COLD WAR RESEARCH PAPER
Enduring Understanding:
 Cold War tensions between US and Soviet Union affect domestic and foreign policies
Objectives:
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To develop knowledge about the Cold War – a major event of the 20th Century
To improve research skills
To improve writing and higher order thinking skills
Assignment:
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After researching a Cold War topic using at least three sources you will turn in a developed argument
about your findings that includes:
 an introduction and thesis,
 supporting evidence and
 a conclusion with suggestions that address issues raised by your topic.
 450-700 words
You will turn in a proper citation page. One source must be a primary source.
Final Paper Due Date:
 Paper turned in on Friday, February 28, 2014
 Copy of the paper to Turnitin.com due by 5:00pm,
Directions:
Step 1 – Choose a prompt for your research paper
Step 2 – Read about your topic in the textbook and get notes related to this prompt.
Step 3 – Choose 2 or more of the specific terms for your prompt to research
Step 4 – Determine 3 categories or sub-claims for your thesis statement that answer the prompt. These categories should
not be the same thing as the research terms.
Step 5 – Use your research notes and notes from the book to develop first an essay outline and then a rough draft that will
both be reviewed in class by a peer before you turn in your final draft.
Essential Idea: Changes in US foreign policy during Cold War
Key Terms bank: Potsdam Conference, Yalta Conference, arms race, NATO, Warsaw Pact, Iron Curtain, Truman
Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Molotov Plan)
Essay prompts:
1. To what extent did US military interventions succeed in containing the spread of communism? Use specific
examples from at least 2 of the following interventions: Greece, Korea, Guatemala, Hungary, Cuba, China.
2. Analyze how the United States and the Soviet Union became adversaries.
a. Things to think about as you plan your thesis: How did they differ politically and economically? Why
would they dislike or distrust each other? How did they provoke each other?
3. Challenge Prompt: Evaluate if the US interventions overseas during the cold War increased other nation’s
regard for the US.
a. Things to think about as you plan your thesis: Military campaigns, alliances, provocative interventions
Essential Idea: Impact on domestic policy/US culture during Cold War
Key terms bank: Hollywood Ten, Rosenberg trial, Alger Hiss, HUAC, Cuban Missile Crisis, McCarthyism
Essay prompts:
4. Identify the main threats to American security during the Cold War
a. Things to think about as you plan your thesis : espionage, nuclear war, expansion of communism, falling
behind in the arms race
5. Describe how the anxieties raised by the Cold War affected life in the United States.
a. Things to think about as you plan your thesis: How did the threat of a nuclear attack change how
Americans felt about war? What were ways we saw people expressing a fear of communism?
6. Challenge Prompt: Analyze if the domestic policy of the US government during the Cold War protected
the American founding ideals.
a. Things to think about as you plan your thesis: Match American responses to the Cold War to specific
ideals. Be sure to refine or qualify the ideal.
Essential Idea: Characteristics of 1950s culture beyond Cold War
Key terms bank: Conformity, Non-conformity, Baby Boom, Service Sector, Rust Belt, Suburbs, inner city, Rock and
Roll, Beat Generation, Abstract Expressionism, planned obsolescence, Levittown, conservatism, housing discrimination
Essay prompts:
7. Compare and contrast teenage lives, consumer culture and media images of women in the 1920s and the 1950s.
8. Compare the culture of conformity and the culture of non-conformity during the 1950s.
a. Things to think about as you plan your thesis: Identify 2 similarities and a difference or 2 differences and
a similarity then use the key terms to build your evidence.
9. Challenge Prompt: Explain why poverty persisted in the United States during a time of affluence.
a. Things to think about as you plan your thesis: What causes poverty? How were different race groups
affected differently by poverty? What role did discrimination play?
PAPER SCORING GUIDE
Student Name: ________________________
Class Period: ____
Grade book # Research Paper Final Draft
Grading Category: Preparation
___ Paper is on Time (1 Point)
___ Paper is Late (No Points for Preparation)
Introduction and Thesis
Grading Category: Academic Writing
___ Introduction sets place and time
___ Thesis statement answers the prompt
___Thesis statement includes sub-claims
___ Sub-claims are more refined (that is they include more explanation) rather than just stating a category like economic,
social, political, or a key term.
___ Uses academic vocabulary, like transition words.
___ Is written clearly.
Skill Level :
___ A: Advanced= 6-7 checks
___ D: Below Basic=3 checks
___ B: Proficient=5checks
___ F: Far Below Basic=0-2 checks
___ C: Basic=4 checks
Claims (Topic Sentences of the Body Paragraphs)
Grading Category: Academic Writing
___ The sentence further describes or explains the thesis sub-claim.
___ Is a clearly written sentence.
___ Does not repeat the exact same words used in the thesis statement.
___ Connects to the thesis sentence.
Skill Level :
___ A; Advanced= 4 checks
___ D: Below Basic=1 checks
___ B: Proficient=3 checks
___ F: Far Below Basic=0 checks
___ C: Basic=2 checks
Evidence
Grading Category: Academic Writing
___ At least 6 specific pieces of evidence (dates, events, names) are included in the body paragraphs.
___ Evidence is in your own words or a relevant quote.
___ Includes information beyond what is in the textbook.
___ Primary source evidence is specifically included (a quote or an explanation of a political cartoon)
___ Uses at least 2 of the suggested key terms or people to support your claim.
___ Includes commentary that connects the evidence back to the claim and/or the thesis statement.
___ All evidence is clearly explained.
___ Analysis of evidence demonstrate a thorough understanding of the content.
Skill Level :
___ A: Advanced= 7-8 checks
___ D: Below Basic=3-4
___ B: Proficient=6
___ F: Far Below Basic=0-2
___ C: Basic=5
Conclusion and Research Skills
Grading Category: Academic Writing
___ Conclusion re-states the main ideas
___ Conclusion states why the information included is historically significant or of interest to the reader.
___ Includes a citation page
___ Citation page has 3 or more sources
___ One of the sources is a primary source
___ Sources are well-chosen and reliable
___ Citations follow MLA format with 2 or fewer mistakes.
___ Paper is submitted to TurnItIn.com
Skill Level :
___ A: Advanced= 7-8 checks
___ B: Proficient=TurnItIn.Com and 5 other checks
___ C: Basic=TurnItIn.Com and 4 other checks
___ D: Below Basic= 3 checks but none are TurnItIn.Com
___ F: Far
Below Basic= 2 or fewer checks that are not
Template for MLA Citation
Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.
Author and/or editor names (if available). “Title of Article.” Title of the Website, project, or book. Any version numbers available, including
revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers. Publisher name, publishing date. Take note of any page numbers (if available).
Medium of publication. Date you accessed the material. URL (only if required by teacher or for your own personal reference. MLA does
not require URL).
Turnitin.com Instructions
You must submit a hard copy of the paper to instructor AND a digital copy of the paper to turnitin.com
In order to turn in your paper, follow the steps below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Log in to www.turnitin.com
Go to “new users”
Under the section “Create a user profile”, select student
Use the following class information in order to log in
a.
b.
c.
US History Period 1
i. Class ID Number: 7012129
ii. Password: spartan
US History Period 2
i. Class ID Number: 7012133
ii. Password: spartan
US History Period 4
i. Class ID Number: 7012142
ii. Password: spartan