Unit Plan Author:​ Robert Pavlovic

Campus, District Cedar Park High School, Leander ISD

Course/Grade Level US History, 11th Grade
Implementation dates: Feb 6th, 2019 - March 4th, 2019
Unit Title: ​Origins of the Cold War
Conceptual Lens: Smaller Concepts:
● Economic and Political differences 1) Economic/political differences can
drive conflict and change. result in a major struggle for power.
2) Conflict alters the relationship the
United States has with the world.
3) Fear during times of conflict can
affect the way that people understand
their own rights.
4) Violent conflicts can cause a nation to
question their own actions.
5) Technological advancement can
accompany time periods of conflict.
6) A nation beginning to question itself
because of conflict can lead to
dramatic social change.
Unit Overview/summary
In this unit, students will first learn and understand the rapid division of the world between U.S and
Soviet spheres of influence after World War II. They will be able to explain that the United States
and the Soviet Union had fundamentally different ways of organizing themselves (Capitalism vs.
Communism) and that each political and economic worldview saw the other worldview as a threat.
They will pay close attention to the Long Telegram, and how it convinced the U.S that immediately
after World War II, the Soviet Union was a threat, and that the economic/political divide between the
two nations would set the stage for many events of the cold war.

Once understanding the conceptual basis for the Cold War and the role that the fundamental
difference between Communism and Capitalism played in many events throughout the Cold War,
students will then look to the specific foreign policies of Truman and Eisenhower. The lens in which
they view these events is that they will understand that, as a result of conflict between the Soviet
Union and the United States, both presidents place the U.S in an active position in world politics.
Truman begins the Korean War and provides money to foreign governments to “contain”
communism. He also provides money to rebuild Europe. Eisenhower spends money to increase
defense against the Soviet Union and uses the CIA to overthrow Iran’s government. Students will
explain how the Cold War changed the role of the US in foreign politics.

Students will then look to how paranoia and fear of the Cold War drove the red scare, and how these
events led to the erosion of rights within the U.S. Following this, they will look at the Space Race, and
how the conflict within the Cold War drove a period of technological advancement that affects the US
to this day.

Lastly, students will look to the Vietnam War as a defeat for the US policy of containment, and how
this defeat, along with the actions that the U.S took during the war caused popular criticisms against
the Vietnam War and how this period of criticism opened the way for a great period of social change
for the United States.
 Stage 1-Desired Results
Content Standard(s):
(2) History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S. history from 1877 to the present. The
student is expected to:
● (D) explain the significance of the following years as turning points: 1898 (Spanish-American War), 1914-1918 (World
War I), 1929 (the Great Depression begins), 1939-1945 (World War II), 1957 (Sputnik launch ignites U.S.-Soviet space
race), 1968-1969 (Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and U.S. lands on the moon), 1991 (Cold War ends), 2001 (terrorist
attacks on World Trade Center and the Pentagon), and 2008 (election of first black president, Barack Obama).
(8) History. The student understands the impact of significant national and international decisions and conflicts in the Cold
War on the United States. The student is expected to:
● (A) describe U.S. responses to Soviet aggression after World War II, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan,
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Berlin airlift, and John F. Kennedy's role in the Cuban Missile Crisis;
● (B) describe how Cold War tensions were intensified by the arms race, the space race, McCarthyism, and the House
Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), the findings of which were confirmed by the Venona Papers;
● (C) explain reasons and outcomes for U.S. involvement in the Korean War and its relationship to the containment policy;
● (D) explain reasons and outcomes for U.S. involvement in foreign countries and their relationship to the Domino Theory,
including the Vietnam War;
● (E) analyze the major issues and events of the Vietnam War such as the Tet Offensive, the escalation of forces,
Vietnamization, and the fall of Saigon; and
● (F) describe the responses to the Vietnam War such as the draft, the 26th Amendment, the role of the media, the credibility
gap, the silent majority, and the anti-war movement.
(30) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
● (A) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information;
● (B) use correct social studies terminology to explain historical concepts; and
● (C) use different forms of media to convey information, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using
available computer software as appropriate
Enduring Understandings Essential Question(s):
Students will understand: 1) How do differences in political and economic
views drive conflict?
1) Economic and political differences can drive
2) How would beliefs that are diametrically opposed
conflicts. alter the interactions between two world powers?
2) Conflicts drive global changes in power. 3) Why do nations spread their world views?
3) Conflict can alter how people view and 4) How do smaller nations react to larger ones
implement the rights their society values asserting power?
5) What can happen to human rights in times of
4) Technological advancements can change life conflict?
for people 6) Do serious threats against a nation’s security
5) Conflicts can lead to social change. justify eroding people’s rights?
7) How do nations attempt to spread their power and
world view?
8) Why does conflict lead to an increase in
technology?
9) In what ways does new technology impact the life
of average people?
10) How can conflict cause disagreement within a
nation?
11) What is the role of media in times of conflict?
Student objectives (outcomes):
Students will know
● The Cold War was a result of fundamental differences between Communism and Capitalism.
● The United States felt that Communism and the Soviet System was a threat to its existence.
● These differences drove conflict for 4 decades after World War II.
● In response to the Soviet Union and a fear of Communism, the United States began to project its power across the world in
Europe, Greece, Turkey, Korea and more.
● The United States became involved in the Korean War to stop the spread of Communism.
● The United States used the CIA to overthrow governments in order to stop the spread of Communism.
● Fear of the Soviet Union and Communism lead to the erosion of people’s rights under McCarthy and HUAC.
● The Space Race was a result of the ideological conflict in the Cold War, but led to an unprecedented period of
technological advancement for the United States.
● The Cuban Missile Crisis was a period in which the mostly cold conflict between the U.S and the Soviet Union escalated
into direct conflict.
 ● The Vietnam War was another attempt by the United States to stop the spread of Communism.
● The Vietnam War became widely unpopular, and social activism began to grow during this time period.
● Social activism and protests against the Vietnam War bolstered other movements for Social Change.
Students will be able to
● Analyze the fundamental differences between Communism, and explain how these differences provided the foundation for
the Cold War.
● Identify major events of the cold war, including the Berlin Wall, the Berlin Airlift, the Vietnam War, the Space Race,
Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and the Korean War.
● Explain what the policy of containment was, and how the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan are examples of a policy
of containment. Students will be able to analyze why the U.S adopted a policy of containment.
● Students will be able to explain the causes and effects of the Korean War.
● Students will evaluate whether or not the U.S won the Korean War, according to the stated goal at the outcome of the War.
● Students will explain what event led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and why the Cuban Missile Crisis was significant.
● Students will explain the cause of the Vietnam War, and important events during the Vietnam War such as Vietnamization,
Silent Majority, My Lai Massacre, Tet Offensive, Kent State shootings, the Credibility Gap, the Pentagon Papers and more.
● Students will be able to read and interpret primary sources in order to get information from them.
● Students will be able to use secondary sources in order to get information from them.
● Students will be able to use secondary sources to create a multimedia presentation
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:
● Students will complete their unit 5 exam, covering ● Students will complete questions and
the beginnings of the Cold War to Vietnam and the document analysis evaluating who
role of the media in Vietnam.
started the Cold War.
● Students will complete a quiz covering important
events of the Cold War ● Students will complete a chronology of
● Students will complete a quiz covering important the Cold War and answer questions
people of the Cold War about important events.
● Students will analyze Truman’s policies
and describe their relation to
containment policy.
● Students will complete an activity over
McCarthyism/HUAC and discuss the
impacts of these events on the Red
Scare
● Students will complete a worksheet
analyzing a video about the Space Race
● Students will complete a worksheet
analyzing a video about the Cuban
Missile Crisis
● Students will create presentations about
aspects of the Vietnam War
● Students will complete a graphic
organizer related to the role of media in
the Vietnam War.
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities (Five days, Lessons and Materials Hyperlinked)
Lesson 1
Engage: Germany Map Comparison, Turn Talk Share
Explore: Cartoon Group Analysis, Class Discussion
Explain: Who Started the Cold War, Document Analysis, group activity
Lesson 2
Engage: Pre-vocab on Periodization
Explore: Video activity and notes on important Cold War features
Explain: Important events of the Cold War, group activity and document analysis
DYR Test #3
Lesson 3
Engage: Brief history of the 1950s
Explore: Sources of Soviet Conduct Analysis
Explain: Truman Doctrine Document Analysis, Marshall Plan map analysis, Eisenhower video and questions.
Vocab Quiz #1
Lesson 4
Engage: McCarthyism/HUAC video
Explore: McCarthyism/HUAC activity
Explain: McCarthyism/HUAC questions/worksheet
Lesson 5
Engage: CBS news on Sputnik, turn/talk/share, discussion
Explore: Video/Discussion to answer Sputnik questions
Explain: JFK speech turn/talk/share, JFK reading, worksheet
Lesson 6
Engage: Review of Lesson 2, events of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Explore: Turn, talk, share analysis of political cartoons
Explain: Video along with Cuban Missile Crisis worksheet and class discussion of questions
Lesson 7
Engage: Domino Theory Analysis + turn/talk/share
Explore: Creation of presentations involving reading secondary source documents about events of the Vietnam War, drawing an image
about those events and answering questions.
Explain: Presentations of events, audience members will take notes using a graphic organizer.
Lesson 8
Engage: CBS footage of Vietnam War, discussion
Explore: Graphic organizer notes of powerpoint information as groups, discussion over student summaries of the information.
Explain: Secondary Source reading about Vietnam protests along with questions. Students will then discuss the worksheet questions
and watch a few videos (Soldiers throwing away medals, Kent State shootings, Buddhist Monk self-immolation images). Students will
then listen to protest songs and discuss the messages and themes of those songs.
Exam
Modified Exam
Resources/ Materials Required Technology Integration
● Laptops ● Students are assigned everything and work
● Google Classroom through google classroom. Technology is
● Physical copies of quizzes for accomodations consistently integrated throughout every
● Butcher paper and colored pencils/markers to create lesson and all materials are made available
presentations through google classroom, except when
accomodations mandate physical copies​.
Potential Accommodations / Differentiation
Special Education
● Students that are 504 or SpED are given shortened versions of assessments that have streamlined TEKs
requirements. In addition to this, their readings are chunked and highlighted to be shorted to more essential
parts. In cases of group works, groups are given many people of mixed abilities so that SpED/504 students
can work with group members to stay on track and complete assignments. Individual work is modified and
these students will receive more frequent checks for understanding.
English Language Learners
● In some situations, ELLs are pre-taught vocabulary before the lesson itself. For classroom participation,
discussions are structured in a way that ELLs have the opportunity to first think about the question, talk to
their neighbors, write about their potential response and use all these steps to support them in answering
questions during class discussions.
Gifted/Talented
● G/T students receive open-ended questions towards the end of each lesson so that they have an opportunity to
go beyond what is expected of the class in general.
Physical Disabilities
● Students work through laptops, and additional time can be given to students who need more time to complete
assignments. These students can also receive transcription services.
Prerequisite Skills/Critical Background Content Instructional Vocabulary
● Practice with identifying bias in primary Capitalism, Communism, Periodization
sources and the ability to understand and Brinkmanship, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan
obtain information from secondary sources. Vietnamization, NATO, Warsaw Pact, Kent
● Knowledge of how World War II was fought State, McCarthyism, HUAC, Venona Papers,
on two different fronts, and who the main Iron Curtain, Space Race, Sputnik, Domino
actors were (U.S, U.S.S.R) Theory, Containment, self-immolation, draft