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5th Grade Diversity Lesson Plan

Book: Baseball Saved Us, Ken Mochizuki, 1993

Grade Level: Elementary grades 1- 6

Multicultural Theme:
Japanese American Culture, Prejudice, Self-Esteem, World War II, and Baseball

Materials:
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Youtube reading by Nate Connely with background
information and interview, other books by other Japanese Americans - Grandfather's Journey by
Allen Say, Japanese Americans by Harry Kitano, Youtube- Japanese-American Visits a WW2
Internment Camp by BuzzFeed, What Were the Japanese Internment Camps by Teen Kid News

Standards:
RL .5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.
5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how
characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a
topic; summarize the text.
W 5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
H3.5.1Compare and/or contrast the daily lives of children throughout the United States, both past
and present.
H3.5.2 Recognize that communities include people who have diverse ethnic origins, customs,
and traditions, and who make contributions to the United States.

Objective:

The students will be able to relate to the Japanese Americans and summarize the book, Baseball
Saved Us through group discussions and writing exercises with 90% accuracy.

Procedure:

Background Information:
Ken Mochizuki, the author of Baseball Saved Us, is the son of parents who were sent to an
internment camp in the United States during World War II. Their experiences in the Camp
inspired him to write this story.

Introduction:
1. TW explain that the United States is considered a melting pot of different cultures that have
contributed to its rich history. One such culture is the Japanese American. Show some of the
books written by Japanese American authors.
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2. Introduce the book Baseball Saved Us and share background information about the author.
Read and talk about the title of the book. Ask students what they think the title, Baseball Saved
Us, means. Then ask them what they think this book will most likely be about and who the book
might be about. What events and experiences might be talked about in the text? What do you
think might happen? What information do you think you might learn? What makes you think
that?
3. TW share the video “What Were the Japanese Internment Camps” by Teen Kid News.
TW explain that after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 during World War II,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which enabled the evacuation and
incarceration of all those of Japanese ancestry in the United States. 120,000 people, most of
whom were American citizens, were sent to ten camps for four years (1942–1946). The camps
were in isolated areas throughout the West.
4. TW explain that the characters in Baseball Saved Us were taken from their home and sent to
live in an internment camp. They had not done anything wrong. They were Japanese Americans
who lived on the West Coast at a time when the United States was fighting a war with Japan.
Locate some of these camps on a map. What would it feel like to have your freedom taken away?
Do you think it was fair for the government to take them from their home and make them move
far away? How would you feel if this happened to your family? (Kagan Timed Pair Share
Partner Activity) - first person share for 20 seconds then the next person shares for the
same amount of time)
5. TW read the story stopping periodically to explain and discuss vocabulary. SW write any
questions or thoughts they have while teacher reads the story.
Vocabulary: barbed wire, stalls, barracks, sagebrush, irrigation
6. SW use the Kagan Rally coach to ask questions and share thoughts they wrote on the post it.

Discussion:
1. Baseball is often referred to as “America’s national pastime.” Why is the decision to play
baseball instead of another sport or activity a powerful message to both those inside and
outside the camp?
2. SW compare their lives with that of the children in the camp.
3. What kind of person is Shorty?
4. Why does Teddy refuse to get his father a cup of water?
5. What does this incident tell about life in the Camp?
6. What effect does life in the Camp have on Shorty?
7. Do you identify with Shorty's struggles? Why or why not?
8. Have you ever felt that you didn’t belong or fit in?
9. When Shorty hits a home run in the camp, the guard grins and gives a thumbs-up. Why
does the guard do this?
10. How do you think this home run makes the guard and Shorty feel?
11. Do you think the United States government was justified in forcibly relocating Japanese
and Japanese Americans to internment camps during World War II? Why or why not?

Activity
1. Show students photographs of monuments and paintings depicting significant events in
United States history. Have students design a monument to remember the Japanese
Americans’ experiences with the internment camps. What mood or tone do you want
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viewers to feel? After students present their ideas, show them real examples of
monuments or places set aside to remember the period in United States history.
2. Have students work in teams to research each of the ten World War II Japanese
Internment camps in the United States. Groups should be prepared to report the number
of people held in the camp, where it was located, when people were released, and if it has
special historical landmark status. As each group presents, mark the location of each
camp on a map of the United States for the class.
3. Have students write a brief book review about Baseball Saved Us. Students will explain
what the story is about and how they felt about the characters and events in the book.
Students will include the title and the author in their review. Students will decide if they
would recommend the book to their classmates, give reasons for their recommendation.

Evaluation: TW review the students’ book review for accuracy and acknowledgement of the
cultural events that took place in the Japanese American history.