Postwar America Unit Plan

Compelling Question: Were the 1950s a time of peace, progress, and prosperity for all
Americans?

Standards:
Content 8.1 Cold War and the United States
Standards ● 8.1.1 Origins and Beginnings of the Cold War - analyze the factors that
contributed to the Cold War, including:
○ Differences in the civic, ideological, and political values, and in
the economic and governmental institutions, of the United States
and the USSR.
○ Diplomatic and political actions by both the United States and the
USSR in the last years of WWII and the years afterward.
● 8.1.2 Foreign Policy During the Cold War - compare the causes and
consequences of the American policy of containment including:
○ The development and growth of the U.S. national security
establishment and intelligence community.
○ The direct and/or armed conflicts with Communism.
○ Indirect confrontations within specific world regions.
○ The arms race and its implications on science, technology, and
education.
8.2 Domestic Policies
● 8.2.1 Demographic Changes (Baby Boom, new immigration,
suburbanization, reverse migration of African Americans, the Indian
Relocation Act of 1956)
● 8.2.2 Policy Concerning Domestic Issues - analyze major domestic issues
in the post-WWII era and the policies designed to meet the challenges
by:
○ Describing issues challenging Americans, such a domestic
anticommunism (McCarthyism), labor, poverty, health care,
infrastructure, immigration, and the environment.

C3 D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by

Indicators unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.

D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape

people’s perspectives.

D2His.7.9-12. Explain how the perspectives of people in the present shape

interpretations of the past.

D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and

interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.

CCSS CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2
 Literacy Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source;
Standards provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the
course of the text.

CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.RH.9-10.5
Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an
explanation or analysis.

CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1B
Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (b) Develop claims and
counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the
strengths and limitations of both claims and counterclaims in a discipline-
appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge
level and concerns.

Skill-Based Learning Targets:

1. I can form an evidence-based argument about whether or not the 1950s were a time of
peace, prosperity, and progress for all Americans. (DOK 3)
2. I can compare and contrast the ideological, political, social, cultural, and economic
differences between the United States and the USSR during the Cold War. (DOK 2)
3. I can write a strong thesis with appropriate sub-theses. (DOK 3)
4. I can make and support generalizations using textual evidence. (DOK 3)
5. I can identify patterns in events or behavior. (DOK 2)

C3 Framework Dimensions 3 and 4:

Dimension 3 is addressed through activities or assessment denoted by blue text.
Dimension 4 is addressed through activities or assessment denoted by red text.

Supporting Questions

1) What was American society, culture, economy, and politics in the postwar years (late
1940s and 1950s)?
2) What were the factors that led America into the Cold War?
3) How did the Cold War affect America on the homefront?

Question #1
What was American society, culture, economy, and politics in the postwar years (late 1940s and
1950s)?

Learning Targets:
1) I can explain aspects of post-World War II and 1950s society, politics, and culture in the
United States. (DOK 1)
2) I can explain the relationship between how the United States adjusted after World War II
and the emergence of new aspects of society, culture, and economy in America. (DOK 2)
3) I can explain how media, culture, and individuals interact. (DOK 3)
 Instructional Sequence

Day 1 Postwar America: GI Bill, suburbanization, Baby Boom, etc.

● QOD (Question of the Day): What time period did you leave off at in
Content U.S. History A? What do you think we will study next, and why?
Standards: ● Self-Investigation and Debrief of Historical Thinking Chart with
8.2.1 students:
○ Sourcing
○ Contextualization
○ Close Reading
○ Corroboration
● Brief lecture with Guided Notes to “bring students up to date” on
important aspects of post-WWII realities: GI Bill, suburbanization, and
the Baby Boom. *include brief discussion of redlining*
● Students will participate in an interactive map activity where they will
investigate the concept of redlining.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 5

Day 2 The American Dream: Family Structures

● QOD: *Complete as an Exit Ticket* Do you think the media mostly
Content influences individuals, or is it the other way around? Can you think of a
Standards: current example?
8.2.1 ● Students will view the film, A Date With Your Family, while they answer
a series of questions on it and we stop to debrief.
● Students will participate in a discussion on if the film is an attempt to
influence society’s morals, or if the filmmakers truly viewed it as an
accurate portrayal of American society at the time.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 3

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 4

Day 3 The Fifties: A Time of Peace and Prosperity?

● QOD: In our studies so far, do you think that the 1950s were a time of
Content peace and prosperity? Explain.
Standards: ● Students will view the documentary, David Halberstam’s The Fifties:
8.2.1 “The Fear and the Dream,” Part 1

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 2

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1

Day 4 Pop-Culture in the 1950s - Women in the 1950s, Popular T.V. Shows, Music,
and Representations
Content ● QOD: Drawing upon what you learned in U.S. History A, how would
Standards: you explain the role of women in society in U.S. History so far?
8.2.1 ● Brief lecture with Guided Notes with background information on the
“current state” of women in the 1940s and 50s
● Students will view a series of documents from multiple perspectives that
will help them to answer the question: Is the image of the happy 1950s
housewife accurate? Why or why not? Along the way, students will
practice the components of Historical Thinking by Sourcing to make a
prediction, Contextualization, Close Reading to confirm or refute the
prediction, and Corroboration to come to a final conclusion.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 2

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 4, 5

Day 5 Postwar America: Early Civil Rights

● QOD: Remember back to U.S. History A. What was the concept of
Content “separate but equal,” and which Supreme Court case established it?
Standards: ● Students will participate in a White Out activity with the Supreme Court
8.2.1 decision on Brown vs. Board of Education to determine what the case
decided and what its significance was. Students will then trace how this
decision was carried out by completing a photo and video analysis of the
experiences of the Little Rock Nine.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 2

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1

Day 6 Postwar America: Early Civil Rights

● QOD: What terms and ideas do you associate with “civil rights”? Try to
Content give specific examples if you can.
Standards: ● Students will view a short “Eyes on the Prize” film clip on Emmett Till
8.2.1 containing primary source footage, which provides a case study of the
violence experienced by African Americans in the 1950s, especially
violence that was sparked in response to the Brown v. Board case.
https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/montgomery-bus-boycott
● Students will then compare the accounts of primary source documents (as
well as an excerpt from one secondary document, The Rebellious Life of
Mrs. Rosa Parks) on Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott to a
secondary source document (their textbook) and determine the
differences, as well as the significance of those differences. They will
then determine which source they think is the most accurate and reliable,
and why, in addition to questioning the problem of hero-making in
history.
● Exit Ticket: Based on our study of postwar America so far, were the
1950s a time of peace, progress, and prosperity for African Americans?
Why or why not?

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 2

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1
 Day 7 Postwar America: Truman vs. Eisenhower
● QOD: *Complete as an exit ticket: Explain one similarity and one
Content difference between the presidencies of Truman and Eisenhower.
Standards: ● Students will compare and contrast the administrations of President
8.2.2 Truman and President Eisenhower by evaluating a series of documents
and completing a Venn Diagram. The themes of the documents will be
split into different categories, including: domestic policy, disposition,
foreign policy, view of communism.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 4

Formative Assessment: Students will be assessed daily through the “Question of the Day.”
They will also be assessed through class discussion, classwork assignments, and short free-
writes/exit tickets throughout the unit.

Question #2
What were the factors that led America into the Cold War?

Learning Targets:
1) I can determine examples of the key ideological, political, economic, and social
differences between the United States and the USSR. (DOK 1)
2) I can determine the extent to which certain actions taken by the United States caused the
Cold War. (DOK 2)
3) I can determine how the ideas of key figures of the Cold War compare across text
passages. (DOK 3)

Instructional Sequence

Day 8 Cold War Begins - The Ideological differences between the US and USSR
● QOD: What do you know about the Cold War?
Content ● Students will evaluate a series of primary documents to determine who
Standards: was primarily responsible for the Cold War - the United States or the
8.1.1 USSR. As students read, they will practice Sourcing, Contextualization,
Close Reading, and Corroboration.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 2

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 2, 4

Day 9 Cold War Begins - The Ideological differences between the US and USSR
● QOD: Explain the differences between capitalism and communism.
Content ● Students will evaluate an interactive timeline that contains text, photos,
Standards: and videos of the beginning of the Cold War.
8.1.1 ○ Iron Curtain Speech
○ Truman Doctrine
 ○ McCarthyism
○ Marshall Plan
○ Berlin Airlift
○ NATO
○ Warsaw Pact
● After evaluating this timeline, students will complete a free-write of 1-2
paragraphs that responds to this question: How did the ideological,
economic, social, and political differences between the United States and
the USSR lead to the Cold War? Be sure to reference at least two
specific examples that resulted in growing tension.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 2, 3

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 2, 4

Day 10 Cold War in Asia - Korea

● QOD: Do you think it’s a good idea for the United States to fight wars to
Content stop the spread of communism in other parts of the world? Why or why
Standards: not?
8.1.2 ● Lecture with Guided Notes on the Korean War.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 2

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 5

Formative Assessment: Students will be assessed daily through the “Question of the Day.”
They will also be assessed through class discussion, classwork assignments, and short free-
writes/exit tickets throughout the unit.

Question #3
How did the Cold War affect America on the homefront?

Learning Targets:
1) I can analyze the message of propaganda posters and political cartoons. (DOK 2)
2) I can explain McCarthyism and its impact on the lives of American citizens. (DOK 1)
3) I can analyze the extent to which the 1950s were a time of peace, prosperity, and
progress, drawing from multiple sources. (DOK 3)

Day 11 Cold War at Home

● QOD: Make a prediction about how you think the Cold War impacted the
Content lives of everyday Americans.
Standards: ● Students will evaluate a series of propaganda posters and political
8.2.2 cartoons that communicate how the tension of the Cold War impacted the
homefront. The themes of these images will focus on the total rejection
of communism and the fear of atomic warfare.
● Students will then view videos of atomic bomb safety precaution videos
made during the 1950s, which they will record their responses to and
 discuss as a class.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 3

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 5

Day 12 Second Red Scare

● QOD: Do you think that having communists in America during the 1950s
Content was a threat to our society? Why or why not?
Standards: ● Brief Lecture on aspects of the Second Red Scare, including:
8.2.2 ○ Joe McCarthy and the rise of “McCarthyism”
○ Formation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
○ The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
● Students will investigate the role of Blacklisting as a case study on how
McCarthyism impacted all aspects of American culture. In order to do
this, students will view clips from several films/documentaries while they
answer a series of questions.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 2, 3

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 5

Day 13 Cold War Expansion

● QOD: *Complete as Exit Ticket: Based on our study of the Cold War so
Content far, what do you predict will be its outcome?
Standards: ● Students will investigate the expansion of the Cold War into space by
8.1.2 investigating the beginning of the “Space Race.” with an Edpuzzle
activity. This will also provide a hook for the next unit - what happens to
the Cold War issue.

Learning Targets to be mastered: 3

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 5

Day 14 Essay Prep

● Using the documents that we have analyzed over the course of the unit,
Content students will formulate a five paragraph argumentative essay that will
Standards: respond to the following prompt: “Many individuals describe the 1950s
8.2.2 as the ‘happy’ or ‘good old days’ in America. Were the 1950s a time of
peace, prosperity, and progress for all Americans?” In doing this,
students must engage the historical thinking skill of evaluating how we
remember the past and how that influences the present.

Learning Targets to be mastered: All

Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 3, 4

Day 15 Essay Prep

● Students will participate in a peer review activity that will allow them to
Content refine and edit their essays before turning them in for further feedback.
Standards:
8.2.2 Learning Targets to be mastered: All
Skill-Based Learning Targets to be mastered: 1, 3, 4

Formative Assessment: Students will be assessed daily through the “Question of the Day.”
They will also be assessed through class discussion, classwork assignments, and short free-
writes/exit tickets throughout the unit.

Summative Assessment for the unit: Students will complete two summative assessments for
this unit. The first summative assessment will be an argumentative essay where students will
answer our compelling question for the unit: “Many individuals describe the 1950s as the
‘happy’ or ‘good old days’ in America. Were the 1950s a time of peace, prosperity, and progress
for all Americans?” Students will also complete an objective unit test that will contain multiple
choice and short answer questions.

Appendix:

Mapping Inequality: Redlining in the 1930s and 1940s:

● https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/#loc=4/41.218/-105.499

A Date with your Family activity:

● http://www.vcsc.k12.in.us/Portals/1/VCSC/Documents/Hutchison/Date%20With
%20Your%20Family.pdf

David Halberstam’s The Fifties Part 1:

● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ooU8B2MBF8

Women in the 1950s Document Analysis:

● https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/women-1950s

Rosa Parks Primary Documents:

● https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/liberation-curriculum/lesson-plans/activities/part-one-
rosa-parks
Emmett Till Film Clip:
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fWsbnx-Ly0

Cold War Documents:

● https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/cold-war

Korean War Documentary:

● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoSRwmuVYyI

Interactive Timeline of the Cold War:

● https://www.sutori.com/story/interactive-cold-war-timeline--
5HrdFncHZjyPXKEjJynqE45X
Films about Hollywood Blacklisting:
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_the_Hollywood_blacklist