United Nations and the Cold War Lesson Plans

Learners interview an adult that grew up in the United States during the Cold War to develop an understanding of the concept of mutually assured destruction. They focus the interview on how the person dealt with the threat of nuclear war. They present the interviews and discuss the events that led to the conclusion of the Cold War

Students study the Cold War. For this world history lesson, students research the Cold War on the Internet and create a mock newscast about the Cold War. Students record the newscast by using a video camera.

Eleventh graders are introduced to the events between the years 1949 and 1989. They list and explain key events and people that contributed to the development of the Cold War. Students are asked "what do you think Billy Joel meant by 'We didn't start the fire', and why do you think this has historical relevance, or does it?"

Students determine how the Cold War began. In this Cold War lesson, students examine primary documents and respond to analysis questions about them in order to understand what sparked the Cold War. Students create Cold War posters and write writes essays about the era.

Students investigate details about the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In this Cold War lesson, students create space race timelines that include information they gather from primary sources.

Eleventh graders take a closer look at the Red Scare. In this Cold War lesson plan, 11th graders read the provided literature about anti-communism in the United States and then respond to the provided discussion questions that accompany the readings.

Students examine the causes and the Korean War. In this Cold War lesson, students discover how the United States became involved in the Korean War and determine how it became a "flashpoint" in the Cold War. Students complete a worksheet activity.

Students determine who is responsible for the start of the Cold War. In this Cold War instructional activity, students conduct their own research about the evolution of the war and write essays that reveal their opinion on how the war began.

Students examine the Cold War roots of the recent debate over the construction of United States and Russian missile defense shields. They begin by reading and discussing the article, Putin Says Russia Would Counter U.S. Shield.

Students examine history and importance of Apollo Program, explore how Cold War helped create and sustain Apollo Program, and investigate how and why archaeologists and historians are attempting to preserve Apollo landing sites on moon.