Whenever we talk about the atom, the topic of the atomic bomb comes up. This year, I spent a few days talking about it and showed some video clips as well. We read Einstein’s letter to FDR, as well as his response. Reading the letters was a great activity, we talked about letter writing, formal vs friendly, typing, zip codes, WW2, the Manhattan Project, the Cold War, and the kids were really interested. I ended with two video clips: one was “Duck and Cover” and the other was a graphic representation of all the bombs that have been detonated starting with the Trinity Test.
Saw this slide and audio presentation about Atomic Bomb testing in the NY Times. I will be teaching my atomic unit soon and love finding different resources to add to my lessons.
This is a first person account by George Yoshitake, now 82, and his work as a camera man during atomic testing.
Using a great power point I found online, I created this atomic model timeline foldable to go along with it. The person who made the ppt, used images from the BrainPOP movie for the atomic models and scientists, and an image of Bohr from an episode of the Simpsons . I photocopied it so that it would be 2-sided. The students then folded it in half using the ”hot dog” fold and cut along the dotted lines to make flaps that lifted.
As we discussed the power point, they took bulleted notes on the flap for each model/scientist. We also talked about how Bohr worked on the Atomic Bomb during WW2, about Einstein’s letter to Roosevelt, the race against the Germans to build the first atomic bomb, and the bombing of Japan. Next time we meet, I want to show some quick video clips from the movie “Fat Man, Little Boy” and actual footage from the Trinity testing.
One of my personal goals this year was to incorporate more history and information about these fascinating people into our studies. In the past I always felt like I didn’t have enough time, but this year I am weaving it in and it doesn’t really take up as much time as I thought it might.
After break, I will take some pics of completed timelines and the jigsaw activity we did with notes from the BrainPOP Movie.
