Lesson Length of Class Period

Cuban Missile Crisis 44 Minutes

Objectives (All students will be able to . .
.)
Materials
Analyze the events of Cuban Missile
Crisis
Evaluate the actions of the U.S. and the
Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile
Crisis
Projector/a! "o!
Po#er Point
$riefing Pac%et
Agenda Accommodations/Modifications:
E&tra ti'e if needed
(efocusing if needed
). *o +o#, -ould you #ant to %no#.
/. Cuban Missile Crisis
0. E&it "ic%et, (eflection

Higher Order/ Critical Thinking
Qestions asked dring this lesson:
Analyze the role of fear in the events of
the Cold War
!nstrctional "eliver# $describe in detail and from a stdent%s &ers&ective
'hat 'ill ha&&en in this class &eriod() *tdents need to do the 'ork)
Times
)12
2103
Students #ill silently and inde!endently #rite a reaction to the follo#ing
!ro'!t, If we were on the verge of being bombed by a missile from North
Korea, would you want to now or would you rather not now! Why!
After 0 'inutes have !assed4 0 students #ill be cold1called to share their
res!onses #ith the entire class. +"o ,o': -old #o 'ant to kno'./
"he teacher #ill then introduce a brief bac%ground on the buildu! to the
Cuban Crisis. "his #ill give the students the s'all infor'ation they #ill need
before reading on their o#n and the brief bac%ground #ill gain interest in the
to!ic. "hen the students #ill read the briefings and ans#er the fe#
corres!onding 5uestions. After each briefing4 the 5uestions as% the students to
'a%e certain decisions or !redictions. Each of the briefings build on each
other and the students #ill have to use all the infor'ation to 'a%e their
decisions. 6nce the students have read all the briefings4 they #ill have to
#rite u! their o#n and decide ho# they #ould advise the President. "he
students #ill share out and co'!are their created briefings. astly the teacher
#ill reveal #hat actually ha!!ened at the end of the Crisis. "he students #ill
#or% in grou!s of 0 or 4 at a level ). +Cban Missile Crisis/
Script" Alright #lass, so why was the Cold War #alled $Cold!% &es, it was
be#ause the '( and the (oviet 'nion never went dire#tly to war. )owever,
there was a time when it #ame e*tremely #lose. +his is #alled the Cuban
0ngagement
"he teacher #ill %no# if
the students are engaged
by seeing the students
actively #or%ing together
in through grou!s. "his
'eans that the students
are reading the briefings4
thin%ing thoughtfully
about their ans#ers4 and
collaborating to create
the ans#ers.
03144
,issile Crisis. +oday you will be reading all about it but first I want you to
now a little ba#ground to set u- how intense it was. +he Cuban ,issile
Crisis dealt with the '( and Cuba and missiles. I now , historians are really
good at giving interesting names to events. If you do not now, Cuba is an
island that is only ./ miles away from 0lorida. It is an easy boat tri- or very
short flight away. If you remember from your reading -a#et, the '( was
s#ared of Communism. Well in 1.2. Cuba be#omes Communist under 0idel
Castro, who a#tually overthrew a #orru-t di#tator. )e had the su--ort of the
-eo-le. (in#e he was Communist, the (oviet 'nion saw an o--ortunity. +hey
mae Cuba an ally to strengthen themselves and to get land #loser to the
'nited (tates. +he '( new that this was dangerous and so tried to overthrow
0idel Castro3s government but it failed miserably. +his was #alled the 4ay of
5igs be#ause they invaded in a bay with that name6.again, historians are so
#reative. After that the soviets started to se#retly -lan a military buildu- on
Cuba to -rote#t. +he '( new about this and thus the Cuban ,issile Crisis
started.
)ere is where you #ome in. &ou are going to read the same briefings that
5resident Kennedy re#eived during this time. &ou are going to be the
-resident3s advisors. In your grou-s, I want you to read the briefings. After
ea#h briefing there will be 7uestions that will as you to -redi#t what will
ha--en or to advise and de#ide what the 5resident should do. After reading
all three briefings, your grou- will #reate one and de#ide what the -resident
should do. At the end, we will share out to see if we have different o-inions.
8emember, that you do not want to start WWIII and destroy the world but you
still want to stand strong.
1020AL: As you read4 the #risis was getting highly intense on#e Kennedy
started the blo#ade. 0inally the (oviets did honor the blo#ade and sto--ed
sending shi-s with military su--lies on it. +wo days later, Khrush#hev, the
(oviet -remier, de#ided to send the 5resident a letter stating that the (oviets
are willing to remove the missiles if and only if the '( agrees that they will
sto- the blo#ade, not invade Cuba again, and remove missiles from +urey.
(as the students if they thin that these demands are reasonable) 9nly a day
later, Kennedy sent a letter agreeing with the demands with one e*#e-tion. )e
said he will remove the missiles in +urey but only -rivately. )e will not mae
it -ubli# that he is removing them. (As why do you thin that Kennedy #an
not say it -ubli#ally) 0inally #onfirmation was made and the Crisis was
averted or sto--ed. Although nothing drasti#ally ha--ened su#h as missiles
going off during the Cuban ,issile Crisis, it is im-ortant be#ause it showed
how easily a war between the two nations #ould o##ur. )ow easily an atomi#
war #ould ha--en. )ow easily the end of the world #ould ha--en.
*uring the last 7 'inutes of class the students #ill #or% on the e&it tic%et.
"he e&it tic%et as%s the students to reflect on the te&t and ans#er these t#o
!ro'!ts, 8At what stage in the a#tivity did you feel the most -ressure! Why!
Whi#h side, the 'nited (tates or the (oviet 'nion, do you thin was most at
fault for bringing about the #risis! 0or ending Crisis!% "he students #ill
ans#er these 5uestions silently and by the'selves +03it Ticket: 1eflection/