Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki Stations on Manhattan Project, V-J Day

Use these 14 stations with primary & secondary sources where students analyze the controversial decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. Students will view a diverse set of artifacts, including drawings, oral history interview quotes, survivor accounts, images, statistics, and more. Throughout the stations, students examine the U.S. decision to use atomic weapons in Japan.

As they go, students will answer 2-3 questions for each station--analyzing the history of the U.S. use of atomic bombs.

ZIP FILE INCLUDES:

• Set of 14 stations featuring a mixture of texts & images on the atomic bombings of Japan during WWII
• Student handout with corresponding questions for each station (PDF: Preserves formatting)
• Student handout with corresponding questions for each station (Word Doc: Editable/post-able)
• Teacher Directions

CHECK OUT THE PREVIEW!

Stations cover:

• U.S. air raids in Japan & the bombing of Tokyo
• The Manhattan Project
• President Truman's options to force Japanese surrender
• Statistics about the use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Experiences of bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (drawings and oral history quotes)
• Images of the destruction caused in Hiroshima & Nagasaki
• Experiences of crew members of the Enola Gay
• U.S. reactions to the atomic bombings
• Reactions to Japanese surrender and V-J Day
• Excerpts from the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey which questioned the necessity of the bombings
• Foreshadowing of the Cold War nuclear arms race

These stations prompt students to thoughtfully consider the debate of whether or not the atomic bombs were justified in ending World War II. The stations expose the horrible experiences of bomb survivors, as well as the justifications given from U.S. service members and government officials.

Students will answer multiple questions for each station. The activity also includes reflection questions at the end. Students will consider:

What were the compelling arguments for the use of atomic weapons in Japan?

What were the compelling arguments against the use of atomic weapons in Japan?

Possible ways to use this activity:

1. Gallery Walk/Stations Activity (Students walk around and view the stations as if they were in a museum!)
2. Small group/partner work (Students view a packet of the artifacts and collaborate to complete the handout.)
3. Jigsaw (Students become experts on one or two topics and teach a small group.)
4. Teacher-Led/Whole-Class activity (Go over the stations as a whole class.)
5. Post electronically (Have students complete individually.)

The decision to drop atomic weapons on Japan during WWII remains controversial.

I use this gallery walk activity in my American History course to promote understanding of the topic and generate critical thinking.

Note: The text on the stations are not 100% editable because of fonts & formatting. However, all stations can be deleted within the Google Slides and/or text boxes can be added into/over slides. All Google Docs are 100% editable.

*************************************************************************************************************

Related Resources

Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Primary Source Worksheet: Eyewitness Account w/ KEY

Japanese American Internment Camps: Artifacts Stations/Gallery Walk Activity

*************************************************************************************************************

Teacher Tips

Get TpT credit toward future purchases!

Please leave a quick rating and comment for this product. From your My Purchases page, click the "Provide Feedback" button. TpT will give you feedback credit -- lowering the price of your future purchases! Plus, your feedback helps me create better resources for my students AND you! ☺

Follow Me!

Click the green star next to my store logo. Become a follower to receive email updates about my resources!