Vietnamese in Mississippi lesson plan

Karla Smith, Biloxi, Mississippi

OVERVIEW

The Vietnamese are one of many ethnic groups that migrated to the United States. It was the similarities between Vietnam and Mississippi, especially the coastal area, that lured this group to become a part of Mississippi’s cultural landscape. Today, three generations of Vietnamese families have not only embraced the communities in which they have settled, but they have made significant economic and cultural contributions to the local communities.

CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 3 and 4.

TEACHING LEVELS

Grades 7 through 12

MATERIALS

• Mississippi History Now article
• Paper
• Pencil/pen
• Computer
• Internet access
• Various reference books
• Art supplies for visual aides

OBJECTIVES

The students will:

Determine political, economic, and cultural issues faced by Vietnamese as they settled in the United States, as well as in the state of Mississippi.

Create a written and oral report on an aspect of Vietnamese culture.

OPENING THE LESSON

The teacher will ask the students to define the term multi-cultural. After a class discussion on the definition of the term, the teacher will ask for student volunteers to name the ethnic groups that have settled in Mississippi. If Vietnamese is not mentioned, the teacher will add this group to the list. The teacher will tell the class that over the course of the next several days they will study the Vietnamese culture and settlement in Mississippi.

DEVELOPING THE LESSON

Students will be instructed to use the Mississippi History Now article to complete the chart located at the end of the lesson plan. The students can work alone or with a partner to complete the chart. As students read the article, they should record their thoughts on how geography, politics, the economy, and culture have shaped the settlement of the Vietnamese in Mississippi. Once the students have completed the chart, the teacher will ask for volunteers to share their answers.

The teacher will place the students into groups of three or four. Each group should select a topic to research that is relevant to Vietnamese Americans. Some suggestions are:

• Vietnam War
• Traditional Vietnamese foods
• Vietnamese lunar New Year (Tet)
• Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (Trung Thu)
• Blessing of the Fleet
• Religious traditions
• Specific cultural practices

The student groups should now complete a written report on their topic. The reports should contain documented resources. Students should prepare visual aids to support the oral presentation of their research projects.

CLOSING THE LESSON

The student groups will present their projects to the class.

ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING

• Chart
• Class discussion
• Research project

EXTENDING THE LESSON

Invite a person from the local Vietnamese community to speak to the class.

Create a student documentary on the history of the Vietnamese in Mississippi.

Create a collage about the history of Vietnamese settlement in Mississippi.

Create a state map that shows the location of the Vietnamese population in Mississippi.

Compare and contrast the country of Vietnam with the state of Mississippi.

Compose a poem about the history of Vietnamese Americans.

Compare and contrast the experiences of first generations Vietnamese with the experiences of the second and third generations.


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