Assignment/Activity Title

Japanese Internment Op-Ed

Freshman
Skill
Reading, writing, researching, drawing comparisons
Portfolio Category Social Awareness

Year

The Japanese Internment Op-Ed required me to analyze a text and the Constitution to
determine the extent to which the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was
constitutional. Also in my Op-Ed, I addressed why German and Italian Americans were treated
differently than Japanese Americans and if the internment of Japanese Americans could be
justified as a national security measure.
Before writing my opinion piece, I read several articles online regarding World War II so
that I could acclimate myself with the time period. My grandfather and great-great-uncle served
in World War II, and, by learning about the culture in which they grew up, I could better
understand their perspective on life and war. I was fascinated by how much the technology and
culture of America has changed from the 1940s to the present day. It seems hard to imagine how
life would have been without the gadgets and electronics available currently.
After conducting research, I read through the U.S. Constitution and recorded article and
section numbers relevant to my opinion piece. Then, I read an article on Japanese internment
entitled, Japanese-American Internment. I was able to read the article fairly quickly,
highlighting key points that I thought I would need to include in my paper. While reading, I held a
feeling of disgust towards the U.S. government and sympathized towards Japanese Americans.
I enjoyed writing my opinion piece! I critiqued the United States government and
determined that Japanese American internment was not constitutional and could not be justified
as a security measure, inserting quotes from the Japanese American internment article and the
Constitution to support my claim.
I realized that the United States treated German and Italian Americans more humanely
than Japanese Americans, because Germany and Italy did not attack the United States. This fact
stood out in my mind, and I sensed a strong feeling of American pride and nationalism among
U.S. citizens and the government in the 1940s. I compared Americans national pride during
World War II to my own relationship with America, discovering that, although I am thankful for
the opportunities available to me in America, I harbor no strong feelings of nationalism. To me,
America is merely a country.
In fourth grade, I read a memoir called The Invisible Thread by Yoshiko Uchida, a
Japanese American whose family was interned in U.S. camps and becomes assimilated into
American society. Although the memoir familiarized me with the general American attitude
towards Japanese Americans in the 1940s, the memoir was biased. The article I read for the
opinion piece, Japanese-American Interment, featured a more impartial outlook on the subject,
including both the pros and cons of Japanese internment. I gained a complete understanding of
anti-Japanese sentiment by reading the article.
Every cross country and track season, I develop a list of performance goals for myself.
Developing goals for running is similar to developing a thesis statement for a paper. Just as
running goals determine the type of training I will need to complete to turn my dreams into a
reality, a thesis statement determines the information I will include in my paper and outlines the
order in which I will present information.
My entire opinion piece was required to be no longer than one page in length. At first, I
wanted to include every detail that would prove my thesis statement, but I recognized that most
details restated a point that I had already written. Editing and deleting unnecessary sentences
transformed my opinion piece into a concise, engaging paper. I received a 100% on my opinion
piece. This paper prepared me for analyzing articles in my future years in CAP.

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Assignment/Activity Title
Sophomore
SkillWriting, Media, Research.
Reasoning, Ethics.

Date

YearFreshman,
PortfolioCritical

Metacognitive ReflectionThe following questions ARE NOT A

SCRIPT!! Use the ideas within the questions to reflect on the
assignment and its significance to you.
Your reflection MUST use Times New Roman font, size 11, single
spacing

How does this assignment reflect your growth in the category in which you are
placing it?

How have you changed as a result of this assignment?

Why is it important to include this piece in your portfolio?

How and where does this fit in with your prior knowledge?

How do you think that others will react to this product?

What process did you use to complete the product?

What did you learn by doing this assignment?

How does the portfolio product illustrate the connection(s) you've made
between yourself and the course material?

In what ways would you do things differently if you could do it over again?

What did you discover about yourself?

How does it relate to your future?

How does it illustrate your strengths and/or weaknesses?

What obstacles and challenges did you have to deal with, and how did this
struggle change you?

How does the portfolio product show that your perspective on the world has
deepened?

How does it relate to your understanding of the world around you?

Which of your accomplishments makes you feel most proud?

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