Vietnam War and Resistance Lesson Plan

This Vietnam War Protests Lesson Plan has students reading about key events of the Vietnam War era and deciding if they would join the resistance movements against the war, support the war, or try to act like nothing was going on.

I wanted to get my students thinking about what resistance means and how it can impact those who resist and collaborate. I also want them thinking critically about what it looks like to protest and the impact it can have.

This download includes short readings on 8 key events/moments from the Vietnam War era:

• First American Deaths in Vietnam
• Buddhist Monk Thích Quång Dúc Burns Himself to Death
• The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
• Public Opinion of the War Drops
• Tet Offensive
• The My Lai Massacre
• Kent State Shootings
• Pentagon Papers Published

After reading about each event, students determine if they would join the anti-war movement and resist in some way, elect to support the American war effort, or choose to ignore it and act like nothing had happened.

Finally, students analyze what it looks like and what the repercussions can be for those who resist, collaborate, or ignore - not just during the Vietnam War era, but today as well. It's great for promoting critical thinking and making connections between the past and today!

The download includes both printable and Google Docs versions of the activity along with directions pages for both the students and you as the teacher.

You can also download this activity as part of the Cold War Complete Unit Bundle.

Thanks so much for checking it out!

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