1. Times of Change: Vietnam and the ‘60s- Jack Smith
Unit 4 Lesson 4
Times of Change: Vietnam and the ‘60s-
Jack Smith
Objective: students will be able to identify how the author’s point of view about war changes dramatically.

2. Vocabulary to Know (please write down in your notebook)
cynical: distrustful
green: inexperienced
infantry: branch of the military composed of foot soldiers
infiltration: passing through enemy lines
milieu: environment; surroundings
retrospect: review
romantic: lofty; unrealistic; idealized
sham: fake
succumb: submit; yield

3. Summary
In a first-person account, Jack Smith tells how,as a young American looking for adventure, he enlists in the army. Early in the war, he is sent to Vietnam where nearly all the members of his unit are killed in an ambush. He finds it difficult to come to terms with defeat and the deaths of his comrades, but eventually regains faith in the human spirit.

4. Oral History
Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events.

5. Guided Practice Read page 23 whole group:
Reading focus: Why did the author decide to join the army? What were his views on war at the beginning of the story?

6. Partner Work Read page 24 with a partner: Reading focus:
-How did the author’s view on war change quickly after he enlisted in the army? Explain.
-How did the author describe war? (Use describing words)

7. Partner Work (cont.)
Please answer the following questions in your notebook, with a partner.
1. Why does Jack Smith consider himself a typical enlistee?
2. How was Jack Smith affected by his experience in Vietnam? Use 2 details to support your response
3. Using information from Jack Smith’s description of combat, write a caption for the picture on the right.