Activity 2: History Dialogue

Materials:

Printer, Scissors, Tape
Wooden stick or straw
Printed Image of Perry and Adams

Background Information:

Students will create an imaginary conversation between Commodore Matthew Perry and his second in command Admiral Henry Adams. Students will read and view images in Sam's Tour to prepare for this activity. Students will use information gained from Sam's Tour to create a realistic dialogue between these two historical figures. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the challenges Commodore Perry faced in Shimoda as leader of this expedition, the unique experiences of the American crew, and how Americans related to the local Japanese.

Instructions:

1. Print out image of Perry and Adams.
2. Trace and cut out the figures of Commodore Perry and Admiral Adams.
3. Attach to wooden stick or straw to create puppets.
4. Act out a dialogue between Perry and Adams as they review the tasks and accomplishments of a day in Shomida. Consider the following questions:

Consider these questions:

• What events in Shimoda will Perry and Adams report back to President Filmore to show their success?
• What information will Perry collect to send back to the American public and the President?
• What issues may Perry and Adams be worried about during their stay in Shimoda?
• What are Perry and Adams discussing about the Japanese authorities?
• What incidents among their sailors may they be amused about?
• What events are they planning with the local Japanese people?
• How might they describe their successes and failures?

5. Once you have an imaginary dialogue, act out your historical puppet show for your classmates.