Vietnam War Scrapbook

I used to see Vietnam as a war rather than a country.

-John Pilger 

 

 

I hope you and your students gain some insight on the Vietnam War from completing his WebQuest. I have created this WebQuest with all the necessary components.  Under the Process tab you will find the Scrapbook Checkpoint you need to sign for every student after you confirm the individual they selected to complete their scrapbook about.  You will also find a Scrapbook Checklist that lists all the required components that must be included and the peer review activity exit slips that student should hand in right before they leave class after completing the peer review activity. This will help you gauge how beneficial the peer review activity was for each students, will enhance their critical thinking skills by providing positive criticism to their classmates, and will give you a rough idea on how close (or far) the students are from finishing.  See Evaluation tab for presentation rubric (keep in mind it is not a traditional rubric, I have modified it somewhat), below you will find the Teacher Scoring Materials you will need to grade the Vietnam Scrapbook & Presentation.  I have also included a Student Self-Evaluation because I believe self-evaluations aid in the learning process.  I have tried to allow some flexibility with this WebQuest so students can create a personal project that will allow the create expression while obtaining a greater understanding of this important era in history.

 

 

 

 

Overview
Grade Level Span: 9-12

 

 

Performance Indicator(s): Students will choose an individual who played an important role during the Vietnam War.  They will pretend they are an aging individual who participated in the Vietnam War who wants to recount their experiences in the form of a scrapbook to their teenage granddaughter.  Students will work on creating an authentic-looking scrapbook which will include a variety of information about their individual. They should have some class time to research this individual, but should also have to conduct research on their own time. Students will also get with two classmates to conduct peer reviews during one class period. This project will culminate in the student presentation of their scrapbooks to the entire class.  Scrapbooks are worth ¬¬100 points, the presentation will make up 20 of those 100 point.  See Evaluation tab for presentation rubric (keep in mind it is not a traditional rubric, I have modified it somewhat), below you will find the Teacher Scoring Materials you will need to grade the Vietnam Scrapbook & Presentation.  I have also included a Student Self-Evaluation because I believe self-evaluations aid in the learning process.

 

Rationale: This project will be an insightful activity for students because they will discover information on individuals who played a significant role in the Vietnam War.  History can be seen as a collection of stories about people and their experiences.  This assignment will give students the opportunity to conduct an in-depth investigation and learn about an individual's experiences during the war. Students will learn how the Vietnam War affected people's lives and ways people impacted history. Additionally, this project is flexible enough that students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge in creative and artistic ways by making a real scrapbook or creating one on Blogger if supplies are low.  This lesson will give students the opportunity to fine-tune their scrapbook by conducting peer reviews with two classmates.

 

Objectives

 

Students will interpret and analyze primary and secondary sources relevant to various aspects of the Vietnam War.

 

Students will develop a richer understanding how people really lived during the Vietnam War.

 

Students will explain ways in which individuals affect the course of history.

 

Students will share their creative and informational scrapbook about an individual's experience during the Vietnam War with their classmates.

 

Students will be able to work in a team with a classmate to give and receive compliments and constructive criticism.

 

 

 

 

 

Alignment of Objectives to Arizona Content Area Standards

 

I chose to include World History standards, but this WebQuest also aligns to American History standards.

 

Content Area: Social Studies, World History

 

Standard Label: Strand 2, Concept 1, PO 3
Formulate questions that can be answered by historical research and study.

 

Standard Label: Strand 2, Concept 1, PO 4
Construct graphs, tables, timelines, charts and narratives to interpret historical data.

 

Standard Label: Strand 2, Concept 1, PO5

Evaluate primary and secondary sources for a) author's main points; b) purpose and perspective; c) facts vs. opinions; d) different points of view on same historical event; e) credibility and validity.

 

Standard Label: Strand 2, Concept 1, PO 3

Formulate questions that can be answered by historical research and study.

 

Standard Label: Strand 2, Concept 8, PO 7
 
Analyze the political, economic, and cultural impact of the Cold War a) superpowers- Soviet Union, US, China; b) division of Europe; c) developing world; d0 Korea and Vietnam Wars.

 

Standard Label: Strand 2, Concept 9, PO 5

Connect current events with historical event sand issues using information from class discussions and various resources (e.g. newspapers, magazines, television, internet, books, maps). 

 

 

 

Materials and Technology

 

Teacher materials: Computers, books, magazines, internet and newspapers for research and document camera (if possible for scrapbook presentations).  Class set of each: Scrapbook Checklist, Scrapbook Checkpoint, Peer Review Activity Exit Slips, presentation rubric, teacher scoring checklist, and student self-evaluations.

 

Student Materials: Scrapbook, Scrapbook Checklist, Scrapbook Peer Review Checklists, computer/
 

Source for Webquest

 

This lesson was adapted from:
Valenza, J., Arlen, A., & Shelly, C. (n.d.).  What I did during the War: From Grandpa's or Grandma's  scrapbook: A WWII webquest.  Retrieved March 10, 2009 from the Springfield Township High S chool Website: www.sdst.org/shs/library/wwIIwq.html.

 

 

 

 

Teacher Scoring Materials for Vietnam Scrapbook & Presentation
with a Student Self-Evaluation

 

This is your grade on your scrapbook and your scrapbook presentation.  The scores next to each section are number 0-5. The numbers represent the following:

 

0= Section was missing in your project.
1= Section includes very little valuable or relevant content and items listed on Scrapbook Checklist; student has little knowledge of person chosen.
2= Section includes some valuable or relevant content and items listed on Scrapbook Checklist; student has some knowledge of person that was chosen, but needs improvement.
3= Section includes most valuable or relevant content and items listed on Scrapbook Checklist; student displays adequate knowledgeable about person chosen.
4= Section includes all valuable or relevant content and items listed on Scrapbook Checklist; student is mostly knowledgeable about person chosen.
5= Section includes all valuable or relevant content and items listed on Scrapbook Checklist; student is very knowledgeable about person chosen.

 

Timeline Score: ___ /6
 covers at least 2 years
 is personalized 
 

 

Photographs Score: ___/10
 5 authentic photographs in chronological order  
 includes adequate paragraph explanation per photo
 

 

Primary Sources Score: ___/24 (1 pt/ source & 1pt/paragraph)
 2 primary source documents (speech, poster, etc.)    
 includes adequate paragraph explanation per source
 2 artifacts (drawings, cartoons, medals)
 includes adequate paragraph explanation per photo
 2 actual news or magazine clippings (one from WWII era and one from recent news story or article commemorating your person or an event they were involved in).

 includes adequate paragraph explanation per article
Personal Letter Score: ___
 is based on historical fact
 is at least one page long

 

Personal Letter Scroe: ___/10
 

  is based on historical fact

 at least 1 page long

 is creative, authentic, and conveys emotion

 

Creativity Score: ___ /15  
 Documents are aged
 Uses language of the time
 Uses color effectively
 

 

Appearance Score: ___ /15  
 Neat in overall appearance
 Cover page with graphic
 Limited grammatical errors
 Proper Annotated Works Consulted/Cited page
 

 

Extra Credit:___/5
 Write a 3 paragraph song or a poem that illustrates your character's feelings about his or her experiences they have lived through.
 

Scrapbook Score:  ___/80

Presentation Scoring

 

1. Communication skills
 Clear and understandable language. Audience members should not have a difficult time hearing.
 Spoke as if you were describing your experience to your teenage grandchild.
 Pronunciation or words is correct to the best of your ability, without slang unless the slang was used during the Vietnam War time period.
 Vocalization pauses (um, like, ok, uh etc.) kept at a minimum.
Score for communication skills: ___/5

 

2.  Nonverbal skills
 Eye contact does not focus on one person or one section of the audience and is constant.
 Gives audience clues to what the content of speech is about with appropriate expressions; animated and enthusiastic.
 Natural hand gestures are demonstrated.
 Stands up straight with both feet on the ground, but has movement to keep interest of audience.
Score for nonverbal skills: ___/5

 

3. Content
 Clearly explains what the report is covering with visual aids from scrapbook.
 Thoroughly explains all points, all thoughts articulated and keeps interest of audience. Answers the question "What are some of the accomplishments of the individual?
 Presentation falls within required time frame (8-10 minutes).
 Presentation is organized and educational. Answers the questions "How did the individual affect or impact history?" and "How can we gain a better understanding about the Vietnam War from the perspective of this individual?"
Score for content: ___/5

 

4. Delivery
 Incorporates movement to keep interest of audience.
 Fluctuation in volume and inflection help to maintain audience interest and emphasize key points.
 Slang is not used during presentation, unless the slang was used historically during the Vietnam War time period.
 Relaxed, self-confident and quick recovery from minor mistakes.
Score for delivery of presentation: ___/5

Presentation Score: ___/20

Overall grade: ____/100

 

Teacher Notes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Scrapbook Self Evaluation

 

Rate how much these statements apply to using numbers 0-5 (0 = "not at all"; 3 = "Somewhat"; 5 = "Absolutely"). Turn this self-evaluation stapled to the 2 checklists completed by your classmates who reviewed your scrapbook by the end of the period

 

• I have included all requirements in my scrapbook. ____
• I checked my grammar, spelling and punctuation and edited my project.  ___
• My scrapbook was organized. ___
• I used my creative talents to make my scrapbook interesting and neat in overall appearance. ___
• I am proud of my scrapbook because I put plenty of effort into it. ___
• I had strong presentation skills by engaging my audience and demonstrating my knowledge about the person I chose. ___
• I listened to the advice of my peer reviewers and changed some things in my scrapbook. ___ 

 

What grade do you think you earned on this project? Please explain below using complete sentences.