Goals & Objectives
Students will examine and identify the characteristics of Stalinist Russia. Students will identify the economic and political policies, absence of a free press and systemic violations of human rights perpetuated by Stalin’s regime.
California State Content and Common Core Standards
10.7 Students analyze the rise of totalitarian governments after World War I. 2. Trace Stalin's rise to power in the Soviet Union and the connection between economic policies, political policies, the absence of a free press, and systematic violations of human rights (e.g., the Terror Famine in Ukraine).
Common Core
CCSS-Literacy Reading 9-10. 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
Common Core
CCSS-Literacy Reading 9-10. 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
Lesson Introduction
Before class starts the teacher will decorate the room with posters/pictures that symbolize Communism, the Soviet Union, and Stalin. As the students walk into class the teacher will instruct them to walk around, look at all the different posters/pictures and then have them write a quick write about their feelings, thoughts, and pre-conceived notions about the meaning of the posters.
Vocabulary
The key terms for this lesson will be highlighted in the pre-reading activity at the beginning of the lesson and will be used in the Frayer Model worksheet to engage students with the textbook chapter. The key terms will be:
Totalitarianism
Great Purge
Command Economy
Collective Farm
Totalitarianism
Great Purge
Command Economy
Collective Farm
Content Delivery
The teacher will tell the students to open their textbook to the chapter, Totalitarianism: Case study: Stalinist Russia. The teacher will pre-read the chapter with the class by having students read each heading and sub-heading. As they read the headings, the teacher will activate prior knowledge and set the context for learning the new material by asking students what they already know about each topic and what they expect to learn from the text based on the title of the section.
Student Engagement
After pre-reading the chapter with the class, the teacher will direct the students to read the intro of the chapter and the section on Stalinist Russia. While the students are finishing up the reading, the teacher will pass out four Frayer Model worksheets to each student. After the students are done reading the teacher will explain the Frayer Model worksheet to the students. The students must use the four key terms in the chapter to complete the worksheet (totalitarianism, Great Purge, Command Economy, and Collective Farm). The Frayer model asks the students to define the word, give characteristics, give examples, and non-examples of the term they are defining. The students will complete at least two Frayer Model worksheets in class, while the other two will be done for homework.
Lesson Closure
Before the class ends, the teacher will engage the students in a 3-2-1 activity. The students will list 3 important facts they learned, 2 interesting things and 1 question they still may have after the lesson.
Assessment
Formative: During pre-reading the teacher will assess how familiar and how much background knowledge students have on the topics. As students are working on their Frayer Model worksheets, the teacher will check on individual students to assess the quality of the information they are writing.
Summative: The teacher will asses and score the completed Frayer Model worksheets for accuracy and quality.
Summative: The teacher will asses and score the completed Frayer Model worksheets for accuracy and quality.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
The teacher will provide additional vocabulary support for English Learners, striving readers and students with special needs, including a list of more common, but difficult terms with definition and images. The teacher will also provide these students with a partially complete Frayer Model to give them a more comprehensive examples of the task before them.
Lesson Resources
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0112205/stalinsrussia.html
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/heroesvillains/g4/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513251/Russia/38561/The-Stalin-era-1928-53
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/heroesvillains/g4/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513251/Russia/38561/The-Stalin-era-1928-53