Educational Materials

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is rich in symbolism and has a very interesting story about how it came to be.

• About The Wall
  Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website that contains information about all aspects of the Memorial
• The Remarkable Story of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  A short BIOGRAPHY article by Christopher Klein that outlines the story of the monument’s design
• The History of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  25-minute VVMF Video of National Park Service ranger Allen McCabe teaching the history to a group of boy scouts
• Makers Profile: Maya Lin
  A 2 ½ minute video of Maya Lin discussing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial design
• The Wall of Faces
  Over 3150 of the names listed on The Vietnam Veterans Memorial were from Pennsylvania. Use “The Wall of Faces” advanced search to find a specific veteran from your town, county, or with your last name.

• How War is Initiated
  This lesson plan from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) reviews the legislative mechanisms by which the U.S. became involved in Vietnam that continue to impact discussions of war today.
• Motivations for US Involvement
  This lesson plan from VVMF involves a review of various presidents’ decision-making and foreign policy with respect to Vietnam and the greater Southeast Asia region. Students will analyze and debate the implications of presidents’ public speeches, and to consider whether any of the same factors were involved in the 2003 Iraq war.
• Coalitions in Wartime
  This VVMF lesson plan involves a review of various nations’ foreign policies with respect to Vietnam and the greater Southeast Asia region in the 1950’s-70’s, to build an understanding of the extent of international support of US efforts in Vietnam.
• Withdrawal from Vietnam
  This VVMF lesson plan involves a review of the slow process of withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, and the presidential decision-making that guided that process.
• Legacy of War in Vietnam
  This VVMF lesson plan involves a review of the aftermath of the war in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Students will analyze and debate the terms of the Paris Peace Accords, review ongoing impacts to the region’s foreign relations and economic development, and analyze the current state of U.S.-Vietnam relations and the issues that are guiding that relationship.

• Protests Against the War
  Opposition against U.S. involvement in Vietnam took place during a time of unprecedented student activism. This full lesson plan from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund reviews public demonstrations and resistance to U.S. involvement in war, from the Civil War until today.
• Vietnam War Protests
  This History Channel video and article includes a review of the political consequences of the protests.

• Evolution of the Draft
  This full lesson plan from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund reviews how the nature of conscription changed over the course of American history.
• The Draft
  PBS Learning Media Collection of video clips

• News Stories of Vietnam
  This lesson plan from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) reviews the most iconic news reports associated with the Vietnam War. Students will analyze and debate the effect of evolving types of information coming from the news media over the course of the war, and consider how and what types of information about current military conflicts are related to the public through the news media.
• War on the Homefront
  This VVMF lesson plan reviews how information on war has been reported over the course of the 20th century. Students will analyze and debate the validity of information coming from different news sources, from Vietnam to today, and discuss the role of a free press.

• Film & War
  This lesson plan from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is written around the question, “Do you think movies can play an important role in shaping popular understanding of a historical event or period? If yes, how should we interpret them?”
• Music & War
  The Vietnam Era set a precedent for music as a public space to reflect and criticize political events. This VVMF lesson plan reviews popular music of the Vietnam era, as well as more recent popular music that deals with the subject matter of war and peace.

• Social Makeup of Forces
  This lesson plan from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund includes a review of the demographics of those who served in the nation’s wars from Korea to today, with students examining the shift in the characteristics of those who comprise the military over the past 50+ years, as well as examining the broader shifts in society that came as a result of the military’s makeup in Vietnam.
• Women in the Vietnam War
  History Channel video and article about the role of women in the Vietnam War
• Vietnam Nurses – Documentary with Dana Delany
  This 45-minute documentary about eight women who battled to save the wounded in Vietnam.

• Medical Advances
  Medical care on the battlefield has continued to evolve since Vietnam and continues to impact medical care at home in communities around the country. This VVMF lesson plan involves a review of medical innovations introduced on the battlefield, from World War II to today.
• Ongoing Toll on Veterans
  This VVMF lesson plan involves a review of the different issues that have impacted Vietnam veterans and veterans of more recent conflicts after their periods of service have ended.