This unit plan focuses on teaching 9th and 10th grade students about the Cold War. The unit aims to help students understand key questions like who fought in the Cold War, the difference between ideological wars and others, and how the Cold War changed American foreign policy. Students will learn about the collapse of the Soviet Union by doing grouped presentations and station learning. They will also create a flow chart to understand the causes and effects of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan. Additionally, students will make an illustrated timeline of important Cold War events. Assessment will include entry-level questions, a webquest, and a final summative where students create storybooks about different Cold War topics and teach their classmates.

1. Digital Unit Plan Template
Unit Title: The Cold War Cometh Name: Jacob Larsen
Content Area: Social Studies Grade Level: 9-10
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
10.9 Students analyze the international developments in the post–World War II world.
1. Compare the economic and military power shifts caused by the war, including the Yalta Pact, the
development of nuclear weapons, Soviet control over Eastern European nations, and the economic
recoveries of Germany and Japan.
2. Analyze the causes of the Cold War, with the free world on one side and Soviet client states on the other,
including competition for influence in such places as Egypt, the Congo, Vietnam, and Chile.
3. Understand the importance of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, which established the
pattern for America’s postwar policy of supplying economic and military aid to prevent the spread of
Communism and the resulting economic and political competition in arenas such as Southeast Asia (i.e.,
the Korean War, Vietnam War), Cuba, and Africa.
4. Analyze the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao Tse-tung, and the subsequent political and economic
upheavals in China (e.g., the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square
uprising).
5. Describe the uprisings in Poland (1956), Hungary (1956), and Czechoslovakia (1968) and those
countries’ resurgence in the 1970s and 1980s as people in Soviet satellites sought freedom from Soviet
control.
6. Understand how the forces of nationalism developed in the Middle East, how the Holocaust affected
world opinion regarding the need for a Jewish state, and the significance and effects of the location and
establishment of Israel on world affairs.
7. Analyze the reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union, including the weakness of the command
economy, burdens of military commitments, and growing resistance to Soviet rule by dissidents in

2. satellite states and the non-Russian Soviet republics.
8. Discuss the establishment and work of the United Nations and the purposes and functions of the
Warsaw Pact, SEATO, NATO, and the Organization of American States.
Big Ideas:
The Big Ideas for this unit which I aim to have the kids walk away with a clear understanding of is: who
fought in the Cold War, what is the difference between a war of ideologies and all others, how did the Cold
War change American foreign policy, and the effects of Communism (+different forms) on each individual
country. If the students can understand the answers to these major questions, than they will be well
informed freshmen that will better be able to understand the world the live in today.
Unit Goals and Objectives:
1. Students will be able to describe the collapse of the Soviet Union through grouped station
learning and oral presentations.
2. Students will be able to understand the causes and effects of the Truman Doctrine and the
Marshall Plan through the creation of a flow chart.
3. Students will be able to organize the key events of the Cold War into an illustrated timeline.
Unit Summary:
This unit will be a lot about the ‘big picture’ in which hindsight is used and emphasized. Rather than
focusing on the ‘good-guy vs. bad guy’ topics within the Cold War, I would prefer to keep the focus on how
this period changed the scope of international politics through present times. Students will be able to
grasp why America constantly has their hands in the cookie jar of foreign affairs. I hope to capture the
broad scope of this unit in an effective way which will be memorable and measurable for the students.

3. Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level:
Students will be asked entry-Level questions each
day as they enter class about prior knowledge
learned from movies, comics, or other media
sources about Cold War themes.
Formative:
Students will complete a Webquest that allows
each a good overview of the unit while at the same
time encouraging good internet researching
practices.
Summative:
For the summative exam, students will be creating a
Storybook that details particular aspects of the Cold
War. Because each student will be individually
creative a Storybook that only focus' on a facit, once
completed the students will take part in teaching
their classmates about their work. As they
circulate, teacher will make sure that each student
hears about all other events by designating groups.
Lesson 1
Student Learning Objective:
Students will be able to understand the
development of the Cold War by completing guided
notes that detail the rising conflict after the
completion of WWII.
Acceptable Evidence:
Each student will be expected to complete guided
reading notes and an exit slip.
Instructional Strategies:
x Communication
☐ Collection
☐ Collaboration
x Presentation
x Organization
☐ Interaction
Lesson 2
Student Learning Objective:
Students will be able to understand the scope of the
Cold War by completing a Storybook graphic
organizer and then teaching their classmates.
Acceptable Evidence:
Each student will complete a graphic organizer
which will be turned into a 9 page storybook, full of
images and detailed paragraphs.
Instructional Strategies:
x Communication
x Collection
x Collaboration

4. x Presentation
x Organization
x Interaction
Lesson 3
Student Learning Objective:
Students will be able to organize the key events of
the Cold War on an online Webquest
Acceptable Evidence:
Webquest worksheet is available for download and
must be completed, printed, and turned it.
Instructional Strategies:
☐ Communication
x Collection
☐ Collaboration
☐ Presentation
x Organization
☐ Interaction
Unit Resources:
Modern World History - Patterns of Interaction by McDougal Littell
Cold War Resource Site: http://www.coldwar.org/resources.asp
US Historical Documents listings: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/
Cold War Overview: http://history1900s.about.com/
Useful Websites:
Cold War Resource Site: http://www.coldwar.org/resources.asp
US Historical Documents listings: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/

5. Cold War Overview: http://history1900s.about.com/

6. Cold War Overview: http://history1900s.about.com/