Lesson Plan
Who’s the Boss?

Teacher Name:Kate SutterGrade level(s): 9Course: Political Science

Describe the classroom or homework activity to be performed (individual assignment, cooperative learning, cross curricular, technology based, using artifacts and/or primary sources, etc.)

  • either guided discussion or cooperative learning

Rationale (why are you doing this?)

  • The purpose of this activity is to help fulfill the new “Career Explorations” aspect of our district’s social studies course for freshmen.

Required time frame:

  • One class period

Where in the teacher conference did you get the idea for this activity or assignment (speaker, document, photograph, activity, audio recording, other)?

  • discussion of Truman at Wake Island and the “ham and eggs” hat diary entry

Lesson objectives – the student will:

  • analyze primary documents concerning Truman and MacArthur’s professional relationship
  • discover appropriate aspects of relationships between employees and their bosses
  • consider the situations and consequences of government officials and apply them to their own lives

District, state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met (be specific when referencing):

  • Local Objective #8 “Career Explorations – proper relationships and attitudes in the workplace

Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed – cite title and other detailed information:

  • A History of the United States textbook by Boorstin & Kelley, Prentice Hall, 2007
  • Unforgettable: The Korean War by PBS– This is a new video I just obtained. I have not watched it yet, but it looked promising.
  • NARA Document Analysis – this could be added easily to the lesson by having each student analyze a document or photo -

Primary sources (document, photograph, artifact, diary or letter, audio or visual recording, etc.) needed – cite detailed information:

The following documents could be used in a cooperative format, a Jigsaw, or guided discussion by students. They would need to be organized into the manner desired by the instructor.

  1. Personal memo of Harry S. Truman,November 25, 1950
  2. Diary Entry of Harry S. Truman,April 5, 1951
  3. Transcript of General Douglas MacArthur's Address to Congress,April 19, 1951
  4. Assistant Naval Aide to the President Lieutenant Commander William RigdonLog of President Truman's Trip to Wake Island: October 11-18, 1950 found at
  5. Military Chain of Command during the Korean War
  6. Senate Concurrent Resolution 21,April 11, 1951
  7. Speech Explaining the Firing of MacArthurHarry S. Truman April 13, 1951
  8. Proposed draft messages to Frank Pace, Douglas MacArthur, and Matthew Ridgway, c. April 1951; MacArthur, Douglas-dismissal; General File
  9. Anonymous Statement Regarding General Douglas MacArthur's Statement on Formosa,ca. September 1950
  10. Draft Report Regarding General MacArthur's Message on Formosa,ca. 1951. Secretary of State File
  11. Order, as dictated by the President, from the Secretary of Defense to General Douglas MacArthur, dated August 26, 1950, ordering the withdrawal of MacArthur's statement to the 51st National Encampment of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
  12. Notes Regarding General MacArthur's Message on Formosa,August 26, 1950. Secretary of State File
  13. Letter from Douglas MacArthur to Joseph W. Martin (Tokyo, 20 March 1951)
  14. Truman Relieves M'Arthur of All His Posts; Finds Him Unable to Back U.S.-U.N. Policies; Ridgway Named to Far Eastern Commands
  15. Joint Chiefs of Staff to Douglas MacArthur, attached to copy of letter from Douglas MacArthur to Joe Martin,March 20, 1951
  16. Harry Truman Talks About Firing General Douglas MacArthur– contains quotes from Merle Miller’s oral history with Truman, with Gen. McChrystal firing as the introduction.

Fully describe the activity or assignment in detail. What will both you and the students do?

The teacher will:

  1. provide copies of documents that the teacher wishes to use
  2. guide discussion on the professional relationship between Truman and MacArthur
  3. guide students to discussion of appropriate workplace relationships with superiors

Students will:

1.analyze the sources and summarize their findings on a question sheet

2.participate in a class discussion about working for other people

Assessment: fully explain your assessment method in detail or create and attach your scoring guide:

Students will complete a reflection in the form of journal entry. They will pretend they are General MacArthur or President Truman and complete a series of questions about how the situation was handled and what they might have done differently.

Who’s the Boss? Scoring Guide / Points Earned
Facts included / 0-1
Few or no facts about the event were included / 2-3
Some facts were included, but not enough to meet the requirements, or the student does not show that a variety of documents were used / 4-5
At least 5 facts were underlined that show the student used a variety of evidence and documents
Content / 0-3
The entry does not show an understanding of the event or how to relate it to the workplace / 4-6
Entry shows some understanding of the event and relate it to anyworkplace.The entry may have been written “out of character.” / 7-10
Entry shows both an understanding of Truman and MacArthur’s experience and how that relates to the workplace. An indication of future behavior is present.
Length and Effort / 0-1
Entry is sloppy, too short, or contains many grammar/spelling errors. / 2-3
Entry may or may not meet full guidelines. Some grammar/spelling errors may be present. / 4-5
Entry is complete and shows a lot of thought. Complete sentences and proper grammar is present.
Total:
Out of 20 points

Name:Block:

Wake IslandJournal Assignment

Write a journal entry as if you are either President Truman or General MacArthur. Use the scoring guide to help you achieve a maximum score

This entry should include:

  1. A summary of the events leading up to MacArthur being fired by Truman
  2. At least 5 facts from the situation that prove you looked at several of the documents
  3. An explanation of why Truman was MacArthur’s superior (boss)
  4. How a person should act while they are employed by someone else, even if they are not currently on duty
  5. What you (or the other person) could have done differently

It’s your turn! In the space below, complete your journal entry. (Give it a PROPER date!) You may use more paper if you wish.

Circle One: I amMacArthurTruman

Dear Journal,

Today is ______, and

Name:Block:

Wake Island Guided Discussion

  1. Who are the 2 men in the picture? Include their titles.
  1. Which one is the highest ranking? Why?
  1. Why did the man on the left feel the other was being disrespectful to him in this photo?
  1. What did the man on the right doLATER to get in trouble with his boss?
  1. Why was the man on the right fired? (Give at least 2 reasons)
  1. Describe a time when you found yourself in “hot water” after making the “boss” (or someone in charge of you) angry. What caused the situation and how did it end?
  1. What could YOU have done differently to avoid the situation (in #6)?
  1. Pretend you are an employee and your boss has asked you to do something you don’t like or treated you poorly. (You were treated legally, though.) How would you react?
  1. What would you do?
  1. Is that an appropriate response when you are not the boss? Why or why not?
  1. What are 2 consequences of reacting that way?
  1. What are 2 consequences for reacting the opposite way (than you did in “a”)?