Students examine New York Times journalist Malcolm W. Browne's account of the fall of Saigon, interview adults about their recollections and the impact of the Vietnam War, and create first-person narratives based solely on direct quotations from their interviews. Review the National Content Standards related to this lesson. Develop two lists of interview questions, one list to use in interviews with people who were in Vietnam and the other for those who witnessed the war from the home front.
Students can then share their ideas.
Read the first three paragraphs of the article. Explain to students that they will be interviewing someone in their parents' or grandparents' generation who experienced the Vietnam War, either abroad in Vietnam or at home. Encourage students to include both general and specific questions regarding the political and social climate of that era and the war itself. Then, narrow the lists to eight to ten questions each. Students must write down these questions, as they will be responsible for using them in their interviews.