Diamond 9: How did domestic events help to cause the 'Red Scare' in the USA during the 1950s?

This outstanding resource is designed to provide stretch and challenge. The pedagogy underpinning this strategy is that when we rank items, either statements, objects or images, we are required to make explicit the over- arching relationships by which we organise our knowledge and connect our learning. It can be used as a starter, plenary or as a revision activity on how domestic issues helped to cause the ‘Red Scare’ in the USA during the 1950s.

The resource includes nine diamond shaped cards which include a range of factors to explain how the domestic issues helped to increase the fear and mistrust of the USSR. Once students have cut the cards out they are set three tasks including:

1. Remove any reasons that you don’t think are important. Record and explain why you have removed them.
2. Arrange the remaining diamonds to show any links that you can find between the different reasons. Record and explain your reasons.
3. Make a smaller diamond shape using what you think are the four most important events or factors that helped to cause the Red Scare in the 1950s?

At each stage students should be feeding back to their group or the class and explaining their choices. The discussion and explanation around the choices that they have made are critical in helping them develop their thinking skills as well as their understanding of the topic.

The aims and objectives for this lesson are:

Theme: Origins of McCarthyism
Know: Which key domestic events helped to increase the fear and hysteria known as the ‘Red Scare’?
Understand: How did each event or issue help to ignite the hysteria of the ‘Red Scare’?
Evaluate: How far were domestic issues responsible for causing the ‘Red Scare’?

WILF: What Am I looking For?
Identify and describe: Why there was a ‘Red Scare’ in the 1950s?
Explain: How did events at home helped to ignite the ‘Red Scare’?
Analyse: How far was were domestic issues responsible for causing the ‘Red Scare’?

If you like this resource then why not check out my other resources on this topic in my TES shop. You can also follow ‘The History Academy’ on Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube and Facebook for the latest updates or even to get in touch and chat about how you have used this resource or to ask questions. We aim to produce cheap and affordable resources for either the price of a good cup of coffee or a happy meal so that you can spend more time doing the things that you want.

Anyway, have fun and stay in touch via social media for the latest updates.

Kind Regards

Roy