Television Panel Interview

Greetings,
As a historian and an expert on the Cold war arms race, you are invited to participate in our
televised interview along with several other experts. Please prepare for the interview with the
following questions: how did the US government use fear to get the public to allow nuclear arms
buildup? How real was the threat of nuclear war? Was the nuclear bomb more of a political tool
than a real threat?

Instructions:
Day 1: Research
Students will work collaboratively in groups of four or five. Students will be given primary
sources (us politicians and USSR), websites and videos to gain factual knowledge (please see
below for sources). The students will then pick a representative from each group to serve as an
expert historian in a panel interview. Students will use the analysis handout to organize their
information. Students will conduct research as a team. Please download the analysis guide from
the teachers website (https://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php)
Day 2: Interview
The teacher will facilitate a panel interview on the Arms race and how it affected the US public
and policy. Each group will chose a member for the panel. The students will chose the position
they want to argue based on the questions and their research. If all students are in agreeance, the
teacher will assign specific students to play the opposing view. The driving questions for the
panel interview are how did the US government use fear to get the public to allow nuclear arms
buildup? How real was the threat of nuclear war? Was the nuclear bomb more of a political tool
than a real threat? Student must reference the documents, videos, and other sources they found in
their argument. The student in the panel interview must also call on group members as experts
to solidify their position.
Each group member will grade each other using the rubric provided (see teacher website @
https://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php). The assignment is worth 100 points.
 Rubric for Classroom Discussion

weight
Criteria Exemplary Effective Minimal Unsatisfactory

Contributes Contributes Occasionally Fails to contribute

to class to class contributes to to class activities
activities by activities by class Fails to invite
offering offering activities by comment/opinion
quality ideas ideas and offering ideas s from other
and asking asking and asking students
appropriate questions questions Demonstrates
questions on on a regular Sometimes little
a regular basis engages understanding of
basis Often others in main points
Actively engages class Does not identify
engages others in discussions or summarize
others in class Sometimes main points
Level of 50 class discussions has an
Engagement % discussions by inviting understandin
by inviting their g of main
their comments points
comments Challenges Identifies and
Constructivel the summarizes
y challenges accuracy some of the
the accuracy and main points
and relevance relevance of
of statements statements
made made
Effectively Identifies
identifies and and
summarizes summarizes
main points main points
Always Usually Seldom Consistently
prepared for prepared prepared unprepared for
class with with with class
assignments assignment assignments Expresses no
and required s and and required relevant
materials required materials foundational
Preparednes 25 Accurately materials Expresses knowledge
s % expresses Expresses limited
foundational basic foundational
knowledge foundationa knowledge
pertaining to l knowledge pertaining to
issues raised pertaining class
during the to class discussions
discussion discussions
Consistently Usually Seldom Rarely if ever
positive, positive and actively participates in
25 cooperative cooperative participates classroom
Attitude % attitude with in classroom projects and
during class classroom projects and discussions
projects discussions
 Always and Sometimes Occasional
supportive of discussions supportive of disruptive
other Often other behavior
students supportive students
ideas of other ideas
students
ideas

Assignment Score _________ + Bonus ______________ = Final Score ________________