Reason 3 (for using the bomb): To impress the Soviets Explore the reasons behind and results of using the bomb on the political landscape and relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. Learn about where and when bomb tests occurred.

Duck And Cover (1951) Bert the Turtle Civil Defense Film Get a sense of the atmosphere of the time and what it was like to live in the time period. According to the United States Library of Congress (which declared the film "historically significant" and inducted it for preservation into the National Film Registry in 2004), it was seen by millions of schoolchildren as the cornerstone of the government’s Duck & Cover campaign from the early 1950's until 1991.

A parable or allegory is a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life. Obviously stories may be read and videos may be watched and enjoyed at face value, but challenge students to practice the skill of peeling back the top layer of literary symbols to see what lies beneath. And as with an onion, some of the symbols may be multi-layered. Peeling Back the Layers

After exploring several stories and clips that incorporate symbols, have students engage their creativity to craft their own fables, parables, allegories, or symbolic stories. They may use some of the skills for crafting their stories that they will have practiced in deciphering the symbols in what you read, watched, and deciphered together.

That Grey Area Students watch one or more fear of nuclear attack storyline based videos and episodes of "The Twilight Zone" and find the symbols. Hold a class discussion: ex. What themes and moral lessons do the students notice in the film(s)? How do people cope with fear of the unknown? Does the pace of the show seem slow compared to modern shows? What would the plots of Twilight Zone episodes today be like?...what are we afraid of?

All-a-what? Allegories are a very funny genre. They have a lot to say, but they want to say it in a mysterious or slightly cryptic way. To write an allegory students will identify a problem that they want to bring attention to and then plan and write an allegory for it in the form of a story (like The Butter Battle Book, or Aesop’s Fables (ex. the Bat, the Bird, & the Beasts). (Tip: With younger students this can be done as a group write.)

Reason 4 to drop the bomb: A lack of incentives not to use the bomb “Weapons are created to be used.”

Pearl Harbor =Reason 5 The best way to really bring a tragic event to life is through the stories of those who lived through it-- whether they be fictional stories or real eyewitness accounts. Explore the information in the unit, read related books, and locate Pearl Harbor on a map.

Submarine Race: Build Your Own (Unsinkable?) Submarine(s)!

Pyramid Battle! This is a great game from PE Universe to get kids active and use math skills! Students battle one on one as they roll the dice to get the higher number (multiply, add, etc). If they get the higher number they advance to the next level. If they win the championship level, their team gets a point.