Since the end of the Cold War, and more recently since September 11, 2001, relations between the United States and Russia have reached new levels of cooperation and accommodation. At the same time, many important developments in Russia remain cloaked by government intrigue or obscured by the complexity of Russia's political and cultural past. This unit of study allows students and teachers to consider the issues that most deeply affect U.S. people. The Teacher Resource Book accompanying "Russia's Uncertain Transition" contains a day-by-day lesson plan and student activities. The unit begins with students assessing the values and assumptions that framed U.S. policy at the onset of the Cold War. An optional lesson exposes students to the image of the United States depicted in Soviet propaganda. Students are asked to reflect on how people in today's Russia view the changes affecting their lives. The third and fourth days of the lesson plan involve students in a simulation in which they act as advocates of the four options or take on the role of members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. On the fifth day, students develop coherent policy recommendations based on their own values and beliefs. Lessons are designed for traditional class periods of 50 minutes. Teachers may also find the "Alternative Three-Day Lesson Plan" useful. The student text has students join in the debate on U.S. policy toward Russia and its neighbors in the former Soviet Union (FSU). Questions are: Should we view Russia as a potential ally, a tough rival, a wounded enemy, or something else? How do changes in the FSU affect the United States? What actions, if any, should the U.S. take to influence developments in Russia and the other former Soviet states? Background reading helps students consider questions raised in the unit. Part (1) surveys the history of U.S.-Russian relations from the 19th century to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Part (2) examines the transformation that Russia has undergone since 1992. Part (3) reviews the issues at the top of the U.S. agenda with respect to Russia and its neighbors. Lists 11 supplementary resources. (BT)