Japanese American Internment Camp Projects

My class just finished reading Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston which is a memoir written by a woman who essentially grew up in an Japanese Internment camp in the United States during WWII. This part of history, that not many are aware of, is an important part of student learning because our focus of social justice is clearly marked throughout the book. I highly recommend Farewell to Manzanar to anyone who wants to have his or her students get a real look at the experience of these camps. I personally enjoy the last few chapters of the book the most because Jeanne really hones in on how racism effected her emotionally. She has a great way of explaining it by using her experiences and how she interpreted her surroundings and ultimately how they shaped her as a human being.

Below are some of the projects students created. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to contact me if you would like to collaborate on how to use this book in your classroom!

Students made maps to depict the camp Jeanne lived in for almost 3 years of her childhood

Students made newspaper articles to "interview" Jeanne and her family members before, during and after the experience

One student chose to make a television interview of her interviewing Jeanne