TEACHING HISTORY
ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
 
Teaching History Using Internet Technology
 

Course:  U.S. History II
Grade Level:  High School Seniors

Objective:  As part of a unit on the history of the 1960's in the United States, students will acquire an understanding of the early events of the Vietnam War.

Specific Objective:  Using the Internet in lieu of their textbooks, students will use web sites to study and gather information on the early events of the Vietnam War.    Students will be able to identify and explain some of the terms and events including :  Viet Cong, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, escalation, Tet Offensive, and the United States approval of the collapse of Diem's government.  Students' understanding of the terms discussed in Chapter 31, Section 1 of their text, American Pathways will be enhanced by examining Internet web sites on similar material.

Materials:
Computer and Printer with Internet access
Worksheet
Procedures:
Teacher will ask the students to brainstorm on what they think were the early events of the Vietnam War. Teacher will suggest a web site that addresses terms and events discussed in Chapter 31, Section 1 of their text.
Suggested web site:  http://www.robinsonresearch.com/THE_U_S/HISTORY/VIETNAM/combat.htm
Students will visit a web site on the Vietnam War and search for specific information including: Viet Cong, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, escalation, Tet Offensive, and the United States approval of the collapse of Diem's government

Activity:  Students will demonstrate their understanding of the topic they have chosen by studying the web site and completing a worksheet, (see below), about what they have discovered about the terms from the web sites .

Closing:   Students will participate in discussions and share what they have learned with the class about the early years of the Vietnam War.

Are there any questions?

Evaluation:  Students will be graded on their participation, cooperation, effort and final product. of completed worksheet.

Worksheet:
 
Chapter 31, Section 1

The War in the 1960s
pg. 850
Section 1 of Chapter 31 deals with the early U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Vietnam was a French colony.  The U.S. was involved because of the Containment Policy and the commitment to stop the spread of communism.  After 1954, at the Geneva Conference, Vietnam became 2 separate nations.  The North was controlled by Ho Chi Minh, an Vietnamese nationalist with communist ideas and the South was controlled by Ngo Dinh Diem, an anti-Communist government.  Initially, The U.S. supported the Ngo Dinh Diem.

There was supposed to be elections in 1956 to unify Vietnam but they never occurred.   The U.S. and Diem did not commit to the elections because of fear that Diem would lose power and be replaced with communists.

Eventually, the U.S. supported the overthrow of Diems government by Vietnamese troops because the U.S. felt the war against communism could not be won in Vietnam under the unpopular Diem.

Use the Internet to find and learn about the U.S. involvement during the early years of the Vietnam war.

I suggest http://www.robinsonresearch.com/THE_U_S/HISTORY/VIETNAM/combat.htm

Identify:

Viet Cong:
 

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
 

escalation
 

Tet Offensive
 
 

Why did the U.S. choose to allow the government of Diem to collapse?