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Skinny — US.6_12.3 Cause and Effect · Unit 5 The Cold War

Standard: US.6_12.3 — Explain the relationship of events focusing on the link(s) between cause and effect. 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

What caused these events, and what were their consequences — and how are causes and effects linked? — 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

Trace the chain around the U.S.–Soviet Cold War: separate an immediate trigger from the long-term causes, and a direct effect from the ripple effects that followed.

What You Need to Know (Score 2.0 — Approaching)

Vocabulary such as: Cause and Effect, 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: - Trace sequence of events which caused the major events of 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_12.3 means applying Cause and Effect 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): - Create a logical prediction based on the absence of an existing historical event (cause and/or effect) that relates to Era 4: 1941-2001.. For example, Germany winning WWII, North Korea winning Korean War, JFK not assassinated.

ELA Crosswalk

W.3 — explanatory writing · R.9 — analyze argument and evidence

Where to Go Next

US.6_12.3 · Unit 5 Skinny — SDA Commons · South High School · aligned to the official NDSBL US History proficiency scale