Ch. 24 Lesson Plans The Russian Revolution and Communist State Christopher Thomas Marist College
Thomas 2 DAY 1 Title: Introduction to the Russian Revolution Goal: Understand how Russians lived under the czars. 1. Students will be able to draw a map of Russia with a key that is needed for the chapter. 2. Students will be able to explain the Russian government system and the life of Russians prior to the revolution. 3. Students will be able to formulate reasoning for the revolution. Students will participate in an unannounced role- play where the teacher will act as an autocratic leader. Students will have to use their textbooks to complete a map exercise by themselves. Students will participate in a class discussion led by the teacher on the life of the Russian people. Map worksheets Closure: Students will answer the question What did you learn today that led you to believe that the Russian people were ready to revolt? in their reflection journal. Assessment or Evaluation: Students will be graded on the successful completion of their map activity. I will also assess them on their participation in the class discussion as well as on how well they answer the reflection question. DAY 2 Map - It is hoped that students will be able to recognize the shape of Russia, the locations of important cities, and the country s relative location in the world. Title: Protests Goal: Learn the reasons for the Russian revolution.
Thomas 3 1. Students will be able to defend the Russian people s protest against the Czar. 2. Students will be able to reconstruct the protest and persuade the teacher to join their cause. 3. Students will be able to evaluate Czar Nicholas II s decision to abdicate his throne. The students will watch a short video with scenes from the actual Russian protest from 1917. The teacher will explain to students the events that led to the Russian protests as well as the circumstances that the Russian people found themselves in. Students will work together in groups of three to create protest banners and chants that they will use to recreate the Russian protest. Students will have to persuade the teacher, who will play the role of the czar s bodyguard, to join their cause. Students will have to explain their banners and defend the Russians stance on the issue that they chose. Videos from the Internet that show video from the actual event (on History.com). Oak tag and color pencils or markers Closure: After the assessment students will discuss how effective their protest was. They will also answer the question of why the teacher chose to be the czar s bodyguard and how he would influence the czar s choice to abdicate. Assessment or Evaluation: Students will be graded on their banners and their defense of the Russian people s actions according to a rubric. Students will also discuss the czar s choice to abdicate his throne and will have to write a journal reflection on the day s assessment. DAY 3 Protest - It is hoped that students will learn not only the reason for the Russian people s protest, but also to relate to them as people. Title: Russian Revolution Goal: Learn about the Russian revolution and the government that takes over.
Thomas 4 1. Students will be able create an argument after reading a primary source. 2. Students will be able be able to compare and contrast both sides of the Russian Civil War. 3. Students will be able to differentiate between communism and socialism and how these differ from the U.S. Government system. Students will hand in a vocabulary assignment at the beginning of the class that was assigned for homework the night before. The teacher will have five students volunteer for a game of Communist Monopoly where the game will look like the familiar Monopoly board game except that it will follow the communist economic system in which the government owns everything. This will be followed by a brief class discussion. Students will investigate a New York Times article from 1917 that discusses the Bolshevik revolution and they will come up with an argument for how the revolution was portrayed in America. They will also have to fill in a graphic organizer using the information that they found in the article. The teacher will lead a discussion about the Russian Civil War after giving a brief background of the event. Communist Monopoly board and monopoly set New York Times article from Proquest Database http://search.proquest.com.online.library.marist.edu/hnpnewyorktimes?acc ountid=28549 A graphic organizer handout Closure: Students will be asked to answer the following question: Why were Lenin and the Bolsheviks successful in gaining popularity and why did they win the civil war? Assessment or Evaluation: Students will be graded on how complete and accurate their graphic organizers are. Students will also be assessed on their participation in both class discussions as well as on their response to the closure questions. New York Times article - It is hoped that students will learn how to use a primary source article to gain useful information as well as to gain an insight into what Americans thought was going on in Russia at that time.
Thomas 5 DAY 4 Graphic organizer - It is hoped that students will be able to use the organizer to help them organize their thoughts so that they may use their ideas later in the class discussion. Title: Stalin Goal: Learn about Stalin s Russia and how he ruled his country. 1. Students will be able to compare Stalin s Russia to our country and to pre- revolutionary Russia. 2. Students will be able to hypothesize what life was like under Stalin s rule. The teacher will explain the Russian economic system to the students by relating it to things that they know. Students will work in pairs to create questions about how this economic system is flawed or how it will benefit the people of Russia. The students will then join another group to form a group of four to discuss their questions. Finally, the students will all come together to discuss their ideas as a class at which time the teacher can help correct any misconceptions. The teacher will take on the role of Stalin and give the students a brief background of his policies and what he did for Russia. The students will then be given the opportunity to ask Stalin questions about how he ruled. Students will write a one- page letter in which they will be writing to themselves as if they lived under Stalin s rule. Computers for students to type the letter in class. Closure: The students may share highlights of their letters in the last few minutes of the class to recap what they have learned that day. Assessment or Evaluation: Students will be graded on how factual their letters are. I will also assess students on how much they are participating in group and class discussions.
Thomas 6 DAY 5 Letter - It is hoped that students will be able to pack as much learned information into their writing as possible with the letter still making sense. Title: Propaganda Goal: Learn about propaganda and how it is used. 1. Students will be able to create propaganda as well as to explain their work to the class. 2. Students will be able to develop a logical argument of how propaganda was used by Stalin to control the people. 3. Students will apply this concept to try to convince the teacher and the class to do what they want. The teacher will show a few examples of propaganda that have been used over time in the United States and in the USSR to help students gain an understanding of what propaganda is and its purpose. This will be followed by a brief discussion on how propaganda can be used. Students will look at a few different examples of propaganda that Stalin used to control the people. They will have to answer questions about what they think Stalin wants his people to do and whether the students think he will be successful. This will be followed by another brief discussion to check for understanding. The students will work in groups of three to four to create a poster that will try to convince their peers as well as the teacher to follow their will. The groups will then have two minutes to present their poster and try to convince the class. Oak tag and color pencils or markers Examples of USSR propaganda and question worksheet, propagada from http://sovietposters.com/showposters.php?cat=13 and http://sovietposters.com/showposters.php?cat=12 Closure:
Thomas 7 Students will be asked to answer the following question in their reflection journals: Why do governments use propaganda and why do their citizens believe what the government is telling them? This will be followed by another class discussion. Assessment or Evaluation: The students will be graded on their ability to demonstrate their understanding of propaganda. They will also be graded on their answers to the worksheet on USSR propaganda. The brief discussions will allow me the opportunity to check for understanding of the material throughout the lesson and adjustments will be made according to students understanding. USSR propaganda worksheet - It is hoped that students will see how Russia and Stalin used propaganda to control the people and that they are able to interpret the meaning of the propaganda. Posters - It is hoped that the students will be able to then apply what they have learned to a topic that they can relate to and justify their argument.