Skip to content

Skinny — US.6_12.1 Analyzing Sources · Unit 5 The Cold War

Standard: US.6_12.1 — Analyze primary and secondary sources with attention to reliability, impact, and purpose. Unit: 5 — The Cold War (1945–1991) NDSBL Era: Era 4: 1941-2001 Grade: 10 · US History

Official proficiency scale — the source of truth for scoring

Scoring follows the official NDSBL US History Proficiency Scales — not the examples on this page. Proficient (3.0) for Era 4: 1941-2001 means:

  • Explain the causes and consequences of U.S. involvement in World War II.
  • Explain the economic and/or social issues of the era and their long-lasting effects.
  • Explain the United States’ reactions toward the growth of communism.
  • Explain the impact of rapid technological change on society.
  • Compare and contrast how different groups competed for equality and the effectiveness of various movements.
  • Identify and explain how domestic issues changed United States’ perceptions of government.

What This Standard Asks

How do you read a primary or secondary source for its reliability, impact, and purpose? — applied to The Cold War (1945–1991).

Key Content — Unit 5: The Cold War

A forty-five-year rivalry with the Soviet Union defined the era: containment (Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan), NATO, and the nuclear arms race. Flashpoints included Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962). At home: McCarthyism and the fear of communism, and Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex. It ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the USSR's collapse (1991). The turning point — decades of nuclear tension shaped U.S. policy and daily life.

The Skill in This Unit

Take Eisenhower's Farewell Address (1961). Ask three questions: who created it and when? What was its purpose — to inform, persuade, sell, or justify? How reliable is it, and what does its bias reveal? A source's purpose shapes what it includes and leaves out.

What You Need to Know (Score 2.0 — Approaching)

Vocabulary such as: Primary Source, Secondary Source, Fact / Opinion, Bias, Cause and Consequences, World War II / Axis Powers / Allies, Containment, Baby Boom, Capitalism / Communism, Technology, Equality / Equity / Civil Rights / Social Movement, Public Opinion / Political Polling.

Basic processes such as: - Explain appropriate primary and secondary sources from this era. - Diagram / chart causes and consequences of US involvement in WWII. - Identify the economic and/or social issues of the era and their long-lasting effects. - Illustrate the United States’ reactions toward the growth of communism. - Discuss the impact of rapid technological change on society. - Identify different groups competed for equality and the effectiveness of various movements. - Trace how domestic issues changed United States’ perceptions of government.

Meeting the Standard (Score 3.0 — Proficiency)

Proficiency on US.6_12.1 means applying Analyzing Sources to this unit with no major errors — see the era targets in the callout above. Aim your Demo of Learning at that language, not at simply retelling the events.

Going Beyond (Score 4.0 — Advanced)

Advanced work extends the skill to a higher cognitive level (attainable, not perfection): - Design, develop, and create a primary or secondary source which is rooted in events from this historical period,. - Evaluate the final product’s reliability, impact, and/or purpose.

ELA Crosswalk

R.9 — analyze informational/argumentative texts · IR.2 — interpret primary & secondary sources · IR.4 — evaluate source credibility

Where to Go Next

US.6_12.1 · Unit 5 Skinny — SDA Commons · South High School · aligned to the official NDSBL US History proficiency scale