ALEX Learning Activity

  

Draw Me a Picture of a War Hero- Google Drawings Vietnam Research Project

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Charissa Lambert
System:Calhoun County
School:Wellborn High School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2310
Title:
Draw Me a Picture of a War Hero- Google Drawings Vietnam Research Project
Digital Tool/Resource:
Google Drawings
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

The students will conduct research about an individual who served in the Vietnam War from their hometown or a city in Alabama. Using this information, the students will construct a memorial to their serviceman in Google Drawings. This activity will allow this time period to become relevant to students by asking them to research those geographically close to them. This activity serves as a beginning engagement tool to hook students in either the reading of The Things They Carried or a historic look at The Vietnam War.  

This activity is a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Social Studies
SS2010 (2010)
Grade: 11
United States History II: The Industrial Revolution to the Present
13 ) Trace the course of the involvement of the United States in Vietnam from the 1950s to 1975, including the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Tet Offensive, destabilization of Laos, secret bombings of Cambodia, and the fall of Saigon. [A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.g., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Locating on a map or globe the divisions of Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and major battle sites
•  Describing the creation of North and South Vietnam
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States History II: The Industrial Revolution to the Present
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Describe the course of the Vietnam Conflict and analyze the United State's role in the conflict.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • destabilization
  • offensive
  • resolution
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Major events of the Vietnam Conflict after the United States became involved in the conflict, including the Battle Dien Bien Phu, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Tet Offensive, the destabilization of Laos, secret bombings of Cambodia, and the fall of Saigon.
  • Location of major areas, events, and battles in the Vietnam Conflict.
  • Details of the creation of North and South Vietnam.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Locate specific points on a map and identify political, social, and geographic changes that occurred during or as a result of a historical event.
  • Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media.
  • Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information related to historical events.
  • Read and comprehend historical texts independently and proficiently on various topics related to historical events.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The Vietnam Conflict and the United State's role in the conflict had significant effects on the nation.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.AAS.11.13- Locate North Vietnam and South Vietnam on a map, recognize the war in Vietnam as a conflict during the Cold War period.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
R4. Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R4.
  • Digital tools
  • Electronic tools
  • Appropriately
  • Safely
  • Ethically
Knowledge:
R4. Students know:
  • Digital and electronic tools must be used appropriately, safely, and ethically.
Skills:
R4. Students are able to:
  • Engage in safe and ethical behavior when using digital and electronic tools.
Understanding:
R4. Students understand that:
  • Safe behaviors, interactions that keep you out of harm's way, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
  • Ethical behavior, interactions that align to one's moral code, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 11
17. Use images, sound, animation, and other modes of expression to create or enhance individual or collaborative digital and multimodal texts that are suitable in purpose and tone for their intended audience and occasion.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
17.
  • Images
  • Sound
  • Animation
  • Expression
  • Collaborative
  • Digital texts
  • Multimodal texts
  • Purpose
  • Tone
  • Intended audience
  • Intended occasion
Knowledge:
17. Students know:
  • Necessary skills to include images, sound, animations, and other modes of expression in digital and multimodal texts.
  • Collaboration skills.
  • The intended audience and occasion should be identified before selecting a purpose and tone for digital or multimodal texts.
Skills:
17. Students are able to:
  • Work independently or collaboratively to use images, sound, animation, and other modes of expression to create or enhance digital and multimodal texts.
  • Work independently or collaboratively to create digital or multimodal texts that are suitable in purpose and tone for their intended audience and occasion.
Understanding:
17. Students understand that:
  • Digital texts can be used to communicate with a variety of audiences and occasions.
  • They should modify the purpose and tone of their digital texts depending on the audience and occasion.
  • They will frequently collaborate with others to develop digital products in school and in the workplace.
  • Images, sounds, animation, and other modes of expression can enhance digital and multimodal texts.
Learning Objectives:

The students will conduct research about a Vietnam War serviceman by gathering information directly correlated to their hometown.

The students will present their research findings by constructing a digital memorial of their serviceman.

The students will use digital media, Google Drawings, in a presentation to show understanding of research findings. 
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
Before/Engage
Activity:

Students will be directed to http://www.virtualwall.org/, where they will be asked to work through the tab labeled Information. Here, students should look for information regarding the Vietnam Wall, the Vietnam War, and the website in general.  Teachers should give students about ten minutes to explore this information. After students have had time to explore the site, teachers will ask students to visit the link labeled Find a Name. Under this link, students can research fallen veterans by city and state, so it is most relevant when teachers assign students locations most geographically central to that of their students. Teachers should visit the site beforehand to determine the criteria on which they would like students to focus and how they would like to assign individual servicemen. The servicemen documented on the site have a variety of information posted. Therefore, not all students will be able to locate all the same information. Teachers should take this into consideration when giving students specific criteria. Some suggested notions for students to research would be: name, date of birth, date of death, hometown, rank, location of death, the branch of service, picture, etc. Once students have been given the criteria, students will visit the site to research their assigned serviceman. Their goal will be to create a digital memorial for their assigned serviceman using Google Drawings. Students will present their memorials to classmates. Some students might even find information relevant to locating family members of their serviceman, allowing students to share their memorial with these families as well.    
Assessment Strategies:

The students will present relevant information in a memorial produced with Google Drawings that will illustrate mastery of research skills and strategic use of digital tools. Teachers should be able to gauge mastery of research skills by the effectiveness of the Google Drawings to memorialize their serviceman with minimal additional explanation. Presentations should be research-based while also adding touches to make the memorials more personal. 
Advanced Preparation:

Teachers should become familiar with Google Drawings before asking students to use it. This tool allows for a one-page presentation, much like that of Google Slides. Students can become intimidated by the blank template of Google Drawings, but teachers can give students templates to use that assist with students' angst. Templates can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/isd423.org/draw/templates

Here is a Google Drawings tutorial that is helpful for teachers and students:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSz-GqqRmzU
Variation Tips (optional):

Students that have a family member that appears on the Vietnam Wall may choose their family member regardless of their geographic location.  

Students could also expand upon their research and research locally for information regarding their serviceman. High school yearbooks, www.findagrave.com, and local libraries are great sources of information for students to look for additional information.  
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: Google Drawings, hometown, research, The Things They Carried, Vietnam Wall, Vietnam War