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Viet Thanh Nguyen, Writer

America Through My Eyes (Season Two)

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Viet Thanh Nguyen, Writer - America Through My Eyes (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"The mystery of what it means to be an American has always been present for me." - Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Thread

Viet Thanh Nguyen recounts his family's journey to America as refugees from Vietnam in 1975, how this experience and trauma continue to shape his life and voice as a writer, teacher, and father. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his first novel, The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen is one of our nation’s most distinguished novelists and academics who shares, in this candidly personal and timely interview, many personal insights about his life and work.

 

Watch "Rebel With A Cause"  

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Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

* Explore the role of art and entertainment in promoting social awareness

* Examine the formative historical events James Cromwell discussed such as the Hollywood Blacklist, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War

* Analyze the interplay of family history and activism throughout James Cromwell’s life and career

* Evaluate the role of art and entertainment in reflecting and shaping social values

English Language Arts Focus

* Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one actor and activist

* Analyze the structure and purpose of a narrative, identify key themes in the episode, and synthesize information from a spoken text

* Discuss different perspectives on the title “Rebel With a Cause”

* Explore the idea of purposeful work and a meaningful life

* Use James Cromwell’s episode to express the theme of rebellion through creative express

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, Writer - America Through My Eyes (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

First Take >

The “First Take” activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the “First Take” asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choices.

Download Viet Thanh Nguyen’s lesson to access the complete “First Take” activity.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, Writer - America Through My Eyes (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of his interview using the “America Through My Eyes” episode and transcript.

In this lesson, the suggested close read can connect with units on love, identity, assimilation, and what it means to be an American. 

Download the lesson to access “The Thread Up Close” activity.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, Writer - America Through My Eyes (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"America Through My Eyes" >

In this activity students will analyze the meaning of the lesson’s title, do a close reading of an excerpt, and offer their interpretation of what it means to be an American through Viet Thanh Nguyen's point of view. 

Download the lesson to access the entire “America Through My Eyes” activity.

Resources

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