PBS - American Experience - Vietnam Online
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Activity Description
This link is no longer active. Use https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amex27ldv.ush.dilemma2/moral-dilemma/#.WS9aJ8m1t60 The activity needs to be rewritten. Vietnam Online offers insights into topics in American history including foreign policy in Southeast Asia, the threat of Communism, the Cold War, the Sixties, the Constitutional balance of powers, the media's role in wartime, portrayals of war in popular culture, and more. The Teacher’s Guide divides the learning into several activities covering History, Civics, Geography and Culture.Preparation
- Make sure that the site is not blocked at your school and that the activity can be viewed.
- Review the detailed lesson plans and decide which activities you want your students to complete.
- Prepare needed resources for the selected activities.
- Tracing U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group one of the following time periods: 1954-1963, 1964-1967, 1968, 1969-1973, and 1974-present. Have each group examine the portion of the timeline that corresponds to its assigned time period and read the links it contains.
- A "time of confusion" at home. As a class, assemble a booklet entitled "Voices of the Vietnam Era," consisting of statements by people who lived that time.
- What kind of war? Was the Vietnam War a civil war, or was it the conquest of one independent nation by another? First, discuss as a class the reasons why this issue is important.
- War powers and the Constitution Students research and write a brief essay.
- The Media’s role in Wartime Students examine the role the media played in bringing information to the American public and helping shape public attitudes toward the war.
- Mapping the War Students examine the maps of different phases of the Vietnam War.
- Vietnam and the global Cold War Working with a partner, students prepare an oral presentation arguing that preserving South Vietnam’s independence is a critical part of winning the Cold War against Soviet communism.
- The war in pop songs Students review the lyrics to a pop song from the Vietnam era that refers to the war.
- Hollywood goes to War Students view a war film and consider how it portrays the war and the soldiers who fought in it.
- ASE: High School Diploma
How-To
See Teacher's Guide:Suggestions for Active LearningHISTORY
CIVICS
GEOGRAPHY
CULTURE