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Go For Broke

National Education Center

Ganbare! Never Give Up! Nisei Soldiers of WWII
A full instructional unit about the sociopolitical effects of Pearl Harbor bombing and the history of Japanese American WWII soldiers

Project History

In the spring of 2019, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i (JCCH) and GFBNEC, in collaboration with the Hawai’i State Department of Education (DOE), implemented a pilot testing of their new curriculum, Ganbare! Never Give Up! Nisei Soldiers of WWII. This 40-minute lesson plan was presented in 20 high schools in Oahu and Maui.
Based on feedback from the high school teachers, the lesson plan was expanded to an Inquiry Design Model (IDM) Blueprint, a full instructional unit that presents the history of the Japanese American WWII soldiers and the sociopolitical effects of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The expanded curriculum, which meets two of Hawai’i’s DOE educational standards, is framed around the question, “Can Hawai’i’’s Aloha Spirit Survive a War?”

2021-2022 Launch

Following a year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JCCH and GFBNEC teamed up in February 2021 with the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center (NVMC) and Nisei Veterans Legacy (NVL) to formally roll out the expanded curriculum. Three Oahu high school teachers are testing it in their classrooms during the spring 2021 semester.

In order to introduce the curriculum to more teachers, a virtual Teacher Orientation will be held in late July 2021 with the anticipation that the curriculum can be presented in the classrooms during the 2021-2022 school year. Teachers who complete all of the requirements including providing feedback after the curriculum is taught to a minimum of two classes will receive a small stipend. The Hawai’i DOE is also seeking to place the expanded curriculum on the national educator website. 

Click here to access the Inquiry Design Model Blueprint  and accompanying narrative.

For more information, contact [email protected].

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