Rationing in the United States during World War II

Name: Kori Kivley
Date: April 7th-8th, 2008
Subject: 6th Grade Social Studies
50 minute class period


National or State Benchmarks Addressed:
Taken from the Minnesota Academic Standards in History and Social Studies:
I.I.4. Students will evaluate the impact of World War II on the home front and on American culture, including Japanese internment, Tuskegee Airmen, and “Rosie the Riveter.”


Key concepts/skills/values: rationing, saving, re-using, recycling, mathematical skills

Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify what goods/services were rationed in the United States during WWII
2. Understand why the United States rationed these goods.
3. Create a ‘what if’ scenario in groups on how they would have rationed

Provisions for Individual Differences:
The first provision was made for a student with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. She learns well when doing hands on activities, so the rationing game was incorporated into this lesson. Her aid may also be present doing this time if need be.
The second provision was made for an ESL student. With the video I will be showing the students from You Tube, he will be able to see the material presented in different ways.


Materials:
1. Internet – Dr. Seuss Cartoons
2. Examples of products being rationed
a. Coffee
b. Sugar
c. Nylon
d. Gas
3. Photocopy of the excerpt from World War II for Kids p. 50
a. Ruth H. Statement from World War I
b. Copy of War Ration Book No. 4
4. Directions to play Rationing Game from World War II for Kids p. 53



Rationing Cartoon about gas


Rationing Cartoon about recycling scrap metal

http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/Frame.htm

Sequence of Learning Activities

Anticipatory Set:
Show the students the coffee, sugar and nylons. Ask them how often they feel they use these products in every day life. List these on the board. Once you get at least 6 or 7 responses tell them that years ago, when their great grandparents were alive, these products were not available all the time. Write on the board how often a family would use these products during WWII. This should take 10 minutes.

Frame:
Give an overview of the lesson. Start off by showing the students the different cartoons from Dr. Seuss relating to rationing. Read them the excerpt from the WWII for Kids. Explain to them that manufacturers were not producing that many goods for the public, due to the war effort. Tell them that fats were especially important because this ingredient was vital when making explosives. Many of the exports had ceased as well since these cargo ships were prone to attacks from Germany and Japan. The President at the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, formed the Office of Price Administration (OPA). He did this to prevent some families buying so much, that it would leave other families with nothing. This led to the United States issuing rationing books to each U.S. citizen. The stamps in these ration books had pictures on them or point values. Many people decided to grow Victory Gardens – growing their own fruits and vegetables for their personal use. Introduce the rationing game to the students, and tell them this will help them gain insight now how people in the United States survived rationing during World War II. Each student should have brought 2 food items from home. This should take 10 minutes also.

The Home Front during World War 1, 1916-1918
"My father was in the Civil Defense Unit, and he patrolled the streets. My brother, 13 at the time, was a Boy Scout and he sold Liberty Bonds from a truck. My sister and I had a war garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, and we grew all kinds of vegetables. We used them for our own use and gave them to neighbors, and my mother canned a good many. And then my mother participated with a group of women who trained women to supply recipes for meatless days that were required. We had that during World War I. Sugar and meat were rationed. Children in the elementary school were taught to knit socks and scarves to send overseas to the men in the service. It was a very patriotic time for people in World War I, as you can tell by the things that we did. When we go into the war, we had to give in the support that we could. On Armistice Day, I remember that my mother was in the city [New York], and the crowds were so active and excited that she was practically carried along, off her feet, by the excitement of the end of the war."
-Ruth H., born 1902(As you can see, the same patriotism existed in both wars, and the people that experienced World War I, were ready to sacrifice again for World War II).


Procedures and Strategies:
Rationing Game:
1. Explain the rules to the class, while writing them on the board.
2. Split the students into groups of 4 or 5.
3. Write down the Rationing Chart from 1943 on the board.
4. Hand out the supplies to each group:
a. 6 or 7 rolls of pennies
b. 5 or 6 rolls of nickels
c. 2 Styrofoam cups
d. Worksheet and paper
e. Calculator
5. Give the students 15-20 minutes to play the game.
6. As a group have them answer the following questions:
a. Which items would your group NEVER buy?
b. Which items would your group ALWAYS buy?
c. How did your group do on the rationing method?
7. Give the students 10 minutes to fill out the questions on their worksheet
8. Once the students have finished their worksheets, have them return to their seats.
9. Discuss the entire class’s results and answer any questions they might have.
10. Students should hand in the worksheet to be graded.


Assessment

Objective 1 will be graded during the class discussions both before and after the lesson. It will show they are paying attention, and who has grasped the idea of which items were rationed and why. As the teacher, I will make mental note of who is struggling, and who is succeeding.

Objective 2 will be assessed during the game playing process. I will be walking around and observing the students. Students will be able to see first hand how the United States was able to ration certain goods. By listening to the class discussions, they should be able to answer the questions to go along with their game. This worksheet will be handed in for a grade.

Objective 3 will be assessed at the end of the lesson when we all come back to together as a group. We will share our results, and see how the students interpret them. Again, I will make mental notes about which students have grasped this idea and which ones are still struggling.

The United States Home Front during World War II Final Project

I have always loved history, and the process of becoming a teacher has allowed me to explore all areas of history within the world & our nation. I particularly enjoy the World War II era. For my final project, I have decided to focus on the United States Home Front and the effects the war has had on our women and minorities - especially the Japanese.
I made three lessons, each one focusing on a particular event or group of people within our country. The first lesson has to do with rationing. This was a life change for the citizens of the United States, and I think it is important for students to understand the impact it has. Rationing could happen in our future, since history has a tendency of repeating itself.
The activity I have my students do is a Rationing Game. It allows them to experience rationing first hand. I've always liked hands-on activities as opposed to lecturing and note-taking. I think the students will really enjoy this activity as well. I have included the lesson plan and activity sheet in the next entry.
The second lesson I created is teaching the students about the roles of women in the United States during the war. Women's jobs were a huge change during the 1940s, and being able to explain and show the students how women were able to survive on their own while husbands and boyfriends were at war is really important. I have the students do an activity where they create their own recruiting poster for women. It is supposed to aim towards a job opening, such as the air force & factories. I also have attached the lesson plan to this blog.
Finally, the last lesson plan I developed is about the Japanese Internment Camp, Manzanar, located in California at the time. This is a really important event in history that should not go unmentioned. Students should be informed of such cruelty, but also be aware of the times and what situation the United States was in. For this lesson, I have my students read "Farewell to Manzanar". I do not focus too much on the story itself, but I do have them learn the vocabulary from it and learn about the causes and effects of the Internment camps. Any questions they have about the story we will address in class, and the story will inform them first hand about the activity that went on in Manzanar. The lesson plan and activity sheet is attached to this blog along with the others.
Overall, I think I have developed a strong unit on the United States Home Front during World War II. For being the first unit I have written in my life, I think I did pretty well. I know there are things I will have to work on, but I won't be able to know until I try. Enjoy my unit! :-)

Lakeland Beating

There was an awful story in the newspaper a few weeks ago involving the beating of a high school cheerleader by some of her peers. The news article states that she was coaxed by friends to a girl's house, where she was beaten unconscious, and then beaten again once she woke up. This all supposedly happened because the victim was making negative comments about the girls on her MySpace page. I guess the attackers wanted to prove to the world how 'tough' they are by posting this video of the beating on YouTube.

Knowing that students have the capabilities of commiting such acts, as well as posting them on the internet for all to see, is frightening. Teaching students about cyberbullying is important, especially when something like this incident occurred not too long ago.
Along with this idea, we should be teaching students about the appropriate ways to talk & express their thoughts online. Social networking is a new concept for many teachers today, so they should take time investigating these sites, so they are able to see what their students are capable of doing with the internet at their fingertips. YouTube can be a great resource for teachers, but as you can see, anyone has access to the site, and can post any video they choose.
All in all, I believe it is imperative for teachers to guide their students when it comes to searching the internet. Also, teachers may want to let them know what is appropriate and inappropriate when it comes to sharing information online for the world to see.

Cheerleader, Other Girls Beat Up Teen Girl , Tape the Crime
http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=60657

*The video of the beating can be found on the website above. I didn't want to post something so graphic in my blog.

Comic Books - A Negative Influence on Youngsters

To be honest, I had not heard of this being an issue in our society. This is probably the case because my parents were born in the 1950s, and both sets of my grandparents have passed on. I guess this topic of conversation never made it to the dinner table!
I always thought of comic books dealing with superheros, ladies needing rescuing, and the eliminating of some ferocious beast or enemy. I also remembered the beloved Archie & Friends collection as well.



To hear about these comic books depicting images of abuse, cruelty and x-rated material is mind blowing. Personally, I do not find this topic appealing. From my own knowledge, however, I do recall boys being more prone to reading comic books as opposed to their female counterpart.
A main point I continually read, had to do with comic book reading and juvenile delinquency. Boys who read the violent stories often ended up as a delinquent. With this correlation at hand, many people came to the conclusion that these comic books promoted vicious behavior. What reminded me of this issue, were the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton. The students who went on a rampage shooting teachers and fellow classmates at random, were stimulated by a video game. Video games today seem to be the new-age version of the comic book. Usually, there is some sort of story behind the video game, or at least a goal one wishes to achieve. There are many violent video games on the market, and boys tend to be the ones to navigate towards them.

Anything violent - comics, video games, movies, etc. - will always be available to children. I'm not sure if eliminating or banning them is the answer. I also feel as though lecturing them about the possible negative outcomes can be useless as well. Children are going to find out for themselves if they like something or not. Parents are not always able to hide their kids from harmful things. I think explaining and showing students the potential harmful effects of any type of material is a way to get their attention. But the question still remains, will this draw them more towards the material, or less? My only solution is to continue to think of ways we can teach our students to make intelligent and ethical decisions about certain issues in our society.

Computer Games

As an elementary school student, one thing I remember looking forward to the most, was playing games on the computer. Some of the popular games I played as a kid were:

-Kidpix
-Oregon Trail
-Devil's Lake
-Number Munchers

I know there were more, but those are the only ones I remember by name. I would love to use Kidpix to make different pictures. This tool was so fancy back then. I'm sure it has advanced greatly since I was in elementary school.



Oregon Trail was the most popular game in school. I loved playing this. It was very entertaining. I remember having to make big decisions while playing the game, like how much food to buy, how to help a sick family member, or how to get across a river. I had no idea as a child, that the Oregon Trail was such a huge event in history. Having games like this, can increase the intelligence of students, even if they do not realize it.
Looking back on this game, I thought it was simple. Nothing was really that intense about. Only a few clicks on the keyboard, and that was it. It is interesting to see how amused children can be by the simplest games. Sometimes I wonder if this is the case anymore. Many games today are very complex, since there are gaming systems now like XBox 360 and the Wii. The games I see my brother playing, like sports games for example, seem intense. I feel as though he would be bored with the game Oregon Trail at the young age of 10. To be honest, I'm not sure if he has even heard of the game, Oregon Trail.
Overall, I believe games can be implemented in the classroom, when they are educational. I didn't know the historical background behind Oregon Trail as a kid, but now I realize why my teachers would allow us to play this game. These games are greatly increase a student's knowledge and interest in a certain academic area.

Websites for Teachers, Parents, & Students

In my technology for teaching & learning class, we have been asked to search the internet for websites that could possibly be implemented within our classroom. Many websites had extensive lists of activities, lessons, classroom decor, etc. Others, like You Tube, which many would not consider to be a learning tool, does have informative video clips that teachers are able to use within their classroom.


The first one is http://www.crayola.com/. I loved how there were so many different craft ideas for children. I can see myself, as a future teacher, implementing these ideas in my classroom. I would be able to decorate my bullent boards in my classroom, as well as my school's hallways with my students' artwork. I particulary liked the holiday crafts, because that is my favorite time of year. Having a certificate maker online is useful. I would be able to easily print these off when a student were to perform well in reading, for example. The lesson plans offered is another area of this website that I would be able to utilize. I love Social Studies, and there are numerous possibilities on this website.

The second website is http://www.youtube.com/. I would like to be able to show my students short video clips to introduce lessons. Being a visual learner myself, being able to see things helps students grow as a learner. I think it is important to use video clips to aid in your lesson planning. For example, if I were teaching a unit on WWII, I would use a video clip such as this one, with Donald Duck being a Nazi.



After watching this movie, we could have a discussion about Nazis, and what was going on in Germany at the time of WWII.

I see many possible resources on the internet. I know once I become a teacher, I will be referring to many of these to assist in my teaching.

Coaching vs. Teaching

i especially enjoyed the article discussing the differences between coaching and teaching. i found this to be extremely interesting because i had never heard about this idea before.
i find it a little sad that coaches spend more time planning their practices than the lessons going on in the classroom. i can recall from experience, that positive feedback is associated with sports & coaching, whereas negative feedback is connected to teaching. When a person is both a coach and a teacher, often times he/she will chose to spend more time on coaching than teaching. This is frustrating for me. If you chose to be a coach & a teacher, you should be able to juggle both, without one suffering due to time or effort.
the main areas covered in this study were planning, instruction, environment, support, and recognition. i found the instruction category to be interesting, & yet true. coaches spend a great deal of time preparing for their lengthly 2 hour or more practices. they will often have discussions about strategy and skills that could be used. in gym class, however, the majority of the 50 minute period is spent playing games, without any true meaning behind it.
the ratio of students to teachers is 30:1. this is tough when conducting lessons in the classroom, but you are prepared for this when completing your degree in college as well as the licensing program. it can be frustrating at times. i can see why coaches may spend more time on their practices since the ratio for coaches to athletes is 4:1. i know many teachers would perform better if they classroom sizes were smaller.
the support one attains for coaching is also much higher than that of teaching. usually, sporting events draw large crowds, & the pressure to perform well is high. in school, there isn't an audience to entertain. this is a huge difference that i did not think about until after reading this article.
i believe, & i'm sure others as well, that physical education is an essential part of school. physical education is something all students should be aware of, since it relates to their health, and well being. teachers should still take the time to create effective lessons in the classroom, even if they feel their practices are more important. teaching is still their job too. i feel this is an important topic to discuss in the classroom as well. i'm not sure i would make an assignment from this particular article, but i would love to have an open discussion with my students. i would like to present them with photos, diagrams, and facts of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. a q&a session, i think, would be beneficial here.