Introduction | Task | Process | Segments | Roles | Evaluation | Conclusion
The end of World War II brought an uneasy peace to the world. Our old enemies, Japan and Nazi Germany, had been soundly defeated. But old friends became new enemies who would dominate our resources, time and attention for decades to come. They would cause us to question the meaning of the word “American”.
Little did we realize that the conferences at Yalta and Potsdam signaled, not the end of hostilities, but the dawn of a new era in warfare. Following the end of WW II, the USSR's domination of eastern Europe, coupled with its active support of Communist movements in the rest of the world, raised the fear of world revolution and conquest. The history of the world was dominated by the threat of communist imperialism countered by the free world insistence that communism must be, if not eradicated, at least contained. The U.S. came to the conclusion that 1) communism endangered the existence of every peace-loving and independent nation in the world, and 2) most countries could not successfully combat communism or maintain their independence without our help. The U.S. took the lead in curbing further Communist expansion. Soviet moves to extend communism and American countermoves to halt its spread became known as the Cold War. The struggle involved economic, political, and diplomatic weapons. In some cases "limited wars" were fought with weapons that were all too real.
The new era was characterized by mutual
distrust, suspicion, and misunderstanding by both sides. It became increasingly
difficult to distinguish our friends from our enemies. Even within our own
country the line between loyalty and treachery became blurred. We believed that
we were under attack from the enemy without as well as the enemy within.
Espionage, the race of nuclear superiority, and a number of open conflicts left
us staring at the constant possibility of a third world war.
You and your team will be responsible for producing one specific segment of a documentary. Each segment production team will be responsible to:
1. Each member of the group conducts research in order to contribute materials essential to the production of your group's segment. Research should incorporate a variety of resources including textbooks, materials from the Media Center, as well as Internet resources (those listed here as well as those you may find on your own). A list of all of the research sources will be kept so that it can be incorporated into a written and PowerPoint slide-based Works Consulted list using proper MLA Citation for citing formats for all materials.
You may also refer to Writer’s Inc.for the on-line formats presented in
InfoLit.
2. Divide up the four roles among your group members.
3. Access the web page for your specific role listed in the Group Roles section below. There, you will find a thorough description of your role and the responsibilities associated with it.
4. Organize the group's research and prepare it for use in the segment PowerPoint presentation.
5. Construct your group segment collaboratively using PowerPoint.
6. Meet with others who also have your role in other groups to brainstorm and troubleshoot common problems and concerns.
7. Edit and fine tune your segment before submitting it to the teacher.
8. View the assembled documentary using the study guides.
9. Each group will be assigned individual grades based on the work of each member, and the teacher's evaluation of the group segment.
Each group segment will be evaluated using a grading rubric. This rubric will assess the following categories:
Once the group segment grade has been determined, the group will then decide how to fairly distribute points to each group member. Each group member will receive an individual grade based on the group segment grade as well as the work and effort that they have put into the project.
After completing this WebQuest, you will understand the major events of the Cold War. Once you have completed this activity, check your understanding of these events by considering the following essential questions:
Last updated March 5, 2008
Based on a template from The WebQuest Page.