Grade Level: Middle School
Time Allocation: 4 weeks
NYS Standards:
Standard 1 & 5 of Social Studies Curriculum--History of the U.S. and N.Y. & Civics and Citizenship
ELA Standards--1,3,5

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Unit Objectives:

The purpose of this unit is to give students knowledge and awareness of America's involvement in the Cold War and its impact on American culture. The students learn through analysis and discussion of selected documents. They then demonstrate their knowledge through writing a series of journal entries and a short historical fiction piece.

Learning Experiences:

Phase One: Creating the Background Research Material

1. Students view the film, "Duck and Cover" as an introduction to the Cold War era. This is followed by classroom discussion and a journal entry based on the following prompt:

What was the intended purpose of "Duck and Cover" when it was first made? What was your reaction to the film? Compare and contrast the intended purpose of the film with your reaction to it.

2. Students read and analyze the pamphlet, "Facts About Fallout" using the Written Document Analysis Worksheet from the National Archives website. After classroom discussion, students are assigned a journal entry based on the following prompt:

Imagine yourself as a middle school student during the Cold War year of 1953. Write a 250 word journal entry describing your life as a Cold War Era student and your reactions and feelings about the pamphlet. Use examples and terminology from the document in your entry.

3. Students are given a packet of photos of nuclear explosions and photos related to fallout protection. These photos, provided in the link below, are taken from the National Archives' Teaching With Documents website. They are asked to analyze two of them using the Photo Analysis Worksheet from the National Archives website.

4. Classroom discussion of the following Albert Einstein quote:

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Students then write a journal entry that gives their interpretation of the quote.

5. Students are then given a packet of Vietnam War photos taken from the National Archives and instructed to complete Photo Analysis Worksheets for their choice of three photos. Students then write a journal entry explaining their impression of the Vietnam War.

6. Students are then given a copy of the McCarthy Telegram from the National Archives, filling out the Document Analysis Worksheet as they read it. They then write a journal entry based on this analysis.

When all this work is finished, they use their research and reflections to continue to the second phase of the unit, writing the historical fiction piece.

Phase Two: Writing Historical Fiction

The students write a short story using their new knowledge of cold war culture and history as setting, background, and motivational events for their characters.

1. Students create a storyboard using the following categories:

a. Plot
b. Exposition (Cold War)
c. Setting (Cold War)
d. Inciting Incident
e. Central Conflict
f. Rising Action
g. Falling Action
h. Climax
i. Resolution

2. Students write the first draft of their story.
3. Formative Assessment

a. Students pair up and read stories to each other.
b. Students rate each other using a short story rubric.
c. Students justify and argue for better ratings by using the language of the rubric.
d. I leave comments on their papers offering both warm and cool feedback.

4. Students make revisions and complete the final draft.
5. Stories are shared with the class.
6. Stories are given a final grade using a short story rubric

Assessment Tools:
The assessment tools are the journal entries, worksheets, and the short story which is graded using a short story rubric.