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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Oppenheimer and the Bomb

Subject:
Difficulty:
Grade Level:

 

Students read a piece on the Oppenheimer biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin and engage in discussion on Oppenheimer's role in the project.

 

Materials:

 

Assignment:

  • Have students read "An American Tragedy" (a 14-page book review of J. Robert Oppenheimer's biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin), which will provide background information into the creation of the atomic bomb, and more specifically Oppenheimer.  
  • Have students arrange themselves in a circle and have a "Harkness table" in which the students guide the discussion on the role that Oppenheimer played in the creation of the atomic bomb and his role in history.