One of my favorite units to teach is the Cold War. One thing I struggle with every year is I never seem to have enough time to cover everything I'd like to cover! In addition, the Cold War period spans 50-plus years! That's a lot of content for both high School and Middle School Students (especially when there are only two weeks of school left in the school year!)

This year, I thought I'd try something new with my 6th graders. After introducing the unit with a brief lecture, short video, and discussion, I assigned a timeline/graphic organizer. I shared a digital version in my Google Classroom and provided students with paper copies. (Most students prefer paper copies.)  I also provided my students with both hard copies of timelines and infographics I found online. I also encouraged students to use their textbooks as resources as they completed their graphic organizers. 

I provided two class periods to work on this assignment. Most students were able to finish in this amount of time. For students who were unable to finish, they were able to use their Study Hall to finish completing their organizers. 

I plan to use this resource with students next year. I am very happy with how well this assignment went. Most students approached this assignment like a scavenger hunt,  researching each historical event and placing events in chronological order. Most students also enjoyed coming up with symbols to represent each historical event. I also allowed students to collaborate with a partner and middle school students love working with their peers. 

Below are some of my favorite Cold War Edpuzzles I use as bell-ringers with my middle schoolers:

NATO vs Warsaw Pact

Who Won the Space Race?

The Cuban Missile Crisis

What is McCarthyism

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall