Lesson Example: The Vietnam War and the Right of Students to Protest
This lesson uses PLAN, which stands for Problem Description, List of Options, Action Plan, and Notice Successes, a problem solving and social action framework that students can apply to any problem they encounter, including a historical issue they would like to analyze (or re-analyze) and consider alternative solutions for, a social injustice or current event they would like to address, or a current school-related problem or issue they want to help solve (e.g., bullying, gangs, substance use, cheating, lack of inclusion). The PLAN framework builds students’ problem solving, empathy, perspective taking, emotion regulation, and communication skills. It helps students become more engaged and develop strategies to think about and act on a wide range of historical, social, civic, and school issues.
Below is an example of a STAT lesson applied to an issue whose importance was amplified by the Vietnam War, namely, the right of students to protest.