VIETNAMESE GEOGRAPHY By Aaron Perez, Social Studies Teacher James Madison High School, Brooklyn, NY Click here to SEE PHOTOGRAPHS Click here to get READINGS

OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to:
1. Analyze literary text to gather information.
2. Describe the geographic feature of different regions in Vietnam.
3. Evaluate the degree to which literature can be used to understand the importance of geography.
4. Explain the different ways people can use their geographical surroundings.

TEACHER BACKGROUND:
The Vietnamese people have traditionally used literature to reinforce their cultural traits. Their Geography has been an important factor in their cultural development. Their Geography is very diverse as you move from North to South.

AIM:
How does literature showcase geography?

MOTIVATION: (Display on overhead Projector)
Autumn Landscape
By Ho Xuan Huong

Drop by drop rain slaps the banana leaves.
Praise whoever sketched this desolate scene:

the lush, dark canopies of gnarled trees,
the long river, sliding smooth and white.

I lift my wine flask, drunk with rivers and hills.
My backpack, breathing moonlight, sags with poems.

Look, and love everyone.
Whoever sees this landscape is stunned.

1. What message is the author trying to convey?
2. What does she use to describe her experiences?
3. How important are the physical features to the impact the author's message?

PROCEDURES:
1. Make sure the student responses to the motivation are displayed on the board.
2. Split the class into 6 small groups. (Group size depends on total number of students)
3. Assign excerpts from A Taste of Earth (2 groups), One Hundred Eggs (2 groups), and Watermelon Seeds (2 Groups). (All excerpts from A Taste of Earth and Other Legends of Vietnam by Thich Nhat Hanh)
4. Each group is responsible for; (a) identifying geographical features used in the excerpts; (b) what role does each feature play in the development of the story? ; (c) how is the feature being used by the characters in the excerpt? ; (d) how would people today use these geographical features?

SUMMARY/APPLICATION:

Display picture 1 through 6 on an overhead projector.
Have students describe the geographical feature being used.
Have students described how geography is being used.
Have students explain the importance of the physical feature top the development of the Vietnamese culture.