Lesson Plan: Unbreakable

Essential Questions

• How has the United States treated Native Americans?
• What makes someone a good soldier?

Literature Connection

• Novel: Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Build Background Knowledge (10 minutes)

Before reading the article, view our video “Behind the Scenes: Unbreakable.” In this video, writer Tod Olson explains how he prepared to write this incredible story. He also introduces historian Zonnie Gorman, who sheds light on why the story is so important. Your students will want to know more!

Preview Text Features (20 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title). Why do you think code might be used during a war? During a war, code helps soldiers communicate secretly. If they don’t use code to send messages, the enemy could spy on them and know what they’re planning. This might put their lives in danger.
• Look at the large image at the beginning of the article and read its caption. Describe what you see in the image. What do you think is happening in the image? The image shows two soldiers. One is writing notes, and the other is talking into a device and has headphones on. They look like they are in the jungle. Their clothes are dirty and torn. Above them, a plane is flying. The soldiers are probably sending or receiving messages.
• Look at the map. In your own words, describe what the map shows. Sample answer: The map shows the areas controlled by Japan in 1942, during World War II. It also shows the islands where major battles took place.
• Look at the chart titled “The Secret Code.” How do you think the Navajo code talkers chose the code words for the military terms shown? It seems like they chose names of things that are similar to the military equipment they were describing. For example, a turtle is a bit like a tank (has a hard outer shell, moves on land) and a battleship is a bit like a whale (is large, moves in water).

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (native, transmit, ancestors, decoding, confined to, allies) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that they will find text evidence in “Unbreakable” that supports important ideas about how Navajo code talkers helped the U.S. win World War II against Japan.
• Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
• Point out the activity at the end of the story and tell students they will complete it after reading. Tell them to keep the Think About It! question at the bottom in mind as they read.
• Tell students that as they finish each section, they should think about how the text features on the page (e.g., photos, captions, and section headings) relate to what they’ve just read.

Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• What role did the Navajo code talkers play in World War II? (central idea) The Navajo soldiers created a code that the Japanese couldn’t break. They used this code to transmit secret messages during battles, call for medical help and supplies, keep track of enemy positions, and warn officers of surprise attacks. Thanks in part to their work, the Japanese surrendered in 1945.
• What made the Navajo language useful for a code? (cause and effect) The Marines needed a code that the enemy could not break. The Navajo language was useful because very few people outside the tribe spoke it, and the language had never been fully written down.
• When Chester Nez learned that his mission in the war was to create a code based on the Navajo language, he wondered, “Really?” What does this reaction tell you about how he felt about this news? Why do you think he felt this way? (synthesizing) His reaction tells us that he found the news surprising. This was probably because in the past, the U.S. government had worked to make Native Americans more “American.” They sent kids to boarding schools where they were not allowed to speak their own languages. It must have seemed strange when the government began to view the Navajo language as valuable. 

Critical-Thinking Questions (5 minutes)

• Why do you think the author begins the article by describing a scary moment Chester Nez experienced during a battle in Guadalcanal? (author’s craft) The author begins by describing a moment in Guadalcanal in which Chester Nez is about to transmit a message over the radio while bombs go off nearby and bullets fly over his head. This introduction draws the reader in. It’s packed with action and drama. It’s almost like watching a movie. We want to know how Nez survives this moment. Also, the introduction raises questions that get answered in the rest of the story: What was the top-secret code Nez used? Why was it made using the Navajo language? Why was the tiny island of Guadalcanal so important at that moment? 

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Text Evidence activity. As a class, discuss students’ answers and the Think About It! question.
• Have students work independently to complete our Central Idea and Details Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine that you were the president of the United States at the time when Chester Nez was to receive a special award for his service as a code talker. Write a speech in which you honor him and the rest of the original code talkers. Remember to mention what made this group special and why their service should be remembered.