The Things They Carried Web Quest | Pre- Reading and Context Building | O'Brien

Say goodbye to the sad, dated Vietnam War Powerpoint to introduce the context for The Things They Carried! I created this WebQuest to provide students with an inquiry- based activity to build the background knowledge essential to understand and enjoy this Vietnam War classic. This activity has multiple entry points and is naturally scaffolded so that every student, IEP, ELL, 504, etc. can all see success!

This activity can be done in so many ways - it is perfect for independent, partner, or jigsaw group work, requires no prep - just assign to your LMS or print! It’s also PERFECT for a sub day, because it is self explanatory for students to do on their own.

First, students choose a “role” or category to become an expert in:

• 18 year Old Drafted Soldier
• Veteran Psychologist
• War Historian
• Cultural Expert

Then, they use that specific graphic organizer to collect relevant information to share with other experts!

Here’s what you get:

•  A fully editable pack of word docs for the digital webquest
• A ready-to-print handout version
• A bonus note catcher for students to record information on the other roles
• 6 questions for each role to spark inquiry and focus student research/ exploration
• Curated links aligned with each topic to narrow investigation on the digital version
• Teaching guide so you know just what to do!

 Students LOVE this activity, because they get to conduct a little research and discover information related to the Vietnam War on their own terms. It is also structured enough to help students avoid having to sift through websites or think of good search terms in order to find key information! 

Give students a well- rounded understanding of the key influencing contextual factors of The Things They Carried with the The Things They Carried WebQuest!

Here’s what other educators have said!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a great way to introduce the Vietnam War and The Things They Carried to my American Lit students. I broke them into groups and each group took a "role". Then we worked as a class to take down notes on what each group found. 

If you love this product, I highly encourage you to check out my The Things They Carried Bundle! You will get this activity PLUS everything else you need to have a rigorous and engaging The Things They Carried Unit!