Effective persuasive writing represents a substantial part of our school system's English and Social Studies curriculum. It is a necessary skill when students take standardized assessments such as the Connecticut Aptitude Performance Test (CAPT) and the SAT. However, the necessity to use a persuasive voice does not cease after graduation. Persuasion is commonly used in social gatherings to generate educated opinions. Being an informed citizen of our community is necessary for effective persuasion. Once out of high school an individual may need to show persuasion in complaint letters, job application letters, business presentations, grant applications, and speeches.
In this unit I have chosen speeches that were influential in promoting war and peace during the years of the Cold War. This unit will relate to my students U.S. History and English content material. These speeches will be read and listened to. Listening to the text will promote reading comprehension while increasing content specific vocabulary. The selections that I have chosen will provide my students with opportunities to see that communication is crucial in defusing the treat of war between nations with opposing views. Carefully selected speeches promote open communication to resolve the threat of a nuclear war. The video will be viewed to promote diversity. I am choosing influential speakers from other countries. I do not expect the students to understand what is being said. It is more for an analysis of body language, reaction of the audience, counter reaction of the speaker and to show that we can understand communication on this level even when we do not understand the language.
It is important for me to coordinate my instructional material with classes that my students are taking. Special education teachers can be an advantageous resource not only for the students but also the regular education teachers. Because my students are generally in the same grade and taking the same classes, I am in constant dialogue with teachers from different disciplines who are teaching the same students. I strive to correlate my instruction to the same material being taught in their separate classes so that teachers can look to the resource teacher to help design interdisciplinary lessons which give the students an understanding that school is not a separate set of studies but an interrelated set of ideas.
The Cold War was a period of history which is of high interest to me. When the Iron Curtain was drawn in 1948, the separation of Democracy from Communism created a blanket of tension which surrounded the globe. During this period the U.S. and the Soviet Union's relationship was volatile. Like a horror film which keeps its viewer aware of the ever present danger of death, the thought of World War III emanated through the minds of the masses. Although each country fought separate indirect wars they were somehow able to end their possibility of atomic destruction in 1989. Throughout this period many prominent activists for peace influenced this resolution. Communicating that war would be a grave solution, politicians expressed their views in three key speeches. Theses speeches include:
1. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "The Chance for Peace" April 16,1953
2. President John F. Kennedy's "Inaugural Address" January, 20 1961
3. President Richard Nixon's "Cambodia Incursion Address" April 30, 1970
4. President Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall: Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate" June 12, 1987