MEMORIES OF AN ERA, REFLECTIONS OF OUR TIME LESSON PLANS This exhibit can be used to explore the sciences as well as the humanities. Here are some ideas for different subjects you can discuss with your students prior to their visit to help expand their thinking and interpretation of the art. For advanced classes: In physics, space and time affect each other. “In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single construct called the space-time continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space being three-dimensional and time playing the role of the fourth dimension.” Explore with students what combining space and time in this way means, or brainstorm ideas for what it could mean and how it affects people. Many students won’t encounter philosophy until college, if they ever do. Introduce them to philosophical theories on time. A good resource is “The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.” There are concise but clear explanations presented, such as the three theories about the relationships between the past, present and future (presentists; the growing-universe theory; and eternalism/the block universe theory). Or talk about some famous philosophers’ musings on time. Some noteworthy ones include Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, St. Augustine, Alfred North Whitehead, Plato and Hans Reichenbach. Have students discuss different types of distance (geographical, cultural, generational). Or their theories on time (is only what we can see and experience NOW real? Does time travel in a circle or a straight line? Can we move backward or forward in time?). Familiarize students with Agent Orange and its health affects. Agent Orange was an herbicide used on jungles and foliage in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to aid the U.S. troops in seeing the enemy. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are several illnesses that have been attributed to exposure to Agent Orange, and several that are POSSIBLY linked, but evidence has not been positively substantiated yet. For more information, please see the section, “Additional Information.” Advances in communication: During the Vietnam War, people had to wait for letters to hear about their loved ones. Often, things could change dramatically in the time it took for mail to travel back and forth between countries. The time between communications was longer, which added to people’s apprehension and worries. Also to consider: time changes people physically as well as mentally. Soldiers would miss their children growing, someone’s new look, or events at home that affected friends and family.		TEACHER PACKET CONTENTS Artist's Statement Lesson Plans Activities Additional Information Works Cited