Navajo Code Talkers

Communication in History: The Key to Understanding

NHD Navajo Code Talkers

Expectations:

1. Participation

2. Communication

3. Mute your mic until responding. 

4. Sign in for attendance

✔️ Go to our Classwork Tab and open Jan. 22 🟢 GR. National History Day Notebook

✔️ Open Marley NHD Website: 

https://www.smore.com/z7uxr on slide 9 of January 22 NHD slideshow

✔️ Type READY in the chat when you have these 2 resources open.

Open Ended

Warm-Up Question - 3 Minutes

Reflect on our introduction to National History Day, Source 1...

What was the role of the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II?

January 26, 2021

Essential Question: How do the Navajo Code Talkers relate to Communication in history?

Outcome: I can analyze primary and secondary sources related to the 2021 NHD theme in order to write a thesis statement.

Key NHD Resources

Marley NHD Website: 

https://www.smore.com/z7uxr

AACPS NHD Website:

https://sites.google.com/aacps.org/aacpsnhdinfo/home

National NHD Website:

https://www.nhd.org/

These sources are listed in your slideshow from January 22.

We completed Source 1 on Friday and today we will work on

"Code Talkers" Source 2 (This is part 1.)

^{The code talkers of World War II were a group of about 400 Navajo Indian members of the U.S. Marine Corps. They communicated vital combat information via radio and field telephone in their native language, a code that Japanese cryptographers (see Cryptology) were never able to decipher.}

^{During the closing days of World War I, members of the Choctaw Indian tribe, speaking their native language, were successfully used by the American Expeditionary Force in France for precisely this purpose; they relayed battlefield information by telephone, in a code the German army was unable to break.}

Poll

Now you will answer the following poll question.

What is the most important fact from this portion of the text? (45 seconds)

• Navajo Code Talkers communicated important combat information via radio and field telephone in their native language

• Code talkers of WWII were a group of 400 Navajo Indian members of the US Marine Corps.

• They used a code that Japanese cryptographers were never able to decipher.

• Navajo Code Talkers were members of the Choctaw Indian tribe.

"Code Talkers" Source 2 (Part 2)

 Aware of that precedent, in 1942 a civilian engineer, Philip Johnston, the son of missionaries who grew up on the Navajo reservation, suggested using tribe members speaking their own language as code talkers. Navajo is an unwritten language, spoken by a relatively small group of people. Navajo code talkers served in the Pacific theater of operations in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider battalions, and Marine parachute units. They were first used in the Battle for Guadalcanal in 1942 and participated throughout the war in almost every land-combat operation in the Pacific.

Multiple Choice

Now you will answer a selected-response question.

What is the most important fact from "Code Talkers" Part 2?

• In 1942 a civilian engineer, Philip Johnston, the son of missionaries who grew up on the Navajo reservation, suggested using tribe members speaking their own language as code talkers.

• Navajo code talkers served in the Pacific theater of operations in all six Marine divisions.

• Code talkers were used in almost every land-combat operation in the Pacific.

"Code Talkers" Source 2 (Part 3)

The code used by the Navajo consisted of 411 terms. The code talkers had to memorize them—the list was not printed for fear that it could somehow end up in enemy hands if a code talker were captured or killed. Usually, unrelated Navajo words were translated by the receiver into equivalent English words. Only the first letter of each English word was then used to form a key word, however—for example, together tse-nill, the Navajo word for "ax"; gah, the word for "rabbit"; na-as-tso-si, the word for "mouse"; and tsah-as-zih, the word for "yucca" spell out the word army. 

"Code Talkers" Source 2 (Part 4)

Not all words, though, had to be spelled out letter by letter. Navajo words for which there were no literal English equivalents were assigned meanings. For instance, lo-tso, the Navajo word for "whale," was used to signify "battleship"; and ca-lo, the word for "shark," was translated as "destroyer." The Navajo code was later used in the Korean and Vietnam wars. It remained classified and was not printed until 1968.

In 1981 the code talkers were given Certificates of Appreciation by President Ronald Reagan; in 2001, President George W. Bush presented them with Congressional Gold Medals.

Open Ended

What is the most important fact from parts 3 and 4 of "Code Talkers" Source 2?

Open Ended

Now you will write a summary of "Code Talkers" Source 2.

Think about:

What was their role?

What was their impact?

How does Communication tie into this?

Let's go to National History Day Notebook

Go to Source 2 on Slide 4.

Fill in:

1. Sourcing Information

2. 3 Facts from the Source

3. Summary of the Source

7 minute timer will help you keep track of your pacing

When you are done with Source 2...go back and finish Source 1, "Navajo Code Talkers"

Sources 1 and 2 should be complete by the end of class today!