World War II.

The 8th graders are just finishing up their unit about World War II this week.  They have had some great opportunities to learn some hands-on-history lately.  Last Tuesday, the 8th grade class did our "Truman on Trial" project.  The students held a mock trial to decide if President Harry S. Truman was guilty of crimes against humanity for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Ask your 8th grader about the verdict.

 Katie (Defense attorney) shows evidence to the Jury.

 Hunter (Hiroshima survivor) gives her testimony to Morgan (attorney for the plaintiffs)

 Izzy (Hiroshima survivor) swears to tell the whole truth to Adam (the bailiff).

 Karl (attorney for the plaintiffs) asks questions to his witness Felix (Hiroshima survivor).  All witnesses were then cross examined by the opposite side.

 Quinn (Robert Oppenheimer) gives his expert testimony to Sam M. (plaintiff's attorney).

 The council for the plaintiffs discuss their next move.

Katie asks Theresa (secretary of war Henry Stimson) some questions.

Sam R. (defense attorney) questions his expert witness, Lindsay (Albert Einstein) about the science behind the bomb.

 Elena (President Truman) defends her actions with the help of Jannat (defense attorney).

 Olivia, Nora, Isaiah, and Ben (the jury) deliberate after the trial.

 On Thursday, the 8th graders took a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry to take a tour of the U-505 German submarine that was captured by the United States.  They got to see the inside of the u-boat and explored the World War II exhibit.

On Friday, we had a guest speaker come to our class to talk about his experiences during World War II.  Quinn's grandfather, John Donovan, was in the navy during WWII and fought at Leyte Gulf and Iwo Jima.