HASS · Year 10

Active learning ideas

The Vietnam War and Refugee Arrivals

Active learning immerses students in the human and political realities of the Vietnam War and its refugee crisis. By moving beyond dates and names, students connect geopolitical forces to personal stories, which builds empathy and deepens understanding of cause and consequence in history.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9H10K08

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 45 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: War and Refugee Timeline

Small groups research and create posters depicting 8-10 key events from Australia's involvement to refugee arrivals. Display posters around the room. Students circulate, adding sticky-note questions or connections, then regroup to address class insights.

Analyze how the Vietnam War contributed to a large-scale refugee movement.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, position timeline panels at eye level and provide a 5-minute silent observation period before discussion to allow students to process information individually.

What to look for

Students will write a two-sentence summary explaining one geopolitical factor that contributed to the Vietnam War and one reason why Vietnamese people became 'boat people'.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Document Mystery
• 30 min · Pairs

Role-Play: Boat People Journey

Pairs draw challenge cards (storms, pirates, engine failure) and role-play responses using props like blue tarps for sea. Switch roles midway. Debrief in whole class on resilience and risks.

Explain the concept of 'boat people' and their journey to Australia.

Facilitation Tip

In the Role-Play, assign roles with clear character sheets and require students to journal for two minutes after the simulation to capture emotional and physical reactions.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Considering the risks involved, what might have motivated Vietnamese refugees to undertake dangerous sea journeys to Australia? What does this tell us about their situation in Vietnam?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: International Responses

Assign small groups one stakeholder (UNHCR, Australian government, US, Vietnam government). Research stance and actions, then reform expert groups to teach peers. Create a shared response matrix.

Evaluate the international response to the Vietnamese refugee crisis.

Facilitation Tip

During the Jigsaw, assign each expert group a distinct country and provide a color-coded map so students can visually track international responses as they teach their findings.

What to look for

Present students with three short primary source quotes from different perspectives (e.g., an Australian border patrol officer, a Vietnamese refugee, a government official). Ask students to identify the perspective of each quote and explain one potential bias.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Document Mystery
• 40 min · Individual

Source Carousel: Personal Stories

Place 6-8 primary sources (photos, interviews, letters) at stations. Individuals rotate, noting perspectives on war impacts. Pairs then compare for biases and themes.

Analyze how the Vietnam War contributed to a large-scale refugee movement.

Facilitation Tip

For the Source Carousel, display each personal story at a separate station with a guiding question sheet to focus students' analysis before rotating.

What to look for

Students will write a two-sentence summary explaining one geopolitical factor that contributed to the Vietnam War and one reason why Vietnamese people became 'boat people'.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by grounding abstract geopolitical concepts in human stories. Avoid overly simplified narratives of 'good vs. evil'—instead, use primary sources to reveal complexity. Research shows that when students engage with refugee experiences through role-play and personal accounts, they better retain historical context and develop historical empathy.

Students will articulate the interconnectedness of global politics and human experience by explaining causes of the war, reasons for fleeing, and varied responses to refugees. Success looks like students using evidence from multiple perspectives to support their reasoning.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Jigsaw activity, watch for students simplifying the Vietnam War as solely a communist vs. capitalist struggle.

  Use the expert groups to assign Vietnamese voices from the North and South, ensuring students hear nationalist and anti-colonial perspectives alongside foreign intervention narratives.

• During the Role-Play activity, watch for students assuming all boat people were fleeing economic hardship rather than political persecution.

  Provide character profiles that explicitly link each refugee’s background to persecution based on political affiliation, religion, or ethnicity after 1975, aligning with UNHCR definitions.

• During the Source Carousel activity, watch for students believing Australia immediately welcomed Vietnamese refugees without public debate.

  Include Australian government memos and news clippings that show initial hesitation, fear of 'Asian invasion,' and gradual policy shifts, prompting students to analyze evolving attitudes.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Document Mystery
• Jigsaw