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"...

High schoolers 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...

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

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...

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....

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 examine a communist regime and what it means to live within a communist societyl.

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...

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...

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...

High schoolers 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...

Students 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 three...

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...

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...

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 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 political regimes of the 1900s. In this government structures lesson, students watch "Fighting 20th Century Tyranny," and discuss the Holocaust and communism. Students simulate mock interviews with the individuals in the...

Students research Senator Joseph McCarthy's February 9, 1950 speech, given at Wheeling, West Virginia, in which he claimed more than 200 State Department employees were members of the Communist Party.

Students are instructed using a cross curricular type of lesson. The time period that they focus upon is the founding of the Soviet Union as a superpower in the world after WWII. The rise of communism is also taken into consideration.

Students 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 unit...

Students examine the division of North and South Korea. They identify the ideological differences and the tensions between the two countries. They discuss the threat of nuclear weapons as well.

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 read The Train Ride Home by Robin Solomon. In this literature response lesson plan, students will inspect the writing of Solomon to determine how she established a certain tone through her word choice...