More than 58,000 American troops and military personnel died in the
humid jungles and muddy rivers of Vietnam during the 20-year conflict
called the Vietnam War. Why? What were they fighting for? And how could
the world's most powerful and technologically advanced military be
defeated by a small, poverty-stricken country? These questions have
haunted the U.S. government, the military, and the American public for
nearly a half century.
In The Vietnam War, kids ages 12 to 15 explore the global conditions
and history that gave rise to the Vietnam War, the reasons why the
United States became increasingly embroiled in the conflict, and the
varied causes of its shocking defeat. As readers learn about how the
fear of the spread of communism spurred the United States to enter a war
that was erupting on the other side of the world, they find themselves
immersed in the mood and mindset of the Vietnam Era.
Through links to online primary sources, including speeches, letters,
photos, and songs, readers become familiar with the reality of combat
life for young American soldiers, the frustration of military advisors
as they failed to subdue the Viet Cong, and the empty promises made by
U.S. presidents to soothe an uneasy public. The Vietnam War also
pays close attention to the development of a massive antiwar movement
and counterculture that divided the country into "hawks" and "doves."
In-depth essential questions help middle schoolers analyze primary
sources and develop their own evidence-supported views on a range of
issues.
The Vietnam War also fosters critical thinking skills through projects
such as creating antiwar and pro-war demonstration slogans, writing
letters from the perspective of a U.S. soldier and a south Vietnamese
citizen, and building arguments for and against the media's coverage of
the war. Additional learning materials include engaging illustrations,
maps, a glossary, a bibliography, and resources for further independent
learning.
The Vietnam War is one book in a set of four that explore great
events of the twentieth century. Inquire and Investigate titles
in this set include The Vietnam War; World War II: From the Rise of
the Nazi Party to the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb; Globalization: Why
We Care About Faraway Events; and The Space Race: How the Cold War Put
Humans on the Moon.
Nomad Press books in the Inquire & Investigate series integrate content
with participation, encouraging older readers to engage in
student-directed learning as opposed to teacher-guided instruction. This
student-centered approach provides readers with the tools they need to
become inquiry-based learners. Common Core State Standards, the Next
Generation Science Standards, and STEM Education all place project-based
learning as key building blocks in education. Combining content with
inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and
alive. Consistent with our other series, all of the activities in the
books in the Inquire & Investigate series are hands-on, challenging
readers to develop and test their own hypotheses, ask their own
questions, and formulate their own solutions. In the process, readers
learn how to analyze, evaluate, and present the data they collect. As
informational texts our books provide key ideas and details from which
readers can work out their own inferences. Nomad's unique approach
simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the
space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers. Soon they'll be
thinking like scientists by questioning things around them and
considering new approaches.
