American and Japanese Perspectives of the Attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941: A ComparisonContrast Essay Project Overview This project makes use of two eyewitness accounts—one American and the other Japanese—of the 1941 Pearl Harbor Incident for a comparison-contrast essay assignment in an English 1101 class Before starting this project, the students should have been informed of the rhetorical objective and organization of a comparison-contrast essay The use of the two primary sources is expected to enhance the students’ sense of purpose in writing and make them aware of the use of the comparison-contrast essay on real-world issues Although the project is designed for an English 1101 class, it may also be workable in any other English composition class at a different learning level, where mastery of the comparison-contrast essay is a component of the course’s learning objectives It may even be used as a writing-across-the curriculum essay assignment in a history class Student Learning Objectives Upon successful completion of the project, the student will be able to Apply critical reading and thinking skills in independent reading and subsequent group discussion of the primary sources, Analyze and synthesize information from the sources to formulate ideas for comparison and/or contrast, Develop the skills to write effectively about the similarities and/or differences between two subjects in real-world situations Procedure Equipment: Each student needs to have access to (1) a computer that has Internet connection and (2) an online discussion board via an e-learning system such as WebCT Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of the comparison-contrast essay Implementation: This RWLO can be used both in the classroom and in an online setting Steps: Inform the students of the learning objectives of this lesson Give the students 15 to 20 minutes to read the two accounts by U.S Marine Corporal E.C Nightingale and Japanese Air Force Commander Mitsuo Fuchida along with the introductory passages and marginal notes Direct the students to look for similarities and/or differences between these two accounts Ask the students to log in to WebCT and post their observations of the similarities and/or differences Ask the students to read and respond to at least two postings from their peers Give the students the homework assignment of completing a comparisoncontrast essay based on their findings through independent critical reading and collaborative online discussion Content Material Primary Sources: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl2.htm Points for Comparison and/or Contrast*: U.S and Japanese preparedness for the surprise attack Actions of both sides after the attack started Tenacity of the soldiers on both sides The two accounts’ observation of the explosion on the Battleship Arizona U.S and Japanese views on the degree of the attack’s success (Consider the victory at the Battle of Midway in June 1942 and the Japanese surrender in 1945 mentioned in the introductory passage preceding Marine Corporal E.C Nightingale’s account.) * The students are encouraged to come up with additional points for comparison and/or contrast Homework assignment: Complete a comparison-contrast essay of at least 500 words to present the similarities and/or differences between the American and Japanese views and attitudes as reflected in the two eyewitness accounts of the 1941 Pearl Harbor Attack See Handout for directions and writing tips Assessment The students’ work for the RWLO will be assessed using the following rubric: Score (points) Student Assignment The student reads the two eyewitness accounts The student posts at WebCT his or her observations of the similarities and/or differences between the two accounts in terms of the points specified in Content Material The student responds to at least two postings by his or her peers The student completes a 500-word comparison-contrast essay according to the requirements given in the Handout: Homework assignment Directions 25 Total: 40 Course Competencies This RWLO would be appropriate for the following courses: English Composition I and II, and possibly for a history class that is part of the writing across the curriculum program of an institution Specifically, this RWLO meets the following course competencies: To apply critical thinking and problem solving skills through reading and discussion of print and non-print sources To develop study skills through independent and collaborative learning activities To demonstrate competence in different modes of writing To demonstrate clarity of style, content, and grammar in writing To demonstrate the use of computer skills, including using the Internet and working in the e-learning environment Supplementary Resources The following links provide information about the characteristics and writing strategies of a comparison-contrast essay: Provider: Roane State Community College URL: http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/Com_Con.html Provider: Literacy Education Online URL: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/comparcontrast.html Provider: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill URL: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/comparison_contrast.html Provider: Del Mar College URL: http://www.delmar.edu/engl/wrtctr/handouts/comp_cont.htm Provider: Odessa College URL: http://www.odessa.edu/dept/english/mjordan/Compare-contrast.htm Recommendations Recommendations for other instructors A cyber discussion board is certainly requisite if the RWLO is to be used in an online course However, an instructor who is to use this RWLO in the classroom setting may also need to set up an online forum within WebCT, Blackboard, or any other e-learning system as a supplement to classroom discussion Online discussion enables maximum participation It also provides the students with the time and ease to contemplate the issues in greater depth and organize their thoughts more effectively through writing and revising before submitting them Although this RWLO is usable both in the classroom and in an online setting, it may achieve better results if applied in face-to-face instruction, where the instructor may give timely assistance and guidance in case the students have difficulties and questions The instructor may divide the class into small groups and assign specific points for them to discuss so that each point will be dealt with in greater depth Have a backup plan in the case of Internet downtime and removal of the content material by the source site Make sure a hard copy of the two eyewitness accounts is made and archived In that case, online discussion would have to be substituted by verbal interaction Copyright Issues I have written and obtained permission from Ibis Communications, Inc., copyright holder of the source articles, to reproduce and distribute the two eyewitness accounts used in this RWLO Mr Davis, managing editor of Ibis Communications, Inc., replied on Nov 21, 2005: Dear Dr Zhang, Thank you for your e-mail We encourage the use of our content in the classroom and are happy to give you permission to reprint articles from our website for your students With respect to posting the articles on the Internet - we have no problem with you distributing the articles to your students via a local-area network - that is, a network that is accessible only to students at Darton College We would have a problem, however, if the articles were re-produced in their entirety for distribution over the World Wide Web Good luck with your project Sincerely, Jonathan C Davis Managing Editor www.EyeWitnesstoHistory.com Published by: Ibis Communications, Inc