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Module #15

Pre-Reading Activities

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Before you begin reading the novel, The Things They Carried, find out some background knowledge about the author, Tim O'Brien.

O'Brien was a soldier during the Vietnam War. Read some background about the draft. Then listen to an NPR broadcast of a touching story from a son of a Vietnam vet. The story gives an inside look at a family that had to deal with the day to day toll of a war. Finally, read about the Vietnam war in regards to anti-war protests, returning soldiers, and the aftermath following the war.

Now, move into a review of the novel by the NY Times.

Once you have read the pre-reading items, complete the MODULE 15 PRE-READING ACTIVITY that has been shared with you via BASD Google Drive by your teacher.

Finally, be sure to complete your VOCAB 9 ACTIVITY (shared via BASD Google Drive) and the multiple choice quiz based upon your pre-reading activities. Quiz Passcode is the same one you use to access the modules and the blog.

Module #16

Pre-Reading Activities

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Vietnam War Protesters wikipedia commons
Tim O'Brien Biography
Source litlovers.com via kpl.gov
Tim O'Brien has said it was cowardice--not courage--that led him, in the late 1960s, to defer his admittance into Harvard in favor of combat in Vietnam. The alternatives of a flight to Canada or a moral stand in a U.S. jail were too unpopular.

He has since explored the definitions of courage--moral, physical, political,--in his fiction, a body of work that ahs, at least until recently, dealt almost exclusively with America's most unpopular war and its domestic consequences. His first book, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, looked at the war through a collection of war vignettes that he had written for newspapers in his home state of Minnesota, and his second book was a novel, Northern Lights, that he later decried as overly long and Hemingwayesque--almost a parody of the writer's war stories.

Born in Austin, Minn., to an insurance salesman and school teacher, O'Brien grew up as a voracious reader but didn't find the courage to write until his experiences in Vietnam. After the war, he studied at the Harvard University's School of Government and was a staff reporter at the Washington Post in the early 1970s. He writes from early in the morning until the evening and has a reputation for discarding long passages of writing because he finds the effort substandard. He also can do extensive revisions of his books between editions.
Before diving into The Things They Carried, view a video and read some information about the Vietnam War. This information will help you better understand the circumstances in which O'Brien was embroiled in the 1960s.

Reading Activities

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This week, you will read the first 11 vignettes of The Things They Carried. These include the following: 
1) "The Things They Carried"
2) "Love"
3) "Spin"
4) "On the Rainy River"
5) "Enemies"
6) "Friends"
7) "How to Tell a True War Story"
8) "The Dentist"
9) "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"
10) "Stockings"
11) "Church"
Your DURING READING QUESTIONS have been shared with you via BASD Google Drive. 


Finally, be sure to complete your VOCAB 10 ACTIVITY (which was shared via BASD Google Drive) and the multiple choice quiz based upon your reading activities.

Module #17

Pre-Reading Activities

1. Prior to reading, continue to read about the Vietnam War by opening the article "Quange Ngai Province & My Lai Massacre."

2. Afterward, watch the 45-minute CBS News video TET and the Anti-War Movement. On Jan 30 1968, the communist North Vietnam raided military posts, airfields, and attacked major cities in South Vietnam simultaneously. The siege of the U.S. Embassy and the Tet Offensive brought the truth about the Vietnam War home to American television. Please note: this clip contains sensitive material.

3. Following that, watch the 25-minute video Our Men in Vietnam as documentarian Phil Jones traveled to Vietnam and returned with this documentary that explores the United States involvement in the war. Shows soldiers from Minnesota being interviewed about their feelings on the war and their particular jobs during the war. © 1966 United Learning

4. Also, watch the 27-minute video, Return to Vietnam: Healing on the Hill. This documentary chronicles the return of 18 American veterans to Hill 376 in Vietnam 30 years after they were ambushed by the Viet Cong in a deadly conflict. The veterans, along with the families of hill casualties, retrace the climb and eventually reach the top of the hill, where they return to remembrance of the tragedy. Kevin Wallevand introduces his poignant work as a journey of promises, forgiveness, renewal, and healing. The camera records that journey and aftermath which includes a reunion of Vietnam veterans and their past enemies, the Viet Cong. Contains primary source footage. Provided by the Museum of Broadcast Communications. © 1999 United Learning

5. Finally, read information about the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall. This site allows visitors to look up the names that are inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall. There is also a page that gives a history of the wall.

Reading Activities

PictureACAV and M48 Convoy - Vietnam War wikipedia commons
This week, you will read the next 11 vignettes of The Things They Carried. These include the following: 
1) "The Man I Killed"
2) "Ambush"
3) "Style"
4) "Speak of Courage"
5) "Notes"
6) "In the Field"
7) "Good Form"
8) "Field Trip"
9) "The Ghost Soldiers"
10) "Night Life"
11) "The Lives of the Dead"
Your READING QUESTIONS and Vocab 9/10 Review have been shared with you via BASD Google Drive. 

Module #18

Well, you've made it to the end of the online course. Yea! Only one more module to go. This module takes you through analysis of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, as well as through a personal reflection of your online experience.
You still have videos to watch, links to read, and discussions to post. In addition, you have some post-reading questions to answer about the novel, as well as a final online unit test.
But before you take that last vocabulary test and your final exam, you will write one last reflective essay--this time about your online learning experience.
I hope you've enjoyed your unique English class experience! See you soon. Mrs. Erdman

Post-Reading Activities

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Watch this 30-minute video: Vietnam: Lessons of a Lost War. The Vietnam War remains one of the most controversial wars in American history, arousing feelings of confusion, anger and a sense of terrible waste. Did President Lyndon Johnson lie about the possibilities of a U.S. victory? This program argues that Johnson Administration officials were so anxious to escalate the war they acted hastily, made serious mistakes, then covered up their actions. Utilizing newly declassified documents and the experiences of former military officers, an anti-war activist, and a researcher, the program explains how the U.S. became an active combatant, and analyzes key turning points that greatly influenced the war’s outcome. Compelling support for American and World History units on the Vietnam War, its relationship to the post-World War II U.S. policy of "containment" to stop the spread of communism, and the domestic and international effects of U.S. involvement. Copyright: 1992

Also, be sure to view this Vietnam Archives Video. This two-part video series about the Vietnam War begins with the French war against the Viet Minh in Indochina and the defeat and expulsion of French troops and government. It continues with the partition of Viet Nam into North and South and examines the involvement of the United States in South Vietnam's struggles against the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong. The series culminates with the death of Ho Chi Minh and the still continuing war in Southeast Asia.

Afterward, listen to NPR as Tim O'Brien discusses The Things They Carried, 20 years after its publication.

REFLECTIVE ESSAY

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A Google document has been shared with you entitled Reflective Essay. Please use this document to write your final essay for this course.

Prompt: Taking an online course presents some unique experiences and challenges. Reflect upon your semester in an online English class. What were some experiences in which you found exciting? useful? challenging? unnecessary?

Assignment: Write an essay (don’t ask me how long; make sure you are clear and detailed in your explanation) in which you consider your interaction in this course. Your essay should have a clear beginning, middle, and end and should be organized throughout the essay. It should also use standard English grammar conventions and vivid vocabulary.