The Space Race and Conspiracy Theories

The U.S. and Russia have had an interesting history. Both countries looked for ways to "one up" the other and declare themselves to be the leader in new advancements. While they didn't fight in an actual war against each other, they did spend years battling each other in other ways. We refer to this battle as the Cold War. During the Cold War, Russia fought hard to beat the U.S. in everything. Many times they did. They were able to send a satellite to space before us which began the Space Race. Of course we couldn't have that, so we retaliated by sending men to the moon.

Of course there are those who think the lunar landing was fake. Perhaps we never really landed on the moon but just staged it. Many people believed this conspiracy theory to be true. In the end, we won the Space Race and really did land on the moon.

Life in Russia compared to the United States was very different. We were pursuing the "American Dream" with our nice houses, hearty meals, and plentiful clothes, while the Russians were living in tiny apartments, had very little clothing, and meals were meager. Which place sounds nicer to live in?

Russia does have beautiful buildings and majestic scenery, but the people were oppressed and micromanaged in every aspect of their lives. The secret police were closely monitoring them, they had no access to standard television or radio, and they were told where and when they could attend religious ceremonies. It was not freedom.

This next week you will be reading about Asia. Learning about different countries and their customs is interesting, so absorb as much as you can. You are on the home stretch! Only 4 more Units to go!

*Next week we will be playing a review game, so make to read the Unit well. You have been warned!

Homework:
1. Read Unit 26
2. Research one country in Asia and describe their food, daily activities, religion, traditions, and climate. It does not have to be a paragraph. You can just give an outline of your findings. Feel free to bring any props or food from the country you choose.
3. Begin thinking about your end of the year project. if you don't have a topic chosen yet, start thinking about what appeals to you. If you have a great topic you want to research, let me know. I want this to be a fun project, so pick something you are excited to learn about. I will have the guidelines for the project next week.