Embedded Files
Paired Texts
Paired Texts
Happy X-Mas (War is over): By John Lennon
Happy X-Mas (War is over): By John Lennon
Summary: This song was recorded and released by John Lennon after a series of anti-war protests with his wife, Yoko Ono. Although not aimed at a specific war, it was released in 1969, during the Vietnam War. John Lennon is quoted saying, “Now I understand what you have to do: Put your political message across with a little bit of honey.”, which is why this song is so powerful, on the outside, it’s a nice Christmas song, but when you dig deeper, you can clearly see the anti-war messages within the lyrics.
Mode/Form: Song
How it Connects: Similar to the students wearing the black bands, this is another form of successful peaceful protest. Although not as explicit as the arm bands, it shows the power of protest in general and the many forms in which it can occur. This text could be used to show students another way to be a voice of resistance.
Tinker v. Des Moines (black Arm Bands against Vietnam)
Tinker v. Des Moines (black Arm Bands against Vietnam)
Summary: Students in Des Moines, Iowa decided to wear black armbands as a form of peaceful protest against the Vietnam War. All students who were caught wearing them were suspended from school. Parents set a lawsuit against the school system that said that the suspensions went against the student’s constitutional right of freedom of speech. In the landmark case of Tinker v. Des Moines, it was decided that since the arm bands were not disruptive, the students didn’t lose their right to freedom of speech when they walked in the door of the school. (https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/students-protest-war)
Mode/Form: Photo
How it Connects: At the end of the book, a picture of Julien holding up a sign that says “RESIST” on it. For our unit, we are focusing on voices of resistance so when discussing social justice and how students can make a difference, this is a good example of how kids can take action in a peaceful manner and make their opinions known.
For more information on Tinker v. Des Moines, check out:
https://kids.laws.com/tinker-v-des-moines
Why did we pair these texts?
Why did we pair these texts?
These texts are both representatives of voices of resistance against the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, America saw a spike in anti-war protests by civilians, more than were seen in previous wars. Both the individuals from Tinker v. Des Moines and John Lennon's song "Happy X-Mas (War is Over)", exhibit forms of alternative protests than the more traditional marches that were also commonly seen during this time. It is important to show students examples of resistance like these texts, so they see that there are many ways to be a voice of resistance against something you feel strongly about.
How we would use these texts together:
How we would use these texts together:
We would use the texts when speaking about how there are many different ways to be voices of resistance. To start out, we would ask students about what it might look like to be a voice of resistance against war. We would then juxtapose those by playing John Lennon’s song, "Merry X-Mas (War is Over) and explain its background with the Vietnam War. Next, we would introduce the Tinker v. Des Moines case because it is a great example of how kids can make a difference and stand up for what they believe in. The fact that the kids went all the way to the Supreme Court and won is definitely inspirational for other kids. They were also protesting the Vietnam War, but in a very different way than John Lennon did. We can show students that just because they're protesting the exact same thing, it can be done in different ways.
Text Grouping: Syrian Civil war
Text Grouping: Syrian Civil war
This text grouping reflects a set of texts (children's books and alternative texts) to teach about the Syrian Civil War. The texts include:
- The Day War Came by Nicola Davies and Rebecca Cobb
- Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan
- The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
- An excerpt from a full article about Malak, a teacher who teaches refugee children
- A tweet from Red Cross
This resource provides brief summaries about each of the texts and a lesson on how to use the text grouping through the use of a thematic question.
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