Author: Nick Krautscheid

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Division of Vietnam Lesson Reflection

Toward the end of class, Peter asked us if we enjoy teaching lessons in class as a method of learning. After reflecting on this question, I decided I find this method of learning and use of class time highly effective. It offers us a low-stakes opportunity to test ideas and tools learned in class.  In this lesson specifically, I practiced integrating Google Slides, YouTube, Google Sheets, and Google Forms. Trying these out in a low-stakes environment is especially useful as I plan to use similar lessons in my student teaching placement that I have used in our Methods class.

Teaching this lesson highlighted the need to organize and simplify technology integration in the classroom. Rather than having links posted in multiple places throughout the slideshow, I now plan to have one page where students can quickly navigate to all the resources they will need for class, ex. Google Classroom or one dedicated “resources” slide in a slideshow. Doing this will minimize confusion, allow for smoother transitions, and maximize time spent learning.

The aspect of this lesson I liked most was the multiple mediums used to deliver content. This lesson included a propaganda photo, small group discussion, a short lecture, a video, and primary sources. All of these mediums seemed to fit together well and were hopefully well suited to students with different learning styles.

With some touch-ups and scaling the lesson to accommodate 30 students, I believe this lesson would go over well in my student teaching placement. I am certainly grateful I could give it a test-run with our class.

 

Nick Krautscheid

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What is the Purpose of Government?

I am currently teaching a class titled, “America and the Contemporary World,” a high school history class primarily for 11th graders. This lesson will fit into the context of the Cold War unit, where students should have a firm grasp on the conflict with the USSR and the United States’ foreign policy during the time. Through the lens of the events leading to the Vietnam War, this lesson will center on the essential question:

What is the purpose of government?

More specifically, this lesson will examine multiple forms of government and the role that the United States should play in foreign affairs. Our class will begin with an inquiry into visual propaganda produced by the United States during the time period. I will follow this “primer” with a short lecture on the division of North and South Vietnam and the leaders of each country: Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem. The lecture will focus on why the nations divided, Ho Chi Minh’s communist ideology in North Vietnam, and the U.S.-backed leader, Ngo Dinh Diem, in South Vietnam.

Process:

1. Split class into two teams – assign each team a half of the chosen propaganda image. After they analyze the image, lead a short discussion about what they saw to set the context for the lesson.

2. Introduce historical context for the lesson.

3. Offer brief introduction of Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem

4. Have students read provided articles and complete exit ticket. Use exit ticket as a guide for class discussion. Finish class with pointed essential question.

Resources:

Interactive Google Slide Show

Vietnam War Timeline – BBC

Articles Provided by U.C. Davis History Blueprint Program

 

Featured Image:  Left – Ho Chi Minh – Wikimedia Commons  //  Right – Ngo Dinh Diem – Archives.gov

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Vietnam War Domestic Sentiment – Lesson Reflection

After delivering this lesson, my biggest takeaway is this:

The questions we ask our students are far more important than any answer we may ever give them.

As history teachers, we are tasked with teaching our students how to think. Although it is challenging to step off of center stage and create a student-centered classroom, it is a challenge we must all accept. To better prepare lessons for my students going forward, I hope to center each day around a timeless central question. This central question will guide each decision made in class, serving as the foundation for the lesson. This central question will also provide structure to the class so that students can understand where they are and where they are going.

My hope is that centering each lesson around a central question will solve some of the challenges concerning clarity, purpose, and organization that I faced during this lesson. Additionally, I learned that more planning, rehearsal, and making sure that course content ties back to the central question will serve students well and make lessons significantly less stressful to teach.

Overall, this practice lesson helped expose what I’m doing well and what I need to pay more attention to. Additionally, it allowed me to practice a lesson in a lower-stakes environment before I deliver it to the class.

I look forward to doing more practice lessons in the future,
Nick

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Vietnam Domestic Sentiment: Colorful Flowers and Agent Orange

Class: High School U.S. History

Lesson: Students will source, contextualize, and analyze primary documents to  asses United States domestic sentiment during the Vietnam War. Using these documents, students will answer the question:

“How did the Vietnam War influence the relationship between the U.S. federal government and its people?”

This questions fits into our essential questions, “How should the relationship between a federal government and its citizens look?”

Students’ prior knowledge on the subject includes Cold War foreign policy (Containment), U.S. entry to the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights movement of the mid-20th century. Following this lesson, students will be able to justify why some citizens supported the Vietnam War while others protested against it. 

Process:  The teacher will offer a brief introduction to the Vietnam War and display the timeline of events. To begin the lesson, I will raise the following questions to contextualize this lesson within the overall unit:

Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War? What is happening in the U.S. during the early 1960s as the U.S. formally enters Vietnam?

As the students discuss the questions, I will hand out the Anti-Vietnam War Movement Timeline and Graphic Organizer. As discussion on the above questions continues, students will have time to complete the first question on the graphic organizer.

Next, students will open the attached documents on their device, printed copies made available for those who prefer them. Students will read their assigned documents and fill in their section of the graphic organizer as they read. Then, the class will fill out the rest of graphic organizer together in a discussion format – ultimately leading to the higher-order thinking questions at the end. To close, I will ask students to share their hypotheses, using the historical skills of source and context to support their answers.

Documents found here: 

Reflection: 

After delivering this lesson, my biggest takeaway is this:

The questions we ask our students are far more important than any answer we may ever give them.

As history teachers, we are tasked with teaching our students how to think. Although it is challenging to step off of center stage and create a student-centered classroom, it is a challenge we must all accept. To better prepare lessons for my students going forward, I hope to center each day around a timeless central question. This central question will guide each decision made in class, serving as the foundation for the lesson. This central question will also provide structure to the class so that students can understand where they are and where they are going.

My hope is that centering each lesson around a central question will solve some of the challenges concerning clarity, purpose, and organization that I faced during this lesson. Additionally, I learned that more planning, rehearsal, and making sure that course content ties back to the central question will serve students well and make lessons significantly less stressful to teach.

Featured Image: National Archives