{"type":"default","seo":{"title":"Cold War Lesson Plan & Activities | HMH","description":"Use these Cold War lesson plans and activities for middle school and high school to teach students about the decades-long period of geopolitical tensions between the United States and Soviet Union.","headercode":"","ogtitle":"Teaching World History: Cold War Lesson Plan and Activities","ogdescription":"Teach students about the decades-long period of geopolitical tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union with these free downloadable resources for Grades 6–12.","ogimage":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/int-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/seo/30.60I-US-History-Cold-War_6699dd8b7813014bf9718f78f267b2d1.jpg","seosettings":{"noIndexNoFollow":false,"showGtm":true},"keywords":"","canonical":""},"redirect":[],"entrysettings":{"includeinsearch":true,"showglobalmessaging":true},"globalsettings":{"standardheader":true,"standardfooter":true},"url":"/blog/cold-war-lesson-plans-activities","id":74434,"title":"Teaching World History: Cold War Lesson Plan and Activities","slug":"cold-war-lesson-plans-activities","bodycontainer":[{"type":"copy","headline":null,"richtext":"
After World War II, geopolitical tensions arose between the United States and the Soviet Union, with the United States adopting a policy of containment to prevent the spread of communism. At the same time, an “arms race” of sorts began between the two countries, with each developing and testing nuclear weapons.
The Cold War soon extended to space, with each country vying to outpace the other in launching humans beyond our home planet—the Soviet Union launched the artificial satellite Sputnik in 1957, but the U.S. landed a man on the moon in 1969. Lasting decades, this overall period of tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union ended in 1991, when the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
As a Cold War lesson plan, have students look atthis timeline(with a supplemental enrichment activityavailable for download as a PDF). Then, distribute the accompanying resources: a memo from President John F. Kennedy to Vice President Lyndon Johnson (primary source enrichment activity) and a writing enrichment activity honoring Cold War heroes.
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Download our free activities calendar for fun lessons to do with your class, plus engaging ways to commemorate and celebrate events throughout the year.
Download our free activities calendar for fun lessons to do with your class, plus engaging ways to commemorate and celebrate events throughout the year.
Get our free administrator’s guide to building a positive school culture, filled with practical advice, real-world examples, and resources for further exploration.
Download our free activities calendar for fun lessons to do with your class, plus engaging ways to commemorate and celebrate events throughout the year.
Get our free administrator’s guide to building a positive school culture, filled with practical advice, real-world examples, and resources for further exploration.
After World War II, geopolitical tensions arose between the United States and the Soviet Union, with the United States adopting a policy of containment to prevent the spread of communism. At the same time, an “arms race” of sorts began between the two countries, with each developing and testing nuclear weapons.
The Cold War soon extended to space, with each country vying to outpace the other in launching humans beyond our home planet—the Soviet Union launched the artificial satellite Sputnik in 1957, but the U.S. landed a man on the moon in 1969. Lasting decades, this overall period of tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union ended in 1991, when the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
As a Cold War lesson plan, have students look atthis timeline(with a supplemental enrichment activityavailable for download as a PDF). Then, distribute the accompanying resources: a memo from President John F. Kennedy to Vice President Lyndon Johnson (primary source enrichment activity) and a writing enrichment activity honoring Cold War heroes.
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Give your students the chance to act like historians and develop their analytical skills with our social studies curriculum. Learn more.
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