What makes this book stand out the most is its ability to blend historical context with a personal narrative, allowing readers to both learn about the Vietnam War and empathize with the people who had lived and witnessed the horrors and the suffering of war and the courage they show while trying to survive during those challenging times.

Goodbye, Vietnam will allow students to practice literature elements such as theme and character development. Students will also be able to make connections between the events in the book and the events happening around the world. For example, the civil war happening in South Sudan and the Russian-Ukraine war sympathize with the refugees our city has.

Describe what you see.

What do you think this photograph conveys?

What's happening in the image?

What can you learn from examining this image?

What do you wonder about?

Students will reflect on how the experience of the families in the photographs and the novel informs their understanding of the global refugee crisis.

-Skylar :)

So glad you are tying this to real life and having a food drive.

Wonderful job on your unit plan. I especially loved your hinge activities as I feel they are meaningful and teach student so much more than just ELA or Social studies skills. Your hinge activities teach students empathy, social justice, leadership, and so forth. Even the way you both connected what happened in Vietnam to what is happening with refugees now is bringing awareness to a global issue and how the past and the present are connected. You are building bridges to students' learning!