Lesson Plan
(The Nation in Conflict: The Vietnam War)

Teacher Name:Mary Ann WilsonGrade level(s): 11-12Course: U. S. History

Describe the classroom or homework activity to be performed(individual assignment, cooperative learning, cross curricular, technology based, using artifacts and/or primary sources, etc.)

  • Technological project: Photostory or Movie Maker. The student is to create a visual presentation that tells the historical facts of the Vietnam War. They are also to include in their presentation music that reflects the era of the war and also examine a singular individual or event of the time.

The included example examines the history of the war, a music track that reflects the time, and an examination of the history and events of the Kent State deaths.

  • Exercise on President Johnson’s speeches: Speech at Johns Hopkins 1965 and Speech to the Nation 1968. Depending on the level or the class, this can be done as an individual or partner exercise. The two speeches have a series of questions to be answered after reading the documents. Once all questions have been answered (however the instructor may wish to have them answered), a comparison/contrast of the speeches as an

in-class discussion or a written assignment would be appropriate. (class level should be considered)

  • Song Analysis: the students are to be divided into pairs or small groups n(depending on the level of the students). They are to be given a song (lyrics only). Using the song lyrics and the accompanying Song Analysis Worksheet (created by Jess McClain), the students are to interpret the meaning of the lyrics. They will then listen to the song and create a comprehensive interpretation and its application to the society of the era of the Vietnam War.

Rationale (why are you doing this?)

The students will examine the chronology of the war as well as examine the events circling around the war at home. They will need to use an analytical approach to examine the time period of the war (early, middle, late), and choose songs that most apply to the events of the time and attitudes and tone of the public. The final section asks the student to examine a personality or event of the time and, through the video, reflect how this event/person or group affected the time period.

Required time frame: From start to finish, this unit should run about 2 weeks.

Where in the teacher conference did you get the idea for this activity or assignment(speaker, document,photograph,activity, audio recording, other)?

  • This is an approach that I learned from a previous conference at the Truman. The material is information that I have taught before but I am able to expand on through the information learned in the conference.

Lesson objectives – the student will:

  • Be able to describe the reasons behind American involvement in the Vietnam War.
  • Be able to compare and contrast the political end-games from the beginning to the end of the war.
  • Be able to describe the American public opinion change from the beginning to the end of the war.
  • Be able to describe the impact of the Vietnam War on society since the end of the war and its relevance to the world today.

District,state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met (be specific when referencing):

South Carolina State Social Studies Standards: USHC-9.3Summarize the key events and effects of the Vietnam War, including the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the Tet offensive; the protests and opposition to the war; and the policies of presidents John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon. (H, P, G)

Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed – cite title and other detailed information:

  • U. S. History Textbook: Danzser, Gerald. The Americans. Orlando, Fla: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2005.
  • Gordan, Irving. A Review Text in American History. New York, NY: Amsco Publishing Co., 1990.
  • ETV Streaming Video: “Archives of War: The Vietnam War”.

This is an excellent video that does an overview of the War. The video comes in clips from a few minutes to (if you choose….not recommended) the full video of approximately 1.5 hrs.

  • There is a full teacher’s guide that accompanies this video. It is found with the video at
  • Various Vietnam War Songs: there are MANY websites devoted to the music of the time. Here are a few.

Primary sources (document, photograph, artifact, diary or letter, audio or visual recording, etc.) needed – cite detailed information:

  • Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968-69. Volume I, entry 170, pp. 469-476. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1970.
  • Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965. Volume I, entry 172, pp. 394-399. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1966.
  • Photographs from notes are cited on attached document

Fully describe the activity or assignment in detail. What will both you and the students do?

  • This is a very basic unit plan for the Vietnam War chapter. It has two in-class activities, a project and the general notes as are covered by the student textbook. (I would highly encourage the supplementation if material from other texts to broaden the information presented).
  • The teacher’s job is to enhance the basic knowledge for the student. The teacher is to deliver the basic knowledge and guide the students through the research and interpretive portions of the unit.
  • The student is to complete the research necessary for the project and be a willing participant in the class activities and discussions provided by the teacher.
  • All other information is provided in the first section of this plan.

Assessment: fully explain your assessment method in detail or create and attach your scoring guide:

  • Test and Quiz will be given over material and vocabulary
  • Project will be graded by Rubric (attached). Projects count 20% of the quarter grade.
  • In-class activities count as a quiz grade (song analysis and Speech activities).