Ninth graders examine the reasons for the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and the rise of communism in China. They listen to a lecture and complete slot notes, listen to and read the lyrics to the song "We Didn't Start the Fire"...

The war against Communism and Joseph McCarthy’s place in it are the focus of a series of three lessons examining postwar America from 1945-1950. This first lesson asks groups to read an introduction that describes the Verona Project and...

Was the House Un-American Activities Committee justified in investigating subversive influences in the entertainment industry? Part two of the three-part series of lessons that examine the anti-communism movement after World War II,...

Ronald Reagan's 1983 speech to the National Association of Evangelicals (also know as the "Evil Empire Speech") offers readers with an opportunity to practice their skills at reading informational text, specifically primary source...

The end of World War II saw the world deeply changed over the last few years. Four thorough lessons explore post-war Europe, America, and Asia through reading assignments and discussion questions about the Grand Alliance and the signing...

High schoolers investigate the early years of the Cold War and the origins of containment. Both supporters as well as critics are probed to examine the differences that emerged in the months following the end of the war in Europe. This...

Students complete a matching game based on geographic features of Russia and label a map with these features. In this geography and politics lesson, students identify resources and populations in Russia and complete a T-Chart on a video...

Students examine the Russian Communist Revolution of 1917. They watch and discuss a video, take notes and answer video discussion questions, and read and evaluate newspaper articles about how Lenin and Stalin are viewed today in the...

Students uncover the roots of the Cold War. In this Cold War lesson, students research the political philosophies of the Soviet Union and the United States during the era as they define key vocabulary and discuss government systems....

Students examine the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In this NATO lesson, students research the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, and the Berlin airlift and how they...

Young scholars consider why South Koreans fought in the Vietnam War. In this Vietnam War lesson, students engage in an activity through which they investigate why South Koreans fought in the Vietnam War and how their...

Propaganda is an important topic that most high school social studies teachers address. Here, students compare and contrast methods of public persuasion during WWII with those used in the contemporary War on Terror. Research, discussion,...

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.

Students brainstorm names of astronauts from NASA space missions. They are explained that the Cold War was not actually a war but pervasive tension that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union for several decades...

Young scholars examine how the author tries to capture the reader's imagination immediately, through imagery--and hold on to it. They locate Ukraine on a world map and understand Lenin's role in the establishment of Russian communism and...

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.

Students study Russia's conversion from a communist nation to a capitalist nation.

Sixth graders explain the importance the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the role it played in the Cold War. After studying the crisis, 6th graders compose an essay describing the crisis and how the U.S. became vulnerable to nuclear...

High schoolers investigate what constitutes an "un-American" activity and why Soviet espionage was such an important issue in the 1940's and 1950's. Joseph McCarthy's impact on American anticommunism is examined in this lesson. There are...

Students investigate the goals and methods of the House Un-American Activities Committee and offer an opinion regarding whether their investigation of Hollywood was justifiable.

Students explore a website to gather some first impressions of the Cold War era and its impact on Canadian society and politics. They, in groups, answer questions about the Cold War on a worksheet imbedded in this plan.

Students analyze the Bush Doctrine and its effects on foreign policy. For this foreign policy lesson, students read and discuss the Bush Doctrine. Students research and debate on whether or not the Bush Doctrine should be part of U.S....

Eleventh graders explore the Bay of Pigs invasion and defend both sides of the issue.

Ninth graders present the major cultural, economic and political forces in Germany, Italy & Japan that allowed for the rise and dominance of totalitarian regimes in that country. They discuss how the above listed forces brought the...