Top Ten Teaching Resources

Lesson plans, discussion questions, and activities for your classroom.

Nuclear Proliferation Primary Source Analysis

Students will understand the basics about the development of nuclear weapons and the impact on international relations since the end of World War II.

Students will evaluate past and present nuclear threats and reflect on why these threats have changed over time.

(30 Minutes) Primary Source Analysis: Break students into groups. (Five groups are suggested with each group getting one page of primary sources to read and discuss).
- Group 1: Documents A, B
- Group 2: Documents C, D, E
- Group 3: Documents F, G, H
- Group 4: Documents I, J
- Group 5: Documents K, L
- Have students read their assigned document excerpts and consider one or more of the following questions: How have concerns about proliferation changed over time? What strategies did world leaders try to implement? What nuclear issues were leaders most worried about during the Cold War? After the Cold War? Why the change?
- Have students meet and discuss with classmates who read other excerpts. (Blending students into a mixed group is the most efficient.)
(10 Minutes) Debrief Primary Source Analysis: Ask students to share their key takeaways from the various primary sources related to nuclear proliferation.