GRADE LEVEL: 9-12
SUBJECT: Ethnic Studies, World History, or U.S. History
Intended Unit: Narratives (Ethnic Studies); Imperialism (World History or U.S. History)
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
CENTRAL QUESTIONS/BIG IDEAS: How is the war in Vietnam portrayed in dominant narratives and what stories are left out?
CONTENT OBJECTIVE:
Knowledge: Students will define dominant and counter narrative and examine the impacts of differing narratives of the Vietnam War.
Skills: Creativity, Critical thinking
Habits: Students will practice questioning whose stories are told and why.
Grade Level/Subject Area Standards:
9 (Ethnic Studies)
10 (World History)
11 (U.S. History)
HSS-11.4 Students trace the rise of the United States to its role as a world power in the twentieth century.
HSS-11.9 Students analyze U.S. foreign policy since World War II.
CA ELD Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
IEP/504 Accommodations:
All lesson plans will be accommodated with a transcript (for video clips), student facing worksheets, and visual slides ready to be shared and accessed.
Feel free to accommodate extra time for any formative assignments and provide scaffolds as needed for differing age groups/needs.
Instructional Materials
Slides (link)
Apocalypse Now Trailer (link)
Graphic Organizer (link)
Viet Thanh Nguyen Oral History (43:22 >> 46:17); (02:40 >>17:18)
Extension Activity 1 - Third Generation Art (link)
Extension Activity 2
a. Loc Vu Oral History (20:36 >> 28:21); (35:23 >> 41:03)
b. “San Jose Viet Museum recounts a journey to freedom” (link), (pdf)
Lesson Implementation Sequence:
Step 1: Warmup
Duration: 10 minutes
Implementation:
Watch Apocalypse Now trailer
Introduce Apocalypse Now as a fictional film made in 1979 that takes place during the Vietnam War.
Play the trailer (2 mins) for students.
Instruct students to fill out the See, Think, Wonder prompt on their graphic organizer.
Invite students to share their responses
Resources/Materials:
Slides 1-3 (intro slides, skip if appropriate)
Slides 4-5
Apocalypse Now Trailer
Graphic Organizer
Assessment: See, think, wonder prompt
Step 2: Lecture
Duration: 15 minutes
Implementation:
Define dominant/counter narrative
Share the definitions of dominant and counter narrative.
Students will copy the definition and write or draw their own examples.
Invite students to share their examples with the class.
Resources/Materials:
Slide 6-8
Graphic Organizer
Assessment: Students will write or draw their own examples
Step 3: Class Discussion - Applying knowledge of vocabulary
Duration: 15 minutes
Implementation:
Discussion
Ask students if the Apocalypse Now trailer is a dominant or counter narrative and why
Show clip of the Viet Thanh Nguyen interview (43:22 >> 46:17) and discuss how the dominant narratives impacted him.
Resources/Materials:
Slides 9-11
Viet Thanh Nguyen Oral History
Assessment: N/A
Step 4: Independent Work - Create your own counter narrative
Duration: 30 minutes
Implementation:
Discussion
Counter Narrative Creation
Students will independently watch or read the transcripts of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s oral history (02:40 >> 17:18)
Students will use details from VTN’s interview to create their own counter narrative (illustration, poetry, song, video, children’s book, etc.)
Resources/Materials:
Slides 12-13
Viet Thanh Nguyen Oral History
Assessment: N/A
Step 5: Group sharing
Duration: 15 minutes
Implementation:
Students will share their creation in groups.
Resources/Materials:
Assessment: N/A
Extension activity 1: Possible Extension 1
Browse this website of Vietnamese artists who created their own narratives based on their experiences with war.
Resources/Materials:
Slide 15
Third Generation Artwork
Extension activity 2: Possible Extension 2
Show clips of the Loc Vu interview and discuss questions about the American glorification of war and the importance of documenting and commemorating experiences and contributions of Vietnamese Americans in the South Bay.
Resources/Materials:
Slides 16-20
Loc Vu Oral History
“San Jose Viet Museum recounts a journey to freedom”
NOTES ON HOW THIS MAY BE INTEGRATED IN INTENDED UNIT
This lesson would be best implemented after an introductory lesson about the Vietnam War (what countries were impacted, how countries in Southeast Asia were impacted, the root causes of the conflict, etc.)