Lesson plan
Goals and objectives
Students will learn about American anti-communist sentiment and the role of McCarthyism in the early 1950s. Students will be able to identify the link between the red scare and McCarthyism and their effect on growing American paranoia towards communism.
california state content standards
11.9.3 Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including the following:
o The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e.g., Alger Hiss) and blacklisting
o The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e.g., Alger Hiss) and blacklisting
Common core literacy standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
Driving historical question
How did the red scare and McCarthyism shape anti-communist sentiment within the United States during the 1950s?
Lesson introduction: 5-10 minutes
The instructor will introduce the topic by asking students how they would protect their country? The instructor will then direct the discussion into the problem of communism and the beginnings of the cold war. The instructor will then link the student’s answers to the content.
Vocabulary: 10-15 minutes
Students will create a vocabulary cartoon for each of the key terms in the lesson. Students will draw a picture, identify the term used, write the definition and use it in a sentence that describes the cartoon they’ve drawn. Key terms include:
- Communism
- House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
- Blacklist
- Alger Hiss
- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
- McCarthyism
- Communism
- House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
- Blacklist
- Alger Hiss
- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
- McCarthyism
Content delivery: 20-25 minutes
The instructor will have the students read the textbook sections that identify the content discussed in the introduction. Students will read chapter 18, section 3 and will read the first three sub-headings; Fear of Communist Influence, Spy Cases Stun the Nation and McCarthy Launches his “Witch Hunt”. Students will read these topics by themselves in a close-reading session. The instructor will monitor the classroom to ensure that everyone is on task. Students will discuss in small groups the comparisons between the red scare and anti-communist sentiment and the war on terror. The instructor will move the group discussion to a whole-class discussion.
Student Engagement: 20-25 minutes
As the students read, they will create a foldable organizer. The foldable will list the aspects of the red scare and McCarthyism, and ask the students to describe the characterization of programs created during this time, their purpose, who was affected and their relation to the current day war on terror. The foldable will be created much like a matrix; students will fold the paper burrito style to make an organizational grid. The students will follow the instructor’s example in order to create their foldable. Students will work on this with their groups and discuss the comparison between McCarthyism/Anti-Communist sentiment and the war on terror.
Lesson closure: 10 minutes
Students will write a short summary comparing and contrasting the general anti-communist sentiment of the 1950s with the anti-terrorist sentiment of the 2000s. The instructor will collect the summaries at the end of class.
Assessments (Formative and Summative)
Formative: The group discussions provide a great way for the instructor to monitor student’s progress and the quality of student’s comparisons. In addition, the instructor can use the whole class discussion to identify what students need some additional development in understanding the content. Lastly, the foldable can give an instructor an insight into how well developed an individual student’s responses are and if they are able to make connections between the material and the contemporary world.
Summative: The short summary at the end of the lesson will be used as an assessment of the classes’ understanding of the material. If needed, the instructor will re-teach the content based on the scores from the summary.
Summative: The short summary at the end of the lesson will be used as an assessment of the classes’ understanding of the material. If needed, the instructor will re-teach the content based on the scores from the summary.
Accommodations for English learners, Striving readers and students with special needs
The instructor will supply English Learners with an English/Spanish dictionary to help them with any complicated words. The vocabulary assignment combines reading, writing and visual learning, which benefit English Learners, Striving Readers and Special Needs Students. In addition, the instructor will group these students with advanced and proficient students that can help scaffold and guide them to success.
Resources
The Americans, McDougal Littell