http://berners.bcoe.butte.k12.ca.us/~cchandle/student/index.html
Exploring US Foreign Policy after WWII--The Cold War 
Introduction
Standards
Objectives
Activities
Assessment 
Results
Resources
 

If 
 Introduction
After extensive in-class discussion of the Manhattan Project , the decision to use the atomic bomb, and  cold war ideologies, students will be assigned a group project which requires them to research and report on one aspect of  the United States involvement in The Cold War.  Each group will be responsible for researching a topic, finding and analyzing pivotal events and issues, and presenting this information to the class.
Subject::US History
Topic:The Cold War
Grade Level:11
http://berners.bcoe.butte.k12.ca.us/~cchandle/
Standards Addressed (http://www.edserv.sjcoe.k12.ca.us/SCORE/standards/11.html)

Eleventh  Grade
US History Standards11.9 Students analyze United States foreign policy since World War II, in terms of: the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including: 

  • the era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic communism  and blacklisting 
  • the Truman Doctrine
  •  the Berlin Blockade
  • the Korean War 
  • the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis
  • atomic testing in the American west
  • "mutual assured destruction"doctrine
  • disarmament  policies 
  •  the Vietnam War 
  •  Latin American policy and  economic relationships 
Eleventh Grade 
Language Arts Standards

2.4 Students deliver multimedia presentations:

  •  Combine text, images, and sound by incorporating information from a wide range of media including films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, online information, television, videos, and electronic media-generated images.
  • Select an appropriate medium for each element of the presentation. Use the selected media skillfully, editing appropriately and monitoring for quality.
  • Test the audience's response and revise the presentation accordingly.

Instructional Objectives
  • Students will distinguish between the different political ideologies that caused Cold War tension.
  • Students will evaluate sources in terms of bias, authority and usefulness.
  • After analyzing a variety of sources including primary documents about a cold war topic, students will gain an understanding of the pivotal  events and issues.
  • Students will create a timeline of critical events.
  • Students will  present their findings on a cold war issue with a multimedia presentation to an audience of peers. 
  • In this presentation students will summarize important events, and illustrate their findings with pictures, quotes,and other audio and visual aids.
Student Activities
Introductory Activities
  • Watch Truman film
  • Take and discuss War Opinion Survey
  • View sample student documentary/powerpoint presentation about the Gilded Age
Enabling Activities
  • Explore primary documents about Pearl Harbor and the atom bomb using Spice lessonsand Jackdaws unit
  • Watch Fat Man and Little Boy
  • Review Cold  War terms using TCI interactive lessons
  • Read textbook chapters on the Cold War--do pre and post reading activities
  • Evaluate on-line sources for accuracy and usefulness

    • Students keep track of sources with a Works Cited page--
    Students fill out web evaluations
  • Research assigned topic in print and on-line sources
  • Develop a timeline of crucial events
  • Develop a list of important issues and conflicts --pivotal questions
Culminating Activity
  • Student groups will create a Powerpoint presentation on their aspect of the Cold War.
  • Students will write an essay about the Cold War
Assessment Tools
Powerpoint presentation rubric
Quizzes
AP US History  essay topic
Results
 
Sample student  Powerpoint slides will be linked to this page. This is my PowerPoint presentation
Web Resources & Supplementary Materials Introductory Activity
Spice mini-unit -- The Atomic Bomb (http://spice.stanford.edu)
Jackdaws unit -- Atom Bomb (http://jackdaws.com)
TCI Cold War http://www.teachtci.com/
Films:
Truman --HBO 1993
Fat Man and Little Boy --
Enabling Activities
Textbook--The American Pageant   -- Chapters 39, 40, 41
Prereading and notebook activities
SourceCitations:\http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/resdoc/humanities/english.htm
Internet site evaluation --web evaluations
Web Resources forCulminating Activity
 
http://americanhistory.miningco.com/homework/americanhistory/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html
http:historicaltextarchive.com
http://www.whistlestop.org/study_airlift/large/berlin_airlift.html
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/columns
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Central Valley High School 
4066 La Mesa Drive
Shasta Lake City, CA
Carolyn Chandler

e-mail cchandler@onemain.com

Last Revised 03/15/2000