A Chalk Talk

Objectives

  • Students will gain an understanding of the Vietnamese American refugee experience and demonstrate his or her understanding through an interpretive writing.

What You Will Need

  • Markers or chalk
  • Chart paper or chalk/white board
  • “Amy’s Story” student reading
  • Optional: “My Garden” poem student reading
  • Optional: “Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family.” The book is included in this curriculum module.

Note: All student readings and hand-out masters can be found in the Copy Masters section. Teacher versions of student materials and background information can be found in the Background Information section.

Teacher Preparation

  • Read “Vietnamese American History” and review the “Vietnamese American Timeline” as background information for this lesson.
  • Preview “Where the Ashes Are” for possible excerpts to add to this lesson to reinforce the refugee experience (The book is included in this curriculum module).
  • For additional background content, read “Asian Pacific American Timeline: Immigration, Immigration Legislation and Naturalization” and “First Indochina War and Second Indochina War” found in the Additional Teacher Information section.

Activity, Part I

Chalk Talk (Source: Critical Friends Group) is a silent way to reflect, generate ideas, check on learning, develop projects, or solve problems. Because it is done completely in silence, it provides all students with a voice to contribute thoughtful contemplation. (For more on Chalk Talk, see www.cesnorthwest.org/CFG-protocols/chalk-talk.php)

Define “Separation.” The teacher writes “Separation” on a chart paper. The teacher explains VERY BRIEFLY that Chalk Talk is a silent activity. (No one may talk at all. Anyone may add to the chalk talk as they please.) Students define this term independently by writing their definition on the chart paper or by commenting on other student’s definitions. Students can comment on other people’s ideas simply by drawing a connecting line to the comment. After all students have participated or the chart paper is full, discuss what separation means as a group according to what is written on the chart paper.

Discuss how Vietnamese Americans experienced separation from families, friends, and personal belongings as refugees.

Teacher’s Note:

A Refugee, according to the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980, is a person who is “persecuted or who has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

The Act was originally used to expedite resettlement of some of our allies in the Vietnam War. Since 1975, the bulk of refugees have come to the U.S. from (in order of the largest group) Southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, Afghanistan and the Mideast.

The guidelines to be used for admitting refugees require that first priority be given to a) those “refugees who are in immediate danger of loss of life and for whom there appears to be no alternative to resettlement in the U.S., or b) refugees of compelling concern to the United States such as former or present political prisoners and dissidents.”

Refugees move to a new country with a different language and culture leaving behind family and friends. Usually, they do not have a choice of location. The resettlement period may vary from 90-180 days of assistance. In addition to emotional challenges, refugees often encounter financial challenges. Their initial financial situation is extremely limited. Each refugee receives about $450 per person plus a travel loan, which has to be paid back.

Implications for teaching refugee students:

When working with refugee students, it is important to consider the implications the refugee experience has on their lives. These factors contribute to the interruptions or inaccessibility of a formal education among many youth. The implications of such a transition may be tremendous. Building trust and a nurturing relationship with refugee students helps create a safe learning environment, establish a baseline regarding the student’s experience with school, as well as prepare the class for any potential disclosure of traumatic events in the classroom.

Activity, Part II

Allow students to experience separation with this follow-up activity.

  • Ask students to write a list of the ten most important people or things they cannot live without, in no particular order.
  • Ask students to eliminate two items on their list.
  • Ask students to eliminate two more items on their list. Remind students to choose carefully because they will never see or touch these things again.
  • Ask students to eliminate two more items. Some students may find it difficult to eliminate important people or essential things from their list. Encourage them to make informed decisions as best as they can.
  • Repeat the process until all items are eliminated. This activity may be difficult because students may have to choose among siblings, parents, and other important aspects in their lives.

 

After the activity is done, ask students to write a brief reflection about their feelings regarding this activity. Following, discuss with students how they felt during the process. Inform them that these are decisions many Vietnamese American refugees faced to survive. Separation from parents, children, siblings, friends and personal belongings is a significant part of being a refugee.

Activity, Part III

Read “Amy’s Story” as a class. Explain to the student that “Amy’s Story” is the transcription of an oral history interview that a high school student conducted with her father who fled from Vietnam. Amy’s father was forced to fight for the communist government before escaping to the U.S.

If time permits, read the poem “My Garden” by Hiep Tran-Thien to provide another perspective of the refugee experience or excerpts from the book, “Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family.”

Assessment

Invite students to write about their new understandings of the refugee experience through an interpretive writing.

Teacher’s Note:

Interpretive writing is a piece in which the student’s purpose is to explain his or her own understanding of a given idea, topic, concept, problem, or situation. In this lesson, students should explain the experiences of refugees. The student’s explanation should be developed and supported with reference to specific evidence, such as Amy’s Story or Hiep’s poetry.

 

 

Teacher’s Note on Vietnamese Names:

Traditionally, Vietnamese names would be in the order of the surname (or family name) listed first, and the given name last with the middle name in the middle. However, for many in the second generation, the given name is listed first and the family name last, to adapt to English language customs. In this curriculum, unless otherwise noted, the given name is listed first with the family name listed last.

Extension Lesson Plan

Learning about the history of Vietnam and the Indochina Wars

 

Teacher Preparation:

P  Read “Vietnamese American History” and the “Vietnamese American Timeline.”

 

What you will need:

P  Copies of “Vietnamese American Timeline”

Activity

  • Hand out the timelines so that each group or student has information on one time period (i.e., one page of the timeline). The periods are divided as follows:
v  Ancient through French Occupation (1940)
  • Japanese Occupation through First Indochina War, 1940 – 1954
  • Vietnam War (Second Indochina War), 1954 – 1975
  • Post Vietnam War, 1975-1990’s
  • Students in each group should search for additional information so they can become “experts” on their era. It should be clear to all the students that their responsibilities are to teach the others in the class about their particular era as thoroughly as possible. It may be helpful to provide the following information to each group to help them in their research.
  1. Student groups that are to become “experts” on the pre-20th century timeline should find out more about the cultural and political histories of Vietnam. For example, what were the major languages used (both written and spoken), what were the main religions, and what were the origins of these languages and religions? What was interaction between the neighboring countries like (i.e., peaceful or conflicting and why)? Also, students should find examples of customs, artwork, and folklore that can be presented in class to help the other students understand the cultural and political history of Vietnam.
  1. Student groups that are to become “experts” on the Indochina Wars (the second is also known as the Vietnam War) should find resources to help them understand the varying political factions and the influences of foreign powers on Vietnam and the role of the United States. For example, what was the relationship between the formation of nationalist and communist groups to the colonialist governments? How were the groups competing for control of the country and what were the results of the political struggles? What was the political climate towards the end of each era that the students are examining?
  1. Student groups that are to become “experts” on the post-Vietnam War period should learn about the different groups of refugees and how and why they left their homelands. They should also seek to understand how different waves of immigrants differed or were similar, and also how they adapted to life in the United States.
  • Each “expert” can teach a small group (consisting of experts for each era) about their time period, or “experts” can group together to make a presentation to the entire class. The presentation can be a lecture, a written report, a performance, a reading, charts, visual, etc. that illustrates the major points of their research.
  • During each presentation, students should take their own notes so that they will have a broader understanding of the history of Vietnam as well as the factors that led to refugees coming to the U.S. and to assist them with the assessment activity, if given.

Closure/Assessment

When all presentations are given, guide a discussion or writing activity that asks students to integrate the information that has been presented. Questions for discussion or writing topics might include:

  • Which countries, religions or groups of people influenced the culture in Vietnam? What were regional differences? What cultural aspects have been preserved by Vietnamese Americans in the United States? What ideas, if any, did you have about the people from Vietnam that have changed after the student presentations? How and why have your ideas changed?
  • What influenced the development of the various political factions in Vietnam? How were the political factions viewed by the U.S. government? What role did the political factions have on the Vietnam War? What were the main reasons why the United States got involved in and then withdrew from the Vietnam War? What ideas, if any, did you have about the Vietnam War? Have they changed as a result of the student presentations? Why or why not?
  • What were the different waves of refugees from Vietnam and how were they similar or different? How do you think the Vietnam War affected how people in the United States viewed the refugees from southeast Asia? What challenges did the refugees face upon settling in the U.S. and how did they meet these challenges?