The Korean War- Reading Based Lesson
Goals and Objectives
Students will understand that the way we conceive of history may be different from students in the rest of the world.
Students will answer questions about textbook passages from different countries on a worksheet with 100% accuracy.
Students will answer questions about textbook passages from different countries on a worksheet with 100% accuracy.
California Content Standards/ Common Core
10.9.2 Analyze the causes of the Cold War, with the free world on one side and Soviet client states on the other, including competition for influence in such places as Egypt, the Congo, Vietnam, and Chile.
10.9.3 Understand the importance of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, which established the pattern for America’s postwar policy of supplying economic and military aid to prevent the spread of Communism and the resulting economic and political competition in arenas such as Southeast Asia (i.e., the Korean War, Vietnam War), Cuba, and Africa.
Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in History Grades 9-10
6) Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
10.9.3 Understand the importance of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, which established the pattern for America’s postwar policy of supplying economic and military aid to prevent the spread of Communism and the resulting economic and political competition in arenas such as Southeast Asia (i.e., the Korean War, Vietnam War), Cuba, and Africa.
Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in History Grades 9-10
6) Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
Lesson Introduction
(5-7 minutes)
The lesson will begin with the teacher presenting a short story and a personal connection to the concepts to be approached in this lesson. The short story will be about a time in which the teacher was in elementary school and got into a fight with another student named Martin. Martin had thrown a nickel at me and I had retaliated by punching him in the arm. While making the point to the students that violent retaliation is never the correct response, I continue to explain that Martin then went to a teacher to tell on me all the while neglecting to mention that he threw a nickel to start the conflict. I was called up to the office but when the teacher heard that Martin had started the conflict I went unpunished and he received a detention.
I will then explain that nations often take part in telling half-truths just like elementary school students do in order to make themselves sound justified. When countries participate in these activities we call it propaganda. The teacher explains that in today’s lesson we will learn to understand different countries’ accounts of the past by analyzing their textbooks they use today.
The lesson will begin with the teacher presenting a short story and a personal connection to the concepts to be approached in this lesson. The short story will be about a time in which the teacher was in elementary school and got into a fight with another student named Martin. Martin had thrown a nickel at me and I had retaliated by punching him in the arm. While making the point to the students that violent retaliation is never the correct response, I continue to explain that Martin then went to a teacher to tell on me all the while neglecting to mention that he threw a nickel to start the conflict. I was called up to the office but when the teacher heard that Martin had started the conflict I went unpunished and he received a detention.
I will then explain that nations often take part in telling half-truths just like elementary school students do in order to make themselves sound justified. When countries participate in these activities we call it propaganda. The teacher explains that in today’s lesson we will learn to understand different countries’ accounts of the past by analyzing their textbooks they use today.
Vocabulary Development
Vocabulary development is an important part of reading assignments. In this reading based lesson, students will be instructed to come to the front of the class and write on the board any word they are unfamiliar with. The teacher will then write on the board the definition of the word. This will work as a temporary word wall which all the students can use to help in their reading because if one student did not understand the word, it is likely there are several other students who did not understand the word either. This activity allows students to get out of their desks during the lesson while not distracting them from the overarching reading activity. Key terms will be addressed in a mini-lecture before the reading as well as in the textbook excerpts.
Key Terms:
Propaganda, 38th Parallel, Douglas MacArthur, Domino Theory, Harry Truman
Key Terms:
Propaganda, 38th Parallel, Douglas MacArthur, Domino Theory, Harry Truman
Content Delivery
(20-25 minutes)
Content delivery will start with a pre-reading strategy in the form of a mini-lecture on the events in Korea covering the following main points:
The students will then be introduced to excerpts about the Korean War from three different textbooks. The teacher will explain that each of the textbooks is factually correct but that each one emphasizes different facts to promote a specific perspective of the Korean War. The students will use independent work to read and interpret the excerpts. Then the students will be presented with a worksheet that contains a graphic organizer and questions to guide the student through the reading, help them organize the information, and measure their comprehension of the content.
Content delivery will start with a pre-reading strategy in the form of a mini-lecture on the events in Korea covering the following main points:
- During Second World War, the Allies decided to divide Korea at the 38th parallel.
- The North was under the trusteeship of the Soviet Union, the South under the trusteeship of the Americans. Two different countries developed: the North became a communist country, the South a non-communist, democratic country.
- Both sides wanted to re-unify the country under their own rule.
- In 1950, after a number of small skirmishes at the border, war broke out between North and South Korea. The US backed and fought with the South, and China fought with a backed the North.
The students will then be introduced to excerpts about the Korean War from three different textbooks. The teacher will explain that each of the textbooks is factually correct but that each one emphasizes different facts to promote a specific perspective of the Korean War. The students will use independent work to read and interpret the excerpts. Then the students will be presented with a worksheet that contains a graphic organizer and questions to guide the student through the reading, help them organize the information, and measure their comprehension of the content.
Student Engagement and Critical Thinking
(20-25 minutes)
Content delivery will start with a pre-reading strategy in the form of a mini-lecture on the events in Korea covering the following main points:
The students will then be introduced to excerpts about the Korean War from three different textbooks. The teacher will explain that each of the textbooks is factually correct but that each one emphasizes different facts to promote a specific perspective of the Korean War. The students will use independent work to read and interpret the excerpts. Then the students will be presented with a worksheet that contains a graphic organizer and questions to guide the student through the reading, help them organize the information, and measure their comprehension of the content.
Content delivery will start with a pre-reading strategy in the form of a mini-lecture on the events in Korea covering the following main points:
- During Second World War, the Allies decided to divide Korea at the 38th parallel.
- The North was under the trusteeship of the Soviet Union, the South under the trusteeship of the Americans. Two different countries developed: the North became a communist country, the South a non-communist, democratic country.
- Both sides wanted to re-unify the country under their own rule.
- In 1950, after a number of small skirmishes at the border, war broke out between North and South Korea. The US backed and fought with the South, and China fought with a backed the North.
The students will then be introduced to excerpts about the Korean War from three different textbooks. The teacher will explain that each of the textbooks is factually correct but that each one emphasizes different facts to promote a specific perspective of the Korean War. The students will use independent work to read and interpret the excerpts. Then the students will be presented with a worksheet that contains a graphic organizer and questions to guide the student through the reading, help them organize the information, and measure their comprehension of the content.
Demonstrated Learning
The teacher will make use of a formative assessment in the form of guiding questions during the mini-lecture. A summative assessment will utilized in a worksheet given to the students in which they answer questions and fill out a graphic organizer based on their readings.
Lesson Closure
(5 minutes) The lesson will close with the teacher asking for student volunteers to show and explain their propaganda posters. The students will explain how their posters depict the perspectives of the North and South Koreans about the Korean War. The teacher will correct any misconceptions the students had in making their posters and will provide further context for how the student’s posters relate to the content presented during the lesson. This will provide a strong review of the content in the lesson as well as remind students about the nature and form of propaganda and how it is used.
Accommodations
Students with special needs will be accommodated according to their I.E.P.
English learners will be specifically accommodated during the reading exercise by the use of a temporary word wall on the whiteboard. Students will write on the board at the front of the class any words or phrases which are unfamiliar to them and the teacher will write the definitions on the board next to the words the students have written. This will help all students and there are bound to be some words that students may not understand. However, this accommodation is made especially for English learners who need extra vocabulary development in order to progress their English proficiency.
Students who struggle with reading will be provided extra attention during the period in which students are reading the textbook excerpts independently. The teacher will help those students work through the passages and ask them questions to make sure they comprehend the material. The teacher will also check the progress of struggling readers during the independent reading time and summarize for them any reading from the excerpts if they are unable to read all the excerpts by the time the rest of the class is finished. Therefore, depending of their need, some struggling students may only have to read one or two excerpts and have the rest orally summarized by the teacher.
adapted from Korean War lesson posted by the Stanford History Education Group
http://sheg.stanford.edu/korean-war
English learners will be specifically accommodated during the reading exercise by the use of a temporary word wall on the whiteboard. Students will write on the board at the front of the class any words or phrases which are unfamiliar to them and the teacher will write the definitions on the board next to the words the students have written. This will help all students and there are bound to be some words that students may not understand. However, this accommodation is made especially for English learners who need extra vocabulary development in order to progress their English proficiency.
Students who struggle with reading will be provided extra attention during the period in which students are reading the textbook excerpts independently. The teacher will help those students work through the passages and ask them questions to make sure they comprehend the material. The teacher will also check the progress of struggling readers during the independent reading time and summarize for them any reading from the excerpts if they are unable to read all the excerpts by the time the rest of the class is finished. Therefore, depending of their need, some struggling students may only have to read one or two excerpts and have the rest orally summarized by the teacher.
adapted from Korean War lesson posted by the Stanford History Education Group
http://sheg.stanford.edu/korean-war