Perhaps this history will add a little perspective to the public discussion of dr. The assignment has a list of symbols within the book and students need to identify what they represent from the actual cold war. They will then compare and discuss similarities between the story and the cold war, in an essay. With charles durning, christopher collins, miriam flynn, clive revill. In it, geisel creates an imaginary world that parallels the arms race of the cold war. We see each side building better bombs until the final standoff, which in the end solves nothing. The conflict between the yooks americans and the zooks russians seems so trivial but can easily relate to the nuclear arms race that was mainly fueled by national pride and. Essay directions, outline chart, and rubric are all included, as well as the lesson plan for the teacher and an answer key. This is the page when both van itch and grandpa yook had the bitsy big boy boomeroo neclear bomb.
The structure of this lesson also helped strengthen the students reinforcement of cold war terms because they had the chance to process the information in three separate ways, individually, in groups, and as a. What could have been done to diffuse the situation. As a class they recite a tongue twister, then trace and write the letter b. The butter battle book grades 14 when heaven fell grades 46. The yooks and zooks share a love of buttered bread, but animosity brews between the two groups. It could be a book, a movie or something someone told you. Think of examples of factions religious, political, local, sportsrelated, etc. The butter battle bookis full of references to the ussoviet cold war, from the building of the berlin wall to the deployment of more and more kinds of advanced weaponry the main characters are members of the yooks, who appear to represent the us and nato countries, while the antagonists, the zooks, appear to represent the soviet union and warsaw pact countries. But if history and current events are any indication, the butter battle book is more relevant now than ever before.
Enjoy the activity, it is fun and all of my students have been able to recall information on the cold war after having watched the video and written their papers. Graphic organizer to go with a class reading of the butter battle book by dr. Butter batter book southwest center for educational excellence. That means that while the good doctor may have intended for his book to allegorize the cold war. Seusss classic cautionary tale, introduces readers to the important lesson of respecting differences. This book was published in 1984, and it was written as an allegory to the cold war. Seuss the butter battle book and the cold war essay. Seuss, grandpa is portrayed as the united states military while van itch is the soviet union military. Butter battle arms race the new postcold war human. This book should be translated into every living language, and should be required reading for k3s all around the world.
The butter battle book puts a simplistic view in the real conflict of the cold war. The butter battle book teaching children philosophy. You can read the butter battle book out loud to your. These are the kinds of topics you will need to be familiar with to do well when. Free the butter battle book study unit worksheets for teachers to print. The student will compare and contrast the book the butter battle by dr. After reading the short book, analyze the story with our text. The butter battle book lesson plan for elementary and k3. However, the physical illustrated book would suffice. Seusss metaphorical look at the cold war, titled the butter battle book here i read the butter battle book. The butter battle book and the cold war literature circle the cold war was cold primarily because of the threat of nuclear weapons. In your group, create a team flow chart that everyone agrees upon.
Then, complete the tchart below with items in the book that compare to the events of the cold war. What aspects of the butter battle book mirror events or objects of the cold war. The book ends with powerful weapons ready to attack the adversary, and without much harm done to either side. To complement this resource, i recommend using the youtube version of the butter battle book as a companion. This story thus lends itself to a discussion with children about the concept of war itself, the moral issues related to war and the outcomes of retaliatory acts.
The cold war 19451990 looking zooks in the eye trumans 1947 policy of containment, the theory the communist governments would eventually fail. The butter battle book is about two groups of people, the yooks and the zooks, who fight over an extremely trivial matter, which side of the bread the groups eat their butter on. Students sing the baby bumble bee song, listen to the butter battle book by dr. While reading the butter battle book, take note of the number of times the conflict escalates. Fight f butter side do o r they thought up certainly did. Jul 15, 2016 the butter battle book questions lesson plan template and teaching resources.
Seussthe butter battle book analysis essay example. The butter battle book discussion guide scholastic. They come up with a solution to the problem in the story by working in teams. Which means this book is going to teach your children about peace as well.
Perhaps if more adults read this book back in the day it wouldnt have taken until the 90s for the cold war to end. The butter battle book is a pretty clear allegory for the cold war. In the butter battle book, the factions form over a trivial issue and escalate to the point of nearly destroying each other. Your ending must be at least 2 paragraphs long and be in the style of dr.
Daily cold war 1947 1991 activity lesson plan book. Seuss book, the butter battle book which is an allegory for the arms race. I used it for my nonhonors 10th grade class and they loved it. Seuss back in 1984, the butter battle book still has a lot to teach about intolerance and how titfortat violence can quickly get out of hand. The book ends with powerful weapons ready to attack the adversary, and without much harm done. The objective of this resource is to draw parallels between the story and the cold war. Jan 05, 2018 the butter battle book is without any doubt the greatest book for the children. The student will define the terms idea, respect, conflict, capitalism, communism, containment, mccarthyism, and proxy war. The butter battle book this lesson plan focuses on conflict in the plot. The yooks and zooks share a love of buttered bread, but animosity brews between the two groups because they prefer to enjoy the tasty treat differently. You can either watch the animated story online on youtube or read the story aloud. The butter battle book and the cold war english project by. Since the nixon and ford administrations of the early 1970s, ussoviet relations had been in a.
After completing the chart, write a paragraph about the book. For example, this phone is better than another because this car is the best because i have this and you dont. The butter battle book questions with images butter. Think about a commercial, book, or movie that you have read or seen that one character is trying to do or be better than another. Seuss and the cold war butter battle book share my lesson. The butter battle book was a new york times notable book of the year. Seuss is clearly portraying the social issues that were arising between the soviet union and the united states during the cold war. Seventh grade lesson the butter battle book betterlesson.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Seuss the butter battle book to guide your instruction on conflict, disagreements, and resolution. Thursday, april 4 the arms race and the butter battle book butter battle book worksheet friday, april 5 cold war in america pt. Seuss satirical lesson on nuclear armament and the. Free the butter battle book worksheets and literature unit. The butter battle book and the cold war the cold war was cold primarily because of the threat of nuclear weapons. Why the two groups built bigger and bigger weapons. Eric schlosser, the awardwinning author of command and control, agrees. The butter battle book is a rhyming story written by dr. Seuss and the cold war butter battle book lesson plan template and teaching resources. Eleventh grade lesson plan the butter battle book the school. How the butter battle corresponds to the sides in the cold war. The butter battle book is a pretty clear allegory for the cold war arms race. After introducing the key points of the cold war arms race, iron curtain, communism, etc.
Parallels of the butter battle book and the cold war by nick. Comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative reading response activities and projects, tests, and much more. Mar 24, 2014 the butter battle book deals with some scary stuff. Comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative reading response activities. Students complete activities with the butter battle book by dr. After reading, have a discussion about what precipitated the conflict between the zooks and the yooks. What is the source of conflict in the butter battle book and why was it written. The butter battle book and the cold war essay sample.
The butter battle book discussion guide scholastic ask students to discuss the conflict in dr. At the height of the cold war, the combined weapons of both. Have students brainstorm constructive ways to solve the conflict, and write their responses on chart paper. The cold war and the butter battle book by alison cleary. Butter battle book colleena frazier, lisa hicks, donna root, and tim tabor opening activity. No big shots where actually fired between the us and the soviet union. It portrays this event as a parody by using two different armies fighting over the way to butter your bread. Remind students of your current textbook readings about the rise of the cold war. The two groups manufacture extremely similar weapons and are on opposite sides of a wall dividing the two. The butter battle book five discussion questions and a writing task. Seuss to the ideological conflict between the united states and the soviet union during the cold war. Mar 14, 2011 seuss the butter battle book provided a different way for the students to look at the cold war in a clear, understandable way. Seuss and the cold war butter battle book with images. Seuss is an important figure in the lives of children everywhere.
The likelihood of a nuclear catastrophe is greater today than during the cold war, former defense secretary william perry recently warned reporters. Research aspects of the event try to look at more than one side. The butter battle book is an allegory for the nuclear arms race and the state of mutually assured destruction mad that occurred during the cold war. At this time, the us was in the midst of a cold war escalation. The butter battle book and the cold war english project. Notes the when of history the where of history the how of history history skills using the 8 skills. Cold war butter battle book essay by jennirae67 tpt.
Seuss and recognize how this story relates to the cold war between the. The butter battle book discusses the arms race between the united states vs. Butter battle assignment rubric grade of 2 your ending shows a creative ending to the book you show how the ending would be in dr. It was published by random house on january 12, 1984. Examine how history is present in many unexpected places. Butter battle assignment on notebook page 104106 choose 1 option 1 write an ending to the story. The butter battle book, like the cold war, was an arms race. This book was written during the cold war era and reflects the concerns of the time, especially the perceived possibility that all life on earth could be destroyed in a nuclear war. Students use the classic childrens book, the butter battle by dr. Students complete a variety of activities related to the letter b. Mar 18, 2015 butter battle book lesson plan used for diversity but also would be great for cold war unit stay safe and healthy.
The butter battle book the lesson part 1 teaching today. Sure, it was published during the reagan era while cold war tensions were still high, but the young yook faces the same questions that we do today in a world where nuclear weapons are a reality. The butter battle book after listening to the story, students discuss conflicts in their own lives and draw people finding ways to resolve conflict in socially positive ways. This seuss book parodies the cold war arms race through the fighting between the yooks and the zooks. Students will use the organizer to make comparisons of the events and characters in the story to the cold war. The butter battle book is a sad illustration of one of orwells favorite themes. Students will watch the cartoon, the butter battle book, based on the book by dr.
Seuss the butter battle book provided a different way for the students to look at the cold war in a clear, understandable way. But whats great about allegories is that theyre flexible and fuzzy. The soviet union launched its first nuclear weapon in 1949, an event that started an arms race between the united states and the soviet union. Seuss takes a frightening reality, war, and in the simplest of terms illustrates why war does not work.
In this creative cold war activity, students process what they have learned about 8 cold war figures by hosting a dinner party to help ease cold war tension. Mar 21, 2011 based on what you have viewed and read about the butter battle and the cold war. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The cold war arms race in the butter battle book shmoop.
Seuss makes the battle out to be as simple as the way someone butters their bread. The butter battle book questions lesson plan template and teaching resources. In reality the conflict was about the freedom of millions of people and the nuclear arms race. The butter battle book symbolism, imagery, allegory. Basically, this book was written at a time when the cold war was going on. It is an anti war story about the arms race, mad, and nuclear weapons. The butter battle book is one of the more overt and astute instances of geisels marriage of political and social sentiment with his childrens books. A cold war between two lands over a ridiculous dispute leads to a perilous arms race.
The butter battle book manages to distill the ridiculousness of the cold war and mutually assured destruction into terms a child could understand. During the cold war unit when i am teaching the arms race, i introduce the students to the dr. America and the ussr fought over fear of the other and capitalism against communism which is a senseless thing to declare war over. The butter battle books story parallels to the cold war. In this literature lesson, students read this story and make their own butter. Dr seuss week book activities lesson plans battle coast how to plan reading books ideas. His stories are childrens classics that are fun to read and also tackle some real life issues. Students work together at figuring out the definition for what cold war means. The cold war was cold primarily because of the threat of nuclear weapons. Read the butter battle aloud to the class while students follow along and fill in the graphic organizer writing down each escalation that happens in the book between the two sides use the jigsaw strategy to discuss. The butter battle book the butter battle book is a picture book written by dr.
The butter battle book lesson plans varsity tutors. Seusss classic the butter battle book and talk about ways to peacefully resolve reallife disputes. The butter battle book is about a feud of to villages on which side you should have your butter on your bread. Explaining the very serious differences between the zooks and the yooks, a zook grandpa tells his grandchild the unspeakable truth. Though both of them had this very powerful weapon, we do not know whether or not grandpa yook or van itch applied this to their defense for their country. The cold war and the butter battle book by alison cleary on prezi. In this social science lesson, students listen to the butter battle book by dr.
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