The Cold War ‖ “Kitchen Debate” Primary Source Analysis

Goals & Objectives

Goals:
 Students will examine the American-Soviet rivalry of the Cold War.
 Students will explore how domestic quality of life and technological achievements
were used to compare American and Soviet economic and political systems.
Objectives:
 Students will use primary source analysis to identify the key concerns, technologies,
and political/economic issues used to compare American capitalism and Soviet
communism.

California State Content Standards

11.3
Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the ColdWar and
containment policy

11.4
List the effects of foreign policy on domestic policies and vice versa

Common Core Literacy Standards

RH 9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding
discrepancies among sources.

Driving Historical Question

What key factors were used to compare the strengths of the United States and the Soviet Union
during the Cold War?

Lesson Introduction (Anticipatory Set/Hook/Accessing Prior Knowledge) ‖ Time: 10 mins

 I will spend the first two minutes going over the day’s agenda and explaining that
the point of the lesson is to analyze the US-Soviet rivalry using a primary source and
read the historical question to them.
 Next, I will spend eight minutes to review the previous day’s lesson, which
introduced the American and Soviet national exhibitions that were held throughout
the Eisenhower administration, as well as recap what we’ve already covered on the
Cold War. This will be done with verbal questions and responses:
i. Can you identify any differences between the American and Soviet economic
systems? What about political differences?
ii. Which new technologies (covered up to this point) were important?
 iii. What were domestic trends and conditions like in the US?
 Students may discuss questions in pairs if they have difficulty recalling this info.

Vocabulary (Content Language Development) ‖ Time: Included in Intro

ICBM
Sputnik 1 & 2
Luna
Arms race
Space race
These terms will be included in the Cold War Unit Packet’s guided notes for students to
refer to. The importance of these terms and their role in the US-Soviet rivalry will be
reviewed in the lesson introduction and lecture.

Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) ‖ Time: 14 minutes

 I will use the first seven minutes to introduce the Kitchen Debates, including the
purpose of the US exhibition in Moscow, Nixon and Khrushchev’s respective roles at
the debate, and the significance of the debate. I will introduce documents B through
D to help students contextualize the debate. During this, I will emphasize that the
USSR had more advanced rocket technology at this point (ICBM, Sputnik, Luna) and
that many Americans feared that the country was falling behind.
 The next seven minutes will be spent watching a recording of the television
broadcast of the debate. I will tell students to keep the historical question in mind as
they watch.

Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) ‖ Time: 25 mins

 For the next 15 minutes, I will have students work with their small groups (3-4
students) to answer the primary source analysis handout. Students will be provided
with a transcript of the debate and will have access to the video on their
chromebooks. I will circulate the classroom to check their understanding and assist
as needed.
 For the next 10 minutes, we will reconvene as a class and go through the handout
together. I will call on students randomly to share their answers and ask probing
questions to further their thinking.

Lesson Closure ‖ Time: 3 mins

 I will have students write a response to the historical question on a separate page to
be submitted as an exit ticket.
Assessments (Formative & Summative)

Formative: Students’ verbal responses and written answers on the primary source analysis
handout will inform me of whether they are thinking about the primary source critically
and identifying key information. Discussions from their group work will help me determine
how they are using the vocabulary.
Summative: Students’ written responses to the historical question will enable me to
determine how they are contextualizing and synthesizing this source with the rest of the
Cold War unit.

Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
FS1 (hearing loss): I will turn subtitles on and also provide a transcript of the debate.
FS2 (ELL): I have seated FS2 near students who are bilingual and highly proficient in
English—they can provide support to FS2 in understanding the debate and answering the
questions.
FS3 (Anxiety/Depression): I have seated FS3 with students they get along with well
socially. I can give FS3 additional time to complete the questions outside of class so that
they do not feel rushed in class.

Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)

Computer, projector, speakers, primary source analysis handouts, debate transcript
Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CvQOuNecy4&t=4s