During World War II, the government of the United States authorized the arrest and relocation of every Japanese American on the West Coast. 120,000 Japanese Americans, the majority of whom were citizens, were forced into concentration camps for the duration of the war. During this time, Japanese-American men still served in the U. S. military even as their families were held prisoner at home. Although the Congress passed the Evacuation Claims Act in 1948, which allowed internees to make a claim against the government to recover a small percentage of their losses, this program was a failure. It was not until 1988 that the U. S. government issued a formal apology and attempted in earnest to make reparation for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
This lesson plan uses the story “Hidden Memory” by professional storyteller Anne Shimojima. In this story, Shimojima tells about the experience of her family in the United States, especially during the time of World War II when some of her family were sent to the Incarceration camps.
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Lesson Plan
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the Hidden Memory: Japanese American Incarceration lesson
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Story Excerpts
The following MP3 track contains 4 story excerpts for use with the Hidden Memory: Japanese American Incarceration lesson plan. Please note that these excerpts
are protected by copyright and are exclusively for educational use.
Hidden Memory - Part One -- 6:17 minutes
Hidden Memory - Part Two -- 5:32 minutes
Hidden Memory - Part Three -- 7:28 minutes
Hidden Memory - Part Four -- 8:01 minutes
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Story Excerpts?
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About Storyteller Anne Shimojima
Like many Japanese-American families, Anne’s Shimojima’s family didn’t talk about their experiences during World War II. Gathering family photographs and interviewing a 91-year-old aunt opened the way to uncovering the story, and helped Anne to articulate her own identity as a Japanese-American.
Anne tells stories from her Asian background and around the world. Her thirty-plus years as an elementary school library media specialist have given her a rich knowledge of story and a keen ear for performance. She enriches the curriculum with stories and teaches her students to become storytellers themselves. Anne performs in schools, libraries, museums, and festivals, and gives workshops on the use of storytelling in classrooms and libraries.
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Tags: Asian Heritage Month, Japanese History, Asian American storyteller, Anne Shimojima, Japanese American Internment camps, free lesson plans, free teacher resources, printable lesson plans, lessons for elementary teachers, educational resources, lesson plans for home schooling, starting a social justice club, embracing cultural diversity, inclusive classrooms, teacher productivity tools, easy lesson planning
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