Abstracts of Curriulum Units from Atomic America: Technology, Representative and Culture
in The 20th Century
The Cultural History of Los Alamos and Nuclear
Matters: A Middle School Curriculum
Keith Gaudet
This curriculum unit is on the history of the atomic bomb and its development at Los Alamos. This curriculum is centered on cultural aspects of nuclear matters in the science, math, and technology fields. The target audience for this curriculum is 7th grade math and physical science students. This can be taught as a thematic unit (Atoms/Matter and Proportions/Scales are the science and math subject areas respectively). This unit can also be adapted for use across all subject areas. Though this unit will focus on the middle school levels, high school educators can modify this unit for use with Physics, Chemistry, and American History courses. I have designed the lesson plans so that they will meet the needs of LEP (Limited English Proficient), bilingual, and special needs students. The next section will detail the academic setting of my host school.
Students need to be made aware of the significance of the atomic age because of New
Mexico’s and the Southwest’s contributions to atomic development. We made more
contributions to the World War II efforts than any other state based on its per capita
(Thomas ix). In fact, I believe that with the Manhattan Project being in New Mexico, this
serves as the turning point for New Mexico to be placed "on the map." Even more
interesting, is that this historical event comes less than 30 years after statehood. If it
were not for the Manhattan Project being based in Los Alamos, we would not have high tech
laboratories such as Los Alamos National Laboratories, Sandia Labs, and Kirtland Air Force
Base. The White Sands Missile Range and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant are two facilities
that came into existence because of nuclear weapons. The paper will first cover the
history of the atomic bomb in New Mexico. This will provide the reader with some
background information on the people, places, and events that occurred in New Mexico.
Although the target audience is for science and math teachers, all teachers can follow the
historical aspect. The implementation section is designed for the science/math/technology
teachers. Here, students will learn about the general structure of the atom through
drawings and models, learn about the history of the periodic table and its elements
through charts, song, and comic books, understand what fission is through a demonstration,
do role playing morals and ethnic scenarios that faces scientists, and finally learn about
the various energy sources that are available through a city building activity.
Algebra in Atomic America Exponential Growth
and Decay
William Glover
This curriculum unit is designed for a freshman algebra class. It will be presented about the middle of the second semester in the teaching of logarithms and exponential functions. The lesson will be presented over a period of five class periods. The goals of the unit will be for the students to understand and apply the concepts of exponential growth, exponential decay, and the mechanics of manipulating exponential expressions.
Putting the math in a broader historical and social context will provide some additional stimulation to the less motivated math student. As a teenager things that go boom always excited me. As a child of the Cold War that meant the atomic bomb. A bomb is a device that releases energy very rapidly and in the case of a nuclear device that energy release can be modeled by an exponential growth function. The dangers of the radioactive contamination left over can be modeled by an exponential decay function. This gives a modern historical context with plenty of local relevance to teach an algebra unit on logarithms and exponential functions. So we can put the algebraic concept of exponential growth into a more exciting concept than how fast cockroaches breed in the school cafeteria. We will present the basic equation for exponential growth and show what it means for a nuclear reaction and show some other areas of relevance (compound interest for example). Next we will look at exponential decay. Bombs and reactors generate radioactive materials. We have lots of both here in New Mexico, and lots of radioactive waste as well. We will discuss what radioactive decay is, and how it can be modeled with an exponential decay function.
The Atomic Bomb: How It Was Built, Why It Was
Used, and How It Changed The World
Charles Kappus
Certain landmark advances in science — in medicine, in computers, in
astronomy — are significant enough to forever change the world. The Manhattan Project, the decision to use the atomic bomb, and the ensuing Cold War and nuclear arms race together represent one such turning point in world history. To introduce these topics to my seventh grade language arts students, I created an interdisciplinary unit that will touch briefly on atomic theory, delve deeply into "nuclear age" literature and poetry, and complement the existing social studies curriculum. It is my hope that this four-week unit will enhance one aspect of New Mexico history (the role New Mexico’s national labs play in weapons development) and pave the way for a better understanding of the World War II issues students will encounter in eighth-grade (and high school) American history courses.
As the unit’s title suggests, three sub-topics will be presented in this survey.
My goal is to give my students a basic notion of how atomic weapons work, provide the
historical framework in which President Truman’s monumental decision was made, and
examine the bomb’s role in ending World War II and beginning the Cold War with the
Soviet Union. Literature, from the dispatches of war correspondent Ernie Pyle to the
classic survivor’s accounts in Hiroshima to the protest lyrics of Bob
Dylan, will be the centerpiece of the unit, but activities in other disciplines, like
graphing nuclear arms stockpiles and mapping locations of nuclear test sites, will
exercise vital skills in math, science, and social studies. Although each of the three
sub-topics topics is worthy of much more attention, it is my hope that this introductory
survey will provide the spark students need to begin their own research on the people,
places, and controversies associated with atomic weapons.
Relationship of Atomic America to Native
America
Pam Simpson
The World War II era was a time of change, great depression, secrets, conflicts, fear, anger, hate, and prejudice, yet people were hopeful and looked for something positive in their lives. However, these characteristics also describe another era, and another issue that is often overlooked in history: The Long Walk of the Navajos. I realize the scale of these wars were very different with WWII involving two industrial powers and the Indian wars involving only the United States and the various tribes. But even though the cultures were different, the outcomes different, and the time period almost l00 years apart, I found an interesting relationship between atomic America during WWII and the Navajos’ situation. Drawing parallels is a higher level thinking exercise that requires critical thinking and it is a skill that students need to be challenged with if possible. Then as my research progressed, the connection between these two events became even more clear as I realized the significant part that the Navajos played in the production of the atomic bomb in the 20th century and the numerous ramifications that evolved from that issue. I found all these connections to be quite interesting and relevant to my curriculum since I teach New Mexico history and a large part of that curriculum revolves around the Native Americans. My approach to this material will not be a scientific one since I teach Humanities. It will be my hope that by looking at historical issues, and comparing the actions and outcomes of similar issues, the students will learn the value of good choices and the effects and consequences of a decision, and that they will transfer that skill to their own lives. In other words, I want my students to think, to feel, and to decide if any of these issues could have been handled differently.
Death by Radiation
Harold Stevens
Since the advent of man’s use of the atom, citizenship in America has required an informed electorate able to make rational decisions regarding nuclear issues. This unit aims to destroy complacency about the dangers of man-made radiation by increasing student awareness of the risks of radiation poisoning. John Hersey’s Hiroshima is studied to learn about the destructive potential of nuclear energy. Lectures about radiation poisoning detail risks involved. A field trip to the National Atomic Museum and Internet exercises acquaint students with some of the beneficial uses of the atom. Students derive a decision-making model. Students learn to beware of hysteria that interferes with rational decision-making. Students are given an exercise that suggests they carefully assess and balance evidence regarding risks and benefits when dealing with nuclear issues.
This four week curriculum unit has been designed for use in eighth grade language/
literature and social studies classes. It is a multi-media inquiry into the people and
events that led to the development of atomic America. Background information includes a
side by side chronology of the development of the atomic bomb and political affairs from
pre-World War II to the end of the Cold War. Factors that led to the war, Pearl Harbor,
the Manhattan Project, Truman’s decision to drop the bombs, Hiroshima/ Nagasaki, the
end of the war, and the Arms Race are detailed. Videos, posters, and interactive web sites
are some of the nonprint texts used within a new literacy framework aimed at furthering
the goals of accessing, analyzing, evaluating and communicating a variety of messages.
Lesson plans are provided in a week by week format. Objectives are coordinated with state
benchmarks and performance standards for English language arts. Activities are varied and
divided among whole group, small group, and individual settings. Most were designed to
create and maintain optimum student motivation and skill building. Extensive reading lists
are provided for students and teachers.