Unit 2: Witness, Testimony & Argument: Reading the Historical Record

how historical events are documented through photographs, written accounts, and personal testimony.

how testimony and images reveal overlooked or incomplete historical accounts.

how we can act as careful readers and interpreters of sources.

Explain the historical context and causes of Japanese American incarceration and how fear, policy, and wartime decisions shaped daily life.

Analyze how text, images, and illustration work together to convey meaning, perspective, and bias.

Evaluate and synthesize evidence from multiple sources to explain how media, art, and testimony can illuminate—and sometimes obscure—historical truth.

Create a multimedia product that reveals multiple perspectives by integrating text, images, and evidence.

What events and policies led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII—and how did fear and propaganda shape public opinion?

How did photographs, letters, and government documents document—or sometimes obscure—the lived reality of incarceration?

How do Partridge and Tamaki use text, illustration, and photography together to shape our understanding of testimony and history?

How do different perspectives—survivors, photographers, journalists, and officials—change what we perceive as truth?

Investigation 1: How do historical records (texts, images, and testimony) shape what is remembered about the past?

Investigation 2: How can readers evaluate words and images for accuracy, perspective, and ethical use?