Cold War/Modern Conflicts Hotspots Portfolio

7th Grade World History – Brothers

Unit Test Grade

Task:Create a portfolio about a Cold War Hotspot (Korea, Vietnam, Berlin, China, Cuba, Space) from 1945 to 1991 OR a Modern Conflict Hotspot (Africa, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Balkan) since 1945.

Your portfolio MUST contain the following parts:

1. Current Media: Find an article published in the last 2 years about the hotspot. This article should be accessible to the general public (US News, Time, etc) not a research journal article. Include the following:

  • A copy of the article
  • An original paragraph summary of the key points of the article (1/2 page)
  • A response to the key points: What did you learn? What surprised you? What does this indicate about how the general public remembers the hotspot? What does it indicate about the lasting significance or insignificance of the hotspot? (1/2 page)

______2. Political Cartoon: Find a political cartoon about the hotspot published in the last 2 years. This political cartoon may be from any perspective. Include the following:

  • A copy of the political cartoon
  • An original paragraph summary of the key points of the political cartoon (1/2 page)
  • A response to the key points: What did you learn? What surprised you? What does this indicate about how the general public remembers the hotspot? What does it indicate about the lasting significance or insignificance of the hotspot? (1/2 page)

2. Personal Experience: You have two options for this part:

  • Interview a person that you know who lived through the events in your hotspot (may be any perspective). Include the interview questions and the responses (you should use a false name to protect the privacy of the individual).

OR

Find a first person account of what it was like to live through the hotspot. Include a 2 page excerpt of the account from a book, interview, etc (you may find narratives on the internet but be critical of the website).

  • Write a one page response to the person’s experience. What challenges did he/she face during that time period? How did he/she cope? What surprised you about his/her story? What did you learn about your hotspot based upon his/her experience?

3. Creative Piece: Many artists have lived through this time and express their feelings through their artwork. Find a piece of artwork, music, or poetry created by someone who lived through your hotspot OR that some how describes the experience of the hotspot.

  • Provide a copy of the lyrics, poem, or artwork.
  • Write a brief description of the piece and how it relates to the hotspot. (1/2 page)
  • Write a brief description of the artist and his/her relationship with the hotspot (1/2 page)
  • Write a one page response to the creative piece. What challenges did he/she face during that time period? How did he/she cope? What surprised you about his/her story? What did you learn about your hotspot based upon his/her experience?