Teacher: Zachary Baldwin
Room #:
Lesson # in unit:
Period (s):
Topic: Cold War Introduction
Social Studies Lesson Objective and Assessment:
By the end of class the student will be able to:
Articulate the agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam regarding the nature of the postwar world.
Explain the differences that emerged regarding those agreements in the months following the end of the war in
Europe.
NCSS Thematic Standards
Culture and Cultural Diversity
Power, Authority, and Governance
Time, Continuity, and Change
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
People, Places, and Environments
Science, Technology, and Society
Individual Development and Identity
Global Connections
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Civic Ideals and Practices
Supporting Diverse Learners
Strategies/Activities Selected:
Methods for Instruction
Class/Group Discussion
Cooperative Learning
Small Group
Guided Practice
Lecture or Direct
Instruction
Bookwork (Reading)
Question/Answer
Learning Stations
Teacher Modeling/Demo.
Journal writing
Role Play
Hands-on
Inquiry Learning
Game
Simulation/Role Playing
Independent Learning
Other
Use of Materials
Teacher Manual pg #
Student Text pg #
Picture Books
More Activities That Teach
Handouts: Yalta and
Potsdam conference excerpts
and worksheets
Manipulative
Maps
Artifacts
Related Equipment:
Other:
Adapted materials
Use of Technology
Cell Phone
PollEverywhere.com
CPS Clickers
Elmo Document Camera
Software
Student Computers
Teacher Computer w/LCD
Video Clips/DVD
Website
Other
Lesson Agenda
Warm up: How will you support students in accessing prior knowledge, personal, real world and/or cultural connections?
On the projector screen I will have the daily bell ringer posted that students will complete upon entering the
classroom. The goal of the bell ringer will be to determine student knowledge on the beginning of the Cold War.
I will ask students to write down at least three things that they know about the Cold War.
Transitioning and Stating Objectives:
I will explain that today we will be discussing the beginning of the Cold War following the end of WWII. TO do
this, we will be analyzing excerpts from the Yalta and the Potsdam conferences that were held mainly between the
U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Transition to Instruction: What support strategies will you use to scaffold students learning so they meet or exceed
targeted?
I will begin by asking students what they wrote down for their bell ringer and I will write their responses on the board briefly explaining
each event as I write it down.
I will then explain the fact that the United States and the Soviet Union were able to work together to defeat Germany and the Axis power
in WWII, but that did not mean that the two countries would continue to get along following the war. The main issue was that the two
were organized on completely different principles. The United States was based on democratic capitalism, while the Soviet Union was
based on totalitarian socialism. By the end of the war, it was clear they would emerge as the world's two superpowers, but it was also
clear that they had conflicting ideas for what the world should look like. A number of issues divided U.S. and Soviet policy makers, but
two were particularly large in 1945–1946. These were the future of Germany and the future of Eastern Europe. I will be sure to explain
the background information regarding the Yalta conference and the Potsdam conference including the date it took place and the reason it
was held when I am explain the group activities. I will then explain that we are going to break into a group activity to analyze the two
conferences.
Transition Guided Practice:
During conferences at Yalta and Potsdam the Allied forces concluded agreements for the world following the war. The most important
concerned the fate of Germany and Eastern Europe. In this activity students will consider those agreements so that they will understand
how they later unraveled. I will begin by dividing the class into two groups. The first will be responsible for reading excerpts from the
proceedings of the Yalta Conference, while the second will do the same for the Potsdam Conference.
While each group is analyzing their documents, they will be completing a worksheet to organize the information that they found in the
documents. After this, each group present their findings to the whole class with a different student speaking about different aspects.
Transition to Independent Practice and Conferencing:
Transition to Wrap up/Closing: How will you engage students in self-assessment and/or reflection on key concept?
Using the last 10-15 minutes of the class, I will ask students to write one to two paragraphs answering the following questions:
1.
According to the United States, how did Soviet behavior regarding Germany conflict with the sentiments expressed at Yalta and
Potsdam?
2.
According to the United States, how did Soviet behavior regarding Eastern Europe conflict with the sentiments expressed at
Yalta and Potsdam?
Daily Assessment How do you know your
students met your lesson objective(s) and to
what degree?
Bloom’s Taxonomy
knowledge
comprehension
application
analysis
synthesis
evaluation
Formative:
Class discussion
CPS clickers
Email teacher
Entrance/Exit slip
Teacher Observe
Listened to conversations
Quiz
Thumbs up, neutral, or down
Homework check
Video quiz
Voting
Whiteboard Check
Other
Summative:
Test
Project
Report
Presentation
Final Exam
Other
Additional Teacher Preparation:
Copy:
Locate:
Daily Reflection This would be a section at the end for the teacher to note any strengths or weaknesses of the plan. What are next the
steps for students and how will you get them there? What worked well?