II

Examples of differentiated
lesson plans

7*. Relationship between

the United States and
the Soviet Union During
the Cold War
(Learning Menu)
 Learning and Teaching Resource Pack
for Secondary History Curriculum

Example 7

JS History S3
Relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union During the Cold
Topic
War

Number of Lessons 2 lessons (40 minutes per lesson)

Learning objectives

• Conflicts and rivalries between the US and the USSR at the beginning of the
Know
Cold War.

Understand • Causes of the conflicts between the two countries.

• Analyse the ways and effectiveness of counterbalance strategy between the

Do
two countries.

Tools for differentiation / Instructional strategies

Tools for • Form A and B (Appendix 1)

differentiation • Equalizer (Appendix 2)

• Learning Menu (Appendix 3)

Instructional It caters for learner diversity in terms of students’ readiness, interest and/or
learning profile. In addition to the core learning activities, there are choices for
strategies
extended activities.
*You may view chapter 4 in the animated video for reference.

Learning and Teaching Materials

• Chinese Civil War (2:19)

Video clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TOP3316JXY

Pre-lesson
• Appetiser (Appendix 4)
preparation

• Main Dishes: 1. Graphic Organizer (Appendix 5)

Classwork
2. Risk Assessment Form (Appendix 6)

Home assignment • Desserts : poster / speech (Appendix 7)

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 Part II : B. Contents
Junior secondary (S1-3)
7*. Relationship between the United States
and the Soviet Union During the Cold War
(Learning Menu)

Teaching Flow

Time Steps in the lesson Learning and Elements / strategies

teaching activities of Differentiated Instruction
Lesson 1

Results from Form A show that students are

interested in learning history by watching
video clips and doing creative assignments.
Data from Form B indicates that students
prefer group work in class. (Appendix 1)
• Students complete one
of the tasks specified Equalizer (Appendix 2)
Pre-lesson in the appetizer before (From concrete to abstract)
class. Then in class
10 preparation: Students with higher level of readiness will
they will share pictures,
mins arouse learning study how the pictures or webpages reveal
webpages or report
motivation that the actions of the US and the Soviet Union
the relevant parts
were caused by their ideological differences.
they collect from the
specified video clips. Learning Contract : Learning Menu
(Appendix 3) and Appetiser (Appendix 4)
The teacher introduces the learning menu to
students. Appetiser is used for pre-assessment
and enhancing learning motivation.

Using the Berlin

blockade and the
background of the • Ask students Raise different levels of questions to
civil war between the understand students’ knowledge about
questions/students
10 relevant events. After identifying students’
mins Kuomintang and the present their task
learning difficulties, provide them with historical
Communist Party specified in the
background as the basic information for
as examples of US- Appetiser.
discussion.
USSR conflicts and
rivalries.

Group discussion:
Rivalries between two
superpowers: Who’s
Main Dish 1: Graphic Organizer (Appendix 5)
right and who’s wrong?
Flexible grouping for discussion. Individual
• Students will use the
students who are reluctant to participate
graphic organiser
in group activities can fill out the graphic
to summarise the
15 organiser by themselves. Students who
Group discussion: causes of the Berlin
mins have higher level of readiness may cite the
blockade and the
Berlin blockade or the civil war between the
civil war between the
Kuomintang and the Communist Party as
Kuomintang and the
an example to analyse whether the rivalries
Communist Party as
between the two powers can be avoided.
well as US-USSR
(From structured to open)
conflicts and results to
complete the first part
of the main dish.

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 Learning and Teaching Resource Pack
for Secondary History Curriculum

Teaching Flow

Steps in the Learning and Elements / strategies

Time lesson teaching activities of Differentiated
Instruction

Group collaboration: Students apply what they

have learnt earlier: four stages of confrontation
between the US and the USSR:
1. External expansion;
5 Summary and
2. Verbal battle and propaganda;
mins consolidation
3. Arms expansion;
4. Involvement in regional military conflicts.
and match the two historical events to the
appropriate stage.

Lesson 2
• Use the Korean War as an example, teacher
5 asks questions about the cartoons and explains
mins Motivation
conflicts and rivalries between the US and the
USSR in that region. Students with different
level of readiness will have
opportunities to answer
• Teacher asks questions to find out students' the tiered questions.
5 readiness for the topic of the Cuban Missile
mins Pre-assessment
Crisis, and gives specific feedback on their
answers.

Main Dish 2: Risk

assessment form
(Appendix 6)
• Students work in pairs. Each group picks Students who have higher
one card to take up the role of Khrushchev or level of readiness may not
Kennedy and conduct risk assessment before need to have risk
25 Group activities making decision in the Cuban Missile Crisis. assessment indicators.
mins Crisis. (From structured to open)
• Teacher gives feedback and explains the result Invite one or two groups to
of the Cuban Missile Crisis. share their views and
discuss the results that
their decisions may lead
to.

Group collaboration : Students apply what they

have learnt earlier : four stages of confrontation
between the US and the USSR: Home Assignment:
Desserts (Appendix 7)
1. External expansion;
5 Summary and After class, students may
2. Verbal battle and propaganda;
mins consolidation complete one of the
3. Arms expansion;
4. Involvement in regional military conflicts. dessert items for extended
learning.
and match the two historical events to the
appropriate stage.

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 Part II : B. Contents
Junior secondary (S1-3)
7*. Relationship between the United States
and the Soviet Union During the Cold War
(Learning Menu)

Appendix 1

Number of
Data collected from Form A Students: 26

30

25

20

15

10

0
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17

Data collected from Form B

Visual(V)
Reading level Writing Level Group (G) /
Interests Auditory(A)
R(1-3) W(1-3) Solo (S)
Kinesthetic(K)

R1 : 35% W1 : 27%
G : 85%
R2 : 35% W2 : 50% / /
S : 15%
R3 : 30% W3 : 23%

Critical Thinking Collaboration Skills Creativity

Skills C1(1-3) C2(1-3) C3(1-3)

C3-1 : /
C1-1 : 26%
C3-2 : 4 %
C1-2 : 48% /
C3-3 : /
C1-3 : 26%
NA : 96%

Adapted from Carol Ann Tomlinson, Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom, ASCD, 2011. pp.156-157

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 Learning and Teaching Resource Pack
for Secondary History Curriculum

Appendix 2

Equalizer: A tool for differentiating process and product

Topic: Relationship between the US and the USSR during the Cold War (S3)

Abstract
Concrete
Analyse how pictures or
Collect pictures or webpages
webpages reveal ideological
related to US-USSR rivalries
differences between the
from the Internet.
US and the USSR.

Structured Open
Complete the graphic
Was the rivalries between
organizer about the
the US and the
rivalries between the US
USSR inevitable?
and the USSR.

Open
Structured
Design indicators
Follow the instructions to fill
independently and fill out the
out the risk assessment form
risk assessment form for
for the Cuban Missile Crisis.
the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Adapted from Carol Ann Tomlinson, How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms,
Pearson Education, 2005. pp.47

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Junior secondary (S1-3)
7*. Relationship between the United States
and the Soviet Union During the Cold War
(Learning Menu)

Appendix Learning
3
Menu

Appetiser for pre-lesson preparation

1. Collect information: Collect pictures, webpages or political cartoons from the Internet about the Berlin
Blockade, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Korean War, and the Cuban
Missile Crisis. Then point out their relevance to the Cold War.
2. Watch video clips: Watch the following video clip about the civil war between the Kuomintang and the
Communist Party and prepare a report of 20 to 50 words, highlighting the resources relevant to the Cold War.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TOP3316JXY

Main Dish in Class :

1. Fill out the graphic organizer: In the rivalries between the two superpowers, which one is right and which
one is wrong?
2. Complete the risk assessment form for the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Desserts After Class :

1. Draw a poster: Based on the background of the Cold War, design or modify a satirical poster or political
cartoon about the US or the USSR.
2. Prepare for a speech: Imagine you were a leader of the US/the USSR, prepare for a one-minute speech
on one of the following events to explain your country’s actions to your people. (Civil war between the
Kuomintang and the Communist Party/Berlin Blockade/Korean War/Cuban Missile Crisis)

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 Learning and Teaching Resource Pack
for Secondary History Curriculum

Appendix 4

Appetiser for pre-lesson preparation

(Choose one of the followings)

1. Collect information: Collect pictures, webpages or political cartoons from the Internet about the Berlin
Blockade, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Korean War, and the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Then point out their relevance to the Cold War.

2. Watch video clips: Watch the following video clip about the civil war between the Kuomintang and the
Communist Party and prepare a report of 20 to 50 words, highlighting the resources relevant to the
Cold War.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TOP3316JXY

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Junior secondary (S1-3)
7*. Relationship between the United States
and the Soviet Union During the Cold War
(Learning Menu)

Appendix 5

Classwork : Main Dish 1

Berlin Blockade or Civil War between Kuomintang and the Communist Party

Group Discussion : Rivalries between two Superpowers, who’s right and who’s wrong?

Events:

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 Learning and Teaching Resource Pack
for Secondary History Curriculum

Appendix 6

Classwork : Main Dish 2

Risk assessment form for Cuban Missile Crisis

If you were an assistant to the Soviet Union
leader Nikita Khrushchev (Term of office : 1953-
64), how would you advise him on decision-
making on the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Proposal 1: Stay the course without making
any concession.
Proposal 2: Hold peaceful talks to avoid a war.
In the face of the Cuban Missile Crisis, how
would you assess the risks before making a
decision?
1. Your country’s military strength
If you were an assistant to the US president
Kennedy (Term of office: 1961-63), how would
you advise him on decision-making on the
Cuban Missile Crisis?
Proposal 1: Stay the course without making
any concession.
Proposal 2: Hold peaceful talks to avoid a war.
In the face of the Cuban Missile Crisis, how
would you assess the risks before making a
decision?
1. Your country’s military strengths

2. Your opponent’s military strength 2. Your opponent’s military strengths

3. International situation at that time 3. International situation at that time

4. Possible consequences of the war 4. Possible consequences of the war

5. Others 5. Others

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Junior secondary (S1-3)
7*. Relationship between the United States
and the Soviet Union During the Cold War
(Learning Menu)

Appendix 7

Home assignment : Desserts

(Choose one of the followings)

1. Poster : According to the background of the Cold War, design or modify a sarcastic political cartoon of
the USA or the USSR.

2. Speech : If you were a leader of the USA/the USSR, write a one-minute speech to explain to your people
about your action in one of the following events:

(1) The Civil War between Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party
(2) The Berlin Blockade
(3) The Korean War
(4) The Cuban Missile

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