This comprehensive resource will have students critically examine the Vietnam War. The provided slide presentation is full of primary based sources, problem-posing discussion questions, POV simulations, & informative video clips that are designed to engage the students in the learning process. Three supplementary activities are included;

Materials:

• Slide Presentation (67 Slides) & Guided Notes Packet (Answer Key Included)
• Vietnamese Independence Debate Activity
• Scavenger Hunt POV Activity
• Secondary Source

Extension Activity #1: Vietnamese Independence Debate

• Each student will be assigned one of two POINTS OF VIEW (POV);
  1. French business leaders 2) Vietnamese communists.
• Central to the debate are the following questions; Why should the U.S. care what happens in Vietnam, along with what happens in France? Whether the U.S. should feel threatened by communism in Vietnam? What do they want President Truman to do about the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence— support it, ignore it, oppose it? Whether the U.S. government should support the French?

Extension Activity #2: Song Analysis

• Students will compare two defining songs of the Vietnam era; The Ballads of the Green Berets, & the War Song.

Extension Activity #3: What is a Whistleblower?

• Students will analyze four individuals; all of whom revealed information about activity within a private or public organization that was deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent.
• Students can delve further by referring to the Whistleblower Timeline,  and choosing a whistleblower to research (1700’s to contemporary times). Students will prepare a 3 to 5 minute class presentation. 

If you liked this lesson see other related ‘Cold War’ lessons here:

• Hot War Turns into the Cold War
• Cold War Unit Review & Assessment
• The Cuban Missile Crisis Declassified
• The Korean War: A Critical Reading Activity