PROCESS
Task 1 - Tuskegee Airmen
Part I- To better understand who these airmen were, watch the short clip of Tuskegee Airman Luther Smith. To find this clip go to the RESOURCES section and click on "Airman Luther Smith."
Answer these short questions in complete sentences after watching the clip.
- Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
- What job did the Airmen have?
- How were they first seen by the U.S. Military?
- What record did they break?
- What did they fight for? What problem did they face?
Part II- After watching the intro video and answering the short answer questions, move onto "Tuskegee Airmen Museum" located in the RESOURCES section of the WebQuest. This site will help explain who these men were, and how they fought both discrimination abroad as well as back home through their contribution in the U.S. Air Corps.
Read the sections labeled "TRAINING FOR WAR", "AIRMEN IN COMBAT", "MOTON FIELD", "SUPPORT PERSONNEL", and "BENJAMIN O. DAVIS." Then answer the following critical thinking questions in complete sentences.
- Who were the Airmen? What were the Airmen trained in?
- After going through training, where were the Airmen transferred to? Where did the Airmen get most of their training? Who was their commanding officer in flight school?
- Why were the Tuskegee Airmen such a valuable source to the U.S. Military?
- What was a major problem they faced in the military? Did they have a similar problem at home?
- Who was Benjamin O. Davis? What contribution did he bring to his troops? Why is he seen as a WWII hero?
- What other contributions did African-Americans make to WWII?
- Why do you think Benjamin O. Davis, and the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen, should be remembered?
- Do you think the Tuskegee Airmen achieved their Double Victory (freedom abroad and freedom at home)?
Task 2 - 442nd Regimental Combat Team
To understand who the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was, go to the RESOURCES section and click on "Japanese-Americans in WWII." This article describes a story of a real American who fought bravely and sacrificed much in WWII. It also goes on to explain who these men are and why they should be remembered.
Read the article, then answer all of the following questions in a 2-3 paragraph response.
Read the article, then answer all of the following questions in a 2-3 paragraph response.
- Who was Daniel K. Inouye? What contribution did he make to WWII?
- Who made up the 442nd Regimental Combat Team?
- Where did they fight in the war?
- What problems did they face at home and abroad?
- Why do you think these soldiers should be remembered?
- How are Tuskegee Airmen and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team similar? How are they different?
Task 3- Navajo Code Talkers
Lastly we will look at the Navajo Code talkers. To better understand who these men were, go to the RESOURCES section of the WebQuest and click on "Native Warriors of WWII". Follow the directions and answer the questions provided.
Part I- For the first part we will discover who these Code Talkers were, what they're jobs were, and what impact the war had on them.
Part II- Now go to the section titled "Survival" on the left hand side of the page. This section will describe the hardships and opportunities the Native Americans have endured since WWII.
Part I- For the first part we will discover who these Code Talkers were, what they're jobs were, and what impact the war had on them.
- First click on "TEXT VERSION" located at the bottom of the page.
- Go to the "INTRO" section on the left hand side of the page and read the short passages on the page.
- After reading these short passages go to the "CODE TALKING" section located on the left hand side of the page.
- Read the passages on the page and answer the following questions in complete sentences while you read. (ignore the sections labelled "Reflection and discussion questions" and "Workbook: Talking in codes")
- Why did several Native Americans join the United States Military?
- Why did Phillip Johnston believe the Navajo could help in the war?
- How did the Navajo come up with the words for military commands and weapons? Be sure to include a couple in your answer as examples.
- Why were these codes so important?
- Where did the various Native American groups serve in WWII?
- List two things that Code Talkers mainly remember about the war.
- How do you think the Native American's "warrior tradition" is still carried out in the modern era?
Part II- Now go to the section titled "Survival" on the left hand side of the page. This section will describe the hardships and opportunities the Native Americans have endured since WWII.
- Read the passages and answer the following questions in complete sentences.
- What jobs and opportunities did the code talkers come back to? What problems did they face?
- How did Carl Gorman and Charles Chibitty relate after the war? What did they do following the war? How did they interact and engage their heritage?