The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization that founded and preserves the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, has released new curriculum materials that are available to teachers to teach Vietnam in their classroom. The "Echoes From The Wall" curriculum set explores the Vietnam War and era and includes14 lesson plans: background readings, in-class and extension activities tied to national learning standards, and lecture presentations incorporating primary source audio and video. The lesson plans cover a range of topics, from “Motivations for U.S. Involvement” to the “Legacy of the War in Vietnam.” You can review and download individual lesson plans or the full curriculum set at: http://www.vvmf.org/teaching-the-vietnam-era.
Interested in the opportunity to view artifacts up close and behind the scenes? VVMF has debuted a new videoconferencing/distance learning program that connects students around the country and world to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection. By signing up for “The Things They Carried” program, students can learn about the Vietnam War, discuss questions of war and peace, and view some of the more than 400,000 items left in remembrance at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall since 1982. From swords to draft cards, these objects represent the range of experiences citizens had during a divisive time in US history. Sign up for the program at: http://cilc.org/ContentProvider/Program.aspx?id=667.