Anthony Ball

LESSON OVERVIEW
Toolkit Topic: Vietnam War Era Culture
Lesson Title: Vietnam War
Subject/Grade Level: Social Studies 6th Grade
Lesson Duration: One 50 min class period
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Essential Questions for Toolkit: How can society deal with difference in opinion over a defining event
such as the Vietnam War? What can be done to help a society that is culturally divided in support of
and against its government? Are there ways to look at war and unite as a society?
Essential Question for Lesson: What would you do if you were drafted into a war that you did not
support?
OBJECTIVES
The students will learn about the
Vietnam War as a conflict that the
United States engaged in, and
defend either the decision to be in
the conflict or not.
The students will be able to
organize the major players, the
major battles, and the cultural
issues of the time during the
Vietnam war and use them to
formulate a letter to their
congressman.

STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8
Distinguish among fact, opinion,

and reasoned judgment in a text.

A.8.11 Give examples of the causes and

consequences of current global

issues, such as the expansion of
global markets, the urbanization of
the developing world, the
consumption of natural resources,
and the extinction of species, and
suggest possible responses by
various individuals, groups, and
nations

ASSESSMENTS
For the assessment of this lesson, the students will be writing a letter to their member
of congress to either take the stance of supporting the United States not having a draft,
or asking their congressman to reinstitute the draft. They will need to draw upon
historical evidence that they have learned in the class, along with any sort of personal
ethos that comes from what emotions are felt during the draft. I will assess the lesson
on their ability to draw from historical context, rather than their opinion on whether or
not the draft is right. I will have a letter on hand that I wrote to a congressman; it will
not be about the draft so students will not be able to use my content. This will be how I
model the format of the letter for those who are more inexperienced with writing
formal letters. They will be able to draw from the content that they have learned over
the course of the lesson.

Anthony Ball
DIFFERENTIATION
For differentiation for the students who are advanced, I will ask them to write longer
essays, and visa versa for the students who are struggling writers. There are a couple
students that I would move to the front of the classroom, because they are struggling to
pay attention normally in class. If the content of the lecture was confusing for students,
or I noticed some not able to take good notes, I would provide those students with the
proper notes after the class. For students who are not as proficient in writing, I will
make sure to give them sentence starters so that they can keep up with the more
advanced students. Each student will also have a guide that I used as a model that will
be passed out for them to keep consistent with the format of a traditional formal letter.
LESSON CONTENT OUTLINE

Lesson Opening

I will start off with a hook where I ask the kids if they know what
the draft is, and I will have them describe to me what they think it is
or if they have heard it. Then I will show a video about Vietnam and
how the United States became involved it runs for 2 minutes (link
included in the materials section). After this I will discuss the
reasons that John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson decided that the
United States should intervene in southeast Asia. This discussion
will include
The prevention of Communism spreading
Indirectly challenging Chinese power in the region
Better good (spreading democracy)

Learning Activities During this lesson I will introduce what the draft was. This is where
I will show another 3minute video that shows how the draft works.
While explaining what it is, I will then explain that it is no longer
around. After that, I will explain that some people supported and
some people did not support our actions in Vietnam.
The draft (Selective Service) is where all 18 year olds are put
into a lottery and if their name is drawn they will be ordered
to serve
I will discuss that many were upset that they could not vote
as 18 year olds, but were able to fight in wars
The shortage of men able to serve before the draft took effect
How many people are against having a draft because they
believe it is not right
This is where I will begin a class wide discussion where I ask the
students to explain to me how they would feel if they were drafted
and did not support the war.

Anthony Ball

Lesson Closing

In closing I will recap with the students how long the draft was
around for, and try to cement in their minds how controversial the
draft was. After this I will do a check for understanding where I
cold call the students and ask them:
Who do you think was the most influential political figure
from the Vietnam War era?
What do you think we accomplished with our presence in
Vietnam?
How did people respond to the draft?
This is the period of the closing where I asked the students what they
learned and if they have any more questions.
Then I will finish the discussion with a short assignment where I ask
the students to write their member of Congress to either support the
United States not having a draft right now, or to encourage the
government to reinstitute the draft.

MATERIALS/RESOURCES/TECHNOLOGY
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrH9xaOp4Ak
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1XbciM-kss
-Paper for the letter to member of congress
-Screen to watch video on
-White board for me to write notes on during lecture

Anthony Ball

LESSON OVERVIEW
Toolkit Topic: Vietnam War Era Counter Culture
Lesson Title: Reteaching Counter Culture during the Vietnam War
Subject/Grade Level: Social Studies 6th Grade
Lesson Duration: One 50 min class period
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Essential Questions for Toolkit: If you did not agree with the government, what would you do about
it?
Essential Question for Lesson: Do you think the counter culture movement during the Vietnam War
was effective? Would you have been apart of it during this era?
OBJECTIVES
The students will gain a more
broad understanding of what the
counter culture during Vietnam
entailed and they will be able to
design a project that reflects a
theme based off of the counter
culture of the time.
The students will be able to name
the major players, major effects,
and broad themes of the counter
culture and will be able to
construct their project (speech,
song, or booth) to involve these
major players, effects and themes
of the counter culture.

STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8
Distinguish among fact, opinion,

and reasoned judgment in a text.

A.8.11 Give examples of the causes and

consequences of current global

issues, such as the expansion of
global markets, the urbanization of
the developing world, the
consumption of natural resources,
and the extinction of species, and
suggest possible responses by
various individuals, groups, and
nations

ASSESSMENTS
For this lessons assessment, the students will end up compiling a project to resemble
Woodstock. The students will have to perform as a band and sing a protest song, write
a protest speech as a notable figure of the time, or protest the event. This will be
graded on how well they perform the project, not talent wise, but how accurately they
convey their knowledge of the counter culture during Vietnam and why people were
protesting (Writing Songs, Writing Speeches, or protesting with signs or booths). The
goal for the students is that they can accurately articulate the reasons that people would
protest the Vietnam War.
DIFFERENTIATION
For differentiation for the students who are not outgoing, they would be able to work as
protesters during the event where they would not have to sing or give a speech. They
would be required to protest during our Woodstock and would need to act, as they

Anthony Ball
were part of the counter culture. For the students who are advanced, I will give them a
menu of options of protest songs to pick through for the protest song lyric project
where they have to uncover the meaning behind the lyrics of notable protest songs.
These more difficult songs would be (Imagine by John Lennon, Give Peace a Chance
by John Lennon, For What Its Worth by Buffalo Springfield, or the Unknown Soldier
by the Doors). The more advanced students could do more in depth work analyzing
lyrics for their assessment. This analysis will show their knowledge of the students to
connect what they learned in class about reasons for Vietnam protest songs, speeches or
activism.
LESSON CONTENT OUTLINE

Lesson Opening

For the beginning of the lesson, I will start off by introducing

Woodstock to the students by explaining what it was by the showing
a video from the history channel listed below. Then I will explain
that the people involved in the counter culture did not support the
Vietnam War and wanted peace. Then I will explain that the
peaceful view of those in the counter culture was often not portrayed
with any negative attributes which actually existed, which are listed
below:
Often used drugs
Did not support the government
Practiced communal living
Oftentimes had poor hygiene and diseases

Learning Activities During this lesson I will show the students a notable protest speech
listed below by Martin Luther King. Then I will tell the students
they will be working to either be a singer, speechwriter, or protester
in a fictional Woodstock that will be held outside in the next
week. This is where they will be able to craft a politically motivated
project that requires them to use historical context to properly
convey their reasoning for supporting or not supporting the war.
Then I will help the students with their projects and help them
understand that they will be portraying someone who did not support
the war and that they would need to buy into what the counter
culture believed for a day. I would continue to work with the
students on how to pick a song for their protest song, write an anti
war speech, or pick a topic to protest form the time.
I will provide a menu of options for the students
The musical artist I will let them pick from will all be from
the Vietnam War years (Late 1950s 1975).
I will scaffold the learning by showing them a song (For

Anthony Ball

What its worth by Buffalo Springfield) and then showing

them that this is a good protest song
Then I will show them an anti-war speech from Woodstock
and explain why it was relevant at the time.
Then I would continue to explain how Woodstock changed the
landscape of both protest and how Americans assembled for protest
for the future
Farm Aid
We are the world
Many music festivals (Less activism more fun
Lesson Closing

. In closing after the project and the Woodstock we hold at the

school, I will have the students explain to me why Woodstock was
important and if the Counter Culture during Vietnam positively or
negatively affected the mainstream culture of the time. They will
finish their lesson by writing a short synopsis of why they think that
they positively affected our class Woodstock.

MATERIALS/RESOURCES/TECHNOLOGY
- http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-woodstock-festival-opens-in-bethelnew-york
-Screen to watch video on
-White board for me to write notes on during lecture

Anthony Ball

LESSON OVERVIEW
Toolkit Topic: Vietnam War Era Culture
Lesson Title: Pop Culture during the Vietnam War Era
Subject/Grade Level: Social Studies 6th Grade
Lesson Duration: One 50 min class period
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Essential Questions for Toolkit: How can society deal with difference in opinion over a defining event
such as the Vietnam War? What can be done to help a society that is culturally divided in support of
and against its government? Are there ways to look at war and unite as a society?
Essential Question for Lesson: How is pop culture affected by political events of the time?
OBJECTIVES
The students will be able to
recognize and comprehend the
major pop culture themes of the
Vietnam War Era and its effects.
The students will be able to
describe trends in pop culture
relative to the times and political
conditions of the time and trough
historical context while describing
a pop culture artifact.

STANDARDS
WI.B.4.2 Use a timeline to select,
organize and sequence information
describing eras in history.
WI.C.4.6 Locate, organize and use
relevant information to understand
an issue in the classroom or
school, while taking into account
the viewpoints and interest of
different groups and individuals.

ASSESSMENTS
The assessment for this lesson will be having the students write an analysis of a pop
culture movement or individual song, television show or movie. The students will be
writing a short response to a song or television show that they choose to observe and
write an explanation of why it is in response to the pop culture of the time.
DIFFERENTIATION
For differentiation for the students who are advanced, I will give them an option to
work on a harder pop culture artifact. The students that are less advanced will be given
easier things to analyze for their work from a menu of various songs and television
shows and if necessary will be able to work with another student.

Anthony Ball
LESSON CONTENT OUTLINE

Lesson Opening

I will start off with a hook where I show a clip of the Bunch opening
titles (shown in the bottom). Then I will show a clip of MASH.
After this, I will explain how television has been able to capture
different socio culture events throughout history. I will briefly touch
on Saturday Night Live and their response to 9/11. Then I will
explain that a lot of people express themselves though various
mediums and a lot of time music, television, art and movies are ways
for this to happen. I lastly explain a topic that is more relevant to the
students now; Beyonces Lemonade. I will describe what
Beyonce is writing about and why it matters today.

Learning Activities During this lesson I will focus on response songs from different
musicians. I will print of the lyrics to Fortunate Son by CCR, and
we will then analyze the words before doing the same with Turn,
Turn, Turn by the Byrds, which they will write an analysis of
themselves. This will allow the students to understand that
sometimes-musical artist express themselves this way. While
looking at Fortunate Son, I will explain the significance of how
the ordinary person does not receive special treatment from the
government, but senators son is given exemptions. I will also
touch on the public perception on how it seemed as though we could
solve all problems by throwing troops at the issue. These will serve
as good examples of how to analyze their chosen topic. I will follow
up by letting them do the same thing with the Byrds song, Turn,
Turn, Turn which is about living and dying during the time period.
After they work on this, we will go over it as a class. Then I will
finish the lesson with explaining to the students their assignment and
what I expect from their response paper. They will then be able to
ask me questions to see if their pop cultural artifact will work. The
biggest thing that I will need to make sure they follow is that it is a
song written during the time period of the Vietnam War, and not
another time period. They will have the ability to pick out any song,
television show, or movie they would like to, but I have to approve
it. This is to make sure it is appropriate and relevant.
Lesson Closing

We will close the lesson with me asking why protest songs exist, and
why they have become well known even after what they are
protesting is over. Then I will have them work with each other to
come up with other times in history (there have been a ton) where
protest songs have existed and if they can name any off the top of
their heads. This will be my check for understanding to let me know
if they have understood the topic.

Anthony Ball
MATERIALS/RESOURCES/TECHNOLOGY
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgb9B3-N8Cc
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM42Sp1Pqlo
- Fortunate Son and Turn, Turn, Turn, lyrics printed off
-Paper for the response summary
-Screen to watch video on
-White board for me to write notes on during lecture