Cold War

Individual assignments using primary sources.

Students will analyze oral histories related to the Marshall Plan.

For homework, each student will be given a transcript of the speech given by George Marshall at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, and a list of 11 questions (added to the bottom of this form) to answer concerning the speech.

This activity will involve analyzing various propaganda techniques in the address delivered by President Harry S. Truman at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 30, 1948, during his reelection campaign.

Investigate other sources to determine Cause(s) and Effect(s) of various early Cold War events.

Students will examine the Marshall Plan through political cartoons of the era.

Cooperative learning/using primary sources/critical thinking

The lesson is for use in an IB 20th Century World History class, made up of High School juniors and seniors. It is a cooperative learning assignment which uses key primary source documents from the Truman administration.

Students will design a campaign to promote the Marshall Plan. This ad campaign can be done in the form of posters, speeches, websites, or other multi-media outlets.

Students will study communism as it related to the Cold War. In particular, they will study the Korean War and the war in Vietnam. They will watch clips of speeches on the SmartBoard, read articles, and build a mock fallout shelter in the classroom.