Duck and Cover: The Cold War (Lesson Plan)

Lesson Plan title - Duck and Cover: The Cold War

General description -The class will examine the duck and cover concept and the media issues and it brings up via work on their learning cube.

Rationale - Since this lesson will be done during the first week that the class is covering the cold war there can not be too much collective knowledge on the cold war era.  The duck and cover concept can help students understand exactly what the cold war was about and how far the war went.  It puts them into students of the cold war era's shoes and makes them realize that this is not just something from the past, even when the duck and cover concept is silly. The premise behind the cold war and what made the duck and cover concept to begin with is still a valid issue.

Objectives - The students should be able to understand and demonstrate what the United States was like, socially, in the beginning of the cold war.  Students should be able to strengthen their message analysis skills by exploring duck and cover. They should have a moderate understanding of the cold war and an in depth understanding of the way media, specifically the duck and cover cartoon, had an effect on the arms race and society.

ISTE NETS•T standard "2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments  a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity  3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning  d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information
resources to support research and learning"

Procedure

Opening:
The class will open with a short ten minute video courtesy of YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0K_LZDXp0I) of the Duck and Cover video that used to be shown in schools to instruct young people on what to do during the case of nuclear emergency. I’ll hand out a packet of pictures from the video and children actually ducking and covering (for their help/example). I’ll then hand out the activity cubes (green – on/above grade level and blue – below grade level).

Main activity:
At this point I will explain what the cube is and what I expect from everyone.  I’ll explain how the there will be time today (the day the cube gets handed out) and tomorrow, but the rest needed to be finished up by Friday, that’s when they need to be handed in, for homework.

The Green cube:
Side1 – Describe in two to three paragraphs how “Duck and Cover” was used during the cold war era citing at least two scholarly sources.
Side 2 – Do you think that the Duck and Cover video and concept was effective, why or why not?
Side 3 – Find two or three friends with the same color cube and write a script for duck and cover or another institutionalized practice (i.e. fire drill, tornado drill, etc.) then record it either digitally or on a dvd. Make sure that everyone has an equal share of this work.
Side 4 – Explain what duck and cover is used for and how it is done, cite the text book and the video at least once each (two to three paragraphs).
Side 5 – In the even of nuclear warfare, will duck and cover work?
Side 6 – Go to http://www.nd.edu/~nsl/Lectures/phys20061/index.htm and choose a chapter, read it/look at the slides, and write a one page (hand written or double spaced, size 12 font) response.

The Blue cube:
Side1 – Describe in two to three paragraphs how “Duck and Cover” was used during the cold war era.
Side 2 – Write a journal entry of what a child going through the duck and cover learning process would think about the concept and their day to day lives.
Side 3 – After looking at the pictures in the hand out and watching the video, draw or create 5-10 pictures showing what duck and cover or another institutionalized practice (i.e. fire drill, tornado drill, etc.) would look like (imagine an instructions packet through pictures).  Number the order of the pictures in the top right hand corner and staple it on the left hand top corner. Computers and real pictures may be used to create the pictures.
Side 4 – Explain what duck and cover is used for and how it is done, cite the video at least once (two to three paragraphs).
Side 5 – In the even of nuclear warfare, will duck and cover work?
Side 6 – Go to http://www.nd.edu/~nsl/Lectures/phys20061/index.htm and read the chapter/slides 13 on
“The Nature of the Blast” and write a one page (hand written or double spaced, size 12 font) response.

Closing:
Five minutes prior to the end of the class I will remind the students that they can use the wiki to talk to me or classmates if they need help or have questions on their cubes.

Assessment (How would you assess this assignment?)
I will know if they understood the key concepts of this lesson if the results of their cubes are answered fully and the project reflects creativity and thoughtfulness. A student that is lacking in either area will not do as well as those that are not.

Extensions - Students can apply this toward other institutionalized drills and practices like the fire drill etc. and they can explore that outside of the cube assignment.

Resources
http://www.nd.edu/~nsl/Lectures/phys20061/index.htm and the cube, the video duck and cover video from YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0K_LZDXp0I), the handout sheet with the pictures on it, and anything else that an individual might need.