Tim O'Brien
Lesson plans for The Things They Carried and other books

|"Ambush"| |Going After Cacciato| |If I Die in a Combat Zone| |In the Lake of the Woods| |Northern Lights| |The Things They Carried| |Other Resources|

"Ambush"

"Ambush" by Tim O'Brien
Overview and activities, including class discussion questions.

Going After Cacciato

Reader's Companion to Going After Cacciato
Discussion questions to accompany the novel.

If I Die in a Combat Zone

If I die in a Combat Zone
Fifteen discussion questions.

In the Lake of the Woods

In the Lake of the Woods
Biography and discussion questions.

In the Lake of the Woods
This extensive site offers resources for working with several aspects of the novel. It is designed for 12th graders.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights
Discussion questions, brief biography.

The Things They Carried

Some Other World: an index to The Things They Carried
A student-produced, very thorough index to the novel.

The Things They Carried
15 discussion questions.

"The Things They Carry"
Time magazine presents a photoessay on items American soldiers carry in the Iraq war. At this link read a brief introduction, then follow the link to the photos.

Vocabulary from The Things They Carried
A list of 108 words, divided by story.

We Were There: Letters From the Battle Front
The National Postal Museum presents letters, envelopes and commemorative stamps from the American Civil War, WW II, and Vietnam War "to engage students in historic analysis." Requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Writing About Literature
This page offers several suggestions for writing about literature in general; scroll down a little to find 8 journal prompts related to The Things They Carried.

Writing Vietnam
Text of speech about writing war stories, some audio files, and a question-and-answer session.

Other Resources

"How to Tell a True War Story"
Writing prompts from the Rutgers Writing Program.

Sound Learning Monthly Feature: American RadioWorks' "Revisiting Vietnam"
Lesson plan and a unit plan using audio clips and transcripts of interviews with Vietnam veterans.