Lesson Plan 3 - The Fighting Begins

Colton Jewell
The War begins- Lesson #3

Junior/Seniors- US History
50 Minutes
Vietnam War
Common Core Standards to Meet:
SS.G.5.9-12: Analyze how human societies plan for and respond to the consequences of human-
made and naturally occurring catastrophes and how these events impact, trade, politics and
migration
SS.H.11.9-12: Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
Theme 3: People, Places, and Environment
Educational Objectives
1. Students will be able to understand what the war all entailed, how it was fought, and the
struggle of the Vietnam terrain.
2. Students will be able to define the following academic language: operation rolling
thunder, agent orange, napalm, army of the republic of Vietnam, the February 1968 tet
offensive, My Lai massacre, Lt. William Calley jr., pentagon paper, and war powers act.
3. Students will be able to see the places and environment of the Vietnam war and how
difficult it was for Americans to fight.
Assessment on Learning:
1. Students will complete a “Plickers” quiz at the end of class for quiz points.
2. Students will complete a reflection on the war tactics from Vietnam war (ex: My Lai
massacre)
Central Focus
● Students will be able to understand the Vietnam war and the fighting style, condition, and
war crimes that occured.
Accommodations for students with specific learning needs:
● N/A
Academic Language
Language Function (select 1):
Analyze Compare/Contrast Construct Describe Evaluate
Examine Identify Interpret Justify Locate

Explain Prove Argue Synthesize
Identify a learning task from your plan that provides students with opportunities to
practice using the language function identified above:
The students will be able to argue and evaluate the war tactics that the US and Viet Cong used.
Additional Language Demands. Given the language function and learning task identified
above, describe the following associated language demands (written or oral) students need to
understand and/or use:
The students will be able to argue and evaluate the war tactics that the US and Viet Cong used by
writing a reflection.
Vocabulary:
● Operation Rolling Thunder: was the title of a gradual and sustained aerial bombardment
campaign conducted by the United States 2nd Air Division, U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam
Air Force against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 2 March 1965 until 2 November
1968, during the Vietnam War
● Agent Orange: A chemical substance that caused extreme damage to plants. It was mainly used
by the U.S. military to get rid of the jungle and to poison the food supply for the Viet Cong.
However, Agent Orange caused around 400,000 deaths or maiming of people and also around
500,000 children were born with birth defects due to this chemical. It also caused cancer to many
U.S. Vietnam War Veterans.
● Napalm: A liquid-solid material that was highly flammable and the material stuck to many
surfaces, and when lit a fire, the surface or thing that was stuck by the material was immediately
burned. It was mainly used in bombs and flamethrowers.
● Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN): Also known as the ARVN, it was the military of
South Vietnam. It was poorly trained and poorly armed. It was disbanded after Saigon fell to the
NVA.
● The February 1968 Tet Offensive: An offensive that the NVA launched to crumble South
Vietnam by launching a massive assault on all the cities and villages in South Vietnam on the
Chinese holiday called "Tet." Militarily speaking, the offensive was a failure but it made a
massive blow on the U.S. citizens.
● My Lai Massacre: was one of the most horrific incidents of violence committed against unarmed
civilians during the Vietnam War. A company of American soldiers brutally killed most of the
people—women, children and old men—in the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968.
● Lt. William Calley Jr.: an American war criminal, a former United States Army officer
convicted by court-martial for the premeditated killings of 22 unarmed South Vietnamese
civilians in the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War.
● Pentagon Papers: Papers that came from the Pentagon and were posted in The New York Times
saying that Lyndon B. Johnson had lied about the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
● War Powers Act: A federal law passed by congress to restrict the president from doing any acts
of military power without reason and must ask congress to go to war within 90 days of
militarizing an area or else the military will be forced to leave the country/area.
Plus at least one of the following:

Syntax
Discourse
I will use both syntax and discourse while teaching the lesson and covering the academic
language.
Materials:
● Whiteboard
● Markers
● Pencil, pens, paper
● Class textbook’
● Powerpoint
Anticipatory Set/ Attention Getter:
Students walk into class hearing “Fortunate Son”-Creedence Clearwater Revival. Show
the scene of Forrest Gump in Vietnam.
Forrest Gump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GElkwcKNek
Questions to Ask:
1. What was the “Tet Offensive”?
2. Was the “My Lai Massacre” a war crime?
3. Was the Vietnam war lost before it began?
4. Why was it hard for the US troops to fight in Vietnam?
Sequence of Events:
1. Attention Getter
2. Lecture/ Informational Presentation
3. Plickers Quiz
4. Reflection
Conclusion/Summary:
If time allows, cover the reflections with the class. Get their thoughts on the war. Reflection will
be for points. If not time, the reflection will be homework. I will do a quick wrap up of the fight
aspect of the Vietnam war.

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Colton Jewell

The War begins- Lesson #3

Analyze Compare/Contrast Construct Describe Evaluate

Examine Identify Interpret Justify Locate

Plus at least one of the following:

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