Atomic Bomb Debate

Materials Needed:

US History Textbooks

Laptops with internet connection

Access to a library for articles and books

Advice: 

This activity allows the students to research and create their own original presentations, however some intervention may be necessary by the teacher. It would be good to let the students know ahead of time that they will have a debate in the classroom, but leave out the specific topic. This allows students to think about how they want to present without letting students a chance to complete their research ahead of time. This is suppose to be a team building experience that focuses on collaboration. Try to have the two sides evenly distributed. It might be necessary to draw names for each side, but this may have an negative impact on the students. Avoid letting the students know that the essay portion is an option as students might want that option. The paper option should be used for classes that have a large population. The day schedule is flexible as the debate can be longer or shorter depending on the timetable. 

Standards

This activity follows the standards:

United States History and Geography: 

Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century

11.7 Students analyze America’s participation in World War II.

7. Discuss the decision to drop atomic bombs and the consequences of the decision
(Hiroshima and Nagasaki).