Foreign aid https://www.morningsidecenter.org/ en Picturing the Syrian Refugee Crisis https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/picturing-syrian-refugee-crisis <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Picturing the Syrian Refugee Crisis</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>To the teacher:&nbsp;</h4> <p>In 2011 violence erupted in Syria when thousands took to the streets to protest the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. &nbsp;The protests were in response to the arrest and torture of a group of schoolboys who had tagged their school walls with slogans opposing Assad.&nbsp; Although protesters were initially unarmed,&nbsp; opposition to the regime grew, and soon armed groups from within and beyond Syria joined the opposition, fuelling a vicious civil war that has now lasted for almost three years.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> The Syrian civil war has caused more than 2.5 million people to flee the country.&nbsp; Most have fled to neighboring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, but some are looking for safety further afield. &nbsp;In the lesson plan that follows, students explore life in the immense Jordanian refugee camp of Za'atari by viewing and analyzing photos and consider the U.S. response to the Syrian refugee crisis. &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Read more about history of the civil war in Syria at:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/should-united-states-strike-syria">Should the United States Strike Syria</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/syria-today-diplomatic-vs-military-responses">Syria Today: Diplomatic versus Military Responses</a></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>Materials:</strong><br> &nbsp;<br> See pictures 14, 15, 16, and 17 from the James Nachwey's <a href="http://lightbox.time.com/2014/01/23/syrian-refugees-by-james-nachtwey/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#14">Lightbox slideshow</a> in Time magazine.</p> <p>Either print up these pictures to share with your students, sequentially, or project them, one after the other, on the smart board in your classroom.&nbsp;&nbsp; Try not to show the captions accompanying the pictures, at least not in this first activity. &nbsp;(Other pictures to consider are 3 and 11.)<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>Gathering</strong></h4> <p>Standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty welcomes visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans.&nbsp; Ask students to read and then respond to the last few lines of Emma Lazarus's sonnet "The New Colossus" which is inscribed on a bronze plaque mounted on the Statue of Liberty.<br> &nbsp;<br> Give me your tired, your poor,<br> Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,<br> The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.<br> Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,<br> I lift my lamp beside the golden door!<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask students:</p> <ul> <li>What does this poem on the Statue of Liberty say about the U.S.?</li> <li>What does it say about the U.S. and its relation to immigration?</li> <li>Do you know whether the U.S. lives up to Emma Lazarus's famous words?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students about the different reasons people leave their home countries to come to the U.S.&nbsp; Elicit and discuss how some people come to seek out opportunities in the U.S., like an education, work, a better life for themselves and their families.&nbsp; Other people flee their home countries because of war, violence, extreme poverty, or other kinds of oppression.&nbsp; Explain that we often refer to the first group as immigrants; the second group as refugees.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students to raise their hands if they know their family came as immigrants.&nbsp; Ask the students to raise their hands if they know their family came as refugees.&nbsp; Ask a few volunteers to share their family's story.<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>Check Agenda and Objectives</h4> <p>Check agenda and explain that in today's lesson we'll be looking at the U.S.'s recent decision to ease some of its immigration rules.&nbsp; To begin exploring this immigration issue, we'll look at a set of images.&nbsp; From there we'll do some work in small groups, read excerpts from different publications on the issues and come back to the words of Emma Lazarus at the end of the lesson.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>Pictures of a Crisis</strong></h4> <p>Share these pictures from James Nachwey's <a href="http://lightbox.time.com/2014/01/23/syrian-refugees-by-james-nachtwey/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#14">Lightbox</a> slideshow in Time Magazine: 14, 15, 16, and 17. Also consider 3 and 11.&nbsp; Either print up the pictures and show them to students sequentially, or project them, one after the other, on your smart board.&nbsp;&nbsp; Try not to show the captions accompanying the pictures, at least not in this first activity.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> <u>Start by showing picture number 14:</u><br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 1: Objective Descriptions.&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong>Ask students to look at the first picture and describe what they see.&nbsp; Instruct them to describe what is in the image objectively, only what can be seen.&nbsp; If students draw any conclusions or make any interpretations, redirect them to what's actually in the image.<br> &nbsp;<br> Students might share that they see clothes hanging on a clothesline, they can see what appears to be a satellite dish, a large tent is somewhat central to the composition, partially hidden by the clothes, a container with a person on it stands to the left of the tent, and in the top left of the image, we see some more people and more tents and containers.&nbsp; There are clouds in the sky.&nbsp; Try to have students share as complete a description of the image as they can, by asking every time someone shares, what else students can see.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 2: Assign Adjectives. </strong>Now ask students to move beyond the mere description of the place. Ask: If you were to use adjectives to describe this place, what might they be?&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; What feelings does the place bring up for you?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 3: Moving Beyond the Image.&nbsp; </strong>Next ask student: If you were the photographer and you zoomed out from this photo, what do you think you might see?&nbsp; What do you think is beyond the image?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 4: Interpretations. </strong>Ask students to guess where and what this place may be.&nbsp; What might be going on here?&nbsp; Ask them to explain why they would think/say that?<br> &nbsp;<br> <u>Now show picture number 15 and take students through the same process:</u><br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 1: Objective Descriptions. &nbsp;</strong>Ask students to look at the picture.&nbsp; Explain that it was taken nearby in one of the tents.&nbsp; Instruct them once again to describe what they can see in the image, an objective description, like the number of people, how many adults, how many children, the food on the floor, etc.&nbsp; If they draw any conclusions or make any interpretations, redirect them to what can actually be seen in the image.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 2: Assign Adjectives. &nbsp;</strong>Next ask students, again, if they were to use adjectives to describe this place, what might they be?&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; What feelings does the place bring up?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 3: Moving Beyond the Image.&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong>If they were the photographer and they were to zoom out, what do they think they might see?&nbsp; What do they think is beyond the image?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Step 4: Interpretations. &nbsp;</strong>Based on the two images now, ask students to guess where and what this place may be.&nbsp; What might be going on here?&nbsp; Ask them to explain why they would think/say that?<br> &nbsp;<br> <u>Show the next two pictures, numbers 16 and 17, taking students through the same process, asking the same questions</u>.&nbsp; Explain that all these pictures are taken in the same vicinity.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>A Short History of the Syrian Civil War</strong></h4> <p>Picking up on what your students share in response to the images, explain that these are images of Za'atari refugee camp, in Jordan.&nbsp; Jordan is a country in what we in the U.S. refer to as the Middle East.&nbsp; It borders another country in that region called Syria.&nbsp; Ask students if they know why Syria has been in the news since 2011 and recently?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Explain that in 2011 violence erupted in Syria when thousands took to the streets to protest the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. &nbsp;The protests were in response to the arrest and torture of a group of schoolboys who had tagged their school walls with slogans opposing Assad.&nbsp; Although protesters were initially unarmed,&nbsp; opposition to the regime grew, and soon armed groups from within and beyond Syria joined the opposition, fuelling a vicious civil war that has now lasted for almost three years.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Za'atari refugee camp first opened in July 2012 to house the many Syrians streaming across the border to escape the violence of the civil war that was ravaging their country.<br> The refugee camp lies in Jordan, just four miles south of the Syrian border.&nbsp; With up to 6,000 Syrians arriving at Za'atari a day, the sprawling camp has become Jordan's fifth largest city.&nbsp; The original capacity of the camp was 70,000 but in early February 2014 the camp's population was estimated to house 129,438 people, called "persons of concern" by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR.&nbsp; Like most refugees around the world, the majority of these Syrians would like to go home.&nbsp; Living conditions in Za'atari are difficult and there is a constant worry about family and friends who have stayed behind to fight.<br> &nbsp;<br> Recent UNHCR reports have put the total number of Syrian refugees at over 2.5 million.&nbsp; The vast majority of refugees have fled to neighboring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, but some are looking for safety further afield.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Read more about history of the civil war in Syria at:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/should-united-states-strike-syria">Should the United States Strike Syria</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/syria-today-diplomatic-vs-military-responses">Syria Today: Diplomatic versus Military Responses</a></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>Za'atari Once More</strong></h4> <p>If laptops are readily available to your students, ask them to Google "Za'atari images."&nbsp; Explain that this is the context within which the James Nachwey's slideshow takes place.&nbsp; Here students may find out what they would see if they were able to zoom out from Nachwey's images.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> If laptops are not readily available, project the google images page of Za'atari onto the smart board, or print up a few of these photos&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2371311/Syrian-Zaatari-refugee-camp-home-160-000-Jordans-fifth-largest-city.html">website</a> for students to see.<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask students in small groups to discuss what additional adjectives they would use to describe Za'atari now?&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; What thoughts and feelings does the place bring up for your students now?<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>U.S. Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis</strong></h4> <p>Ask students in small groups to discuss the excerpts below describing the U.S. response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask each group to address these questions:<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>1. &nbsp;</strong>What do the excerpts say about numbers of refugees that have been allowed to resettle the U.S. so far?<br> <strong>2. </strong>&nbsp;How do these numbers compare to the numbers of refugees that have been allowed to resettle in Syria's neighboring countries?<br> <strong>3. </strong>&nbsp;What do the excerpts say about the recent easing of the U.S. immigration laws?<br> <strong>4. &nbsp;</strong>Do you think the U.S. response to the Syrian crisis is sufficient?&nbsp; Why or why not?</p> <p>When the whole group reconvenes, ask for a few volunteers to share their thoughts.<br> <br clear="all"> <br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://rt.com/usa/usa-syria-refugees-thousands-309/"><strong>U.S. ready to accept thousands of Syrian refugees</strong></a><br> RT News, August 9, 2013<br> &nbsp;<br> ... The Obama administration is responding to the rapidly deteriorating conditions [in Syria] by agreeing to take in 2,000 Syrian war victims who will be given permanent residence status. Even though the number will represent only a fraction of a percent of Syrian refugees in need of assistance, the administration's decision marks a major shift in policy. ...<br> &nbsp;<br> But the chosen victims - many of whom are expected to be women and children - won't be leaving the country anytime soon. ... The application process is expected to take months because of the State Department's extensive background screenings. U.S. officials will carefully select refugees who appear to have no ties to anyone with terrorist sympathies. Even though infants and young children are unlikely to be terrorists themselves, the concern is that they might have relatives in Al-Qaeda who would then have an easier chance of entering the U.S.. ...<br> &nbsp;<br> Refugees must also show signs of vulnerability, and Clements [the State Department's assistant secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration] said that the most eligible applicants are those "exposed to everything from torture to gender-based violence to serious medical conditions." They must also have no intentions of ever returning to Syria. <em>...</em><br> &nbsp;<br> About 6.8 million Syrians are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. Although permanent resettlement will help 2,000 lucky victims, it will hardly make a dent in the overall suffering of the millions who are fighting for survival, and it will hardly compare to the 564,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the 454,000 in Jordan.<br> &nbsp;<br> "We are exceedingly frustrated to be quite honest," Clements said. "Because we can't keep up with the humanitarian need especially inside Syria."<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-aid-to-syrian-refugees-generally-stops-at-the-border/2013/12/27/30237496-68cc-11e3-a0b9-249bbb34602c_story.html"><strong>U.S. aid to Syrian refugees generally stops at border</strong></a><br> Anne Gearan, &nbsp;Washington Post, December 27, 2013<br> &nbsp;<br> Only a tiny number of the more than 2 million refugees fleeing Syria's civil war can meet the requirements to be resettled in the United States, frustrating international relief officials who say the numbers needing help could nearly double in the coming year.<br> &nbsp;<br> The Obama administration allowed only 90 Syrian refugees to make permanent homes in the United States from the start of the Syrian civil war through September. About 50 made the journey from camps outside Syria to live in the United States over the past year, including 20 admitted since Oct. 1.<br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-syria-crisis-usa-refugees-idUSBREA141ZQ20140205"><strong>U.S. eases rules to admit more Syrian refugees, after 31 last year</strong></a><br> Patricia Zengerle, Reuters, February 5, 2014</p> <p>President Barack Obama's administration announced on Wednesday that it had eased some immigration rules to allow more of the millions of Syrians forced from their homes during the country's three-year civil war to come to the United States.<br> &nbsp;<br> Only 31 Syrian refugees - out of an estimated 2.3 million - were admitted in the fiscal year that ended in October [2013], prompting demands for change from rights advocates and many lawmakers.<br> &nbsp;<br> Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been taken in by neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. ... [But in the U.S. the "Material Support"] bar had made it impossible for anyone who had provided any support to armed rebel groups to come to the United States, even if the groups themselves receive aid from Washington. ...<br> &nbsp;<br> Easing some of the immigration laws "will help address the plight of Syrian refugees who are caught up in the worst humanitarian crisis in a generation," Illinois Senator Richard Durbin, chairman of the U.S. Senate subcommittee on human rights, said in a statement. ...<br> &nbsp;<br> By early January, 135,000 Syrians had applied for asylum in the United States. But the strict restrictions on immigration, many instituted to prevent terrorists from entering the country, had kept almost all of them out.<br> &nbsp;<br> Washington has provided $1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance to aid Syrian refugees. ...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>Closing</strong></h4> <p>Going back to the Emma Lazarus sonnet quote from earlier in today's lesson, ask students to recall their answers to the questions from earlier in today's lesson</p> <ul> <li>What does the plaque on the Statue of Liberty say about the kind of country the U.S. is?</li> <li>What does it say about the U.S. in relation to immigration?</li> <li>Based on what you read about the U.S. response to the Syrian refugee crisis, does the U.S. live up to what Emma Lazarus wrote?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-02-18T14:39:42-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 14:39">February 18, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Tue, 18 Feb 2014 19:39:42 +0000 fionta 546 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Syria Today: Diplomatic vs. Military Responses https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/syria-today-diplomatic-vs-military-responses <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Syria Today: Diplomatic vs. Military Responses</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Objectives</h4> <p>Students will:</p> <ul> <li>Share what they know about Syria</li> <li>Read an article about the conflict in Syria today</li> <li>Listen to different statements regarding Syria and decide what they think about&nbsp;them and why&nbsp;</li> </ul> <h4><br> Social and Emotional Skills</h4> <ul> <li>active listening</li> <li>sharing and listening to different perspectives</li> <li>exploring negotiation and diplomacy versus violence in conflict situations</li> </ul> <h4>&nbsp;<br> Materials needed</h4> <ul> <li>today's agenda on chart paper or on the board</li> <li>chart paper for listing questions&nbsp;</li> <li>signs that read COMPLETELY AGREE and COMPLETELY DISAGREE</li> <li>tape</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> &nbsp;Gathering</h4> <p>Syria has been in the news a lot in recent weeks.&nbsp; Ask students in pairs to share what they know about Syria and why it's been in the news.&nbsp; After a few minutes ask students to share out in the larger group what they discussed in their pairs.<br> &nbsp;<br> Elicit and explain that Syria is a country located in a region of the world that we in the West call the Middle East.&nbsp; Officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic, it is a country with a religiously and ethically diverse population. Over the past two and half years, Syrians have been embroiled in a brutal conflict, with the forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and his regime fighting those seeking to oust him.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> These past few weeks Syria has been in the headlines because of a chemical weapons attack on August 21 that killed many civilians, including women and children on the outskirts of the capital Damascus.&nbsp;&nbsp; The international response to this attack, and to the Syrian conflict in general, will be the focus of today's lesson.&nbsp;</p> <h4>Check Agenda and Objectives</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p><br> Ask students to read the following background on the Syrian conflict.&nbsp;</p> <h4><br> Current Syria Conflict: A Short Background</h4> <p>The conflict in Syria started in March of 2011, when protests erupted against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Dara'a, a small city in the south of the country.&nbsp; A group of the town's teenage boys, inspired by the Arab Spring that was sweeping the region, had tagged their school walls with anti-Assad slogans.</p> <div>The boys' arrest and torture sparked widespread nonviolent protests in Dara'a that were met with violence by the country's security forces. The government put Dara'a under siege as the anti-Assad sentiment, anger and demonstrations spread. Following these events, tens of thousands of people from around Syria took to the streets, chanting "Dara'a is Syria" while demanding freedom, democracy and the end of corruption. These demonstrations were also met with violence from Syrian security forces, which claimed the lives of more and more civilians.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <p>Soon, armed groups with a range of political and religious outlooks joined the opposition. Young Syrians who had made their homes in surrounding countries, Europe and North America returned to their homeland to fight.&nbsp;</p> <p>But it's not just people of Syrian heritage who are signing up.&nbsp;Young Saudis, with tacit support from their government, are taking up arms against the Assad regime, while extremist groups around the region and beyond have been urging Muslim youth to join the fight in Syria.&nbsp; These include a growing number of "jihadists" (that is, those fighting in the name of their Muslim faith). According to an article published in <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/2013/06/13/Thousands-of-Jihadists-join-war-in-Syria.html">Al Arabiya</a> on June 13, 2013, "the number of jihadists in Syria will [soon] be a lot more than the number we've witnessed in the past 20 years in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia." The U.S., meanwhile, has leant support to what it considers a more "moderate" opposition group called the Free Syrian Army.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Events in Syria became major U.S. news on August 21, when the Syrian regime allegedly launched a chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus.&nbsp; Many innocent men, women and children were killed.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> President Obama had warned the Syrian regime a little over a year ago that to use chemical weapons in their civil war would be crossing a red line.&nbsp; "That would change my calculus. That would change my equation," he said back then.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> The chemical weapons attack has been the focus of the international community since then.&nbsp; After two-and-a-half years of standing on the sidelines of this increasingly brutal conflict, Secretary of State John Kerry doubled down on President Obama's red line and threatened to respond with air strikes on Syria. But many Americans expressed opposition to such a strike and concern about what effect it would have. The Russians, who are long-time supporters of the Assad regime, stepped in and put a diplomatic solution on the table to counter the American threat of violence.&nbsp;President Obama took Russia up on its idea and initiated negotiations aimed at eliminating Syria's chemical weapons through diplomatic means. &nbsp;</p> <p>Whatever diplomatic agreement comes out of these negotiations, the war in Syria is likely to continue, and the&nbsp;people of Syria will continue to suffer greatly as a result of the violence.&nbsp; Already, over six million people have left their homes in search of safety and refuge. That number includes four million who are internally displaced within Syria, and two million who have left the country altogether. (Please see our TeachableMoment lesson on <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/syria-today-what-it-means-be-syrian">Syrian refugees.</a>) &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>Discussion:</h4> <p>Consider the following debrief questions:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this article?</li> <li>What questions do you have about the article?&nbsp;</li> <li>What other questions did this bring up for you about the situation in Syria today?&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>List questions that cannot be answered on the board to return to later in the lesson.<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> Human Barometer</h4> <p>In the Human Barometer activity students respond to a series of statements by placing themselves physically along a continuum that runs from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."&nbsp; Although people often think that things are either right or wrong, good or bad, there is usually a range of opinions in between.&nbsp; Because we all have different life experiences and have often been exposed to different information, our opinions tend to vary greatly.&nbsp; This activity explores different perspectives and opinions represented in your classroom.<br> &nbsp;<br> To prepare this activity, post one sign saying "STRONGLY AGREE" on one side of the class room and another saying "STRONGLY DISAGREE" on the other side.&nbsp; Move the desks to the edges of the classroom to create a space for students to stand between the two extremes of the continuum.&nbsp; If you like, you can use masking tape to create a line on the floor between the two signs to create a visual of the continuum.<br> &nbsp;<br> When introducing the activity, instruct students to place themselves along the continuum between the two signs, according to how much they agree or disagree with the statement you'll read to them (see below).&nbsp; Encourage students to take a real stand and not be in the middle of the room too often.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Stress that you'll be asking for opinions and a rationale for those opinions; there are no right or wrong answers. &nbsp;Encourage students to take a risk—when their opinion varies from others in the room, ask them to take a stand anyway, then explain why they believe what they do.&nbsp; This will allow everyone to gain a deeper understanding of the issues being explored today.<br> &nbsp;<br> Read the first statement and ask students to move to the place in the room that represents their current point of view most accurately. Then ask students to look around the room to see where other students have positioned themselves.&nbsp; Ask some volunteers to explain why they chose their spot on the continuum.&nbsp; Elicit a range of opinions and rationales before moving on to the next statement, beginning with opinions from the majority group then moving to the less popular opinions in the room.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Statements:</p> <ul> <li>The US should intervene in Syria to support the people of Syria, who have suffered for too long under the brutal Assad regime.</li> <li>Violence is more effective than diplomacy and negotiation.</li> <li>The US should provide the rebels with weapons to fight the Assad regime themselves.</li> <li>President Obama looked weak when he threatened to use force against the Assad regime, then backed down when a diplomatic solution became a possibility.</li> <li>When human rights abuses happen in other parts of the world, it is none of our business.&nbsp; We have enough to deal with at home.</li> <li>Human rights abuses should be addressed by international organizations like the United Nations, with support from the US and others.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> While students are still standing, ask them to consider another statement, made by the new leader of Iran, Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani was asked whether he thought Obama looked weak when he backed off his threat of air strikes against Syria to enforce his "red line" against chemical weapons. (Note that Iran has been a close ally to the Syrian regime.) <a href="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/18/20561148-irans-president-rouhani-we-will-never-develop-nuclear-weapons?lite">Rouhani replied,</a>&nbsp;"We consider war a weakness.&nbsp; Any government or administration that decides to wage a war, we consider a weakness.&nbsp; And any government that decides on peace, we look on it with respect to peace."<br> &nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Ask students if they agree with Rouhani's statement that "War is a weakness," and to arrange themselves along the continuum.&nbsp; Then ask students to explain their thoughts.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> Now tell students that in an op-ed in the New York Times, Russian president&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0">Vladimir Putin</a>, also a close ally of the Assad government in Syria, said:<br> &nbsp;</p> <div class="rteindent1">"There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated [several groups] ..., fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations. ...&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all."</div> <p>&nbsp;<br> Ask students to arrange themselves in response to Putin's argument:</p> <ul> <li>We should not arm the Syrian opposition by providing arms because this is likely to strengthen terrorist organizations that pose a threat to all.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> Now ask students to arrange themselves &nbsp;according to this statement by Putin:<br> &nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>"It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States."</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> Reiterate that both Rouhani of Iran and Putin of Russia are siding with the Syrian regime in the conflict we've been discussing today, whereas the American government has sided with one of the opposition groups, the Free Syrian Army. In some ways then, the leaders of Iran and Russia can be seen as standing on the other side from the U.S. government in this conflict.<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask students to arrange themselves according to the following thought:<br> &nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Even when you're on opposite sides of a conflict, it's possible to find agreement (at least on some points).</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Homework</h4> <p>Before wrapping up your lessons, make sure to assign students different outstanding questions on the list you created earlier in the lesson.<br> &nbsp;<br> Some questions the class might also &nbsp;consider going forward:&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What are the alternatives to US military action or complete inaction in Syria?&nbsp;</li> <li>What role might the United Nations or other organizations play in the Syrian conflict - or other complex conflicts that involve human rights?&nbsp;</li> <li>What has the UN's role in Syria been so far? What limits and obstacles does the UN face in Syria? What problems does it face as an institution?</li> </ul> <hr> <h4>Closing</h4> <p>Ask some volunteers to share what stood out to them about today's lesson - it can be something they learned, something that surprised them, something they enjoyed about the lesson, or something they didn't enjoy.<br> &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2013-09-20T14:44:59-04:00" title="Friday, September 20, 2013 - 14:44">September 20, 2013</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Fri, 20 Sep 2013 18:44:59 +0000 fionta 569 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org