Unit Two: Cold War, Part 1 (1945-1963)
2. Began a collaborative activity in which students answered questions about American history from ninth grade on a worksheet, getting answers confirmed from fellow classmates. Turn in as an exit slip. This will be discussed tomorrow. Received Atomic Bomb Reader. Read each article by Monday. (Articles include: "Petition to the President of the United States; "Thank God for the Atomic Bomb," "The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb;" "Why America Dropped the Bomb;" or "Hiroshima: Historians Reassess."). [9/6]
3. Reviewed the causes and effects of World War Two by going over the review of American history worksheet. Continue reading the documents in the Atomic Bomb Reader. [9/7]
4. Students took the Initial Assessment of Student Learning {The Initial Assessment of Student Learning is given for the purpose of engaging the Educator Effectiveness model (see DPI's website for more details). The topic assessed was "Was President Truman justified in ordering the use of the atomic bomb against Japan to end World War Two?" Assessment was in the form of a Document-Based Question, with the results to be used to help all Modern U.S. History teachers develop their Student Learning Objectives for the rest of the semester. The assessment will NOT affect the grade of any student, but is used to gauge student progress throughout the semester.} [9/10]
5, Read selected document from the Atom Bomb Reader. Write a 50-word summary sentence for the document, which is due tomorrow. Once done, create a one-page counter-argument for the document in your notebook. This is in preparation for a debate on the morality of using the atomic bomb to end World War Two. [9/11]
6. Debated the morality of the use of the atomic bomb to end World War Two in small groups. Discussions were focused around the documents read from the Atom Bomb Reader. Assigned an essay (one-two pages, typed) on whether or not the United States' decision to use the atomic bomb was a moral act was assigned--due Wednesday September 19 . (Rubric for the essay can be found here.) [9/12]
7. Take notes on Power Point presentation, Capitalism versus Communism, a review of the economic systems that would battle throughout the Cold War. Bring the Cold War Reader on Monday. [9/13]
10. Began studying some of the founding documents of the Cold War by breaking into groups and reading one of the following documents form the Cold War Reader: The Essence of Conservatism by Russell Kirk; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; The State and Revolution (On Marx and Equality) by Vladimir Lenin; the The Marshall Plan Speech by George Marshall; the The Truman Doctrine Address by Harry Truman; the 1936 Soviet Constitution, and the Farewell Address by Dwight Eisenhower (video found here). Groups then summarize their assigned document with a poster, to be presented to the class, by including the title of the document in the center; the author(s) name(s) at the upper left; the thesis of the document in the upper right; why the document is significant in the bottom right; and a sketch depicting what the document is about in the lower right. Each member of the group will then summarize the document with a 50-word sentence, due on Thursday. [9/14-17]
11. Introduced Cold War concept of competition for the non-aligned nations of the world by the United States and the Soviet Union. Also introduced the personality conflict between Harry S Truman (President of the USA) and Josef Stalin (Premier of the USSR). Introduced the case of the Berlin Airlift, concluding with distribution of an article on the event ("1948: The Berlin Airlift" from American History magazine). In study groups, read and discuss an article, "1948: The Berlin Airlift." Complete a Clarifying and Summarizing worksheet to analyze the article about the Berlin Airlift, which is due on tomorrow. [9/18]
12. Introduced the concept of the Red Scare of the 1950s by distributing the Red Scare Reader. Went through the Reader in detail with the class. Also introduced the case of the Red Scare that was Senator Joseph McCarthy, who used slander and innuendo to destroy people's lived by alleging ties to communism. Read the article, "My Father's Cold War." [9/19]
13. Began watching video, Good Night and Good Luck, which was about this era. Took notes while watching, especially on the personal stories, such as those about Milo Radulovich, Don Hollenbeck, et al. Also took notes about authority and how the protagonists stood up to this authority. Read Red Scare portion of textbook. YouTube excerpts of the movie can be found here. [9/20]
14. Finished watching Good Night and Good Luck, taking notes while watching. While using those notes, write a 1-2 page reflective essay about whether or not you stood against the crowd and took a principled stand, which will be due Friday. [9/24]
15. Power Point Presentation on the Chinese Civil War, taking notes. Read portion of textbook about the Chinese Civil War. [9/25].
16. Introduction to the Korean War and what led up to its start in June 1950. Received Korean War Reader, reading all articles within it by Thursday. Watched video on the Korean War from PBS, Korean War Stories. (See mini-biographies here.) Take notes while watching, especially on the personal stories of the men and women who were involved in that conflict. (Related videos can be found on YouTube here.) [9/26]
17. Finished watching video, Korean War Stories. Question to answer in notebooks for today: Which of the stories told during the video meant the most to you (i.e. which one will you remember years from now)? Why? Read section of textbook about the Korean War. [9/27]
18. Break into study groups. Each group reads the following articles in the Reader: "Only a Few Came Home;" "Was U.S. Massacre One of Many Horrors?," "My American Prisoner," and "Racing From Mao's Bugles." Mark the Text for each article and discuss the main ideas within small groups. Each group then creates a poster to teach their article to the class. [Upper left corner, map of Korea where the story took place; Upper right, summarize the article; Bottom left, sketch of a scene from the article; and Bottom right, answer why this article is important.] ; each student takes notes from each poster to learn more about each article, asking questions along the way via Post-It notes. [9/28, 10/1]
22. Delivered Power Point Presentation on brinksmanship in the 1950s and took notes. (Find Power Point here.) Read portions of textbook dealing with the Eisenhower administration and brinksmanship. [2/22]
23. Finished brinksmanship Power Point Presentation dealing with the Bay of Pigs Invasion and its aftereffects. Distributed Cuban Missile Crisis Reader; read article on the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis tonight. Distributed Unit One Review. [2/23]
24. Prepared for simulation by going over Foreign Policy Decision Making Model. Began simulation by distributing and reviewing the Situation--the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which it is October 1962--and read through the process of taking on the simulation. Chose roles for the simulation. Began simulation by getting into groups/teams to craft policies to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis. [2/26]
No school today, February 27. ACT Exam today for juniors.
25. Continued simulation, with groups finalizing their recommendations and giving them to the POTUS group. [2/28]
26. Concluded simulation with President's address announcing policy, followed by a debriefing of the process. Read President Kennedy's address to the American people from the Cuban Missile Crisis Reader while watching the address at the same time.. Reflection (one-page essay): What did you learn from the simulation? [3/1]
26. Studied for Civics Exam, which will be take tomorrow in the Social Studies computer lab. [3/2]
27. Took Civics Exam. Current Events. [3/5]
28. Prepared for the Unit One exam (Dawn of the Cold War). Discussed the format of the first unit exam and strategies in how to prepare for the exam. All unit work due by 4PM on Wednesday. [3/6]
29. Unit One Exam. Late work due by 4PM. [3/7]
17. Investigated the case of the Rosenbergs by reading the summary of their trial, written by Douglas Linder. Read the rest of the trial summary, the timeline, and the letter from Ethel and Julius to their sons. Discussed the guilt or innocence of the Rosenbergs in study groups. Were the Rosenbergs guilty? Why? Did their punishment (death penalty) fit their crime? Why? [2/14]
7. Begin watching documentary, The Atomic Cafe. Take notes, especially on how th2e atomic age affected people psychologically. Include at least one graphic (i.e. picture) in the notes. Distributed Cold War Reader; start reading the documents within. Also distributed the Map of Europe Study Guide, a map worksheet which shows Europe in 1955 and how the continent was divided between NATO-aligned nations and Warsaw Pact-aligned countries; this worksheet is due Thursday. [1/29]
In honor of Black History Month, please take a moment to read the linked article from Madison 365 by Michael Johnson that shares a timeline of Black History in Madison, Wisconsin.
8. Finish watching The Atomic Cafe. Again, take notes, along with a graphic. Exit slip: Four-Square--upper left, facts learned while watching video; upper right, sketch some sort of graphic from the video; lower left, ask any questions that arose while watching the video; and lower right, what part of the video was your favorite part? Why? For homework, read the two articles by George Kennan, "The Long Telegram" and "Sources of Soviet Conduct," completing one (1) 50-word summary sentence covering these two documents, due tomorrow. [1/30]
24. Watched video on the Cuban Missile Crisis, Three Men Go to War (you will need a PBS Passport ID to watch the video), taking notes on the escalation of tensions between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba. Focus of notes should be on what led to the escalation. (If you do not wish to donate to PBS to access Three Men Go to War, an alternate video would be the motion picture, Thirteen Days, which draws from the official transcripts of those scary days in October 1962.) [10/11]
25. Finished watching Three Men Go to War. Exit Slip is a 4-Square: upper left, 5+ things learned; upper right a graphic image from the video; lower left, the three promises the USA made to end the Cuban Missile Crisis; and lower right, name the two negotiators (1 from the USA, and 1 from the USSR) who helped end the conflict. [10/12]
Introduced the concept of the Cold War and its beginnings by discussing Kennan's ideas about the Soviet Union, communism, and containment found in "The Long Telegram" and "Sources of Soviet Conduct," Read in small groups The Marshall Plan speech by George Marshall via Close Reading. (Read the text; Mark the Text by circling key terms; Mark the text by underlining the main idea for each paragraph; discuss with a partner what each one found to be the key terms and main ideas.) Using Buehl's Taxonomy of Questioning for History Texts, ask (and answer) at least one (1) question from each level of questioning for the Marshall Plan. These are due tomorrow. [2/6]
11. Read The Truman Doctrine address by President Harry S Truman as a primary source document and evidence of how Kennan's containment policy was put into place by the United States. Mark the Text (circling key terms, underlining claims made by the authors, and asking questions of the text by writing them in the margins of the Reader). Then wrote a 50-word summary sentence for this speech, which is due tomorrow. [2/7]
14. ACT Prep for ACT exam on February 28th. [2/10]
24. Took Korean War Quiz and graded it in class. Distributed Power Point Presentation notes on brinksmanship in the 1950s. (Find Power Point here.) Read portions of textbook dealing with the Eisenhower administration and brinksmanship. [2/26]
25. Prepared for ACT, which will taken tomorrow. [2/29]
Work Keys test by ACT, again for Juniors, taken during periods 1-4. No HMUSH classes today. [3/2]
26. Distributed Cuban Missile Crisis Reader. Watched video on the Crisis, Three Men Go to War, taking notes on the escalation of tensions between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba. Distributed Unit One Review packet (terms, essay questions, map of 1955 Europe) Announcement that Unit One exam moved from March 8th to March 9th, due to planned fire drill on the eighth. [3/3]
27. Finished watching Three Men Go to War. Exit Slip is a 4-Square: upper left, 5+ things learned; upper right a graphic image from the video; lower left, the three promises the USA made to end the Cuban Missile Crisis; and lower right, name the two negotiators (1 from the USA, and 1 from the USSR) who helped end the conflict. After reading through the Cuban Missile Crisis Reader, complete a Clarifying and Summarizing worksheet for President Kennedy's address to the nation, which is found in the Cuban Missile Crisis Reader--this is due on Tuesday. [3/4]
28. Took Cold War Quiz #2. Began review for Unit One Exam on the Beginning of the Cold War [3/7]
29. Took Unit One Post-test. Continued review for Unit One Exam on the Beginning of the Cold War. [3/8]
30. Unit One Exam. Late work due by 4PM. [3/9]
Read article about Alger Hiss from American History magazine. Mark the Text (box key terms; circle unknown terms; and comment in the margins). Using the marked text, complete a Clarifying and Summarizing worksheet, which will be due tomorrow. Read pp. 862-890 (1st hour) or pp. 790-842 (4th hour). [2/11]
Conducted an activity on the Bill of Rights in honor of it being Constitution Day.
Rest in Peace those who died on September 11, 2001--you will not be forgotten.
10. Began Close Reading of President Truman's rationale for using the atomic bomb to end WW2. Directions for the Close Reading are found here. (One change--the essay is not required in lieu of the previously assigned essay last week about the morality of the use of the atomic bomb.) The marked text of President Truman's Rationale and the answers to the questions about it are due tomorrow. [9/14]
Began Close Reading of The Marshall Plan speech by George Marshall (Numbering the paragraphs, circling key terms, underlining claims made by Marshall, and asking questions of the text by writing them in the margins of the Reader.) Posted questions on blackboard using Post-It notes, and them discussed these in class. Answer the following prompt (using a thesis statement, using information gathered from the text in both Marshall's speech and Kennan's articles, and using a conclusion): what were the foreign policy goals of the United States expressed in the Marshall Plan, especially in terms of the global competition that was the Cold War? This prompt will be due on Friday. Also, complete the map worksheet for Europe c. 1954, which will be due on Monday. [2/6]
10. In small groups, read The Truman Doctrine address by President Harry S Truman Introduced Cold War concept of competition for the non-aligned nations of the world by the United States and the Soviet Union. Also introduced the personality conflict between Harry S Truman (President of the USA) and Josef Stalin (Premier of the USSR). Finish with writing a 50-word summary sentence of the Truman Doctrine, which will be due on Tuesday. [2/7]
Small group discussion on the guilt/innocence of the Rosenbergs. Exit slip: Were the Rosenbergs guilty? Why? Did their punishment (death penalty) fit their crime? Why? Read pp. 916-920 (1st hour) or pp.811-816 (4th hour). [2/19]
Took Korean War Quiz and graded it in class. Answer the following with a one-to-two page essay: "Was the Korean War necessary for the United States? Why?--due next Wednesday.
12. Conducted a study of what "equality" meant to both those in the First World (the USA and its allies) and those in the Second World (the USSR and its allies) by reading primary sources from the start of the Cold War era. (These include "The Essence of Conservatism" by Russell Kirk, "On Marx and Equality" by Vladimir Lenin, and the 1936 Soviet Constitution.) Each student read each of the articles, marking the text as he read, especially where "equality" is mentioned. Then each student shared her reading with the others in her small group. Homework: after reading and discussing each of the documents, answer the following prompt: in a one-to-two page essay, compare and contrast how the First World and the Second World viewed the concept of equality at the beginning of the Cold War. [Click here for a copy of the rubric on how this essay will be evaluated.] This essay is due this Friday, February 14th. [2/11]
{The Initial Assessment of Student Learning is given for the purpose of engaging the Educator Effectiveness model (see DPI's website for more details). The topic assessed was "How do terrorist organizations justify or rationalize their actions?" Assessment was in the form of a Document-Based Question, with the results to be used to help all Modern U.S. History teachers develop their Student Learning Objectives for the rest of the semester. The assessment will NOT affect the grade of any student, but is used to gauge student progress throughout the semester.}