Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

Why Can't We Be Friends?

Nixon Diplomacy

Cody Sivertsen, Lindsey Link | Published: January 10th, 2023 by K20 Center

Summary

Students will begin this lesson by establishing their current understanding of diplomacy tactics by discussing Magnetic Statements independently and collaboratively. Students will learn about President Richard Nixon's diplomatic ventures by reading and annotating articles, then filling out a graphic organizer. They also will watch an interview with Lester Asamoah, who works at the American Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Finally, students' understanding will be evaluated using the "Give, Get, Reflect" strategy, in which they will summarize the Essential Question, "What Makes for Effective Diplomacy," and examine an additional question, "How Has Diplomacy Changed in the Last 50 Years?" An optional extension enables students to build on their responses by discussing with peers.

Essential Question(s)

What makes for effective diplomacy?

Snapshot

Engage

Students participate in Magnetic Statements to discuss their current understanding of diplomacy tactics.

Explore

Students Jigsaw articles to better understand Nixon’s foreign policy affairs with the USSR and China.

Explain

Students watch an animated video which summarizes the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT) and use the instructional strategy “Give, Get, Reflect” to summarize what they have learned.

Extend 1

Students watch an ICAP interview with Lester Asamoah, an American Embassy employee in Jakarta, Indonesia, and continue filling in their Give, Get, Reflect handout.

Extend 2 (optional)

Students analyze a series of images from President Nixon’s trip overseas to try to answer the question, “What makes for effective diplomacy?”

Evaluate

Students summarize what they have learned from the articles, videos, and images in their “Give, Get, Reflect” handout to answer the question, “How has diplomacy changed in the last 50 years?”

Materials

  • Lesson Slides (attached)

  • Magnetic Statements Posters (attached)

  • Nixon Announces Visit to Communist China” article (linked; 1 per group of 3 students)

  • Détente” article (linked; 1 per group of 3 students)

  • Ping-Pong Diplomacy” article (linked; 1 per group of 3 students)

  • C.R.U.S.H. & Smush (attached; 1 per student)

  • Give, Get, Reflect (attached; 1 per student)

  • Painting a Picture (optional; attached; 1 per student)

Engage

20 Minute(s)

Introduce the lesson using the attached Lesson Slides. Display slide 3 and present the definition of diplomacy to students. Have a brief discussion about what diplomacy is and why it is important.

Move to slide 4 and share the instructional strategy Magnetic Statements with students. Provide them with time to read each of the statements around the room and instruct them to select the one they are most attracted to. Once students have chosen a quote, have them discuss with the others who choose the same quote their reasons for choosing it. Use the quotes on slides 5-8 to hold a whole class guided discussion. Have each group share why they were most attracted to their quotes.

Move to slide 9 and, this time, instruct students to select the one they are most repelled by. Once students have chosen a quote, have them discuss with the others at the quote their reasons for choosing it. Use the quotes on slides 10-13 to hold a whole class guided discussion. Have each group share why they were most repelled by their quotes.

Display slide 14 and slide 15 and review the Essential Question and Learning Objectives with students to the extent you feel necessary.

Explore

45 Minute(s)

Assign students to groups of three (3); then have them number off from 1 to 3 within each group. Distribute the above news articles as prepared to each student and have them read the article corresponding to their number. There should be three (3) students per group, with each group member reading a different article ("ones" reading article one, "twos" reading article two, etc.).

Move to slide 16 and share the instructional strategy C.R.U.S.H. & Smush with students. Pass out the attached C.R.U.S.H. & Smush handout and walk students through what they are expected to do as they are reading. When students get to the “Smush” part of the strategy, instruct them to write their summary in the appropriate place on the table at the bottom of their reading. 

Once students have finished reading, ask groups to temporarily reshuffle so that those who read the same article are now grouped together. Depending on the size of the class, you may have more than one group of students who have read the same article. A good number to keep in mind is five, any more than five (5) students may be too much for an authentic conversation to occur. Encourage students to discuss why they highlighted certain things and collaborate within their groups to gain a thorough understanding of what they read. As groups work, circle the room and listen to students' conversations. As necessary, clarify information and prompt further questions.

Once students are grouped, move to slide 17 and introduce the Jigsaw reading strategy to the class. The purpose of the Jigsaw strategy is to have each student, who has become an expert on their assigned reading during the activity, reveal their acquired knowledge with their classmates. Students share responsibility for each other's learning while developing group communication and close-reading skills. Invite students, now that they are the experts about their assigned documents, to return to their original group and teach what they've learned. Ask group members to fill out the corresponding portion of their tables as each student discusses their reading.

Explain

45 Minute(s)

Display slide 18, pass out the attached Give, Get, Reflect handout and share the instructional strategy Give, Get, Reflect with students.

Move to slide 19 and share the following video which explains former President Richard Nixon's motivations for visiting the leaders of communist China, Chairman Mao Zedong, and Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union and the time spanning the next ten years, which led to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, better known as SALT I & II.

When the video is over, move to slide 20 and instruct students to answer the Essential Question, “What actions make for effective diplomacy?” in the “Give” section of their handouts. Once students have had enough time to complete this, move to slide 21 for “Get Round 1.” Instruct students to partner up with a classmate and share their responses to the Essential Question and summarize their partner’s response in their handout under the section labeled “Get Round 1.” The slide has a 5-minute timer on it; however, if you believe students need more or less time for each round, feel free to change it. You can find a variety of timers on the K20 YouTube Channel. Use slides 22-24 to move students through the next 3 rounds.

Extend #1 ICAP

30 Minute(s)

Move to slide 25 and share the linked ICAP interview with Lester Asamoah. Lester is an American who works in the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. As students watch the video, instruct them to take notes in the “Get Round 5 with Lester Asamoah” box. 

Move to slide 26 and instruct students to share their notes with their peers.

Move to slide 27 and instruct students to take the information from the lesson and the talks they had with their peers to write a summary statement. This summary statement should best reflect their understanding of the Essential Question at this time in the “Reflect Round 1” box.

Evaluate

10 Minute(s)

Display slide 34 and have students reflect one more time on their Give, Get, Reflect handout using evidence from the lesson to answer the following question in the “Reflect Round 2” box: “How has diplomacy changed in the last 50 years?”

Optional Extend #2

Display slide 28, pass out the attached Painting a Picture handout (you may choose between the handout with and without images), and share the instructional strategy Painting a Picture with students. Distinguish the difference between observations and inferences for students and instruct them to make both for each of the pictures as they are displayed. Share the images on slides 29-33, pausing for a few minutes on each picture and allowing students to write down their thoughts. Consider having students discuss with an Elbow Partner what they wrote down and then call on some partners to share their thoughts with the larger group. 

Some discussion questions to consider asking are:

  • What do you think is the significance of Nixon’s trip to China? 

  • What do you think is the significance of the SALT summits? 

  • Explain the concept of detente and how it applies to Nixon’s style of diplomacy.

Resources