Japanese internment lesson plan
korematsu lesson plan activity
Japanese internment activity
Japanese internment camps activity
Japanese internment lesson plan
korematsu lesson plan activity
Japanese internment activity
Japanese internment camps activity

Korematsu Case & Japanese Internment

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Fred Korematsu & Japanese-American Internment Lesson Plan & Activity

In this lesson, students examine one of the greatest violations of civil liberties in U.S. history: the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Through the story of Fred Korematsu, students explore how fear, prejudice, and wartime hysteria led to the imprisonment of over 120,000 people- most of them American citizens. Students wrestle with difficult questions about citizenship, constitutional rights, racism, and what ultimately led to the incarceration of Japanese-Americans.

It starts with this video 👇

THIS LESSON INCLUDES: (see previews)

  • Video Lesson + Interactive Follow-Along Notesheet
  • Activity: Analyze government propaganda and why they censored certain photographs from being released to the public.
  • Answer Keys for Everything

What Students Learn

Students learn what led to Japanese-American internment during WWII, including anti-Japanese prejudice, Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066, and fears of sabotage and a “Fifth Column.” They examine life inside the camps, how Japanese-Americans demonstrated patioritism and volunteered to serve in the 100th and 442nd units, and how Fred Korematsu fought back in an effort to defend his rights as an American.

In the extension activity, students learn how the government used propaganda and censoring of photographs (including many of Dorothea Lange's) to build public support for the forced incarceration while hiding evidence of its injustice, cruelty, and the pain it caused Japanese-Americans. (see previews!)

✅ Why Teachers Love This Lesson

  • Sparks meaningful, emotional classroom discussions students genuinely care about

  • Helps students connect constitutional rights and civil liberties to real people and stories

  • Students analyze powerful photographs (many from Dorothea Lange) and have to evaluate which ones the government chose to censor or "impound."

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