This presentation was created for Georgia Southern University's FRMS 7331. This covers the Vietnam War through multiple means (art, poetry, and music).

1. Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
MICHELLE COLQUITT
MULTIPLE TEXT ASSIGNMENT
JULY 8, 2015

2. Richie Perry is a 17 year old High School graduate from Harlem, New
York. Richie did not believe he had much of a future in Harlem, so he
decided to join the military. Richie, an excellent basketball player,
becomes injured early in his military career, but is still sent to Vietnam
regardless of having a medical profile that should eliminate him from
combat.
Richie enters combat in Vietnam in the latter part of 1967. Richie, and
the rest of the Army, believes that combat will over by the end of 1967.
This was not the case. Fallen Angels outlines the intense horrors and
atrocities of the Viet Nam War. Richie is a very relatable character who
ultimately overcomes multiple tragedies without losing his humanity.
Fallen Angels has a remarkable cast of supporting characters. The
reader is genuinely rooting for the success of Richie and his comrades
by the end of this book.
Myers related the atrocities of war in a very truthful light, therefore, this
book might not be appropriate for all readers. The Teacher, Media
Specialist, and parents should work in concert to determine if the
student in question should read this text.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall
en_Angels_(Myers_novel)

3. Fallen Angels
Themes, Facts, and Awards
Themes
• Coming of Age
• Ambiguity of War and Life
• The Atrocities of War
• LOVE and friendship
Facts
Fallen Angels has consistently
been challenged since its
publication in 1988. In recent data
from the American Library
Association (ALA), Fallen Angels
was either banned or challenged
as recently as 2004 (when it was
the second most
challenged/banned book) for
offensive language, racism, and
violence
(http://www.ala.org/bbooks/freque
ntlychallengedbooks/top10#topte
nlists).
Awards
Fallen Angels won the Coretta Scott King
Award in 1988. The Coretta Scott King
Awards are issued “for outstanding
African American authors and illustrators
of books for children and young adults
that demonstrate an appreciation of
African American culture and universal
human values” (ALA, 1996).
http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawar
ds

4. Fallen Angels
Pre-Read Activity
As a pre-read activity, our class will view the documentary Vietnam: a Brief
History on YouTube. The classroom teacher will facilitate a discussion about
the history, causes, and aftermath of the Vietnam War.

5. Pre-Read Activity
ELA Standards
 The pre-read activity provides students with a foundational knowledge of events of the
Vietnam War. Students would view this documentary prior to beginning Fallen Angels.
 The pre-read activity will address the following Georgia Common Core Standards:
 ELACC11-12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
 b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and
establish individual roles as needed.
 c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a
hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and
promote divergent and creative perspectives.
 d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of
an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required
to deepen the investigation or complete the task

6. Pre-Read Activity
ELA Standards Contd.
 ELACC11-12SL2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in
diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to
make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility
and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
 ELACC11-12SL3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of
evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas,
word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used
 Support of Text:
 Viewing the Vietnam documentary will provide students who might not know
anything about the Vietnam War with a foundation of knowledge about the
facts of the War and what to expect when reading Fallen Angels.

7. Fallen Angels
Activity Two—Wartime Art
Believe it or not, art and artists played a very important role in the Vietnam
War. In fact, there was a division of artists who were embedded and fighting
in the war. These artists collectively worked as the Vietnam Combat Artists
Program. Students, based on what you have read so far, please create a piece
of artwork (using any medium you would like) to represent Fallen Angels.
Students, you will not be judged based on your artistic abilities, but on your
creativeness and how closely this piece of artwork relates to Fallen Angels.
 Support of Text:
 This resource supports the text in that it allows the student to have a visual
representation of Vietnam. Art can lead to fruitful discussions of culture and can
allow students who might be visual learners the opportunity to create a visual
representation of wartime and Vietnamese culture.

8. PERIMETER OF ARTY PASS AT BEAR
CAT by Robert T. Myers, CAT III, 1967
https://goo.gl/xRVCFU

9. Activity Two—Wartime Art
ELA Standards
 ELACC11-12RI7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information
presented indifferent media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well
as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
 PLUS, Art is pretty amazing to study!!—Mrs. Colquitt’s opinion.

10. Fallen Angels
Activity Three—Wartime Poetry
 Poetry is an important medium in which feelings can be expressed. Emotions
and feelings that might be difficult to process can be released by therapeutic
poetry.
 For this assignment, students will read Vietnam War Poetry by Curt Bennett.
Specifically the poem Profanity, and at least 3 other poems of their choosing.
Students will be required to create a poem consisting of at least 5 Facts about
the Vietnam War. They will need to write this as if a character from Fallen
Angels was writing the poem.
 Support of Text:
 The use of poetry in concert with Fallen Angels can provide students who might
have difficulties in processing the atrocities of war with an outlet to release some of
their feelings and emotions upon reading Fallen Angels.

11. Profanity
Poem by: Curt Bennett
PROFANITY
When hungry bullets
Chew into soft airplane bodies
Sending dials and gauges
Spinning in whirling circles…
When the little red warning lights
Scream in alarm, "blink-red", "blink-red", "blink-red"!
It is then you discover
The beauty of profanity!
And the need to know all the words!
But in no particular order.
Curt Bennett
Copyright Curt Bennett © 2003

12. Fallen Angels
Activity Three—Wartime Poetry
ELA Standards
 ELACC11-12W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
 ELACC11-12W7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects
to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize
multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the
subject under investigation

13. Fallen Angels
Activity Four—Vietnam War in Popular Music
 Popular music of the 1960s and 1970s frequently included references to the Vietnam
War. Please find one piece of music from the era and relate it back to Fallen Angels,
writing at least a one page summary of how Fallen Angels relates to the music.
Questions to consider are: What happens to Richie Perry and other characters when the
go back to the WORLD? How deeply have Richie and his comrades changed? Is it for the
better? For the worse? Is it ambiguous?
 If you are unable to find a piece of music you feel relates to Fallen Angels, please feel
free to write your own song about Fallen Angels.
 Our class will listen to and discuss “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The
discussion will start with the probe “Do you think that Richie Perry was a fortunate son?”
 Support of Text:
 Music is a great medium of expression. Sometimes music is the only way an individual can
express their feelings. Richie Perry is extremely fortunate in that he made it out of Vietnam
alive when so many of his comrades perished. Richie Perry is extremely unfortunate in that he
even had to go to Vietnam in the first place.

14. Fallen Angels
Activity Four—Vietnam War in Popular Music
 Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival

15. Fallen Angels
Activity Four—Vietnam War in Popular Music
ELA Standards
 ELACC11-12RL2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of text
and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how
they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account;
provide an objective summary of the text.
 ELACC11-12RL5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to
structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a
story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to
its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

16. Reflection Summary
 Fallen Angels, despite its age, is a wonderful text that a wide variety of
readers can relate with. Further, Fallen Angels generates many genuine and
unique reading experiences.
 The shared experiences of learning about the Vietnam War, art, poetry, and
music within the Vietnam War will generate the ability to relate deeply with
the text. Therefore, meaningful learning will occur.
 Fallen Angels is a timeless text that can be easily taught and related to
current events (i.e. the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan). This might provide
students who are contemplating military life with a straight-forward, no
frills attached, view of life in military service.

17. References
 11th -12th Grade English Language Arts Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (ELA
CCGPS). (2012, July 15). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
https://www.georgiastandards.org/GeorgiaStandards/Frameworks/CCGPS_ELA_11-
12_Standards(AmerLit).pdf
 Bennett, C. (2003). Poetry of the Vietnam War. Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/vietnam.htm#VIETNAMESE MORNING
 Creedence Clearwater Revival: Fortunate Son. (2007, October 26). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec0XKhAHR5I
 Fallen Angels (Myers novel). (2015, May 16). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_Angels_(Myers_novel)

18. References Continued
 Frequently challenged books of the 21st century. (1996). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#toptenlists
 Myers, W. (2008). Fallen angels (Special anniversary ed.). New York: Scholastic.
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards. (1996). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards
 Vietnam Combat Artists Program. (2014, February 15). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Combat_Artists_Program
 Vietnam: A brief history. (2008, April 29). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgW0o-Ui94k