Seeking help on WWII unit/jitterbug

Pat Leamer (pleamer@ptialaska.net)
Mon, 16 Dec 1996 21:00:05 -0900 

Dear W.W.II Veterans:
I am a student at the University of Alaska/Juneau studying to be a
teacher for secondary education.  My age is 59 years old, and I am
working towards my second career.  I just joined this listserv after
finding this site via a gopher search.  After reading about the MEMORIES
project, I felt fortunate as this site fits perfectly with my
development of a unit on W.W.II.  I will be teaching a five week unit on
W.W.II as part of my student teaching next semester and desire your
input.

The purpose of my lesson is to develop a thematic literature unit on
World War II for a middle school eighth grade class.  I want to prepare
them for discussing the war with a panel of local W.W.II Veterans.
Students will explore W.W.II by studying various points-of-view (PTV)
taken from a broad selection of books--fiction, nonfiction, biography,
diary, letters, poetry.  I have found a wide selection of oral history
on the net as well.  I hope to provide students a variety of
windows to learn about the war.

More important, I want my students to honor and respect our veterans.
The age of our W.W.II veterans are now in excess of sixty-eight years.
Having lost my father who fought with the Seabees in the Solomon Islands
and my uncles who fought in Europe, I am keenly aware of this fading
voice.  The voice we will be left with from the war years will only
appear in our literature, documentary films, and Hollywood movies.

I want to invite a panel of local W.W.II veterans from the various
theaters of the war to share their experience and field questions from
the students.  Also, I want students to discuss W.W.II with veterans by
using the technology of the Internet.  The students need to develop a
wide background from many PTV from which they can listen with deeper
interest and ask appropriate questions.

My request to you:
1. The oldest logs on this list go back to 1993.  Are the elders
still    responding to the messages/questions submitted by students?

2. Are there W.W.II veterans as well as civilian personnel on the
listserv still willing to discuss their experiences with eighth grade
students (13-14 years old)?

3. If so, would it be easier to answer questions on a one-to-one
basis,    or would you prefer my writing a joint question/s from the
class    requesting a broad response from this listserv?

4. As part of my unit lesson, I am planning two days on 40's music
and    the jitterbug/swing dance favored by the American GIs.  The
students   (hopefully) will learn the history behind jitterbug, and a
friend will
  teach the students basic swing steps.  I would love to hear any
stories that reflect on the music and dances that took place during
the war especially in England prior to the invasion.

I hope this letter is not out of line for this list.  I promise to be
more brief in my later responses.  I look forward to reading your
comments and sharing your wisdom with my home teacher.
Thankuou for your time.

Patrick Leamer
pleamer@ptialaska.net