Curated OER
Cold War into Guerilla War
High schoolers examine the Cold War and the War on Terror. In this American history activity, students research print and nonprint resources regarding both wars. Student compare the experiences of youth at the time so both the Cold...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Cold War
Learners explore the correlation between the Cold War and the Domino Theory. In this history lesson, students watch a short video that exhibits the domino effect, then divide into small groups, each representing an assigned...
Curated OER
Warring Philosophies: The Cold War
High schoolers explain why the Cold War took place and ended. They analyze its significance as a 29th century event. Students identify the differences between the USA and USSR during the Cold War.
University of California
Hot Spots Research Project
The Cold War was only between the US and the USSR, right? Wrong! Scholars use primary and secondary resources to analyze the global impact of the Cold War. The fourth installment of an eight-part series culminates in the creation of a...
Center for History Education
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Cold War tensions led to hostile actions. Scholars use primary sources to understand the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis during President Kennedy's administration. The lesson provides primary sources and a graphic organizer to...
Curated OER
Understanding JFK's Presidency through his Speeches
Students reflect and discuss the major events that happened in the United States in the 1950's and 1960's. In this U.S. History lesson plan, students read and analyze the famous speeches during this time frame, then complete a...
Curated OER
From The Great War To The Great Depression
Discover details about 1920's America. In this American history activity, learners read From the Great War to the Great Depression. Students then research famous Americans from the time period and present their findings to their classmates.
Curated OER
What Is War?
What kinds of human activity do we define as "warlike"? Middle and high schoolers examine various definitions of war and types of warfare, especially as these descriptions relate to the kinds of war we are witnessing at the beginning of...
Curated OER
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students explore facets of the Cold War. In this Cold War history lesson, students research a Cold War event in order to write a news story about the events that features direct quotations and images.
Curated OER
The Consequences of World War II
Ninth graders explore the aftermath of World War II. In this World War II lesson, 9th graders investigate the consequences of the war as they complete a post-assessment project that requires them to compose essays on the topic.
Historical Thinking Matters
Spanish-American War: 1 Day Lesson
After analyzing newspaper articles portraying different perspectives of the explosion of the Battleship USS Maine, your young historians will take a stand on which position is the most believable in both discussion and writing.
Curated OER
1950's Popular Culture
Young scholars gain a basic understanding of Capitalism and Communism, the ideologies that fueled the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Curated OER
The Cold War: Planning for Survival
Students prepare a documentary-style dramatization about government and personal measures taken to ensure survival in the event of nuclear war.
Curated OER
Literature and the "Age of Anxiety" (1920s and 1930s).
Students examine historical events of the 1920s, World War II and the Cold War. They discover how literature reflects the economic, political, social, religious and historical concerns of a culture. Students compare literature writings...
Curated OER
Cuban Missile Crisis
Eleventh graders determine how causation shaped the Cuban Missile Crisis. In this Cold War instructional activity, 11th graders examine photographs and documents related to the crisis and analyze the television address that President...
Stanford University
Korean War
Learners study the cause of the Korean War. In this World history instructional activity, High schoolers read excerpts from two different textbooks, one from South Korea, and one from North Korea. They discuss how the cause of the war...
Curated OER
Multiple Perspectives on the Korean War
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Korean War lesson, students examine and analyze primary sources regarding U.S. involvement in the Korean War.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Refugees From Vietnam and Cambodia
The United States may have pulled its troops from the Vietnam War in 1973, but the conflict was far from over for the citizens living in Asia at the time. An informative resource lets learners know about the wave of over 220,000...
Curated OER
Thaw in the Cold War: Eisenhower and Khrushchev at Gettysburg
Middle schoolers discover how President Eisenhower's brand of diplomacy at this Pennsylvania farm temporarily eased the tensions of the Cold War.
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast Timelines of the World
Seventh graders create a classroom timeline of important world events. This activity is meant to be used during the entire school year. As the school year goes along, events are added to the timeline as chosen by the class. The events...
Smithsonian Institution
Battle of the Bulge: America Responds to a German Surprise
World War II and the Battle of the Bulge are the focus of a history resource. Exercises include analyzing images, writing letters in the mindset of a soldier, and even immersing oneself in a cold experience to better empathize with the...
Curated OER
Enemy or Ally: America's Response to the Russian Revolution
Students examine the events related to the Russian Revolution. In groups, they use the internet to discover the concerns of Woodrow Wilson during this time period and relate them to the origins of the Cold War. To end the lesson, they...
Delegation of the European Union to the United States
The Founding and Development of the European Union
How did Europe transition from a period of conflict to a period of sustained peace? As class members continue their study of the history and development of the European Union, groups examine the events in six time periods, from the...
Curated OER
Mapping the Cold War Arms Race
Seventh graders create a visual representation of the Cold War Arms Race. Using a map of the world, they identify where the events where the Cold War to place.
Students analyze the events and create a journal entry explaining how a...