My Lai

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan

This lesson is titled “Was William Calley a war criminal or a scapegoat?”

I designed this activity to encourage my students to be reflective Historians capable of textured debate. Students divide 39 pieces of evidence (textual and photographic) into columns which suggest the leader of Charlie Company during the My Lai massacre in Vietnam was a war criminal or a scapegoat. The cards are colour-coordinated to allow for differentiation. I ask students to lie down on some large paper to draw around each other to make mannequins. They then place evidence for him being a war criminal on one side and evidence that he was a scapegoat on the other. This then provides the perfect large scaffold for a debate or piece of exended written analysis. This is a hard-hitting lesson which always provokes historical reasoning but please be aware many of the images and text are graphic in content and should be taught to students with the emotional tools to deal with sensitive issues. Students will learn Ron Weber, the ‘and babies?’ photograph, Captain Medina’s role, and the ‘black blouse girl’ and much more. My hope in sharing this resource is that more students will learn about the heartbreaking tragedy which took place in My Lai. It has been designed for older high school students.

And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers!

Wishing you a terrific day and please let me know before purchase if you have any questions about this card sort activity.