Idaho Social Studies 9-12.US2.30
The Standard
Analyze the experiences of American soldiers in Vietnam and their experiences upon returning home including how these experiences compared to previous conflicts.
Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Affluence, Cold War, and Social Revolutions 1945-1974
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use veterans’ accounts to describe service in Vietnam and the experience of coming home. They compare those accounts with accounts from World War II or the Korean War, using evidence to explain differences.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can point to a specific detail about service and a specific detail about homecoming in a veteran’s account. They can compare it with an earlier veteran’s account without claiming that all veterans had the same experience.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume every Vietnam veteran was spat on and every World War II veteran got a parade. They may also assume all Vietnam soldiers were drafted or that opposition to the war always meant opposition to veterans.
How to Assess It
- Give students two brief interview excerpts, one from a Vietnam veteran and one from a World War II veteran, that cover service and homecoming. Ask: “Name one service detail and one homecoming detail from each account, then explain one difference using evidence.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print two preselected Veterans History Project interview excerpts, one Vietnam and one World War II, then sort details into service and homecoming columns.
Ask students to write: “How did public opinion affect each veteran’s return home, according to their accounts?”
Give pairs six quote cards and six claim cards from the interviews; have them match claims to evidence and flag an overgeneralization.
Show photos of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and World War II Memorial; ask what each honors and what neither reveals about homecoming.
Free download
Printable 9-12.US2.30 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 9-12.US2.30, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- 9-12.US2.4
Analyze the origins and the impacts of the Spanish-American War and American involvement in Latin America, Hawaii, the Philippines, China, and Japan.
- 9-12.US2.18
Compare and contrast the experience of Americans on the Pacific and European battle fronts during World War Two.
- 9-12.US2.35
Analyze how Vietnam and Watergate reduced American faith in government and the military and led to significant political, constitutional, and legislative reform...
- 9-12.US2.20
Analyze the impact of events and policies on the Homefront during World War Two.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson