Ben was absent today.

Ben was absent from school today.

After discussing the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, we read what happened to the Allied troops who stayed in the Philippines when General MacArthur left, and the major communications advantage the Allies had over the Japanese, using the Navajo-based American codes. We learned about "island hopping" as one of our subject-specific vocabulary words, and identified the first two Allied targets in Japan and what inspired FDR to found the Manhattan project. I asked if Ben had seen the movie "Oppenheimer." He told me he did not see it but was not interested in me renting it as "I know the story." We finished up noting President Truman's thoughts about the morality of using an atomic weapon, identified the cities the US dropped atomic bombs on, and discussed the aftermath of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

We discussed how America entered the war in Europe and the reason Churchill thought the Allies should focus on North Africa before Europe. We discussed Hitler's reaction to the surrender of Italy and that the siege of Stalingrad was a turning point in the war because it showed that totalitarianism was weakening. We also discussed how Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany's problems in the 1930's and learned about other groups that were to be exterminated as part of the Final Solution. We discussed Kristallnacht, genocide, D-Day, where the allied forces landed to commence Operation Overlord (at Normandy), and how the Battle of the Bulge got its name. I informed Ben that I had a Wikipedia article about Kristallnacht, should he wish to read it as supplemental reading.

We discussed what happened when the US declared war on the Axis powers, how America helped the Allies before Pearl Harbor, and examined the reasons the economy was improved by World War II. We discussed the intent behind the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, read about the opportunities World War II provided for women, and examined a poster of Rosie the Riveter. We also discussed the drawbacks people of color and women faced despite advances made possible by the war, and we learned about 'Executive Order 9066,' which forced Japanese Americans of all ages into internment camps. It was interesting to note that more than forty years later, Congress admitted the internment had been wrong, made a formal apology, and issued modest reparations to surviving victims and their descendants.

We began by reviewing totalitarian expansionism and the appeasement at Munich. We read how dictators formed alliances and that WWII began in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, and Britain and France declared war on Germany. We identified the countries in the Axis and the Allied powers, and discussed the Battle of Britain. We concluded the lesson upon learning that Stalin and the Soviet Union joined the Allies after Germany betrayed and attacked Russia. Subject-specific vocabulary included the terms blitzkrieg, Luftwaffe, and buffer zone. Ben reminded me that he is a visual learner and does not like American history or using traditional textbooks as they whitewash history. He suggested using Wikipedia as a resource, and we explored the site together. This information will prove valuable for future teaching methods.

We recapped and reactivated prior knowledge and discussed the end of the Depression. We read about Roosevelt's decision to cut the deficit and decrease spending, which led to another dip in the nation's economy known as the Roosevelt Recession. We began to discuss the climate in the world after the events of World War I, noting that tensions were growing due to high demands for land and resources and countries forming alliances with each other. We defined xenophobia (dislike of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange) upon noting that it was on the rise and powerful nations were blaming their problems on innocent groups of people. We defined totalitarianism (a system in which the government acts as absolute ruler with complete control over every aspect of life), and Ben agreed with the statement that totalitarian leaders did bring stability to their countries, but at the cost of individual liberty. We discussed fascism in Italy under Mussolini, Stalin in the USSR, a military dictator in Japan, and Hitler who promoted the idea of Aryan superiority and blamed the economic and social problems plaguing Germany on the Jews. We read how each totalitarian leader believed that his country was superior to all others and had the right to conquer. Tomorrow we will note the countries that began invading and conquering others.

We recapped Friday's discussion and reviewed Hoover's stance on the Depression and his belief in laissez-faire economics. We rad how his Democratic rival, Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a "New Deal " for Americans and easily beat Hoover to win the 1933 election. We read about the New Deals under Roosevelt and initiatives such as the Social Security Act which gave birth to the modern system of welfare in America.

Ben watched first-hand accounts about the Great Depression as relayed by people who lived through it. We then read specifics about it in his text which covered the early twentieth century when people began speculating in the stock exchange. We learned about Black Tuesday which was the beginning of the Great Depression and learned why it was the worst economic crisis in American history. We identified other causes of the Great Depression aside from the stock market crash. Subject-specific terms explored included the Bull and Bear Markets. Ben was quite familiar with many of the causes and President Hoover's economic policies with which we ended today's lesson.

We watched a YouTube video about Sitting Bull and The Native Americans and their reservations. We discussed Sitting Bull, General Custer, and the controversial Battle of Bighorn in 1876. We learned about the participation of the Lakota, Cheyenne, Shoshone, and the Seminoles tribes. Ben was very engaged while watching the video and stopped it several times to add relevant commentaries and opinions.