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Year 3: Unit 4 – Voices of the People – The 1960s and Vietnam (1960 – 1973): Lessons

Lesson 1: Black Power (Video Analysis)

Central Question: How did the Civil Rights Movement evolve in the late 1960s?

Historical Background

In the later years of the Civil Rights Movement, many African American activists lost their interest in nonviolence after being frustrated by the government’s lack of enforcement of legislation for equality. A wave of inner city riots in black communities from 1964 through 1970 undercut support from the white community for the movement. Furthermore, the emergence of the Black Power movement and the Black Panther Party, which lasted from about 1966 to 1975, challenged the established black leadership for its cooperative attitude and its nonviolence, and instead demanded political and economic self-sufficiency.

For more background, read “The Civil Rights Movement” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required) and “27 Facts Everyone Should Know About the Black Panthers” on the Huffington Post website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Term:

  • Black Panther Party

Scholars understand the evolution of the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1960s and can explain the “radicalization” of the movement.

Preparation

  • Display the Unit 4 Essential Question on the wall in your classroom for scholars to reference throughout the unit.
  • Create a word wall in your classroom with the Unit 4 Key Terms for scholars to reference during class discussion. Hold scholars accountable for using these Key Terms throughout the unit.
  • Post a hard-copy timeline in your classroom or create a digital one to track key events from this unit and previous units.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 1 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 15 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Introduce the Essential Question for Unit 4: To what extent were the 1960s a decade of progress?
  • Explain that, each day, scholars will gather more evidence to answer this question.
  • Remind scholars that this unit builds upon past content and that they must constantly make connections to previous periods of history to help them answer this Essential Question.
  • Then pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in launching their study of the ways in which Americans responded to the government’s attempts to address racial injustice and poverty in the 1960s.

Watch (1 minute)

  • Watch the video “Stokely Carmichael” posted by Same Passages on YouTube.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did Carmichael’s message differ from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of nonviolence?

Read (8 minutes)

  • Read the essay “Rethinking the Black Power Movement” on the New York Public Library website.
  • Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (4 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the text and the video.
    • Why did racial violence erupt in cities?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did the Black Power Movement evolve in the 1960s?

Watch and Discuss — 25 minutes

Watch (20 minutes)

  • Choose 20 minutes from the documentary Vanguard of the Revolution — The Real Story of the Black Panther Party directed by Stanley Nelson, 2016.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following questions as they watch the video:
    • Why did the Black Panther Party form?
    • How did the ideals of the movement evolve over time?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the questions posed before the video as well as the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the video.
    • How did the FBI affect the Black Panther Party?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: How did the philosophy of the Black Panther Party relate to the philosophy of Malcolm X?

Exit Ticket — 5 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • How did the Civil Rights Movement evolve in the late 1960s? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from both the reading and the videos.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “The Great Society at 50” by Karen Tumulty on the Washington Post website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 2: The Great Society (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: To what extent was the “Great Society” a success?

Historical Background

The “Great Society” was an ambitious series of policy initiatives, legislation and programs spearheaded by President Lyndon B. Johnson with the main goals of ending poverty, reducing crime, abolishing inequality, and improving the environment. In May 1964, President Johnson laid out his agenda for a Great Society during a speech at the University of Michigan. With his eye on reelection that year, Johnson set in motion his Great Society, the largest social reform since the New Deal. The Great Society sparked debates about what the role of government is in addressing the social needs of the people, and although some of the programs still exist today, this debate has continued.

For more background, read “Evaluating the Success of the Great Society” on the Washington Post website and “Reagan Blames Great Society for Economic Woes” on the New York Times website, and browse The Great Society Legislation overview on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Lyndon B. Johnson
  • The Great Society

Scholars can apply their knowledge of U.S. history to interpret original sources and use these sources to outline clear and compelling claims in response to questions asked about the Great Society.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Launch — 5 minutes

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Build excitement for today’s DBQ, and invest scholars in beginning their study of how the government addressed poverty and injustice during the 1960s. Tell scholars they will apply all their knowledge as historians to answer a question using new sources that they have not seen before.
  • Scholars read the Lessons 2–4 DBQ Historical Context and Task in the Unit 4 Workbook to frame their thinking.
  • Ask: What is the DBQ Task asking us to do?
  • Pairs of scholars interpret the Task. Call on pairs to share out.
    • As a class, be sure to define the meaning of the word “radical.”
    • Ask: Why might something be considered radical in the 1860s?

Guided Document Study — 20 minutes

  • Set the expectation that scholars must tackle Documents A through D today by writing a main idea next to the title and using the text and their main idea annotations to concisely answer each short-answer question with a clear claim.

Read and Write (8 minutes)

  • Read Document C* on page 7 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook with scholars. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title and use their understanding of the text to write a claim for the accompanying short-answer question in the Unit 4 Workbook.
    • *Note: Document C discusses complicated economic ideas that scholars may struggle to understand. If you anticipate that scholars will struggle more with Document A, B, or D, use one of those documents instead.

Discuss (10 minutes)

  • Have a scholar with a strong main idea annotation and/or claim share out. Have scholars discuss 1) how the main idea annotation reflects full understanding of the document and/or 2) why the claim effectively answers this short answer question.
  • Share non-exemplary work. Have the class discuss why the main idea annotation does not reflect full understanding of the document and/or why the claim does not answer the short- answer question.
  • Ensure scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work and know what they must do to improve.

Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main ideas or claims based on the discussion.

Read and Write — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate the remaining documents on pages 5–8 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook and write a clear and concise answer to each short-answer question in the Unit 4 Workbook. Hold scholars accountable for the clarity and strength of their claims!
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain their thinking. Can their main idea annotations be made stronger? Are their claims simple and clear? Are they revising their writing?
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ short answers and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change scholars must make to improve the strength of their claims as well as of their future writing. Use your study of scholar work to determine a common trend in their writing.

Lesson 3: The Great Society (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: To what extent was the Great Society a success?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars can plan and draft clear and compelling written arguments that answer a historical question with strong theses and evidence that supports or proves their theses.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their short answers from the previous lesson based on the feedback you gave them.

Plan — 15 minutes

  • With partners or in small groups, scholars discuss possible answers to the DBQ Task. Ensure that scholars explain why the Great Society was a success or not.
  • Lead a whole-class discussion on ways to answer this question. Remind scholars that there is not a single right answer to this Task, but they must have evidence to defend their answers!
    • Call on pairs to share out their answers and defend them with evidence from Documents A through D.
    • Have scholars evaluate one another’s answers. Scholars should consider whether each answer is compelling and based on accurate evidence from the text.
    • Give scholars feedback on the clarity and quality of their answers.
  • During the discussion, chart strong vs. weak answers. Ensure that scholars can explain what makes a particular answer strong or weak.
  • Tell scholars that their answers to this question will become their theses in their final DBQ essays. All of the evidence in an essay must prove this thesis.
  • After the discussion, give scholars 2 minutes to determine their own theses on the planning page of the DBQ in the Unit 4 Workbook. Ensure that scholars are not just copying an answer that was discussed but are actually formulating their own theses based on the discussion.

Outline and Draft — 30 minutes

Outline (15 minutes)

  • Scholars create an outline for their DBQ essays on the planning page of the DBQ by finalizing their theses and the three strongest pieces of evidence from Documents A through D that support their theses, based on their work in the previous lesson and the class discussion.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar explain his or her thesis. Does the thesis answer the DBQ Task? Is it compelling? Does the evidence selected actually prove this thesis?
    • If scholars are struggling to choose strong evidence, have them write how each document helps answer the DBQ Task on each document or in their outline.

Draft (15 minutes)

  • Scholars use their outlines to draft their DBQ essays. As scholars draft, they must focus on proving their theses with strong evidence from at least three different documents.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain their writing. Can the writing be made stronger?
    • Ensure that scholars are using relevant evidence to prove their theses in their DBQ essays.
    • Ensure that scholars are revising their writing to make sure it is simple and clear.
    • Hold scholars accountable for rereading their writing and eliminating any typos and errors in basic conventions.
    • Coach scholars on how to implement the feedback you’ve given them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ drafts and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change scholars must make to improve the strength of their theses and supporting evidence in this essay as well as in their future writing. Use your study of scholar work to determine a common trend in their writing.

Lesson 4: The Great Society (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: To what extent was the Great Society a success?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars revise their essays based on individualized teacher feedback to make their essays stronger and clearer and understand how to use their feedback to grow as writers.

Preparation

  • To complete this revision, before class you must:
    • Choose an exemplar and non-exemplar draft essay from the previous lesson to use in the Launch and Mini-lesson. If there is no strong exemplar, plan to use your own teacher model piece.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars read your feedback on their initial drafts of their DBQ essays and discuss with a partner how they will apply this feedback in their revisions today.

Launch — 10 minutes

  • The launch is your opportunity to provide a whole-class model of excellence and explain the biggest issue that holds scholars back from achieving excellence. The launch should end with scholars describing how this piece of writing exemplifies the Habits of Great Writers.
    • Reread the DBQ Task with scholars: To what extent was the Great Society a success?
    • Then share an exemplary draft from the previous lesson. Have scholars discuss 1) what makes the scholar’s thesis compelling and 2) why the evidence selected is effective in proving this thesis.
    • Have scholars articulate to partners how the work study applies to their own writing today.

Mini-lesson — 10 minutes

  • Choose an anonymous scholar’s draft essay that demonstrates a whole-class trend from your study of scholar work from the previous lesson, and show this scholar’s line-edited draft to the class.
  • Have the class work together to apply your individualized feedback to begin to revise the DBQ essay. Then call on scholars to articulate how this scholar must apply this feedback to all writing moving forward.
  • Set your expectations for how scholars will apply their individualized feedback to revise their work today.

Revise 1 — 10 minutes

  • Scholars use their individualized feedback to revise their DBQ essays.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use this entire time to revise their work based on the feedback you have given them. Explain that some scholars may need to start from scratch, and that is OK! Note that this time will only be productive if you have given every scholar individualized feedback.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain the feedback that they have received, as well as their plan to apply it.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 5 minutes

  • Share an essay that has greatly improved through revision. Have the scholar explain how he or she has applied feedback to effectively revise.
    • If there is a clear whole-class misconception that must be addressed, share an anonymous example of that trend. Have the class discuss how the scholar needs to change his or her approach to revision in order to make more substantial changes.
  • Ensure scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
  • Scholars articulate to their partners how they will revise their work based on the Mid-Workshop Teach.

Revise 2 — 10 minutes

  • Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to continue revising their essays.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use the entire time to continue revising their essays.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Help scholars to focus on what is most important: a strong thesis and supporting evidence.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “Earl Warren” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, give scholars a final grade on the revised essay, as well as one transferable next step that the scholars must apply to their next pieces.

Lesson 5: The Warren Court (Gallery Walk)

Central Question: How did the decisions of the Warren Court affect American civil liberties?

Historical Background

The Warren Court refers to the Supreme Court of the United States during the period when Earl Warren served as chief justice. In conjunction with the Great Society, the Warren Court expanded civil rights, civil liberties, judicial power, and federal power in dramatic ways. While the Court is most famously known for Brown v. Board of Education, ending segregation in American public schools, its other decisions paved the way for many of the civil liberties Americans enjoy today.

For more background, read “The Warren Court” on the Supreme Court history website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Chief Justice Earl Warren
  • Miranda v. Arizona
  • Loving v. Virginia
  • Gideon v. Wainwright
  • Griswold v. Connecticut

Scholars understand the major decisions of the Warren Court and can explain how those decisions increased the civil liberties of different groups of Americans.

Preparation

  • To complete this gallery walk, before class you must:
    • Print all texts and images on cardstock and distribute at each respective station.
    • Determine how you will present video or audio content, if necessary.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 5 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of how the government addressed poverty and injustice during the 1960s.

Watch (5 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Earl Warren’s Letter to Grandson” on C-SPAN.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How does Chief Justice Earl Warren want the Warren Court to be remembered?

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: How did Chief Justice Earl Warren’s beliefs about people affect his decisions in the Warren Court?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Divide scholars into four groups. Assign each group one of these stations to begin the gallery walk: Miranda v. Arizona (page 11 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Loving v. Virginia (page 12 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Griswold v. Connecticut (page 13 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Gideon v. Wainwright (page 13 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook).
  • Explain that each group will examine the images, watch the videos, or read the text at their assigned station for 5 minutes before switching to the next station.
  • After examining the sources, scholars should record their observations and inferences.
  • Circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work, and conference with groups of scholars as they rotate between stations.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How were the decisions of the Warren Court similar? Why?
    • How did the decisions of the Warren Court affect American citizens?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How “progressive” were the decisions of the Warren Court? Why?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • How did the decisions of the Warren Court affect American civil liberties? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from different stations.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “Vietnam War” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 6: The Vietnam War (Source Analysis)

Central Question: To what extent was the United States justified in its participation in the Vietnam War?

Historical Background

The Vietnam War was the longest war in United States history. Promises and commitments to the people and government of South Vietnam to keep Communist forces from overtaking them reached back to the Truman Administration. Eisenhower placed military advisers and CIA operatives in Vietnam, and John F. Kennedy sent American soldiers to Vietnam. However, following a North Vietnamese attack on U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the first real American combat troops to fight in the war. This attack was later found to be false, and questions surrounding the United States’ motivations in joining the war remain.

For more background, read the “Battlefield Vietnam” on the PBS website, “Vietnam Part 1: Early Years and Escalation” on the Atlantic website, and “The Vietnam War: 5 Things You Might Not Know” on the CNN website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Vietnam War
  • Domino Theory

Scholars understand the factors involved in the United States’ entry into the Vietnam War and can explain the extent to which the motivations of the United States’ participation were justified.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 15 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in beginning their study of the participation of the United States in the Vietnam War.

Watch (3 minutes)

  • Watch the video “The Road to War” on the History Channel website.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did global conflicts affect the U.S. decision to enter the Vietnam War?

Watch (7 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Ngo Dinh Diem’s Rise to Power “on the PBS learning media website (the last video clip in the side panel).
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did the United States shape the establishment of South Vietnam?

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the questions posed at the beginning of the videos. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the videos.
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: To what extent did the United States escalate tensions in Vietnam?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through D on pages 16–23 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook. After reading the source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • Circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did the United States rationalize its participation in the Vietnam War?
    • How did Americans critique the United States’ entry into the Vietnam War?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: To what extent did the United States’ entry into the Vietnam War promote national progress?

Exit Ticket — 5 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • To what extent was the United States justified in its participation in the Vietnam War? Support your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read the short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien in his book The Things They Carried in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 7: The Impact of the Vietnam War (Source Analysis)

Central Question: How did the Vietnam War affect both American soldiers and Vietnamese citizens?

Historical Background

The Vietnam War ended decades ago, but its impact on the Vietnamese people and American soldiers still remains. The heavy bombing, chemical warfare, and the mark of war on soldiers had lasting impacts. Potent chemicals, such as Agent Orange, caused lasting physical impairments on all people who came in contact with it; most notably, it caused a mutation in human genes that led to birth defects in generations of Vietnamese children following the war. The war also took its toll on American war veterans. Many veterans were not properly cared for when they returned home, and as a result faced poverty and homelessness. Veterans were also left with the psychological detriments of the horrors of this gruesome war, most notably PTSD.

For more background, read “Vietnam: War’s Lasting Legacy” on the Pulitzer Center website, and watch
Agent Orange on the History Channel website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand the atrocities of the Vietnam War and can explain how both American soldiers and Vietnamese citizens experienced the war through their recollections.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of the participation of the United States in the Vietnam War.

Read (5 minutes)

  • Choose two to four passages from the chapter from The Things They Carried that scholars read for homework, and read together as a class.
  • Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from their homework and the source.
    • How does Tim O’Brien describe the experiences of American soldiers in the Vietnam War in The Things They Carried?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through D on pages 25–27 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • Circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How do the documents characterize the experiences of American soldiers in the Vietnam War?
    • How do the documents characterize the experiences of Vietnamese citizens during the Vietnam War?
    • Make a connections to the Big Ideas. Ask: To what extent were the experiences of American soldiers and Vietnamese citizens similar?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Imagine you are either an American soldier or a Vietnamese citizen who experienced the Vietnam War firsthand. Write a paragraph describing how the war affected you. Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read “Vietnam War Protests” and “Tet Offensive” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 8: Vietnam Protests (Jigsaw)

Central Question: Why did many Americans oppose the Vietnam War?

Historical Background

When the war in Vietnam began, many Americans believed that defending South Vietnam from Communist aggression was in the national interest, as Communism was threatening free governments across the globe. As the war dragged on, more and more Americans grew weary of mounting casualties and escalating costs. The small anti-war movement grew into an unstoppable force, pressuring American leaders to reconsider their commitment. For the first time, war was televised on national TV, putting many Americans face-to-face with the horrors and violence of the war. Peace activists opposed the war on moral and economic grounds. The North Vietnamese, they argued, were fighting a patriotic war to rid themselves of foreign aggressors. Innocent Vietnamese peasants were being killed in the crossfire, and innocent American boys were being drafted and killed.

For more background, read “Anti-War Protests of the 1960s and 1970s” on the White House history website and “Vietnam War Protests” on the History Channel website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Tet Offensive
  • My Lai Massacre
  • Anti-Vietnam Protest

Scholars understand why many Americans opposed the Vietnam War and can explain the various perspectives of different protest movements.

Preparation

  • To complete this jigsaw, before class you must:
    • Make a plan for how you are going to divide scholars into groups for the jigsaw.
    • Ensure each scholar has the Lesson 8 Note-taking Template in the Unit 4 Workbook accessible so that notes are purposeful and that scholars are clear on your expectations.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of Americans’ varying responses to the U.S. participation in the Vietnam War.

Watch (6 minutes)

  • Watch the video “My Lai” on the History Channel website.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did the My Lai Massacre affect Americans’ perceptions of the war?

Discuss (2 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your question with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: How did the media affect Americans’ perception of the war?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Remind scholars that the purpose of a jigsaw lesson is to become experts on one topic so they are able to teach their peers. Set the expectations that scholars must be prepared to clearly and concisely share about their assigned topic at the end of their group work time.
  • Divide scholars into groups, and assign each group one of the five key resistance groups: Women’s Resistance (pages 30–31 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Veterans’ Resistance (pages 32–33 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Civil Rights Leaders’ Resistance (pages 34–37 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), College Students’ Resistance (page 38 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), or Celebrities’ Resistance (page 39 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook). Each group reads and annotates the documents for its assigned topic. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • Circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Teach — 10 minutes

  • Remind scholars that they are responsible for learning from their classmates during this time and must take notes in their Lesson 8 Note-taking Template in the Unit 4 Workbook during each presentation.
  • Have scholars from each group present their topic to the class in 2 minutes or less.
  • As scholars share, chart the main takeaways from each group, and display this chart in your classroom for reference throughout the unit.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • After each group presents, scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did various individuals and groups oppose the Vietnam War?
    • Compare the reasons why different groups of people opposed the War. To what extent were these motivations similar?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did anti-war protests attempt to promote “progress” in American society?

Homework

  • Scholars read all the articles from “The Youth Revolt” through “Ralph Nader and the Consumer Movement” in the chapter “America in Ferment: The Tumultuous 1960s” on the University of Houston Digital History website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 9: Protest Movements (PBL)

Central Question: Why did protest movements gain momentum in the 1960s?

Historical Background

Five major movements during the 1960s were feminism, gay rights, hippie counterculture, the Olympics boycott, and the takeover of Alcatraz by Native Americans. The hippies, embodying a spirit of peace and love, rebelled against the war and mainstream culture, in search of true “consciousness,” often with the help of hallucinogenic drugs. At the same time, many women, frustrated by the repressive lifestyle of the 1950s, formed a women’s liberation movement, transforming how Americans perceived gender roles. The gay and lesbian community also began to fight back against their own stigmas. Sparked by the Stonewall Riots, the gay movement took off and transformed American culture. Black athletes during the 1968 Olympics created what was called the “Revolt of the Black Athlete” and although they didn’t end up boycotting the Olympics, they created “Olympic Project for Human Rights” badges, wore them, and the symbolic fist in the air on the medal podium was the result. In 1969, 90 Native Americans took and held Alcatraz Island and demanded the government give them land for a cultural complex and university, in a protest that lasted two years. Meanwhile, in the western United States, Cesar Chavez was leading a migrant workers boycott of California grape growers.

For more background, read “Native American Activists Occupy Alcatraz Island” on the History Channel website, “Fists of Freedom: An Olympic Story Not Taught in Schools” on the Zinn Project website, “The Flowering of the Hippies” and “An Amazing 1969 Account of the Stonewall Uprising” on the Atlantic website, “Feminism Has a Bra-Burning Myth Problem” on the Time magazine website, and “The 1965– 1970 Delano Grape Strike and Boycott” on the United Farm Workers website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Women’s Liberation
  • Stonewall Riots
  • Hippies
  • Occupation of Alcatraz
  • Migrant Workers Movement
  • 1968 Olympics Protest

Scholars understand the nature of the protest movements of the 1960s, can explain how these movements grew into national forces by the end of the decade, and can articulate the ideas of their group topic in a presentation to their peers.

Preparation

  • Scholars may complete this project in small groups and may create their projects digitally or on posters.
  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • Ensure each group has chart paper or posters — if your scholars are not doing the project digitally — and gather colored pencils and Sharpies or permanent markers. Organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
    • Create a teacher model of the presentation in the format you will be having scholars do their presentations.
    • Preselect groups strategically in advance of this lesson, or set expectations for how scholars will choose groups in class.
    • Ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, an iPad, Chromebook, etc.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 4 Workbook accessible.
      • Adapt the Planning Guide based on whether your scholars will be creating posters or digital presentations.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 9 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 5 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of how Americans made their voices heard in the 1960s.

Watch (1 minute)

  • Watch the video “MLK’s Last Speech” on YouTube.
    • Begin the clip at the beginning, and pause at 1:00 to allow for discussion.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they listen:
    • According to Martin Luther King, Jr., why should Americans protest?

Discuss (2 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • Why did several protest movements develop in the 1960s?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did the protest movements of the 1960s evolve over time?

Planning — 35 minutes

Teacher Model (5 minutes)

  • Show scholars your completed planning guide as a model for how scholars will create their own projects.
  • After viewing your planning guide, scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with specific evidence from your project example.
    • What argument about protest movements does my planning guide convey?
    • How did I use the documents to support my argument?
    • How did I express my idea in my planning guide?
    • How did I organize my evidence in my planning guide to support my idea?

Investigate (15 minutes)

  • Explain that scholars will be working in groups to create a presentation on an assigned protest movement of the 1960s. Tell scholars that their presentations must express a powerful and compelling idea supported by strong visual and written evidence, just like the teacher model.
    • Remind scholars that projects, just like written pieces, make arguments, and all arguments require a strong idea with supporting evidence.
  • Tell scholars that they will be making their projects as either digital presentations or posters, with text and images that support their ideas.
  • Assign scholars one of the six protest groups: Women’s Liberation (pages 42–44 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Hippies (pages 45–48 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Gay Rights (pages 49–50 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Occupation of Alcatraz (pages 51–54 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), 1968 Olympics Protest (pages 55–58 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), or Migrant Workers Movement (pages 69–62 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook).
  • While reading, scholars should write notes into Part I of their Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 4 Workbook.
  • Circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Planning (15 minutes)

  • Scholars meet with their small groups and use their planning guides to plan their presentations, writing their ideas, planning the evidence they will use to support them, and mapping out how they will organize this information in their presentations.
  • Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each group tell you the idea conveyed by his or her presentation plan. Can the idea be made stronger? How can the presentation express the idea more effectively? Is the presentation or poster interesting and visually compelling?
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on conveying an argument about their reform movement.
  • If you notice trends across scholar planning, bring the class together and deliver whole-class feedback. Either show an exemplary plan to the class that precisely and compellingly communicates a clear idea or show a non-exemplary plan that demonstrates the whole class trend and have the class revise.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

  • Show an exemplary plan to the class. Look for work that precisely and compellingly communicates an idea about the protest movement.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ completed plans and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change scholars must make to improve the strength of their ideas and supporting evidence in their projects as well as in their future work. Use your study of scholar work to determine a common trend in scholars’ projects.

Lesson 10: Protest Movements (PBL)

Central Question: Why did protest movements gain momentum in the 1960s?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars organize, reread, and revise their presentations and prepare to present them to the class.

  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • If scholars are doing the project digitally, ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, an iPad, Chromebook, etc.
    • If your scholars are not doing the project digitally, ensure each group has chart paper or posters, and gather colored pencils and Sharpies or permanent markers for scholars using chart paper/posters. Organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
    • Ensure each scholar has the Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 4 Workbook accessible, along with any feedback from the previous lesson.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their plans from the previous lesson based on the feedback you gave them.

Project Work — 20 minutes

  • Have scholars recall the previous lesson’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of 1960s protest movements.
  • Explain that scholars will be working in their groups to complete their presentations. Scholars get into assigned groups and finish their presentation, referring to their documents and their Presentation Planning Guide as they work.
  • Tell scholars they must be prepared to give the presentation to the class within a five-minute time frame.
  • Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the idea conveyed by his or her presentation. Can the idea be made stronger? How can the presentation convey the idea more effectively? Is the presentation interesting and visually compelling?
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on ideas about 1960s protest movements.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

  • Share an exemplary presentation draft. Have scholars discuss how the presentation illustrates the group’s idea with clear and coherent organization.
  • Share a non-exemplary presentation draft. Have scholars discuss why the presentation lacks an idea and/or clear and coherent organization.
  • Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
  • Scholars articulate to partners how they will revise their final presentations based on what they have learned.

Revision and Practice — 15 minutes

  • Scholars revise their presentation based on the Mid-Workshop Teach, referring to their presentation planning guides as they work.
  • Tell scholars they must be prepared to give the presentation to the class within a 5-minute time frame.
  • Scholars use this time to revise their work and prepare for their presentation by talking about the most important information in their presentations with their groups.
  • Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Hold scholars accountable for presenting clearly and audibly for their classmates as they practice.
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing your feedback from today or in the previous lesson.

Homework

  • Scholars study their Unit 4 Key Terms in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 11: Protest Movements (PBL)

Central Question: Why did protest movements gain momentum in the 1960s?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars finalize their presentations and present them to the class.

Preparation

  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • If scholars are doing the project digitally, ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, an iPad, Chromebook, etc.
    • If your scholars are not doing the project digitally, ensure each group has chart paper or posters, and gather colored pencils and Sharpies or permanent markers for scholars using chart paper/posters. Organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
    • Ensure each scholar has the Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 4 Workbook accessible
    • Think through systems for scholar note-taking during scholar presentation time to ensure that notes are purposeful and that scholars are clear on your expectations for both presenters and listeners.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 11 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Project Work — 5 minutes

  • Have scholars recall the previous lesson’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of 1960s protest movements.
  • Explain that scholars will quickly meet in groups to ensure their presentations are ready to go. Scholars get into assigned groups and finish their presentation, referring to their corresponding documents and their Presentation Planning Guide as they work.
  • Tell scholars they must be prepared to give the presentation to the class within a 5-minute time frame.
  • Hold scholars accountable for having their presentation (whether poster or digital) ready within this time to minimize issues during and/or between presentations.
  • Tell scholars that instead of an Exit Ticket for this lesson, you will be collecting and grading their notes on the presentations. Make your expectation for quality of notes clear. The minimum all scholars must have is each group’s idea and evidence they give in the presentation to support their ideas.

Presentations — 40 minutes

  • Each group takes 5 minutes to give its presentation to the class (time might need to be adjusted based on the number of scholars in each group).
  • Hold presenters accountable for presenting clearly and audibly for their classmates. Strong public speaking is essential to an effective presentation!

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “1968: A Year of Unraveling” on Independence Hall’s USHistory.org in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 12: 1968 (Source Analysis)

Central Question: Why was 1968 a turning point in U.S. history?

Historical Background

The year 1968 is considered to be one of the worst years in American history. North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive against American and South Vietnamese troops, leading to massive anti-war protests. In April, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, causing unrest, mourning, and chaos in many African American communities. A few months later, Robert F. Kennedy, a Democratic rival of President Johnson and a popular, charismatic leader running for president, was also assassinated. A culture of chaos and upheaval took over the nation. Capitalizing on this unrest, Richard Nixon promised to restore “law and order,” and spoke directly to the “silent majority” of Americans who quietly supported the war and opposed counterculture. As a result, Nixon was elected president, and the era of protest came to a close.

For more background, read “Turning Back to an American Turning Point, 1968” on the New York Times website, “1968: A Spiral of Chaos and Death” on the U.S. News and World Report website, and “The Election of 1968” on the PBS website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Term:

  • 1968 Assassinations

Scholars understand the chaos of 1968 and can evaluate how that chaos helped Richard Nixon win the presidential election.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 12 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of how the people made their voices heard at the end of the 1960s.

Watch (3 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Nixon’s Inaugural Address” on the History Channel website.
  • As scholars watch the speech, they should follow along with the transcript on page 64 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did Nixon respond to the events of the 1960s?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • How does Nixon propose to solve America’s problems at the end of the 1960s?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: To what extent was Nixon’s vision for American society “progressive”?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through D on pages 65–66 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • Circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy change America?
    • How did many Americans feel about the reform movements and social upheaval of the 1960s?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: Why did Nixon win the election of 1968?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Why was 1968 a turning point in U.S. history? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Optional Current Events Connection

  • Scholars read the following articles on Newsela*:
    • “Supreme Court’s Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Cheered by Many Nationwide”
    • “Black Student Sits out the Pledge, Challenges State Law in Texas”
    • “Worsening, Unchecked Segregation in K-12 Public Schools”
  • Scholars write an essay of no more than 400 words based on all three of the articles above in response to the following prompt:
    • To what extent do the decisions of the Warren Court continue to protect American civil liberties today?

*To access all articles on the Newsela website, you must create a free account.

Extra Credit

Prompts: Scholars may choose one of the following prompts about Big Ideas in American history.

  • How “great” was President Johnson’s Great Society?
  • To what extent did Vietnam War protests successfully change public opinion on the Vietnam War?
  • Why did the protest movements of the 1960s influence a conservative resurgence by the end of the decade?

Project Menu: Scholars may then choose to respond to the prompt chosen above with one of the formats outlined below.

  • Thematic Essay: Scholars write a thematic essay that answers one of the extra credit prompts, drawing on evidence both from the unit and from their own independent research.
  • Podcast: Scholars create an original podcast that answers one of the prompts above. The podcast should be 5–8 minutes long. Podcasts must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • “Docudrama”: Scholars create a “docudrama” that answers one of the prompts above. A docudrama is a dramatized video that tells the story of historic events. The docudrama should be 5–8 minutes long. Docudramas must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • Interview: Scholars record (video or podcast) an interview with a “historian” or a historical figure in order to answer one of the prompts above. The historian or historical figure must be the scholar. A parent, a classmate, or a teacher should be the interviewer. Interviews should be 5–8 minutes long. Interviews must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • Propose your own project: Scholars may propose to do their own project. These projects must still answer one of the extra credit prompts, and any project proposal must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.

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