Purpose: To explore the ideological tensions and worldwide conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States between 1945-1989. To explore how the cold war turned hot in Germany, Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam. To analyze the effect the cold war had on the American people at home including air raid drills, McCarthyism, and war protests. To examine the events and leadership responsible for ending the cold war.

Goals: At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. compare American (Capitalism) and Soviet Values (Communism) during the cold war.
2. identify and explain the significance of the following cold war terms: NATO, Warsaw Pact, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Sputnik, Korean Conflict Berlin Blockade, Bay of Pigs invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis.
3. explore the effects of Communism on the American people including air raid drills, McCarthyism, and war protests.
4. trace the history of conflict in Vietnam including French and US involvement
5. evaluate the roles of the Reagan and Gorbechev administrations in bringing about an end to the Cold War.

Skills: At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. write interview questions
2. conduct an interview and write report based on responses
3. analyze music and song lyrics

Homework Assignments (20 points)

Notebook: class participation including daily warm-ups, student response sheet, handouts, small group projects (40 points)

Vietnam Oral History Project/ Interview (50 points)

Unit Test (100 points)

Read Chapter 16 Section 1 pg. 485-490 Answer the following: (5 points)

1. Explain why 1945 was a critical year in international relations and how it was followed by conflicting postwar goals.

2) Describe how the Soviet Union tightened its control over Eastern Europe.

3) What was the iron curtain? How did the United States react to it?

Read Chapter 21 Section 1 pg. 617-621 Answer the following: (5 points)

1) Describe the background events leading up to the war between North and South Vietnam.

2) Describe how President Johnson changed the course of the war.

Read Chapter 21 Section 2 pg. 622-625 Answer the following: (5 points)

1) Describe the conditions under which American soldiers fought in Vietnam.

2) Identify the effects of the war on Vietnamese civilians.

3) Summarize the impact of the massacre at My Lai.

Read Chapter 21 Section 5 pg. 634-638 Answer the following: (5 points)

1) Explain how opponents of the Vietnam War helped force Johnson’s departure and describe how they reacted to Nixon’s policies.

2) Describe how American troop withdrawal came about and what it meant for South Vietnam.

3) Describe the legacy of the Vietnam War. How would you describe it to your children?

Vietnam War Oral History Project

1. Find a person to interview who was affected by or involved in the Vietnam War: a Vietnam Veteran, a Vietnamese refugee, a protester, a family member of a veteran, or even a parent or friend who watched the war unfold on the nightly news.

2. Prepare open-ended questions (10 minimum) that reveal as much as possible about the ways in which the Vietnam War impacted your interviewee. In addition to the questions that you prepare specifically for your interviewee, ask these questions:

1. Why did the United States fight a war in Vietnam?
2. How did you feel about the war at that time?
3. In what ways did the Vietnam War affect America?
4. In what ways did it affect the world?
5. Do you think America should be praised or condemned for its involvement in the Vietnam war? Why or why not?

3. Conduct the interview. Be sure to ask the interviewees to elaborate on their answers. Ask follow-up questions when appropriate.

4. Once you have conducted the interview and recorded the responses of the interviewee, your oral history should be formatted as follows:

Section 1 introduces the interviewee by telling who they are ( unless anonymity is requested), how old they were and what they were doing during the war, and what they do now.

Section 2 relates how the war impacted them personally. Information for this section comes from the answers given to the questions that you prepared especially for them.

Section 3 deals with the interviewees’ perception of the Unites States involvement in Vietnam. Information for this section comes from the answers given to the standard teacher constructed questions listed above.

Section 4 is the conclusion in which you reflect on what you learned from the interviewee experience. Here you record the insights you gained by talking about the interviewee about the war.

Section 5 Attach the interview questions and responses to the oral history report. The following rubric will be used to assess your interview.

Directions: This form is designed to help evaluate oral history about the Vietnam War.

10= Excellent 8=Very Good 6=Average 4= Needs improvement 2= weak 0= missing

Section 1 The interviewee is clearly identified and basic information provided.

Section 2 The impact of the Vietnam war on the interviewee is evident and personal accounts present a vivid picture of their experience.

Section 3 The interviewees perception of the US involvement is clearly communicated based upon their responses to the teacher constructed questions.

Section 4 Student has offered their own thoughts, insights and reflection on the interview. Student summarizes what they learned from the experience and what they would still like to know.

Section 5 Student prepared thoughtful, open-ended questions prior to the interview and took detailed, clear notes during the interview.