Teaching with the News Archives
The following is a list of titles in Teaching with the News that have been archived.
Following the U.S. Presidential Election - Archive
Original Publication Date: August 2012
In this lesson students track news coverage of the 2012 presidential campaigns and form their own opinion on policy issues and the candidates.
Famine in Somalia - Archive
Original Publication Date: October 2011
In this lesson students will use news sources to explore the crisis in Somalia and consider a variety of factors exacerbating the famine.
The Gulf Oil Disaster - Archive
Original Publication Date: August 2010
In this one-day activity students use political cartoons to consider issues raised by the 2010 oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico including impact, accountability, U.S. oil dependency, and energy policy.
The U.S. in Afghanistan: Analyzing Political Cartoons - Archive
Original Publication Date: December 2009
This lesson allows students to analyze a series of political cartoons to understand different viewpoints on U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
U.S. Policy in Afghanistan - Archive
Original Publication Date: November 2009
Afghanistan is one of the most daunting challenges facing the United States. President Obama and his advisors are reassessing U.S. policies in Afghanistan, a task complicated by a flawed presidential election. In this free two-day lesson, students debate three possible options for U.S. policy in Afghanistan and articulate their own views on the issue.
The U.S. and Iran: Confronting Policy Alternatives - Archive
Original Publication Date: November 2007
News about the U.S. relationship with Iran and Iran's uranium enrichment program appears frequently in the headlines these days. There is much debate about how to respond to this issue. The U.S. and Iran: Confronting Policy Alternatives is an interactive lesson plan that engages students in consideration of divergent policy alternatives concerning U.S. policy on Iran. This current issues lesson is an excellent follow up to Iran Through the Looking Glass: History, Reform, and Revolution
Globalization and the Economic Crisis - Archive
Original Publication Date: November 2008
News of a global economic crisis has dominated the headlines in recent months. Reports of the effects of this crisis come from as far as Iceland, Japan, and Brazil, with reports of unemployment rates spiking across the world. But the roots of this crisis are in the U.S. economy. In this one-day lesson, students explore a series of political cartoons and consider the relationship between globalization and the economic crisis.
A Nuclear North Korea? - Archive
Original Publication Date: June 2009
In this free online lesson students view videos from our Scholars Online video library and think critically about the issues surrounding North Korea and nuclear weapons. A new Current Issues Lesson, North Korea and Nuclear Weapons is also available from Choices.
Terrorism: How Should We Respond? - Archive
Original Publication Date: August 2004
This online lesson plan invites students to explore four divergent policy options on the question of how the United States should respond to terrorism and then to articulate their own considered perspective. This 2-day lesson is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
This material is drawn from Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy.
Violence in Darfur, Sudan - Archive
Original Publication Date: January 2007
Sudan has been embroiled in internal conflicts since independence in 1956. Most recently, a violent conflict between the central government and several opposition groups has devastated Darfur, the westernmost region of Sudan. This online lesson can be used as a supplement to Confronting Genocide: Never Again? or as a single lesson.
U.S. Role in the World - Archive
Original Publication Date: November 2003
An important debate is taking place in the United States concerning America's role in the world today.The U.S. Role in the World includes a lesson plan involving discussion of four distinct alternatives - or Futures - that frame the current debate. This activity features an online student ballot that allows your students' opinions to be included in a nationally distrubuted report. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
The material is drawn from The U.S. Role in a Changing World.
Global Environment: Considering U.S. Policy - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2004
Climate change is a central focus of policy discussions in the U.S. and around the world. What should U.S. policy be concerning global environmental issues? This 2-day lesson plan invites students to explore four divergent policy options and then to articulate their own views. This online resource is available free from the Choices web site.
This material is drawn from Global Environmental Problems: Implications for U.S. Policy
Conflict in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2008
Conflict in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on the question of U.S. policy in Iraq. What is our purpose? Who should be involved in solutions? Are our troop levels right? How long should U.S. troops stay? What does this mean for the larger question of America's role in the world today? This online resource is drawn from Conflict in Iraq: Searching for Solutions
Nuclear Weapons: What Should Our Policy Be? - Archive
Original Publication Date: January 2006
Nuclear Weapons: What Should Our Policy Be? engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on the questions that surround the future of nuclear weapons. The material in this 2-day lesson is drawn from The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons.
Interrogation Tactics in the News - Archive
Original Publication Date: April 2009
On April 22, 2009 The New York Times reported on the CIA's adoption of the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) program as an interrogation technique. Stories on this topic are headlining major media sources around the country and the world. The documentary film, Torturing Democracy, tells the inside story of how the U.S. government adopted these techniques as official policy in the aftermath of 9/11. The Choices Program has developed an accompanying study guide to this film as well as a media literacy activity to help students think critically about this complicated and politically-charged issue.
Dangerous Music - Archive
Original Publication Date: June 2009
Choices Program has developed the lesson Dangerous Music to help students explore the effects of drug violence on Culiacán, a city in northwestern Mexico, and on popular songs known as narcocorridos. The lesson is built around a video from Foreign Exchange and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Looking at the Tank Man: The 20th Anniversary of Tiananmen - Archive
Original Publication Date: June 2009
In this free one-day lesson, students analyze an image from June 5, 1989 from multiple perspectives and consider the effect that censorship can have on the understanding of an event.
India and Pakistan in the Wake of the Mumbai Attacks - Archive
Original Publication Date: December 2008
Today, India and Pakistan face each other with hostility and suspicion heightened by the terror attacks in Mumbai. Both countries have nuclear weapons. Some experts think that the nuclear face-off between India and Pakistan makes the region the most dangerous place in the world. How has it come to this? Resources are provided to help students understand the historical context of the forces at play in the region today.
India: Conflicts Within - Archive
Original Publication Date: January 2009
Choices has developed lesson plans to accompany the Pulitzer Center's Global Gateway on India. Multiple lessons are available.
Water Wars: Lesson Plans - Archive
Original Publication Date: November 2008
While Americans fret over rising gas prices and global tension over oil, the world's poor are struggling to secure access to another, even more basic resource. Choices has developed lesson plans to accompany the Pulitzer Center's Global Gateway on Water Wars.
U.S. Immigration Policy: What should we do? - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2006
The Senate and House of Representatives are considering changes to current immigration law that will fundamentally change the rules on immigration. U.S. Immigration Policy: What should we do? enables students to consider U.S. immigration policy within the context of long-term goals for the country. This 2-day lesson is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
The material is drawn from U.S. Immigration Policy in an Unsettled World
Castro's Legacy and the Future of Cuba - Archive
Original Publication Date: February 2008
On February 19, 2008, Fidel Castro announced to Cuba and to the world that he would not be a candidate for Cuba's presidency. In this lesson students will explore the reaction to Fidel Castro's decision, categorize competing perspectives on Castro and the future of Cuba, and consider the international response to Castro's resignation and assess possible consequences.
A full unit on the future of Cuba, Contesting Cuba's Past and Future, is new from the Choices Program.
Are We Winning the Global War on Terror? - Archive
Original Publication Date: September 2006
Students consider whether and how the United States can determine the success or failure of our efforts to combat terrorism.
This lesson is a supplement to Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy.
Russia and Georgia: Conflict and War - Archive
Original Publication Date: September 2008
The violence and war in Georgia has brought the U.S. relationship with Russia back to the front pages and rekindled an important debate. How should the United States view Russia? How do Russian policies affect the United States? What policies should the United States follow to manage its relationship with Russia? Russia's Transformation: Challenges for U.S. Policy provides background and lessons that can help your students make sense of the news and explain why American leaders are paying close attention to the conflict.
Events in Taiwan, Tibet, and China - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2008
Events in Taiwan, Tibet, and China are in the news. In and around Tibet, protests against the Chinese government have been met with a crackdown from Chinese security forces. The violence in Tibet has escalated to levels not seen in twenty years, and influenced the spring 2008 presidential elections in Taiwan. China on the World Stage: Weighing the U.S. Response (2008 edition) provides background on these issues, including an extensive lesson plan on the relationship among China, Taiwan, and the United States. These resources can help your students make sense of the news and explain why American leaders are paying close attention to the conflicts.
North Korea and Nuclear Weapons - Archive
Original Publication Date: January 2006
The six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program have resulted in a tentative agreement. This promises to be the beginning of a long and challenging process. North Korea and Nuclear Weapons engages students in consideration of the range of options that continue to face policymakers. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
See also The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons.
Conflict in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives - Archive
Original Publication Date: January 2007
Conflict in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on the question of U.S. policy in Iraq. What is our purpose? Who should be involved in solutions? Are our troop levels right? How long should U.S. troops stay? What does this mean for the larger question of America's role in the world today? The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
This online resource is drawn from Conflict in Iraq: Searching for Solutions
The U.S. in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives - Archive
Original Publication Date: September 2006
The U.S. in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on the question of the U.S. presence in Iraq. What is our purpose? How long should we stay? The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
Multiparty Elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Archive
Original Publication Date: January 2006
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been plagued by violence and misrule for most of its existence, yet many in the United States are unaware of the country's history. The historic election in the DRC has the potential to bring stability to the region and strengthen Africa's place in the international community. Colonialism in the Congo: Conquest, Conflict, and Commerce engages students in the history of precolonial Congo and European imperialism in the area and helps them to connect this history to the present.
Considering Genocide in Sudan - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2005
Recent news articles highlight an on-going civil war in Sudan that has been raging for more than 20 years. What is taking place in Sudan today is characterized as government-sponsored ethnic cleansing by some, genocide by others. This online lesson is available at no charge from the Choices web site. This lesson is adapted from Confronting Genocide: Never Again?.
This online lesson was replaced in fall 2006 with "Violence in Darfur, Sudan".
Iraq: The Challenge of Securing the Peace - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2005
Critical questions about Iraq's future and about the U.S. role in the region have risen to the top of the American agenda. Iraq: The Challenge of Securing the Peace is an online lesson plan that engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on how the situation in Iraq should be handled and then asks them to articulate their own considered judgment on what U.S. policy should be. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site. This online resource was replaced in fall 2005 by Iraq: What's Ahead and in fall 2006 by The U.S. in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives.
The Tsunami Disaster: Putting it in the Context of Foreign Aid - Archive
Original Publication Date: January 2005
The tragic events surrounding the tsunami disaster in Asia have brought the question of foreign assistance to the front burner. What kind of aid should be provided and how much are topics discussed on a daily basis as the world moves to cope with this terrible tragedy.
This lesson is a supplement to Dilemmas of Foreign Aid: Debating U.S. Priorities, Policies, and Practices.
Iraq After War: The Challenge of Securing the Peace - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2004
One year after the war in Iraq, critical questions about Iraq's future remain. Iraq After War: The Challenge of Securing the Peace engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on how the post-war period in Iraq should be handled and then asks them to articulate their own considered judgment on what U.S. policy should be. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
Responding to Terrorism - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2004
The terrible tragedy in Spain provides sharp reminders that the United States and the world are still threatened by terrorism.Recently updated, the curriculum unit Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracyhelps students explore the threats to the United States, the motivations ofterrorists, and the challenges for our international and domestic response.
9.11 Two Years Later: Teaching about Terrorism - Archive
Original Publication Date: September 2003
The second anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon has provided an opportunity to consider the challenges presented by the issue of international terrorism. Updated in fall 2003, the curriculum unit Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracyhelps students explore the threats to the United States, the motivations ofterrorists, and the challenges for our international and domestic response.
Teaching about Terrorism - Archive
Original Publication Date: March 2003
The terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia the death of more Americans provide a sharp reminder that the United States is still threatened byterrorism. Simulations in American cities of radiological or biologicalattacks remind us that the threat is real and of immediate concern.The curriculum unit Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracyhelps students explore the threats to the United States, the motivations ofterrorists, and the challenges for our international and domestic response.
Crisis with Iraq - revised Winter 2003 - Archive
Original Publication Date: September 2002
Crisis with Iraq is a lesson plan and set of policy options that was developed to engage students in the issue of Iraq prior to war. The materials engage students in consideration of a balanced range of views and then ask them to articulate their own considered judgment on the issue. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.
Attack on the United States - Archive
Original Publication Date: September 2001
In the weeks following the September 11 attacks, the Choices Education Program posted a framework of policy options to help teachers and students address the issues raised by these attacks in a construction manner in classrooms. To assist students in understanding the issues, Choices asked several of the Watson Institute researchers to respond to a series of questions. Students and teachers may find these interviews helpful as they consider the issues addressed in Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy.
Teaching about Terrorism - Scholar Interviews - Archive
Original Publication Date: September 2001
Responding to Terrorism - Interviews is a series of interviews conduced with Watson Institute researchers in the weeks following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Students and teachers may find these interviews helpful as they consider the issues addressed in our full unit, Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy. The interviews are available at no charge from the Choices web site.