Maura Doyle

3
Instructional Techniques
Teaching Episode

Lesson

The Cold War Spurns the Space Race

Instructional Technique:
The instructional technique used for this lesson is integrated instruction. The lesson
features the topic of Space Exploration in the1960s. The lesson integrates both Science
and Social Studies. Science is tightly integrated into every aspect of the material due to
the revolutionary nature of aeruonautical innovation. Specific space technologies are
described as they correlate with significant milestones in the Space Race, with an
emphasis on rocket science technology. Additionally, the lesson addresses the Social
Studies United States History topic of the Cold War. The Space Race occurred during a
tense time in United States History where scientific discovery is steeped in politics and
conflict.
Best Practice Principles:
Constructivist: The constructivist best practice principal is in use here during the student
activity following the lecture. Students will be given primary source excerpts
(newspapers) from key events that occurred during the Space Race. They must construct
a correctly chronologized timeline themselves based on only these sources and deductive
reasoning.
Collaborative: Students work together to create an accurate timeline of the Space Race.
Students will decipher their primary sources and collaborate to place them in the correct
order. They will be unable to solve the timeline activity if they cannot work effectively
together.
Reflective: The reflective best practice principal is utilized during the anticipatory set
and the closing assessment where students are asked to creatively reflect upon material
that has been delivered with letters to the editor and take off (exit) journals
Rationale:
The inspiration for creating this lesson was to find a naturally occurring intersection of
science with the social studies. The age of Space Exploration seemed to lend itself well
to this endeavor. Specifically, because of its relative modernity, I knew that I would find
primary sources with ease. Thus, I could create a lesson that allowed students to develop
the useful skill of discovering bias within primary sources while also gaining critical
thinking skills as they explore an interdisciplinary phenomenon. This skill, not only
useful for understanding this subject also transcends Social Studies and will serve
students to be effective problem solvers in the future.

Maura Doyle
3
Instructional Techniques
Teaching Episode

Lesson

The Cold War Spurns the Space Race

This lesson will allow students explore the complex relationship between Cold War Era
USA and USSR through the lens of scientific advancement that continues to remain
relevant today.
Objectives:

Students will be able to identify and sequence key Space Race events.
Students will be able to describe two ways that Space Exploration was expedited
by political tension.
Students will be able to critique primary source documents to identify political
and social biases.

Materials
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SmartBoard
Projector
Letters to the Editor
Prezi
Primary Source Excerpts
Document Analysis Worksheet
Exit Journals

Anticipatory Set:
Students will imagine they are watching a morning news segment (short clip) on the
Soviet Unions Sputnik Launch that occurred the prior day. Students will then view a
political cartoon that they will read in the next mornings paper. Students will write a
spirited letter to the editor of that newspaper expressing their feelings about both the
cartoon and about Sputnik given their prior knowledge of United States, Soviet relations.
Instruction:
Prezi:
The Prezi will be used as a tool to deliver material about Space Exploration.
The following major topics will be covered in this short presentation
I.
The History of Space Exploration
II.
The Science of Space Exploration (Video)
III.
The Conflict of Space Exploration (Video)
Activity: Primary Source Human Timeline:

Maura Doyle
3
Instructional Techniques
Teaching Episode

Lesson

The Cold War Spurns the Space Race

o Each student will be given a small excerpt of a primary source document
from the Space Race Era. Students will be given a worksheet to facilitate
their analysis of their document.
o Next, the students must discuss their events with each other in order to sort
their documents chronologically from earliest to latest.

Assessment (s)
Primary Source Document Analysis: Each student will submit the worksheet used to
analyze their Primary Source Document. This will allow me to determine if they were
able to obtain bias from the documents, and if that objective was fully met.
Take Off Journal (described below)
Closure: (5 minutes)
Take Off Journal
This closing activity will follow the primary source activity. Students will reflect on the
lesson by answering the following question:
How do you think growing political tension between the United States and the
Soviet Union affected the competition during the age of Space Exploration.
Evaluation:
This unit represents part three of a four part unit on The Cold War. Evaluation will occur
at the close of the fourth unit and will contain an exam that is partly definitions and partly
short answer questions. The exam is included in the unit plan accompanied by a scoring
guide.