AUSTRALIAS INVOLVEMENT IN COLD WAR: LESSON SEQUENCE OVERVIEW

CURRICULUM LINKS:

the nature of the Cold War and Australias involvement in Cold War and post-Cold War conflicts (Korea, Vietnam, The Gulf Wars, Afghanistan), including the rising
influence of Asian nations since the end of the Cold War (ACOKFH023)

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Be able to distinguish between capitalism, communism and socialism.

How the Cold War manifested in hot conflicts like Korea

Australias involvement in the Korean War

SEQUENCE
LESSON 1

LEARNING SEQUENCE

LESSON 2

Recap with students events at the end of WWII, including Russian and USA
involvement in the conflict and the end of the war in Japan in order to familiarize
themselves with previous studies and in order to assess the extent of students
prior knowledge.
Provide students with a timeline of events leading up to and during the early
stages of the Cold War. Divide students into groups and assign them to research
three events on the timeline to present to the class.
Students to take notes, ask questions of the groups.
Provide detail and background in order to clarify, correct and expand upon points
made by groups.
Students to engage in a role play game in order to develop their understanding of
the features and differences between socialism, communism and capitalism.
Provide students with a number of fantails each. Have them play
rock/paper/scissors with each other for a few minutes (if they run out of fantails
they are eliminated in order to simulate a capitalist economy. Repeat the process
in order to replicate a communist and a socialist system.
View the rough outline of the game online (see resources- some modifications may
be necessary)

RESOURCES
Timeline of pre-Cold War and early Cold War events

http://oregonteacherblog.chalkboardproject.org/teachingstrategies/rock-paper-scissors-how-not-to-bore-yourstudents-with-a-lecture-on-communism-socialism-andcapitalism/
Map of Asia
http://korean-war.commemoration.gov.au/cold-warcrisis-in-korea/korean-war-strategic-map.php

LESSON 3

LESSON 4

After each stage of the game, link the outcomes of the game to the characteristics
of capitalism, communism and socialism ideologies and economies.
Explain the concept of proxy wars stemming from the ideological nature of the
Cold War
Have students view a map of the region in order to familiarise themselves with the
geographical positioning of key countries involved in the Korean War.
View educational video outline the course of the conflict (see resources).

Introduce the domino effect and its relevance to the Australian perspective.
Supply students with Out in the Cold: Australias Involvement in the Korean War
1950-1953 and ask them to note the major points given for Australias
involvement in the war.
Students to view the Australian War Memorial website pages for the description
and timeline of events. Use resources to develop student understanding of
Australias role and to develop historical skills by examining questions of
contestability and bias. Key questions may include which events have been
emphasized, criteria for selection, what has been left out, historical narrative etc.

Out in the Cold: Australias Involvement in the Korean War

1950-1953 at: www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/korea

Korea as the forgotten war in the West; stalemate, cease-fire overshadowed in

history by Vietnam?
But incredibly important to the Koreans themselves
Examine the importance of the conflict to the Korean people and the resonance of
the ideological divide between the two Koreas, students conduct a source analysis,
answering questions supplied (view resources linked).
Briefly outline the current political and military situation in Korea as a conclusion
to the lesson.

http://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/Lessons/Unit%2011_Col
d%20War/Korean%20War%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf