Ben Franks
EPSY 485
Context:
The school that I am at contains a lot of diversity. There is approximately 45% White, 40%
Black, 7% Latino, 6 % Asian, and 2% other students for the racial makeup. My classroom itself
(24 students) reflects these percentages as well. My class is a required social studies class that must be taken by all students so the academic achievement of my students is a broad spectrum
(not classified as honors or a lower track class either). In addition, about half my class receives free or reduced-fare lunch, and I have 4 students with IEPs (mostly behavioral problems). The school is predominantly urban and almost all my students in my class live near the school. My students are all of senior status, but some are repeating the course because they failed to pass the
Illinois Constitution Test, which is included as part of the course curriculum.
Unit of Study:
The name of the unit is labeled “The Choice is Yours: Putting Yourself in the Oval Office
During the Cold War.” As stated, this unit is intended for 12 th
graders, and will focus on various choices presidents had to make during the Cold War Era. Some topics to be included will be The
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The main idea of the unit is not to necessarily learn the hard facts of the topics (dates, people involved, etc.), but rather it is to make students weigh choices, consider consequences, and critically think, just like the various
Presidents who had to.
Essential Questions:

What were the social, economic, and political implications that resulted from the actual decisions that were made?


Why was the U.S. in the position to make these decisions in the first place?
 To what extent can an individual’s decision change the world?
 How do these decisions still affect the U.S.’s foreign policy today?
Two learning objectives are listed below. They both are based off the Illinois State Learning
Standards for Social Science because that is what my district bases their standards off of.
Bloom’s taxonomy is also noted.
I.
Students will be able to understand United State’s foreign policy as it relates to other nations and international issues during the Cold War era. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: knowledge, comprehension)
II.
Students will also be able to understand the development of United State’s political ideas and traditions during the Cold War era. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: application, analysis, synthesis)
Assessment During Instruction Activity
Cuban Missile Crisis Activity (11 pts)
Yesterday you were presented all the different options President Kennedy was presented with during the Cuban Missile Crisis on how he should act. Now it is up to you to decide which one you would do if you were the President during this time. Answer the following questions and turn them in when you are finished. We will discuss what the President finally decided after you are finished.
*Hint-Use your notes from yesterday to make the first one easy!
1) How long did the Cuban Missile Crisis last? How many options was President
Kennedy presented during the timeframe? What were they? (include what it was and what it was supposed to accomplish) 5 pts.

2) What option would you have chosen if you were the President? Why? Your answer should be 5-6 sentences and you MUST include at least 2 reasons why you chose what you did. 3pts.
3) As of right now, you know that the crisis was averted, but you still do not know which option President Kennedy picked. What do you think was the biggest consequence for the U.S. and the rest of world after this was all done with? Your
Answer should be 5-6 sentences and MUST include 2 reasons of why you decided on the consequence you did. 3 pts.
Answer Key:
1) - 13 days, 12 and 14 would be acceptable answers too because it’s hard to pinpoint when exactly “it started.” 1 pt.
 3 options were presented (from yesterday’s notes) 1 pt.
What they were/supposed to accomplish: 3 pts.

Pursue Diplomacy-The U.S. would put pressure on Cuba to remove the missiles through the U.N. The U.S. would publicly remove missiles from Turkey as well.
It is the most peaceful option as well.

Blockade Cuba-The U.S. would form a naval blockade around the island to prevent Soviet ships from delivering materials. Combination of diplomatic and military response.

Air strike and Invade- Main mission is to destroy the missiles by invading the island.
-1/2 pt. off if a student fails to correctly name an option

-1/2 pt. off if a student fails to correctly explain what an option was supposed to accomplish
2)
No “right” answer.

1 pt. for having enough sentences

1 pt. for having 2 reasons

1 pt. for having shown depth of thought
3) No “right” answer.

1 pt. for having enough sentences

1 pt. for having 2 reasons

1 pt. for having shown depth of thought
*looking for something along the lines of avoiding nuclear war, but other answers will be accepted.
Link to Objectives/Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Question 1-This question relates to objective one. Students are asked to identify the length of the incident as well as the different options for President Kennedy. From these questions, students will understand U.S. foreign policy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and how it affects the U.S. and other nations. “Knowledge” is covered from students knowing how many days and what the different options were. “Comprehension” is covered because students must explain what each option was supposed to accomplish, which shows that students must grasp meaning and predict consequences.
Question 2-This question relates to objective two. Students are asked to choose from the three options (should be in notes) and provide reasoning why they picked the one they did. Because of

this thought process, students will understand the development of political ideas from the U.S. during the Cold War era. “Application” is covered because students are required to solve a problem with the knowledge they have of the options. “Analysis” is covered because students will need to recognize and see patterns that emerge based off previous cases we have looked at in this unit (there would be exercises similar to this for other incidents; i.e.-Decision on Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution).
Question 3- This question also relates to objective two. Students are asked to come up with what they think was the biggest consequence that resulted after the Cuban Missile Crisis was over.
Because of this thought process, students will understand the U.S.’s development of political ideas after the Cuban Missile Crisis. “Synthesis” is covered because students are required to come up with a unique answer using the knowledge they have learned. In other words, students must come up with a consequence on their own knowing that the consequences could have been very different if another option was used.
Evidence of reliability, validity, and fairness:
Reliability-This assessment is reliable because I will grade each separate question at a time.
Although I have a rubric that will award points, I am aware that many students may give unforeseen answers. If that is the case, it will be necessary to address the gap in understanding and award points accordingly.
Validity-This assessment is valid because the questions are based off the learning objectives that
I created at the beginning of the unit. In addition, all my questions are short-answer type questions, which means students have to demonstrate their knowledge by supplying their answer.
Although the first one can easily be found in class notes, the other questions force students to show deep understanding and knowledge, which will reflect critical thinking as well. Although

the knowledge portion is important, my main focus for this unit is to have students think critically, which is what this assessment aims to do.
Fairness-This assessment is fair because it allows all students in my classroom to perform on an even playing field. My students with IEPs have mostly behavioral issues, so the assessment is suitable for them as well. Furthermore, the assessment avoids student stereotyping and all student have prerequisite knowledge to complete the questions (assuming they were all in class the previous day).
Explanation
Grading: This assessment is supposed to assess knowledge from the previous day and make students critically think, which is one of the main focal points of the unit. Because of this, I will grade the assessment in accordance with my rubric. In addition, I am allowing for class time to do this, which is another incentive for me to grade it because I am allowing myself to lose valuable instruction time.
Conduction: This assessment will be given at the very beginning of class when students walk in.
They will be given at least half of the class time to complete it, but perhaps ¾ if many are still working, and will turn it in when I announce time is over (I need some time to present what
Kennedy actually did). However, I will not announce that it is a “pop-quiz” because this can be intimidating to students. As stated in the assessment, each student will work individually, and it does not seem that any special accommodations need to be made with my students with IEPs.
The main reason why I have chosen to present this assessment in this way is because I feel I can check for gaps in understanding since it is during class time. While students are working, I can walk around and gather a consensus if students are comprehending what they are supposed to or

not. Also, I feel I give plenty of time to work on the assessment in a relaxed atmosphere so they do not realize it is an actual assessment (they’re used to formal tests, quizzes, etc.).
Performance Criteria for Activity: If a student does not show the knowledge of the 3 options, or demonstrates that he/she comprehends what they are supposed to accomplish, then I know a student does not meet objective 1 (Students will be able to understand United State’s foreign policy as it relates to other nations and international issues during the Cold War era). Also, if a student fails to demonstrate reasoning for why he/she picked an option or for how he/she decided on a consequence, I know he/she failed to critically think and does not understand the development of U.S. foreign policy.
Performance Criteria for Class: If most the class (near 90%) is able to turn in the assessment by the allotted time without asking many questions during work time, it is a good sign the class as a whole understands the material. I will later be able to check for individual understanding when they turn in their assessments. I can address individual gaps by providing useful feedback on their assessments. If the class as a whole does not understand, I will need to push the “Kennedy’s actual decision” back and use the class time at the end to go over the options and how to think about them.
Get it or No:
Get it- Move on according to plan (teaching Kennedy’s decision at end).
Don’t Get It- Use the end time to explain how to think about options.
Some get it- Will address students individually who don’t get it with useful feedback. I will tell them to see me when I give the assessments back if there is a big gap of understanding present.