Glastonbury Foreign Language Program
Curricular Unit: Rocky and Bullwinkle Fight the Cold War (Russian)
Grade: 8
Subject/Topic Area(s): Tension between USSR and US
Key Words: Sputnik, nuclear proliferation, cold war, iron curtain, Cuban Missle Crisis, Nikita Kruschev, Korolev

Standards:

Major standards— 1.1, 1.3, 3.1
Supporting standards— 5.2

Brief Summary of Unit (including curricular context and unit goals):

This is a unit on the the tensions that grew in the 1960's beween the Soviet Union and the United States. In this unit the students will see the stereotypes that Hollywood portrayed of the Soviet Union, its inhabitants, and its intelligence gathering forces.

Number of days for activity: 10

Materials and resources (including technology and multimedia):

Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Video, selected episodes
Preassigned Cold War website research
Sting song with lyrics,"Russians"
Natasha and Boris dolls

Identifying Desired Results

•  What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning?

What does foreign mean?

•  What enduring understandings are desired?

Student will understand...

the reasons for the rise of tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, the roles of the Cuban Missle Crisis and the Space Race, and the way that Russians were typecast by authors and screenwriters.

•  What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?

Students will know…

how serious the threat was to the United States as the Russians set up a base in Cuba, and the effect that the launch of Sputnik had on the space industry and the US educational system.

Students will be able to…

gather firsthand information of these historical events by interviewing a resident of Glastonbury in small groups.

Vocabulary:

Grammar:

•  What do they already know that will help them learn new information? Where and when did they learn it?

They may know of the history of the language program here in Glastonbury, which is directly linked to the launch of Sputnik! They will study as part of their Grade 8 Social Studies curriculum the Cold War Era.

Determining acceptable evidence

•  What evidence will show that students understand?

Performance Tasks:
Whole class Powerpoint presentation of oral interviews, with a photo of the person being interviewed and brief highlights(quotes) of his/her personal story.

Quizzes, Tests, Prompts, Work Samples:
Brainstorming session of topic, potential interviewee, and list of specific questions to ask

Unprompted Evidence (observations, dialogues):


Student Self-Assessment:
In their groups- self critique of Powerpoint presentation and contribution to class project

Lessons:

Links to Relevant Web Sites:  

Sputnik sites: www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Sputnik
www.turnerlearning.com/cnn/coldwar/Sputnik/sput_dis.html
www.library.thinkquest.org/10830.sputnik/html
www.pbs.org/newshour//bb/science/july-dec97/Sputnik_10-2.html
Cold War sites: www.CNN.com/ColdWar
www.learningcurve.pro.gov.uk/coldwar
www.encarta.msn.com
Cuban Missle Crisis Sites: www.library.thinkquest.org/11046/   www.personal.psu.edu/staff/r/x/rxb297/CUBA/MAIN.html (includes useful sites) www.ibiblio.org/expo/soviet.exhibit/x2jfk.html

Assessment Blueprint (Performance Tasks)

Task Title:
Approximate Time Frame:
Standards:
Purpose: check those that apply Formative – Summative –
Description of Task:



Evidence of desired understanding:

Criteria of judgment:

Evaluative Tools: check those that apply
Analytic Rubric –
Holistic Rubric –
Criterion (performance) list –
Checklist –

Assessment Blueprint (Other Evidence)

•  What is being assessed?

•  Describe the assessment.  

•  What is the purpose of the assessment?      

•  Criteria of judgment/evaluative tools: