The Most Dangerous Man in America Teaching Guide
Teaching Activities. Zinn Education Project. 2010. 94 pages.
Eight lessons for use with the documentary film about Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers, the Vietnam War, and whistleblowing.
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This 94-page teaching guide, prepared by the Zinn Education Project for middle school, high school and college classrooms, enhances student understanding of the issues raised in the award winning film, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.
Not only does The Most Dangerous Man in America Teaching Guide offer a “people’s history” approach to learning about the U.S. war in Vietnam, it also engages students in thinking deeply about their own responsibility as truth-tellers and peacemakers. In the spirit of Howard Zinn, this teaching guide explodes historical myths and focuses on the efforts of people—like Daniel Ellsberg—who worked to end war.
You can watch the film for free at www.pbs.org/pov through Oct. 27.
The teaching guide offers an introduction and eight lessons for U.S. history, government, and language arts classrooms. The guide uses a variety of teaching strategies, including role play, critical reading, discussion, mock trial, small group imaginative writing, and personal narrative.
The guide was developed by the Zinn Education Project in collaboration with The Most Dangerous Man in America filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and