
A Minnesota PBS Initiative
A partnership of TPT and the Minnesota Humanities Center
In the shadows of the Vietnam War, the CIA conducted a secret war in Laos that relied on Hmong soldiers to prevent the threat of communism from spreading deeper into Southeast Asia. A brand new collection of resources based on the Twin Cities PBS documentary America’s Secret War empowers educators to bring this story into their classrooms in fresh and engaging ways.
First-person storytelling, interactive maps, and accessible guides make themes like duty, sacrifice, migration, and freedom relevant for all of us. Activities also embrace concepts of the Humanities Center’s approach to engagement through absent narratives- those voices often left out or marginalized- with the goal of helping students engage others with respect and empathy.
Start here with the America’s Secret War Educator Toolkit Rationale.
Viewing Guide: PDF DOCUMENT | WORD DOCUMENT
Click the .pdf or Word .doc links below to download the activity guides to use in your classroom.
prepared by Chong Thao, a high school English Language Arts teacher for Saint Paul Public Schools. View Unit Rationale.
prepared by Michael Paulson, a high school social studies teacher for Intermediate District 287. View Unit Rationale.
prepared by Thown Va Thor, a middle school social studies teacher at New Millennium Academy
prepared by Chia Xiong, an elementary teacher at Roseville Area Schools
A list of multimedia list of resources related to the film: PDF DOCUMENT | WORD DOCUMENT
Bibliography from the Center for Hmong Studies: PDF DOCUMENT
About the Toolkit & Film: PDF DOCUMENT | WORD DOCUMENT
A partnership of TPT and the Minnesota Humanities Center 2019
contact: [email protected] for more information