)

Acknowledgements
Catherine Ayabe
Lori Ann Hamel
Karyn Harada
Karen Kiyabu
Lisa Kumashiro
Alice Lau
Maydeen Minami
Dawn Nakaoka
Lois Ohta
Sylvia Sheu
Cathy Shimoda
Shelli Tottori
Terry Trahan

Sample Lesson Plans Set 1 includes

THE BRACELET
Overview: World War II affected people in different ways, and it created new situations and challenges. Some Japanese-Americans had difficulty accepting and adjusting to these situations.

SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES
Overview: The effects of war are devastating. Eleanor Coerr so richly captures the life of Sadako Sasaki who was only twelve when she died of leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bomb. Children here in Hawai'i many times cannot relate to the suffering and hardships that others endure due to the tragedy of the war. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes helps students to understand the realities of war, its ramifications, and the heroism and courage Sadako displays in dealing with her tribulation.

Sample Lesson Plans Set 2 includes

WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCE IN HAWAI'I
Overview: Man adapts to his environment in order to survive. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, which started World War II, created new situations and challenges to which individuals had to adjust.

WARTIME ADAPTATION
Overview: When Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, Japanese-Americans were forced to cope with painful discrimination. Some faced more difficult obstacles when they were forced into internment camps because of unsubstantiated suspicion and accusations. The diverse cultures of the people who ran the camps and the people who tried to make a home were brought together and somehow expected to function as one. The novel, Farewell to Manzanar, illustrates the difficulties of one such Japanese-American family.

EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR II:
A Bibliography for Grades K-6

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