Materials

• Copy of Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss

Instructional Activities

1. Explain that the Cold War was “cold” primarily because of the threat of nuclear weapons. 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. At the height of the Cold War, the combined weapons of both countries were enough to destroy the world six times over. The two “superpowers” used their weapons as a deterrent against nuclear war.
   
   
2. Read to students the Butter Battle Book, by Dr. Seuss. (Older students really enjoy this book.) After you have finished the story, discuss with students how the story parallels some of the major features of the Cold War. Teachers might want to use a t-chart to help students draw comparisons. (See sample below.) The development of this chart provides an opportunity to review concepts important to the Cold War, as well as a time to discuss the analogy of the Iron Curtain and the building of the Berlin Wall.