• World War II occurred from 1939-1945. It caused famine, collapsed economies, and political instability for Europe.
• U.S. President Truman was concerned that Europe would fall from largely democratic nations to communism.
• In 1949, President Truman signed the Marshall Plan.
• The Marshall Plan gave 13,300,000,000 US dollars in aid to democratic European countries.
• The idea was that the aid would help the European economy, would reject communism, and cities would be rebuilt.

EXTENDING THE DISCUSSION
After the observational question, randomly call on one or more students to share what they or their partner answered. Then ask the class, “Did anyone notice…?” using the suggestions above or anything else you’ve noticed.

• Why did the U.S. choose to give money instead of military support?
• How did the Marshall Plan change relationships between the U.S. and Europe?
• Did every European country accept Marshall Plan aid?
• What countries were excluded from U.S. aid?
• Did the plan actually prevent the spread of communism?

EXTENDING THE DISCUSSION
After students have shared what they notice, ask the class, “Did anyone wonder…?” using the suggestions above or anything else you might think is interesting or relevant to the lesson.

To the observational question, What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?

LOW-LEVEL

The purpose of the Marshall Plan was to give money to Europe after the war.

HIGH-LEVEL

The purpose of the Marshall Plan was to rebuild Europe’s economy after World War II and to prevent the spread of communism by supporting democratic nations.

RESPONDING TO RESPONSES
Emphasize and celebrate each student’s use of the key vocabulary to support a culture of “no wrong answers.”