edTPA Task 1: Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan 5: Assessment

Unit: The Cold War: 1945-1991

Course: U.S. History, 1877-Present

Grade: 9th Grade

Lesson #: 5 of 5

Date: February 19, 2020

Class Information

Theme: This course examines the history of the United States of America from 1877 to the
present. The federal republic has withstood challenges to its national security and
expanded the rights and roles of citizens. The episodes of its past have shaped the
nature of the country today and prepared it to attend to the challenges of tomorrow.
Understanding how these events came to pass and their meaning for today’s
citizens is the purpose of this course. The concepts of historical thinking introduced
in earlier grades continue to build with students locating and analyzing primary and
secondary sources from multiple perspectives to draw conclusions. This course
also utilizes the Founding Documents as a background for historic
application/exploration.

Size: 24 Students; Ages 14-17

Learning Information

Central Focus: What were the causes and effects of the Cold War?

Topic: The United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(U.S.S.R.) emerged as the two strongest powers in international
affairs. Ideologically opposed, they challenged one another in a series
of confrontations known as the Cold War. The costs of this prolonged
contest weakened the U.S.S.R. so that it collapsed due to internal
upheavals as well as American pressure. The Cold War had social
and political implications in the United States.

Content Standards: 22. Use of atomic weapons changed the nature of war, altered the
balance of power and began the nuclear age.

23. The United States followed a policy of containment during the

Cold War in response to the spread of communism.

1
 24. The Second Red Scare and McCarthyism reflected Cold War
fears in American society.

25. The Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced
domestic and international politics.

Goals: - Students will be able to display their growth of knowledge in

multiple ways, focusing on the ways that best suit them.
- Students will connect new information to past knowledge and
will combine it with their understanding of today.
- Students will use analytical skills to answer complex
questions.
- Students will familiarize themselves with AIR-Test style
questions.
- Students will display knowledge and understanding of the Cold
War in general and specifically the standards associated with
the topic.
- Exams will act as data to determine areas needed for review
and areas of strength that can be used in future units.

Objectives: - Students will complete the review bellringer.

- Students will complete the summative assessment.
- Students will display their knowledge through a variety of
questions including multiple-choice, matching, and short
answer questions.
- Students will display analytical skills in short answer and
multiple-choice questions.
- Students will display knowledge of vocabulary words in the
vocabulary section of the exam.

Procedures and Instruction

Bellringer: - Exam review bellringer. (5 minutes)

- Use a timer on the smartboard to keep track of time and keep pacing.
- Attendance will be taken during this time.
- As a group, we will go over this bellringer and students will be given the
chance to ask questions about areas they may be confused about.
- Once completed, students will turn in the bellringer to count towards the
weekly grade.

Lesson: Assessment

- Kahoot! and/or Quizlet Review depending on how well students do on these.

- Once students have everything put away and I will assign the exam on Google
Classroom. The exam will be in Locked Mode so they cannot exit the page. This
reduces the possibility of cheating.

2
 - They will have until the end of the period to complete the exam. When they are
finished, they can turn in the exam to their labeled box at the front of the room.
- During the exam, the intervention specialist (if not working with the student on an IEP),
the mentor teacher, and I will be available to answer any questions or help with any
issues should they arise. We will also be monitoring student Chromebooks through Go
Guardian and by walking around during the exam.

Expansions/Adaptations

- The intervention specialist will be available if any students need to take the exam in a
separate space or if they need focused help such as a reader or as a scribe. There is
also a student-management room (SMR) nearby that students can be sent if they
need to work alone or wish to work in a separate place. The exam can also be taken
on paper if they prefer. Students will also be given extra time if they should need it.

Resources

- Bellringer: Exam Review

- Kahoot​!
- Cold War I Exam
- Cold War I Accessibility Exam

Academic Language

Arms Race​: Cold war competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to build up their
respective armed forces and weapons.

Berlin Airlift​: airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of West Berlin when the
Russians closed off land access to Berlin.

Blacklist​: list of persons who were not hired because of suspected communist ties.

Blockade​: an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or
leaving.

Capitalism​: An economic system based on private property and free enterprise.

Cold War​: A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never
directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Communism​: a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a
society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to
their abilities and needs.

3
Containment​: A U.S. foreign policy adopted by President Harry Truman in the late 1940s, in
which the United States tried to stop the spread of communism by creating alliances and
helping weak countries to resist Soviet advances

Domino Theory​: A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then
neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)​: A congressional committee that

investigated Communist influence inside and outside the U.S. government in the years
following World War II.

Iron Curtain​: A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII,
restricting their ability to travel outside the region.

Marshall Plan​: A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe
(1948-1952).

McCarthyism​: The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for
communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House
Un-American Activities Committee.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)​: Military alliance created in 1949 made up of 12
non-Communist countries including the United States that support each other if attacked.

Second Red Scare​: immense fear of communism during the Cold War.

Soviet Union (USSR)​: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - Russia and 14 surrounding
nations with its capital in Moscow.

Truman Doctrine​: 1947, President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to
any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology.

Warsaw Pact​: An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations.
This was in response to NATO.

Past Knowledge: On Friday, February 14th, 2020, we finished the unit. Between the
reviews and the bellringer, students should be prepared for the exam.

Future Learning: The summative assessment is today. The exam is on Google Forms and
consists of multiple-choice, matching, and short answer questions. This
should provide a mix of preparation for the state test and provide
summative data. Tomorrow we will begin the unit of the Cold War in the
1960s.