Media https://www.morningsidecenter.org/ en Does Social Media Make Us More or Less Connected? https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/does-social-media-make-us-more-or-less-connected <!-- 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>Does Social Media Make Us More or Less Connected?</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</h4> <p>At its core, social media holds out the promise of connection. A key idea behind Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms is that we can create rich networks of friends, receive frequent updates from people in our lives, and build a sense of community.</p> <p>On sites such as Facebook, it is common for someone to have hundreds of “friends.” Yet, in reality, the experience does not always live up to the hype. Despite this ever-present promise of community, many people feel isolated and alone. Although people may have hundreds or even thousands of online “friends,” they may have few actual people in real life that they can rely on. All of this raises the question, is social media strengthening our communities, or is spending time on our phones and computers actually harming our ability to connect in person?</p> <p>This lesson consists of two readings. The first reading explores the experience of connection online, asking whether or not social media helps make us feel more connected to one another. The second reading examines the data regarding how social media affects our mental health, looking at studies of the possible positive and negative effects of social media usage, especially for young people. Questions for discussion follow each reading.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Note:&nbsp;</strong>This lesson is Part 1&nbsp;of a series of lessons on social media.</p> <ul> <li>Part 1:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/does-social-media-make-us-more-or-less-connected">Does Social Media Make Us More or Less Connected</a>?</li> <li>Part 2: <a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/social-media-and-future-democracy-1">Social Media and the Future of Democracy</a></li> <li>Part 3: <a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/can-we-protect-our-privacy-social-media">Can We Protect Our Privacy on Social Media?</a></li> </ul> <p><br> <br> <img alt="Social media" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bd707f05-be33-49d0-a631-d8498b8c47ea" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/socialmedia.jpg" width="1200" height="800" loading="lazy"></p> <hr> <h3><br> Gathering</h3> <p><br> Ask students to share one word or reaction they have when they hear the phrase “social media.”</p> <p>Alternatively, make a visual web of their reactions by writing the term “social media” in the center of the board, circling it, then asking students for their associations with the phrase. Write down students’ associations without comment in the space surrounding the circled phrase, and connect their words with a line to the center. Once responses have slowed, step back and look at the web.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students: What patterns do you see here? What does this web say about our reactions to social media?</p> <p>Tell students that today we’ll read and discuss two short pieces about social media and its impact, both positive and negative.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Reading One:<br> Experiencing Connection, On and Off-Line<br> &nbsp;</h3> <p>At its core, social media holds out the promise of connection. A key idea behind Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms is that we can create rich networks of friends, receive frequent updates from people in our lives, and build a sense of community. On sites such as Facebook, it is not uncommon for someone to have hundreds of “friends.” Yet, in reality, the experience does not always live up to the hype. Despite this ever-present promise of community, many people feel isolated and alone. Although people may have hundreds or even thousands of online “friends,” they may have few actual people in real life that they can rely on.</p> <p>All of this raises the question, is social media strengthening our communities, or is spending time on our phones and computers actually harming our ability to connect in person?</p> <p>One commonly held view holds that spending too much time on social media is detrimental. Many influential people—ranging from Pope Francis, to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to actress and singer Selena Gomez—have warned that overuse of social media can be harmful and isolating. In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, Michelle Obama <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/michelle-obama-says-get-off-phone-social-media-warning-9201860/">stated</a>, “We have to get off the phone and knock on doors and talk to each other face to face…. We can’t rely on the internet to tell us about the world.”</p> <p>For reasons like these, people of all ages have begun limiting their time on social media and focusing instead on building relationships in real life. In a 2017 article, Teen Vogue’s Beauty and Health Director Jessica Matlin <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/why-young-adults-are-taking-a-more-mindful-approach-to-social-media">documented</a> the increase in young people logging off. She writes about a student named Faith, 17, who moved from a Philadelphia suburb to a new school in New York City. Faith said that it was hard to make friends. She felt insecure about this, so she used her phone to share stories to make it seem to her friends back home that she was making lots of friends and having a great time. “In reality, I was struggling,” she said. The story goes on to tell Faith’s story since then:</p> <blockquote> <p>&nbsp;Now that [Faith has] found her own crew, she’s grown more skeptical about social media. She also doesn’t feel compelled to get it all on film. At a Coldplay show, she sang instead of Snapped (“I’d rather enjoy the music”), and sitting down to a recent dinner, she and her friends piled their phones in the middle of the table (“It made the night so much better”)....</p> <p>“Young adults are beginning to take a more mindful approach to social media,” says Jacqueline Nesi, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who studies teens and social media. “This may explain the rise in apps like SelfControl and Anti-Social.” (Both prevent you from falling into a Facebook hole.) And that no-phones-at-dinner policy? Nesi says we are likely to see it popping up on more tables….</p> <p>Ananda, 17, had the kind of Insta-following that any start-up would kill for. Before long, it became a total chore. What started as a place to share vegan recipes and cute outfits quickly became her “brand,” something that demanded daily upkeep. Her fans constantly direct-messaged her with praise and invites to meet up.</p> <p>“It was really sweet,” she says. “At the same time, it was so time- and energy-consuming—it wasn’t how I want to build friendships.” As she started posting less, her following dropped. (“That gave me anxiety,” she says.) Finally, she just closed her account. “I do miss it, but I have time to spend with my real friends.”</p> <p>“Social media relationships aren’t real relationships,” says Faith. “It’s always weird when you see someone who follows you and you follow back, but you don’t say ‘hi’ to each other when you see them in real life.”</p> <p>[<a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/why-young-adults-are-taking-a-more-mindful-approach-to-social-media">https://www.teenvogue.com/story/why-young-adults-are-taking-a-more-mindful-approach-to-social-media</a>]<br> &nbsp;</p> </blockquote> <p>Despite such testimonies to the benefits of taking breaks from social media, not everyone agrees that online community is inherently unhealthy—or that offline friendships should count as being a valuable part on one’s “real life,” while online connections are disregarded. For years, young people have maintained that social media can provide real connection. In a 2018 article for The Washington Post, Common Sense Media parenting editor Caroline Knorr <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/03/19/5-ways-social-media-can-be-good-for-teens/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.4627045301c2">offered</a> five benefits of social media. She wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p>For a few years, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/01/09/what-teens-wish-their-parents-knew-about-social-media/?utm_term=.10195fd65839">many teens have been saying that social media — despite its flaws — is mostly positive</a>. And new research is shedding light on the good things that can happen when kids connect, share and learn online. As kids begin to use tools such as <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/instagram">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/snapchat">Snapchat</a>, <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/twitter">Twitter</a> and even <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/youtube">YouTube</a> in earnest, they’re learning the responsibility that comes with the power to broadcast to the world….</p> <p>It lets them do good. Twitter, Facebook and other large social networks expose kids to important issues and people from all over the world. Kids realize <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/us/parkland-students-social-media.html">they have a voice they didn’t have before</a> and are doing everything from <a href="http://womenyoushouldknow.net/16-year-old-crowdfunding-campaign-mental-illness/">crowdfunding social justice projects</a> to <a href="http://tweentribune.com/tween56/school-s-secret-tweeter-uses-social-media-good">anonymously tweeting positive thoughts</a>….</p> <p>It strengthens friendships. Studies, including Common Sense Media’s “<a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/social-media-social-life-how-teens-view-their-digital-lives">Social Media, Social Life: How Teens View Their Digital Lives</a>” and the <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/">Pew Research Center’s “Teens, Technology and Friendships”</a> show that social media helps teenagers make friends and keep them.</p> <p>It can offer a sense of belonging. While heavy social media use can isolate kids, a study conducted by Griffith University and the University of Queensland in Australia found that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/29/teens-loneliness_n_6218348.html">although American teens have fewer friends than their historical counterparts, they are less lonely than teens in past decades</a>. They report feeling less isolated and have become more socially adept, partly because of an increase in technology use....</p> <p>Online acceptance — whether a kid is interested in an unusual subject that isn’t considered cool or is grappling with sexual identity — can validate a marginalized child…. One example occurred on a Minecraft forum on Reddit when <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/10/06/reddit-minecraft-suicide/">an entire online community used voice-conferencing software to talk a teenager out of committing suicide</a>.</p> <p>[<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/03/19/5-ways-social-media-can-be-good-for-teens/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.74d64c1a442a">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/03/19/5-ways-social-media-can-be-good-for-teens/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.74d64c1a442a</a>]<br> &nbsp;</p> </blockquote> <p>Such arguments suggest that social media use can have both positive and negative aspects. Whether we experience it as helpful or harmful has a lot to do with how we engage, who we relate with, and what boundaries we decide to set for ourselves in our daily lives. Instead of passively accepting the platforms as they are, we can be critical in how we engage, recognizing that if social media offers the promise of community, it is a community that we must create for ourselves.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion</h4> <ol> <li>How much of the material in this reading was new to you, and how much was already familiar? Do you have any questions about what you read?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What are your reactions to Faith’s story about cutting back on social media and feeling closer to friends? Does her story resonate with you – or not?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Have you ever agreed to stow your phones when you’re having a get-together with friends? If so, what effect did it have?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>If you use social media, do you take breaks from it? Why or why not?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What are your thoughts about the five benefits of social media cited in the Washington Post? Do they resonate with you? Why or why not?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What are some arguments that social media decreases meaningful connection? Have you experienced any of these trends in your community?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What are some arguments that social increases connection and has positive benefits? Do these ring true in your experience?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Do you see generational differences in how different people look at the appropriate use of social media platforms? How would you characterize how your views might differ from those of your parents or teachers?</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>&nbsp;</h3> <h3>Reading Two:<br> The Research on Social Media and Mental Health<br> &nbsp;</h3> <p>Reports about people’s experiences on social media are often anecdotal. They rely on individual stories about how a given user might feel. But can we get a bigger picture take on social media’s overall effect? What does the research say about social media’s impact on our mental well-being?</p> <p>In an article in the September 2017 issue of The Atlantic entitled “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?,” San Diego State psychology professor Jean Twenge examined some this research. Focusing most of her attention on the more negative impacts of social media on mental health, Twenge generated a media firestorm with her <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/">portrait</a> of how social media increases our isolation. She wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p>The arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health. These changes have affected young people in every corner of the nation and in every type of household. The trends appear among teens poor and rich; of every ethnic background; in cities, suburbs, and small towns. Where there are cell towers, there are teens living their lives on their smartphone….</p> <p>Rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones….</p> <p>The Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and designed to be nationally representative, has asked 12th-graders more than 1,000 questions every year since 1975 and queried eighth- and 10th-graders since 1991. The survey asks teens how happy they are and also how much of their leisure time they spend on various activities, including nonscreen activities such as in-person social interaction and exercise, and, in recent years, screen activities such as using social media, texting, and browsing the web. The results could not be clearer: Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on nonscreen activities are more likely to be happy.</p> <p>There’s not a single exception. All screen activities are linked to less happiness, and all nonscreen activities are linked to more happiness. Eighth-graders who spend 10 or more hours a week on social media are 56 percent more likely to say they’re unhappy than those who devote less time to social media. Admittedly, 10 hours a week is a lot. But those who spend six to nine hours a week on social media are still 47 percent more likely to say they are unhappy than those who use social media even less. The opposite is true of in-person interactions. Those who spend an above-average amount of time with their friends in person are 20 percent less likely to say they’re unhappy than those who hang out for a below-average amount of time….</p> <p>Teens who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely to have a risk factor for suicide, such as making a suicide plan. (That’s much more than the risk related to, say, watching TV.)</p> <p>[<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/">https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/</a>]<br> &nbsp;</p> </blockquote> <p>Twenge’s article, shared by many concerned parents, prompted a wave of responses from other psychologists. Many noted that the research is more nuanced than the uproar around the inflammatory article made it seem. In a 2017 article for Psychology Today entitled “No, Smartphones are Not Destroying a Generation,” Assumption College psychology professor Sara Rose Cavanaugh <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/once-more-feeling/201708/no-smartphones-are-not-destroying-generation">questioned</a> whether smartphones and social media were purely negative in their effects.</p> <blockquote> <p>Emerging evidence indicates that like every other question psychologists can think to ask about human behavior, screen use and its association with psychological well-being varies based on a multitude of contextual and personal variables—for instance, how you use media, when you use it, and what else is going on in your life… [One study] by Andrew K. Przybylski and Netta Weinstein uses a careful design that takes into account these sorts of factors and concludes that "moderate use of digital technology is not intrinsically harmful and may be advantageous in a connected world."</p> <p>Nowhere is Twenge's <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/bias">bias</a> more obvious to me than in some research that she actually does review but then casts aside as seemingly irrelevant to her thesis... In the introduction to the piece she notes that this generation has sharply lower rates of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/alcohol">alcohol</a> use, teen pregnancies, unprotected <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/sex">sex</a>, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/smoking">smoking</a>, and car accidents than previous generations. This is what a destroyed generation looks like?&nbsp;</p> <p>Moreover, there is good reason to think that smartphones and social media may have positive effects as well as negative effects. Routinely feeling connected to your social peers could have beneficial effects.... For instance, teens can find other teens interested in the same social movements, connect with teens across the globe on interests like music and fashion, and feel embedded in a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/social-networking">social network</a> filled with meaning.</p> <p>[<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/once-more-feeling/201708/no-smartphones-are-not-destroying-generation">https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/once-more-feeling/201708/no-smartphones-are-not-destroying-generation</a>]<br> &nbsp;</p> </blockquote> <p>Twenge herself acknowledges that social media may have contributed a decrease in some behaviors that have traditionally made parents and guardians anxious, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/">writing</a> that “Some generational changes are positive, some are negative, and many are both. More comfortable in their bedrooms than in a car or at a party, today’s teens are physically safer than teens have ever been. They’re markedly less likely to get into a car accident and, having less of a taste for alcohol than their predecessors, are less susceptible to drinking’s attendant ills.”</p> <p>A final point to consider in the debate over social media and mental health is that the platforms themselves have agendas--since companies like Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook make more money when people use them more, regardless of the impact on happiness or mental health. In a 2018 article for the BBC, investigative reporter Hilary Andersson <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44640959">argued</a> that social media companies are deliberately addicting users to their products for financial gain.</p> <blockquote> <p>"Behind every screen on your phone, there are generally like literally a thousand engineers that have worked on this thing to try to make it maximally addicting" [said former Mozilla and Jawbone employee Aza Raskin.]</p> <p>In 2006 Mr Raskin, a leading technology engineer himself, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120606053221/http:/humanized.com/weblog/2006/04/25/no_more_more_pages/">designed infinite scroll</a>, one of the features of many apps that is now seen as highly habit forming. At the time, he was working for Humanized - a computer user-interface consultancy.</p> <p>Infinite scroll allows users to endlessly swipe down through content without clicking.</p> <p>"If you don't give your brain time to catch up with your impulses," Mr Raskin said, "you just keep scrolling."</p> <p>He said the innovation kept users looking at their phones far longer than necessary.&nbsp; Mr Raskin said he had not set out to addict people and now felt guilty about it. But, he said, many designers were driven to create addictive app features by the business models of the big companies that employed them. "In order to get the next round of funding, in order to get your stock price up, the amount of time that people spend on your app has to go up," he said…."So, when you put that much pressure on that one number, you're going to start trying to invent new ways of getting people to stay hooked."</p> <p>"You have a business model designed to engage you and get you to basically suck as much time out of your life as possible and then selling that attention to advertisers."</p> <p>Facebook told the BBC that its products were designed "to bring people closer to their friends, family, and the things they care about.” It said that "at no stage does wanting something to be addictive factor into that process"....</p> <p>[Yet] last year Facebook's founding president, Sean Parker, said publicly that the company set out to consume as much user time as possible. He claimed it was "exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology."</p> <p>[<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44640959">https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44640959</a>]<br> &nbsp;</p> </blockquote> <p>Ultimately, promises of connection offered by social media platforms are sales pitches. But real community is not a product that people can buy. Whether or not we use technology in creating our own communities, we can be aware that the platforms we might choose to use are by no means neutral.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion</h4> <ol> <li>How much of the material in this reading was new to you, and how much was already familiar? Do you have any questions about what you read?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>According to the article, what does research indicate about the impacts of social media on young people?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Does the article reflect your own sense of social media’s impact? &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Some critics argued that the article entitled, “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” was unduly sensationalist. What did you think?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Do you think social media is partly to blame for rising rates of depression and anxiety among young people? Why or why not?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What possible changes could be made in apps to make them less addicting?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Are there any changes you would make in how social media platforms are structured?</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3><br> Closing</h3> <p><br> Ask for volunteers to share one thing they like about social media, and one thing they think should change about social media.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Research assistance provided by John Bergen.</em></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>Laura McClure</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="2019-05-04T13:16:21-04:00" title="Saturday, May 4, 2019 - 13:16">May 4, 2019</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' --> Sat, 04 May 2019 17:16:21 +0000 Laura McClure 1313 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Taking Action with Letters to the Editor https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/taking-action-letters-editor <!-- 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>Taking Action with Letters to the Editor</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"><p><img alt="Group working on a laptop" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6235225b-7951-4a5c-904b-05f8bfa7b3dc" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/photo-1516321497487-e288fb19713f.jpg" width="1950" height="1300" loading="lazy"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Objective:</strong></p> <p>Students will be able to communicate their views about a political issue in a letter to the editor.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Note to the teacher:</strong></p> <p>Before teaching this lesson, identify a local paper that publishes letters to the editor, and locate their submission requirements (especially word count, submission method, and what contact information is required). If possible, also identify one to three recently published letters from that local paper that demonstrate effective writing techniques, to use as examples. The lesson also supplies <a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Handout%20-%20Letters%20to%20the%20Editor.pdf">sample letters</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Why write letters to the editor?</h3> <p><br> Share the following letter with students. It is also included in <strong><a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Handout%20-%20Letters%20to%20the%20Editor.pdf">this handout</a></strong>.<br> &nbsp;</p> <blockquote> <p>Dear students,</p> <p>Did you know that letters to the editor are one of the most powerful ways that you can make a difference on issues that are important to you?</p> <p>Here’s why. Letters to the editor reach a wide audience, going far beyond your immediate circle of friends. Because only a few letters are published in the paper each day, your opinion can make a strong impression and sway many other people to take action with you.</p> <p>I should know. Since I began writing letters to the editor a few years ago, I’ve been amazed by how often friends and neighbors stop me to say that they read my letter and appreciated my ideas.</p> <p>In particular, letters to the editor can affect your elected officials, who regularly search for their names in your local paper in order to hear what constituents are saying about them. What better way to convince your government to take action, than by calling on it publicly in a letter to the editor?</p> <p>Even in this modern age of social media, many people still care about letters to the editor – particularly thoughtful people who vote regularly. Want more voters on your side? Write a letter to the editor today!</p> <p><em>– &nbsp;A fellow American</em></p> </blockquote> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students to reflect:</p> <ul> <li>Have you ever written a letter to the editor?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Why might letters to the editor be important?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>If you could convince the public or the government (federal, state or local) to take action on one issue, what would it be?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>What makes a good letter to the editor?</h3> <p><br> Ask students to think about this question: “What makes a good letter to the editor?” They should discuss with a partner one thing they notice about the above letter to the editor or how it is written. Then, invite students to briefly share what they notice, and as they do, take a few notes on the board about the features of a good letter to the editor.</p> <p>Next, have students break into three groups, and give each group a different&nbsp;example of a letter to the editor.</p> <p>Three examples are provided in<strong> <a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Handout%20-%20Letters%20to%20the%20Editor.pdf">the&nbsp;handout</a></strong>. But you may wish to substitute one or all examples with letters published in your local paper.</p> <p>Invite each group to read its letter and answer some or all of the following questions together:</p> <ul> <li>How does the letter begin?</li> <li>How quickly and clearly does the letter make its point?</li> <li>What kinds of information and arguments does it include?</li> <li>How does the author establish credibility or authority?</li> <li>Is it clear why the topic matters?</li> <li>Who is the letter’s intended audience?</li> <li>How does the letter appeal to its audience?</li> <li>What decision or action does the letter want the audience to take?</li> <li>How does the letter end?</li> <li>How long is the letter?</li> </ul> <p><br> Ask groups to share their findings with the whole class. As they do, add to your notes on the board about the features of a good letter to the editor.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3><br> Take action<br> &nbsp;</h3> <p>As a class, brainstorm several topics of current, personal, and/or local interest, about which students might want to write letters to the editor. Also share with students the word limit and submission process for submitting letters to the editor of your local newspaper, if they wish.</p> <p>In groups or alone, students should plan and draft their own letters to the editor. As students develop drafts, ensure that they check each draft (with peers’ help) against the features of quality letters that the class generated before. This work may continue beyond a single class.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Closing</h3> <p><br> Ask each student to share one word or sentence that sums up what they hope their letter will communicate to the public.</p> <p>&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>Laura McClure</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="2018-10-11T15:44:14-04:00" title="Thursday, October 11, 2018 - 15:44">October 11, 2018</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' --> Thu, 11 Oct 2018 19:44:14 +0000 Laura McClure 1242 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org What Happened This Summer? A News Review https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-happened-summer-2018-news-review <!-- 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>What Happened This Summer? A News Review</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>&nbsp;</h4> <h4>Introduction</h4> <p>Ask students: What news happened over the summer of 2018?</p> <p>Record students’ responses on the board.</p> <p>If students are having trouble coming up with a list, help them with questions such as:</p> <ul> <li>What happened in the Trump administration?</li> <li>Was there any election-related news?</li> <li>Was there any weather news?</li> <li>What international controversies happened over the summer?</li> </ul> <p>It was an eventful summer. Tell students that we’ll discuss in small groups just a few of the things that have happened since school ended last year.</p> <p>Ask students to break into six small groups, and assign each group a number (1 through 6). Provide each group their reading.&nbsp;(Download <a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/What%20happened%20this%20summer%20Handout.pdf">this pdf</a> or see the text below.)&nbsp; Within their groups, students will read their handout.&nbsp;They’ll have a few minutes to discuss the news and to decide on one or more reactions to the news that they would like to share with the class.</p> <p>When you reconvene the whole class, ask each group to share two or three reactions they had to the news they read about. If there is time, discuss each event.</p> <p>Close by asking students to share one news story that they will be following especially closely this year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>&nbsp;</h3> <h3>Small Group Reading &amp; Discussion Questions</h3> <p>(<a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/What%20happened%20this%20summer%20Handout.pdf">Download a&nbsp;pdf version here</a>.)</p> <h4>Group 1: Climate Change<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>“When we frame the issue in terms of, was this event caused by climate change, that's not the right question. The question is, was this event made more extreme by climate change? And that we can conclude with some certainty, because there's basic physics that's operating here.”</p> <p>—Climatologist Michael Mann</p> <p>The effects of climate change are becoming clearer and clearer. Each year we see new records for severe weather. As Professor Mann notes in the quote above, it is incorrect to state that the changing climate causes extreme weather. But the changing climate does create the conditions that make uncomfortable weather severe, severe weather dangerous, and dangerous weather events disastrous.</p> <p>Take for example the wildfires that rampaged through California and other western states this summer, as well as through Greece, Portugal, Spain, Japan, and even Siberia. All the conditions that increase the intensity and spread of wildfires are worsened by global climate change: heat waves, drought, and slow-moving weather systems. The intense heat and fires have caused hundreds of deaths and destruction of homes, crops, and forests.</p> <p>But climate change is also responsible for increased water vapor in the atmosphere, which combined with a lingering weather system, causes intense rain and flooding. (In some areas, such as California, people are coping with both wildfires and floods!)</p> <p>While climate scientists are almost unanimous in their assessment of human causes of climate change, governments have been slow to enact changes of the magnitude needed to slow climate change – such as laws to dramatically reduce our use of fossil fuels.</p> <p>This weak government response has spurred citizens to demand strong action on climate change from their leaders and political candidates. Organizations like 350.org have mobilized people throughout the world to elect leaders willing to take on the fossil fuel corporations.</p> <p>350.org was named for the&nbsp; critical safe maximum level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (350 parts per million). During the summer of 2018, that&nbsp; level increased to 440 ppm.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Questions for the group:</strong><br> &nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What is your reaction to this news?</li> <li>What reactions will you share with the whole class?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Group 2: Tariffs &amp; Trade</h4> <p><br> A central theme of President Trump’s administration is that the United States has been taken advantage of by many other countries. In response to this perceived problem, the administration has pulled away from NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a longstanding military alliance), curtailed U.S. involvement in the UN; and moved to withdraw from trade agreements and tariffs on foreign goods.</p> <p>So what are tariffs?&nbsp; Tariffs are taxes on imported goods and services. They are intended to protect domestic industries by making consumers pay more for imported products. Trade pacts between countries or groups of countries reduce or eliminate tariffs, encouraging more trade among them.</p> <p>Since World War II and the rise of globalization, many tariffs have been eliminated under global trade agreements such as NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement).&nbsp; But these trade pacts have their problems. They make it easier for businesses to move to wherever wages are lowest, which can lead to shuttered factories, unemployed workers, and a downward pressure on wages in wealthier countries. These international agreements can also trump national environmental regulations, leading to environmental degradation.</p> <p>Without widespread use of tariffs, countries have found other ways to protect their own industries:</p> <ul> <li>ensuring that their own currency is undervalued in order to make their products cheaper on the world market</li> <li>subsidies for specific industries to make their products more competitive</li> <li>in the case of China, requiring foreign companies doing business in China to share their technology</li> <li>imposing quotas that limit the number or amount of specific imports</li> </ul> <p>A large part of Donald Trump’s appeal to American workers was his promise to increase jobs by reducing the U.S. trade deficit. (A country with a trade deficit has fewer exports than imports. Producing goods for export creates jobs.) Trump began announcing selective tariffs in January 2018. Throughout the spring, he announced or threatened tariffs on such products as washing machines and solar panels, as well as steel and aluminum. In June and July, China, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico retaliated with tariffs of their own.</p> <p>In a world where countries are so interconnected, the effects of tariffs are often unpredictable and unintended. Steel tariffs, for example, might boost U.S. companies producing steel, but hurt companies that use steel (such as the auto industry), because of the rising cost of steel. Similarly, a tariff on solar panels may help American solar panel manufacturers, but hurt companies that install solar panels, because prices on the panels will rise. If the tit-for-tat retaliation blows up into a full-fledged trade war, there will be many economic repercussions.</p> <p>It’s complicated and it’s not clear that President Trump has looked beyond the immediate political value of this “America First” economic strategy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Questions for the group:</strong></p> <ul> <li>What is your reaction to this news?</li> <li>What reactions will you share with the whole class?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>&nbsp;</h4> <h4>Group 3:&nbsp; Iran Nuclear Agreement</h4> <p><br> In 2015, the Obama administration, along with China, Russia and the European Union, reached an agreement with Iran to stop Iran’s production of nuclear weapons. In return for removal of economic sanctions, Iran agreed to a series of steps limiting or halting research and development of uranium enrichment processes. And they agreed to international monitoring of their nuclear facilities.</p> <p>During the presidential campaign, Trump made it clear that he thought the agreement was a “bad deal”—that Iran took advantage of weak negotiators, and that the world powers should have been much tougher on Iran. &nbsp;</p> <p>On May 8, 2018, President Trump officially withdrew from the agreement and on August 6, &nbsp;unilateral sanctions on Iran began. Trump escalated the economic attack by promising even more sanctions and also threatening companies from other countries that defy the U.S. sanctions. While other countries in the pact say they will continue with the terms of the agreement, corporations have already begun leaving Iran, fearing U.S. retaliation. The Iranian currency has plummeted in value, prices have soared, and protests have spread in the wake of President Trump’s move.</p> <p>In response to Trump’s move, President Emmanuel&nbsp; Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain noted that the UN Security Council resolution endorsing the nuclear deal remained the “binding international legal framework for the resolution of the dispute.” Former President Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry expressed dismay over Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement, which the Obama administration had spent years trying to achieve. Kerry said in a statement: “Instead of building on unprecedented nonproliferation verification measures, this decision risks throwing them away and dragging the world back to the brink we faced a few years ago.”</p> <p>Underlying the decision to withdraw are these factors:</p> <ul> <li>President Trump has made it a top priority to undo President Obama’s achievements. The Iran nuclear deal was Obama’s biggest foreign policy accomplishment.</li> <li>Israel strongly opposed the Iran agreement and Prime Minister Netanyahu urged Trump to withdraw.</li> <li>As a regional power in the Middle East, Iran has opposed the U.S. in such places as Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.</li> <li>Trump has surrounded himself with “hawkish” foreign policy advisors like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton.</li> <li>President Trump has presented himself as a top notch negotiator, and as with North Korea and NATO and our trading partners, promises that he will deliver “excellent deals.”<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Questions for the group:</strong></p> <ul> <li>What is your reaction to this news?</li> <li>What reactions will you share with the whole class?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Group 4: &nbsp;Battles in Palestine<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>On March 30, 2018, Palestinians began a six-week campaign demanding that&nbsp;Palestinian refugees&nbsp;and their descendants be&nbsp;allowed to return&nbsp;to the land they were displaced from that is now in Israel.</p> <p>On the first day of what was called the Great March of Return, thirty thousand Palestinians gathered at the wall between Israel and the Palestinian-governed region of Gaza. In response to an angry group of demonstrators (some throwing stones) in a security zone close to the wall, Israeli troops opened fire. Some 1,400 Palestinians were injured (800 from live fire) and fifteen were killed. &nbsp;The Israeli Army disputed the number of casualties reported by the Gaza Health Ministry and claimed that militants from the Palestinian group Hamas were armed and throwing Molotov cocktails as well as stones. What is not in dispute is that no Israelis were injured.</p> <p>In the following weeks, the conflict continued:&nbsp;Thousand of demonstrators would gather at the wall and some would attempt to breach the wall or hurl stones or Molotov cocktails or fly burning kites over the wall. The meager weaponry was vastly mismatched against the well-equipped and trained Israeli Defense Force (IDF), with its tanks and aircraft. Doctors Without Borders called the disproportionate IDF response "inhuman and unacceptable." According to Human Rights Watch:</p> <blockquote> <p>The use of live ammunition cannot be justified by automatically deeming every Palestinian who attempts to breach the fences to be an imminent threat to life, and in fact Israeli forces also shot medics, journalists, children, and others who were hundreds of meters away from the fences.</p> </blockquote> <p>The protests continued into the summer. Hamas has fired rockets into Israel and Israel has used aircraft to bomb Palestinians in Gaza. By August, over 150 Palestinians had been killed and thousands (18,000 according to Gaza health officials) injured.&nbsp; Among the injured and dead are children, journalists, and medical personnel. At least six Israelis have been injured.</p> <p>Though the fight for Palestinians’ “right of return” dates back to the creation of Israel in 1948, recent events have also impacted the situation in Israel and Palestine:</p> <ul> <li>On December 6, 2017, President Trump announced that the United States would move its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, reversing decisions by prior presidents. The embassy opened on May 14, 2018. Because East Jerusalem is part of the territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war, the Israeli claim to the city is not recognized by the international community and the U.S. move is a deep affront to Palestinians.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>On July 18, 2018, Israel officially declared the country as a Jewish state.&nbsp; Included in Israel’s “Basic Law” are provisions making Hebrew the official language, the menorah the official symbol, establishing Jewish holidays and the Sabbath as official days of rest, and the creation of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories a “national value.” The move was strongly opposed by the Arab population (about 20% of the total population of Israel) and by many Jews as well. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “Israel’s new nation-state law is loathsome, damaging, divisive and mainly superfluous…”</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Questions for the group:</strong></p> <ul> <li>What is your reaction to this news?</li> <li>What reactions will you share with the whole class?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Group 5:&nbsp; Midterm Elections<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>The 2018 U.S. midterm elections will be more important than most. With the country sharply divided along party lines and the policies of the Trump administration provoking intense grassroots opposition, the battle for control of Congress looms large. Battles are also underway over control of state legislatures. These contests are especially important this year, since state governments will be responsible for redrawing congressional district lines based on the 2020 U.S. Census. (The drawing and “gerrymandering” of district lines affects which party is most likely to prevail in a district.)</p> <p>Who wins in the midterm elections depends on voters, and the extent to which everyday people speak out, organize, vote, and encourage others to vote for particular candidates. Some commentators argue that Democrats may have an edge in the 2018 elections, since historically the party holding the presidency loses seats in Congress in the first midterm elections of the administration.&nbsp; In addition, turnout in Democratic primaries has been high.</p> <p>Both major parties have faced challenges from their populist wings. The establishment Republicans have maintained control of their party for decades despite the efforts of the “Tea Party” faction to assert themselves nationally. Donald Trump, who won the 2016 nomination with virtually no support from the Republican&nbsp; establishment, has held sway since his election. His control of the party stems less from his political ideology (which is inconsistent) than from his loyal base of supporters. The Party leaders are attaining policy goals long on the Republican wish list (such as lower taxes, especially for the wealthy, and fewer regulations on business) and many choose not to challenge Trump’s actions for fear of alienating followers. The result has been a near complete capture of the Republican Party.</p> <p>The fight within the Democratic Party is ongoing. The insurgency represented by Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential candidacy was an enormous boost for the progressive wing of the party. The campaign:</p> <ul> <li>Made the label “socialist” acceptable to millions of Americans for the first time in one hundred years</li> <li>Energized large numbers of young people who had never before participated in the political process</li> <li>Drew support in states not considered friendly to Democrats (such as Alaska, Idaho, Nebraska)</li> <li>Established “Medicare for All” and a $15 per hour minimum wage as popular Democratic positions</li> <li>Proved that large numbers of small donations could compete against the big money contributions.</li> </ul> <p>There has been a surge of left-leaning candidates in Democratic primaries. They are winning fewer races than establishment candidates in head-to-head primary battles, but the progressive agenda is increasingly adopted by Democratic candidates of all stripes. Medicare For All—a plan to insure every American not through their employer but through the federal government’s Medicare program—used to be a considered a policy supported only by the party’s progressive wing. It is now is endorsed by one third of establishment candidates.&nbsp; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won a primary race to represent a Congressional district in New York City, defeating a long-time incumbent. She has become a symbol of the left insurgency:&nbsp; a young, left woman of color who is outspoken, allied with Senator Sanders, and also with the Democratic Socialist of America. According to an article in Vox, progressive candidates accounted for almost 40 percent of non-incumbents running in midterm primaries. The burgeoning of progressive groups (including Our Revolution, Justice Democrats, and Democratic Socialists of America) organizing inside and outside the electoral process almost ensures that the fight within the Democratic Party will continue past the elections in November.</p> <p><br> <strong>Questions for the group:</strong></p> <ul> <li>What is your reaction to this news?</li> <li>What reactions will you share with the whole class?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Group 6:&nbsp; Mueller Investigation<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>Scarcely a day goes by without some news relating to the investigation by the U.S. Justice Department’s Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in American politics. Mueller was given broad authority to investigate efforts by the Russian government to influence American elections.</p> <p>These efforts have included:</p> <ul> <li>use of bots and fake accounts to bombard social media with pro-Trump messages</li> <li>use of social media to intensify existing political divisions in the U.S.</li> <li>gaining influence among political leaders through direct contacts and through influential organizations like the National Rifle Association</li> <li>the use of Russian loans to buy influence in the Trump circle of businesses</li> <li>attempts to hack the electoral apparatus</li> </ul> <p>As of August 2018, the investigation has uncovered evidence of the Russian campaign and has charged Russian nationals with cyber crimes and several Americans with campaign violations and lying to the FBI.</p> <p>Some developments in the investigation, as of August 2018.</p> <ul> <li>On August 21, 2018, Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal attorney and self-described “fixer,”&nbsp; pled guilty to eight counts of breaking tax, banking and campaign finance laws. Cohen’s most striking testimony was that during the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump directed him to pay hush money in exchange for two women’s silence about alleged affairs. Cohen said the payments were meant to&nbsp;influence the 2016 election. Cohen now faces up to five years in prison.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Also on August 21, Paul Manafort, the former manager of President Trump’s campaign, was convicted of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining 10 counts. Manafort had built a career out of lobbying governments and consulting with politicians. In fact, Manafort’s firm pioneered the combination of lobbying and consulting, which had always been separate specialties. Manafort would first serve as a consultant to help candidates get elected, and then get paid by corporations to lobby those same officials for favorable legislation. His firm was enormously successful in attracting large corporate clients, amassing influential “friends” inside presidential administrations, and getting his political clients (Republicans and Democrats) elected. Hundreds of millions of dollars passed through his firm from arms dealers and foreign dictators.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>In an upcoming second trial, Manafort will be tried for money laundering, illegal lobbying, and witness tampering. Because of Manafort’s long relationship with the pro-Russian Ukrainian president, this trial may connect some of the dots between the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The Trump Tower Meeting: In June 2016, three top officials of the Trump campaign (Paul Manafort, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner) met with Russian operatives in order to get “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. Everyone involved in the meeting has changed their story about the meeting after it became news. Since the Mueller investigation is focused on Russian/American collusion to elect Trump, this meeting is central to the case.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Questions for the group:</strong><br> &nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What is your reaction to this news?</li> <li>What reactions will you share with the whole class?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Sources</h4> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/27/extreme-global-weather-climate-change-michael-mann">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/27/extreme-global-weather-climate-change-michael-mann</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/08/02/summer-weather-climate-change">http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/08/02/summer-weather-climate-change</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-14/why-palestinians-demand-a-right-of-return-to-israel-quicktake">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-14/why-palestinians-demand-a-right-of-return-to-israel-quicktake</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.afsc.org/resource/palestinian-refugees-and-right-return">https://www.afsc.org/resource/palestinian-refugees-and-right-return</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/13/israel-apparent-war-crimes-gaza">https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/13/israel-apparent-war-crimes-gaza</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-planted-by-netanyahu-and-co-nation-state-law-is-a-time-bomb-1.6294021">https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-planted-by-netanyahu-and-co-nation-state-law-is-a-time-bomb-1.6294021</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/19/17585606/2018-midterm-elections-democrats-ocasio-cortez">https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/19/17585606/2018-midterm-elections-democrats-ocasio-cortez</a></p> <p><a href="http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/401637-signs-grow-that-mueller-is-zeroing-in-on-roger-stone">http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/401637-signs-grow-that-mueller-is-zeroing-in-on-roger-stone</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/paul-manafort-american-hustler/550925/">https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/paul-manafort-american-hustler/550925/</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&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>Laura McClure</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="2018-08-25T10:24:25-04:00" title="Saturday, August 25, 2018 - 10:24">August 25, 2018</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' --> Sat, 25 Aug 2018 14:24:25 +0000 Laura McClure 1226 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Dangerous Distortion: Considering Media Racial Bias https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/dangerous-distortion-considering-media-racial-bias <!-- 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>Dangerous Distortion: Considering Media Racial Bias</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"><p><br> Have you ever thought about how black families are represented in the news? Would it surprise you to find out that black families are treated differently across the board in the media?</p> <p>Researchers at the University of Illinois examined broadcast and print media and found big differences in their portrayals of black versus white families. Take this quiz and test your skills at observation and critical thinking.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>1.&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;27% of poor families in America are black families. In the news, what percent of poor families are portrayed as black?</p> <p>a) all (except for a few of mixed race)<br> b) 29%<br> c) 59%<br> d) &nbsp;9.8%<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2.</strong>&nbsp;Though white people accounted for about 70% of all arrests, the news reports about criminals showed whites only 28% of the time. This is because:</p> <p>a) researchers had&nbsp; to account for the Lancaster Effect (which uses the discrepancy function in an autoassociative network)<br> b) fake news<br> c) news editors are trying to show that blacks are treated unfairly at every point in the legal system from arrest through prosecution, trial, conviction and sentencing.<br> d) news editors are attempting to correct the negative stereotype of white people as prone to criminality<br> e) none of the above<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>3.&nbsp;</strong>News and opinion media overrepresent black families in reports on welfare recipients by what percent?</p> <p>a) 18%<br> b) 4-5%<br> c) -8% (black families are actually underrepresented in stories about welfare)<br> d) none of the above<br> e) 41%</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>4.</strong>&nbsp; The study also ranks specific media outlets on how much they distort the representation of black families. For example Fox News showed black families on welfare:</p> <p>a) twice as often as white families<br> b) four times as often as white families<br> c) six times as often as white families<br> d) eight times as often as white families&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>5.&nbsp;</strong>True or False</p> <p>Despite the media stereotype of black men failing to care for their children, a Centers for Disease Control study showed that black men and white men engage in everyday activities with their kids at the same rate.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Answers:</strong></p> <ol> <li>(c) 59% of poor families are shown as black families. The reverse is true for the portrayal of white families. Though 66% of poor families are white, only 17% of poor families displayed on news media are shown as white families.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>(e) none of the above<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>(a) 18%<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>(d) Eight times as often.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Fathers were surveyed on how often they read to their kids, helped with homework, ate meals with their kids, etc. For some activities, black fathers were more engaged and for some, white fathers were.</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Reading</h4> <p><br> How we view the world is affected by our family and friends, teachers and community. We are also influenced by the media we consume, including music, movies, books, social media, TV and cable, and the news media.</p> <p>The organization Color of Change, whose mission is to make the world a “less hostile place for Black people in America,” commissioned a study of how the news media treats black families. The research was conducted by Professor Travis Dixon of the University of Illinois. Dixon led a team that examined how various news media presented black families in relation to poverty, crime, fatherhood, government assistance, and societal dysfunction.</p> <p>The study found that broadcast, print and internet news contribute to negative stereotyping of black families. The news presented black families as poor much more frequently than the actual numbers warrant. White families, who make up most of the poor in America, were underrepresented by almost 50%. &nbsp;What’s more, when the poor people being discussed were white, they were typically shown as being down on their luck. But when the poor people being discussed were black, they were typically blamed for their own poverty (for instance, because of absentee fathers and “welfare cheats”).&nbsp;</p> <p>Dixon looked at media portrayals of welfare, and again, black families were overrepresented (by 18%) and white families were underrepresented as recipients of welfare. Dixon’s study is consistent with prior research showing that the media tend to portray black families as part of an “undeserving poor”—people who supposedly choose government assistance over hard work.</p> <p>Many critics charge that politicians use these inaccurate and unfair portrayals to fuel bigotry among white voters and persuade them to oppose policies that would alleviate poverty and reduce inequality – even if those policies would benefit the white voters themselves.</p> <p>When the researchers examined how the news media portrayed black fathers, the pattern continued. While black and white mothers were shown as engaging with their children at approximately the same rate, images of black fathers with their children were shown at half the rate as white fathers. But a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control showed this stereotype to be false: black and white fathers&nbsp; engaged in everyday activities with their children (reading, playing, eating, helping with homework) at similar rates.</p> <p>When it came to news reports involving criminality, white families were underrepresented by over 30 percentage points and blacks overrepresented by 11 points.</p> <p>To compile the study, researchers located 800 stories relating to black families from a wide range of news and opinion media. Researchers found that these media did not equally promote negative stereotypes. Fox News, for example (the Bill O’Reilly Show especially), was consistently more likely to present black families in a negative light. The New York Times was second only to the right-wing Breitbart New Network in overrepresenting poor black families and fourth (of 13) in the ranking of sources that describe black families as a source of societal dysfunction.</p> <p>Among the study’s recommendations to news and opinion media:</p> <ul> <li>End the specific misrepresentations relating to poverty, crime and black fathers</li> <li>Develop protocols that question or challenge stereotypes and “conventional wisdom”</li> <li>Include more people of color in decision-making capacities</li> <li>Inform reporting by including more social context and research</li> </ul> <p>They also recommend that corporate advertisers take responsibility for their sponsorship of misleading and biased programming.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion<br> &nbsp;</h4> <ol> <li>The study suggests that our world view is shaped in part by the media we consume, and that by implication, if we regularly consume negative stereotypes, we will incorporate those stereotypes into our own view of the world. What do you think?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What might be the cause(s) of the media’s biased and inaccurate portrayals of white versus black people? Are individual reporters to blame? Are media networks to blame? Is our educational system to blame?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What do you think of the report’s recommendations? What other strategies could be used to address the problem?</li> </ol> <ol> <li value="4">Do you think that negative stereotypes of black families could contribute to public support for harsher policing, reduced government assistance, or other public policies? Which policies, and how?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li value="5">Can you think of other stereotypes (e.g. for boys or girls) that media help promote? Can you think of any possible consequences of those stereotypes?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li value="6">The study examined 800 stories in print and broadcast media for a two year period (2015-2016). Does the number of articles or time period impact the significance of the study? Is 800 articles enough to draw conclusions? Is it likely that media have adopted stricter standards of accuracy since the end of 2016?</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Sources<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p><a href="https://www.colorofchange.org/about/">https://www.colorofchange.org/about/</a></p> <p><a href="https://colorofchange.org/dangerousdistortion/">https://colorofchange.org/dangerousdistortion/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2017/12/29/a374a268-ea6d-11e7-8a6a-80acf0774e64_story.html?utm_term=.4440c9518f26">https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2017/12/29/a374a268-ea6d-11e7-8a6a-80acf0774e64_story.html?utm_term=.4440c9518f26</a></p> <p><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/coc-dangerousdisruption/full-report.pdf">https://s3.amazonaws.com/coc-dangerousdisruption/full-report.pdf</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/who-really-receives-welfare-4126592">https://www.thoughtco.com/who-really-receives-welfare-4126592</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr071.pdf">https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr071.pdf</a></p> <p><a href="https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/tables/table-43">https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/tables/table-43</a></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>Sara Carrero</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="2018-01-28T09:36:33-05:00" title="Sunday, January 28, 2018 - 09:36">January 28, 2018</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' --> Sun, 28 Jan 2018 14:36:33 +0000 Sara Carrero 1148 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org What did THEY do this summer? A quiz on the political news https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-did-they-do-summer-quiz-political-news <!-- 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>What did THEY do this summer? A quiz on the political news</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>&nbsp;</h4> <h3>&nbsp;End–of Summer Quiz</h3> <p>&nbsp;<img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/Scaramucci.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 269px; float: right; margin: 12px;"><br> <strong>1. </strong>Which of the following people has NOT been fired by President Trump?</p> <p>a) Anthony Scaramucci<br> b) Abraham Lincoln<br> c) Sean Spicer<br> d) James Comey<br> e) Jeff Sessions<br> f) Sally Yates<br> g) Michael Flynn<br> (Bonus question: Who is the man in the photo, and why was he in the news over the summer?)&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2. </strong>What is "fentanyl," and why is it in the news?<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>3. </strong>The U.S. Department of Education, under Trump appointee Betsy De Vos, has taken some of&nbsp; the following actions. Which actions have they NOT taken?<br> &nbsp;<br> a) introduced a plan to double the number of teachers in 41 low–income school districts</p> <p>b) eliminated rules protecting students from fraud by for–profit colleges</p> <p>c) taken steps toward ending the program that forgives some student debt in exchange for ten years of public service</p> <p>d) loosened the rules that sanction career college programs whose graduates do not enter "gainful employment"</p> <p>e) issued DOE guidelines that reduced protection of transgender students<br> &nbsp;<br> f) defended &nbsp;the budget proposal that eliminated funding for after–school programs and child–care for low–income parents attending college<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>4.</strong> True or False<br> &nbsp;<br> President Trump has proposed cutting legal immigration to the United States in half.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>5. </strong>President Trump and his cabinet are not known for their concern about climate change. Which climate change related news has NOT actually occurred over the summer?<br> &nbsp;<br> a)&nbsp; In July, an iceberg the size of Delaware and weighing about a trillion tons, broke off from Antarctica.<br> &nbsp;<br> b) From June 16 to July 30, the ocean level worldwide rose 17 inches.<br> &nbsp;<br> c) On June 1, President Trump announced the withdrawal&nbsp; from the Paris Climate Agreement agreed to in 2015 by 196 countries.<br> &nbsp;<br> d) The Congressionally–mandated National Climate Assessment (produced by scientists from 13 federal agencies) concludes that global climate change is influencing weather events at the present time and is caused by human action.<br> &nbsp;<br> e) A group called America's Pledge was founded. It is a coalition of thousands of American cities, states, colleges, and companies committed to reducing America's greenhouse emissions&nbsp; in accordance with the Paris Agreement.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>6. </strong>True or False<br> &nbsp;<br> Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has proposed to test the legitimacy of global climate change by setting up an investigative panel composed of scientists who represent the global &nbsp;scientific consensus and the small minority who challenge that consensus.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>7. </strong>True or False<br> &nbsp;<br> The Supreme Court decided in a 5–4 vote that women's health clinics unlawfully discriminate against men.</p> <p><strong>8. </strong>Which of the following actions did people take to defeat the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act?<br> &nbsp;<br> a) Testified and protested at local town hall meetings held by representatives during their Congressional recess<br> &nbsp;<br> b) Got every major patients' rights group, medical association, and disease organization to oppose the Republican plan<br> &nbsp;<br> c) Staged a mass "die–in" that covered the National Mall in Washington DC<br> &nbsp;<br> d) Online letter–writing, petitioning and phone–calling&nbsp; campaigns to pressure members of Congress<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>9. </strong>True or False</p> <p>Lynne Patton, who planned President Trump's celebrity golf tournaments and other lavish events (including Eric Trump's wedding), is now in charge of the Housing and Urban Development Region II (New York and New Jersey), and is responsible for billions of dollars in funds for low–income housing.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>10.</strong> President Trump has made illegal immigration a central theme of his presidency. Which of the following immigration stories are only "fake news?"<br> &nbsp;<br> a) Trump proposed to make the wall along the Mexican border transparent so that when drug dealers throw bags of dope over the wall, they won't hit innocent passersby.<br> &nbsp;<br> b) Between February and May, &nbsp;undocumented immigrants with no criminal record were arrested by immigration officers at an average of 108 per day.<br> &nbsp;<br> c) Thomas Honan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has detailed a<br> plan whereby American citizens may detain people they suspect as illegal immigrants until a law enforcement official arrives.<br> &nbsp;<br> d) Trump's proposed immigration law would admit immigrants on a merit system––with applicants graded on age, education, achievement, knowledge of English, job offers and entrepreneurial potential.<br> &nbsp;<br> e) ICE's new policy requires that undocumented immigrants be treated with dignity, offered legal assistance, and be subjected to a minimum of red tape.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>11. </strong>True or False</p> <p>President Trump has nominated Kansas Governor Sam Brownback to be Ambassador–at–Large for International Religious Freedom.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>12. </strong>President Trump's appointments to the Federal Communications Commission once again threaten "net neutrality." What is this "net neutrality" thing?<br> &nbsp;<br> a)&nbsp; A rule that requires nets in all professional tennis matches to be no higher than the waist&nbsp; of the shortest player on the court<br> &nbsp;<br> b) Rules that prevent&nbsp; internet &nbsp;("net") service providers from charging different rates to different&nbsp; websites<br> &nbsp;<br> c) A rule that mandates that commercial fishers use the same size net for catching fish of the same species<br> &nbsp;<br> d) NBA regulations (enacted after several scandals in the 1950s) &nbsp;that require&nbsp; referees to be fair and impartial<br> &nbsp;<br> e) none of the above</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>13.</strong> President Trump's budget would cut trillions of dollars from domestic programs over the course of ten years. Which of the following are actual Trump budget proposals and which are made up?<br> &nbsp;<br> a)&nbsp; $600 billion in cuts to Medicaid (the federal health care program that is primarily for<br> people with low incomes)<br> &nbsp;<br> b) a 30% cut in food stamps<br> &nbsp;<br> c) elimination of the Low–income Energy Assistance Program<br> &nbsp;<br> d) 50% cut to the Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Project<br> &nbsp;<br> e) $200 billion cut to the Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Fund<br> &nbsp;<br> f) elimination of the National Wildlife Refuge Fund<br> &nbsp;<br> g) elimination of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for Humanities<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>14.</strong> The Justice Department, under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has taken steps to limit the rights of ______________.</p> <p>a) women</p> <p>b) transgender people</p> <p>c) African–Americans</p> <p>d) police</p> <p>e) LGBT students<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>15. </strong>Attorney General Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearings were notable for the doubts raised about his commitment to civil rights. In August, the Sessions Justice Dept. sent signals that it is concerned about racial discrimination. Which of the following are true?<br> &nbsp;<br> a) The Justice Dept. announced plans to monitor discriminatory practices in the hiring of board members of corporations. (Only 20% of directors of Fortune 500 companies are African–American, Latino, or Asian–Americans)<br> &nbsp;<br> b) Sessions has proposed a federally–funded program to train minority recruits for local police department positions.<br> &nbsp;<br> c) Justice Department spokesperson&nbsp; Anita Johnson announced the formation of a "Bigotry Brigade" which will send two people with similar qualifications (one black and one white) to apply for the same job. Companies with a pattern of hiring only the white candidates will be investigated for racial discrimination.<br> &nbsp;<br> d) The Justice Department released the results of a study showing that voting delays of all types were 60% more frequent at polling stations serving mostly minority citizens.<br> &nbsp;<br> e) The New York Times reported on DOJ plans for "investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies deemed to discriminate against white applicants."<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;<br> Answers</h4> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>1.</strong>&nbsp; (b). Abraham Lincoln &nbsp;and (e) Jeff Sessions (as of August 2017)</p> <ul> <li>Anthony Scaramucci was reportedly brought in as White House Communications Director at in order to fire disloyal staff. He served 10 days before being fired.</li> <li>Press Secretary Sean Spicer was not successful in explaining Trump's contradictions to media correspondents and was fired after weeks of speculation.</li> <li>James Comey, head of the FBI, was fired for persisting with his investigation into the Trump campaign's relationship with Russia.</li> <li>Sally Yates, acting Attorney General, was fired after she refused to go along with President Trump's ban on immigration from seven Muslim nations.</li> <li>General Michael Flynn, National Security Advisor, was less than honest about his contacts with Russia.</li> </ul> <p>(Bonus question: The man is Anthony Scaramucci, who was in the news because he was fired as Trump's Communications Director after 10 days on the job.)</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>2. </strong>Fentanyl is a very powerful, highly addictive synthetic opioid that has been linked to thousands of drug overdoses and deaths. &nbsp;Because of the spread of drugs like fentanyl, drug overdoses now kill more people in the U.S. than gun homicides and car crashes combined. On August 10, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a "national emergency."<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>3.</strong> (a)<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>4. </strong>True<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>5.</strong> (b) is untrue. Sea level is rising at a dangerous rate, but currently that rate is about 1/8 inch per year.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>6.</strong> True<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>7. </strong>False<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>8. </strong>(a), (b), (c), and (e).&nbsp; Polls indicated support for Trumpcare at around 18%.&nbsp; Many Congress people who favored the rollback of Obamacare decided to cancel their traditional recess meetings with constituents to avoid being swamped by angry voters.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>9. </strong>True<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>10. </strong>(c) and (e) are not true.<br> (a) President Trump's has also suggested the wall be constructed of solar panels.<br> (b) During the presidential campaign, Trump&nbsp; spoke only of deporting the dangerous "bad hombres."<br> (d) President Trump's plan to overhaul immigration policy (including reducing legal immigration by half) will likely face strong opposition.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>11. </strong>True. Brownback, a conservative Republican, is reportedly the least popular governor in the United States, with an approval rating of 25%. According to the New York Times, "Mr. Brownback's popularity has plummeted in recent years as the state slashed services and struggled to meet its revenue projections, problems that many attributed to Mr. Brownback's signature tax–cutting doctrine."&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>12. </strong>(b)<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>13. </strong>(d) and (e) are untrue.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>14. </strong>(d)<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>15. </strong>(e)<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> For Discussion</h4> <p>&nbsp;<br> Which of the issues brought up in the quiz concern you most?<br> &nbsp;<br> What other issues in the news are you interested/concerned about?<br> &nbsp;<br> Much of the summer's political news has focused on Donald Trump. Do you think this is justified? Why or why not? What impact do you think it has that Trump has dominated the headlines?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;<br> Sources</h4> <p><a href="https://morningconsult.com/governor-approval-ratings-july-2017/">https://morningconsult.com/governor-approval-ratings-july-2017/</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/finance/334768–here–are–the–66–programs–eliminated–in–trumps–budget">http://thehill.com/policy/finance/334768–here–are–the–66–programs–eliminated–in–trumps–budget</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/05/22/trump–proposed–federal–budget–calls–for–deep–domestic–cuts/h7NrInPoSkPfE4Q0LvTmkK/story.html">https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/05/22/trump-proposed-federal-budget-calls-for-deep-domestic-cuts/h7NrInPoSkPfE4Q0LvTmkK/story.html</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/climate/cities–states–businesses–emissions–climate–pact.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/climate/cities-states-businesses-emissions-climate-pact.html</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/us/politics/trump–affirmative–action–universities.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/us/politics/trump-affirmative-action-universities.html</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://www.savetheinternet.com/net–neutrality–what–you–need–know–now">https://www.savetheinternet.com/net–neutrality–what–you–need–know–now</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/06/30/scott_pruitt_wants_to_use_a_red_team_to_sow_doubts_about_climate_change.html">http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/06/30/scott_pruitt_wants_to_use_a_red_team_to_sow_doubts_about_climate_change.html</a><br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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="2017-08-15T13:37:36-04:00" title="Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 13:37">August 15, 2017</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, 15 Aug 2017 17:37:36 +0000 fionta 321 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Sexual Harassment Charges Bring Down Bill O'Reilly https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/sexual-harassment-charges-bring-down-bill-oreilly <!-- 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>Sexual Harassment Charges Bring Down Bill O&#039;Reilly</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>Introduction<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>Share with students that the most popular host on cable TV, Bill O’Reilly, was fired on April 19, 2017, over claims of sexual harassment.&nbsp;</p> <p>Fox News announced that Bill O'Reilly, the network’s top moneymaker, would not be returning to his show, The O'Reilly Factor. The announcement followed recent revelations that Fox had paid out millions of dollars to settle claims of sexual harassment against O'Reilly by women at Fox News. Only nine months earlier, the founder and CEO of Fox News, Roger Ailes, was also forced to resign because of his record of sexual harassment.</p> <p>Give students the quick quiz below.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> Quiz</h4> <p><br> <strong>1.&nbsp;</strong> The reported value of the "exit packages" for Bill O'Reilly and Roger Ailes—both &nbsp;fired from Fox News for serial sexual harassment—is the equivalent of which of the following:</p> <p>a) &nbsp;salary and benefits for 850 new teachers for a year<br> b) doubling the pay of 4,100 minimum-wage workers for a year<br> c) providing meals for 26,000 senior citizens for a year<br> d) drilling 10,000 water wells (and building washrooms) in Liberia<br> e) any of the above</p> <p><em>Answer: e.&nbsp; According to reports, O’Reilly will receive an exit package of up to $25 million; Roger Ailes’ package amounted to $40 million.</em></p> <p><br> <strong>2. </strong>True or False</p> <p>In a memo to staff, Fox CEO Rupert Murdoch stated, "Most importantly, we want to underscore our consistent commitment to fostering a work environment built on the values of trust and respect."<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><em>Answer: True</em></p> <p><br> <strong>3. </strong>Which of the following was <em>not </em>written by Bill O'Reilly?</p> <p>a) Old School: Life in the Sane Lane<br> b) Give <em>Please</em> a Chance<br> c) A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity<br> d) Killing Truth: the&nbsp; Lies and Legends of Bill O’Reilly<br> e) The Oh Really? Factor: Unspinning Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly</p> <p><em>Answer: d and e</em></p> <p><br> <strong>4. </strong>The median age of Bill O'Reilly's viewers was:</p> <p>a) 7<br> b) 27<br> c) 45<br> d) 59<br> e) 72</p> <p><em>Answer: e</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> Student Reading:&nbsp;<br> Why was Bill O’Reilly fired?</h4> <p><br> The allegations of sexual harassment at Fox are longstanding. Over the years, the company has made at least $33 million in payments to settle harassment claims against Ailes and O'Reilly. Sixteen women have come forward with allegations against the two.</p> <p>O’Reilly was also known for making on-air comments that were offensive to many. For example, he asserted that the slaves who built the White House were "well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government." He said that many African-Americans "are ill-educated and have tattoos on their foreheads." He stated that "most of the terror violence in the world comes out of Muslim precincts." He also made derogatory comments about immigrants, LGBTQI people, and the homeless.</p> <p>As the Atlantic reported, such comments "simply solidified O’Reilly’s self-styled brand as a proud warrior against the pettiness of ‘p.c. culture.’"&nbsp; Merriam Webster defines p.c., or politically correct, as the "belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated." The term is often used by those on the right to dismiss charges of or concerns about racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression.</p> <p>O'Reilly has weathered allegations, embarrassments and scandals for years. But Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of News Corp, which owns Fox, resisted calls to change the corporate culture that tolerated the behavior.&nbsp; As Fox's most valuable asset, O’Reilly seemed to be invulnerable to bad publicity. He had his millions of loyal viewers and his show's lucrative advertising dollars.</p> <p>So what changed? Why did Fox News decide to fire Bill O'Reilly?</p> <p>Dogged reporting helped turn the tide. In particular, reporters at the New York Times outlined the record of charges against Bill O'Reilly for harassing women connected to his show, and also brought to light details of Fox's payments to O'Reilly's alleged victims. Five women who were either staff or paid guests made accusations that included propositions, unwelcome advances, lewd comments, threats of retaliation, and actual retaliation for refusing to have sex with him. The five women were paid over $13 million by Fox and O'Reilly to settle their claims. In addition, two other women connected to the show have alleged sexual harassment and have not reached settlements.</p> <p>The Times reporting sparked a wave of activism demanding that Fox News take action.</p> <ul> <li>Color of Change, which previously had pressured Fox to fire Glenn Beck, initiated a public campaign to oust O'Reilly. &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Organizations including the National Organization for Women, UltraViolet and Media Matters joined the fight.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Another group, called Sleeping Giants, organized around Twitter, has as its mission stopping the flow of ad money to "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and anti-Semitic news sites." Tens of thousands of people took part in their campaign to persuade advertisers to drop the O'Reilly Factor. Within days, 50 advertisers dropped the show.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The coalition pushing for O’Reilly’s ouster bought ads in social media, filed briefs against a Fox merger with a British company, and held demonstrations outside Fox News headquarters.</li> </ul> <p><br> Another factor contributing to the Fox decision is reported to be the increasing influence of Rupert Murdoch's family—his two sons and their respective wives. While they are all focused on the bottom line profits, the younger generation&nbsp; is apparently less influenced by the right-wing ideology and stubborn&nbsp; resistance to change for which the elder, Rupert, is known. As with the dismissal of Roger Ailes, sons James and Lachlan won the family argument.</p> <p>Despite the increasing power of the younger Murdochs, the successful campaign, and loads of negative publicity, it seems unlikely that there will be any big changes in the nature of Fox News anytime soon. Senior management remains unchanged and there is no sign that Fox's audience is very much disturbed by the toxic atmosphere at Fox headquarters.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion<br> &nbsp;</h4> <ol> <li>What level of racism or sexism should be tolerated of a high-profile public figure?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Do you think there is a relationship between O’Reilly’s critique of "P.C. culture" and the allegations that he sexually harassed women?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>When a company pays an employee to settle a claim of sexual harassment or racial bias, the agreement usually includes no admission of guilt and requires that the details not be revealed to the public. Is there a public interest that is being violated when a national figure is involved?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The campaign to defund the O'Reilly Factor by going after its advertisers was successful. What do you think of this tactic?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Are you angry about Fox's longtime inaction concerning the sexual harassment of women employees? Why or why not?</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Sources<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/business/media/fox-murdochs-bill-oreilly-sex-harassment.html?&amp;moduleDetail=section-news-1&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=Media&amp;region=Footer&amp;module=MoreInSection&amp;version=WhatsNext&amp;contentID=WhatsNext&amp;pgtype=article">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/business/media/fox-murdochs-bill-oreilly-sex-harassment.html</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/04/19/fox-news-drops-bill-oreilly-in-wake-harassment-allegations.html">http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/04/19/fox-news-drops-bill-oreilly-in-wake-harassment-allegations.html</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.alternet.org/media/how-activist-campaign-toppled-fox-news-biggest-star">http://www.alternet.org/media/how-activist-campaign-toppled-fox-news-biggest-star</a></p> <p><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/sources-the-murdochs-are-turning-against-bill-oreilly.html">http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/sources-the-murdochs-are-turning-against-bill-oreilly.html</a></p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/slpng_giants">https://twitter.com/slpng_giants</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/04/why-was-bill-oreilly-really-fired/523614/">https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/04/why-was-bill-oreilly-really-fired/523614/</a></p> <p>&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="2017-04-23T12:31:52-04:00" title="Sunday, April 23, 2017 - 12:31">April 23, 2017</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' --> Sun, 23 Apr 2017 16:31:52 +0000 fionta 333 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Alternative Facts: Tips for Telling Fake News from Real News https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/alternative-facts-tips-telling-fake-news-real-news <!-- 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>Alternative Facts: Tips for Telling Fake News from Real News</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"><p><em>Ask students to read the following, or share the information with students.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Alternative Facts</h4> <p>Chuck Todd, host of NBC's Meet the Press:</p> <div class="rteindent1">"You did not answer the question of why the president asked the White House press secretary to come out in front of the podium for the first time, and utter a falsehood. Why did he do that? It undermines the credibility of the entire White House press office on day one."</div> <p>&nbsp;<br> Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump:</p> <div class="rteindent1">"Don't be so overly dramatic about it, Chuck. You're saying it's a falsehood, and they're giving — our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts to that. But the point really is..."</div> <p>&nbsp;<br> With these words, Conway gave a name to a phenomenon that's not exactly new. Politicians have been known to lie. What is new, or new-ish, is the vast platform for lies to proliferate.<br> &nbsp;<br> In 2016, according to the Pew Research Center:</p> <ul> <li>38% of adults (and 50% of 18-29-year-olds) often got news via the internet</li> <li>62% of adult Americans (and 81% of 18-29-year-olds) got news from social media&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>While the internet can be an excellent source of news, it is also an excellent source of lies. A "news source" you find on the internet may have been created by a group of friends who like to prank. It might have been created by a syndicate that gets paid by the click, by a racist group plotting a new civil war, or by almost anyone with a little time and money. Hyperlinks and the speed of computer networks allow for wide availability of anything with a catchy headline.<br> &nbsp;<br> All this provides fertile ground for fake news and "alternative facts."<br> &nbsp;<br> "News" not based on actual facts would not be a problem if everyone knew it was fake and was just a form of entertainment. Unfortunately, most people cannot distinguish between fake and real news:</p> <ul> <li>According to a survey commissioned by Buzzfeed, Americans were fooled by fake headlines about 75% of the time.</li> <li>A survey conducted by Stanford University showed that 82% of middle school students could not distinguish an ad labeled "sponsored content" from a real news story on a website.</li> </ul> <p>If we can't tell the difference between fake news and real news, what are the consequences for our country? Doesn't our political system depend on having an informed electorate?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Quiz</h4> <p>Which of the following headlines are likely to be real? Which are fake?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>1. </strong>&nbsp;"Clinton Campaign Staffer Says Hillary Tried To ‘Sell Her Soul’ To Win, Turns Out She Doesn’t Have Soul"</p> <p><strong>2. &nbsp;</strong>"Pope Francis at White House: 'Koran and Holy Bible Are the Same'"</p> <p><strong>3. &nbsp;</strong>"DeQuincy Louisiana: First City Making It Illegal To Be Gay"<br> &nbsp;<br> <em>Answers: All are fake</em>&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>6 Tips for Detecting Fake News</h4> <p><br> How can we know that a "news story" is real (even if it might be biased in some way)?&nbsp; Here are some strategies to use.</p> <p><br> <strong>1.</strong> <strong>Examine the website’s URL. </strong>Is the URL silly, an imitation of a well-known media outlet, a blog site, or some other suspicious name? Examples:</p> <ul> <li>abcnews.com.co</li> <li>thenewsnerd.com</li> </ul> <p><strong>&nbsp;<br> 2.</strong> <strong>Examine the website’s content with a critical eye.&nbsp;</strong><br> <br> What is website’s purpose? Does it have obviously satirical or outrageous stories on the home page? Examples from the NewsExaminer.com site:</p> <ul> <li>"Secret Service Agent Says Obama Is Muslim &amp; Gay In New Tell-All Book"</li> <li>"Donald Trump Introduces New Muslim/Refugee Badges; ‘Nazi-Like’ Plan Requires All Muslims &amp; Refugees To Wear Badges Like The Jews Did During The Holocaust"</li> <li>"Donald Trump Assaults Blind Man After Rally In Ohio"</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>3. Check the "About" tab on the website and the site’s writers and staff. </strong><br> <br> Do the staff and contact pages appear legitimate? Examples:&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>The empirenews.net site states on its About page "Empire News is intended for entertainment purposes only."</li> <li>On the realnewsrightnow.com site, the one staff person has apparently been nominated for 3 Nobel Prizes, 3 Pulitzer Prizes and the Oscar Mayer Award for Journalistic Excellence</li> <li>The writer of an abcnews.com.co story, "Jimmy Rustling" has won 14 Peabody Awards--and a handful of Pulitzer Prizes. "Jimmy Rustling" is also a slang expression for meeting emotional needs.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>4. Read critically: Does the s</strong><strong>tory make sense?&nbsp;</strong><br> <br> Some fake news stories are hastily written, with typos, grammatical mistakes or obviously false statements. Is the sensational headline supported by the facts in the story? Example from nowtheendbegins.com:</p> <div class="rteindent1">"KELLYANNE CONWAY GETS SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION AS CRAZED LIBERALS THREATEN TO KILL HER"</div> <p>Nothing in the story related any threats to Conway from liberals.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>5. Google the main elements of the headline/story or check real news sites for it. &nbsp;</strong><br> <br> This is often one of the quickest ways to determine if a story is real or fake. If it's big news but has not been picked up by news organizations such as the New York Times, Washington Post, or major news networks, then there’s a reason to be suspicious.&nbsp;</p> <p><br> <strong>6. Google the website itself</strong>.<br> <br> You may discover that the website has been labeled by reputable sources as delivering fake news.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Facebook and Google have vowed to take some action against fake news sites. But the sheer number of fake news sites and the websites that mingle fake and ordinary news make it likely that we will have to cope with the confusion for the foreseeable future.<br> <br> And as President Trump's advisor has demonstrated, we'll also have to learn how to sort the "alternative facts" of our chosen leaders from actual facts. More than ever, we need critical eyes and ears.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Discussion<strong>&nbsp;</strong></h4> <p><strong>1.</strong> Is there such thing as objective reporting? How are fake news and "alternate facts" different or worse than the bias of any media?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>2. </strong>How important is media literacy to our democracy? Is it our responsibility as citizens to be informed?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>3. </strong>Are Facebook and Google engaging in censorship by taking action against fake news sites?<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>4.</strong>&nbsp; Is there anything our class can do to make more people aware of fake news? (If students come up with good ideas, you might help them carry out a class project to raise awareness.)<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>5.</strong> What steps can we as a society take to limit the damage done by fake news?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Sources</h4> <p><a href="http://www.cjr.org/innovations/librarians_journalism_lessons.php">http://www.cjr.org/innovations/librarians_journalism_lessons.php</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/">http://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf">https://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/">http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.journalism.org/2016/07/07/pathways-to-news/">http://www.journalism.org/2016/07/07/pathways-to-news/</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/fake-news-survey?utm_term=.tggdJjV5Ym#.glGrmlbXxe">https://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/fake-news-survey?utm_term=.tggdJjV5Ym#.glGrmlbXxe</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/most-students-dont-know-when-news-is-fake-stanford-study-finds-1479752576">http://www.wsj.com/articles/most-students-dont-know-when-news-is-fake-stanford-study-finds-1479752576</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2016/11/28/a-scientific-approach-to-distinguishing-real-from-fake-news/2/#1a9241a177dd">http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2016/11/28/a-scientific-approach-to-distinguishing-real-from-fake-news/2/#1a9241a177dd</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/10eA5-mCZLSS4MQY5QGb5ewC3VAL6pLkT53V_81ZyitM/preview">https://docs.google.com/document/d/10eA5-mCZLSS4MQY5QGb5ewC3VAL6pLkT53V_81ZyitM/preview</a><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="2017-01-31T10:39:34-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 31, 2017 - 10:39">January 31, 2017</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, 31 Jan 2017 15:39:34 +0000 fionta 355 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Black Lives Matter Lesson Series: Part 1 https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/black-lives-matter-lesson-series-part-1 <!-- 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>Black Lives Matter Lesson Series: Part 1</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"><h3>BLM Lesson Series Part 1:<br> An&nbsp;Introduction<br> &nbsp;</h3> <p>It’s been almost two years since Black Lives Matter, the social protest movement against "the disproportionate impact of state violence on Black lives" emerged to develop into an influential social and political force. (The quote from the <a href="http://blacklivesmatter.com/">Black Lives Matter website</a>.) &nbsp;</p> <p>From its inception, the movement has been a prominent force on social media, disseminating information that had previously been deemed un-newsworthy by traditional news outlets. It has since found inroads in the traditional mainstream media and has even become a force to be reckoned with in the 2016 presidential race, as candidates have been adjusting to a changing political landscape that has to take into account the needs and demands of minority communities in unprecedented ways.</p> <p>In the lesson below, and two others to follow, we’ll take a close look at the Black Lives Matter movement, why and how it came into being, and what it has evolved into.&nbsp; We’ll also look at some of the criticism it has received and the movement’s next steps. Before beginning these lessons, you may want to review <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-about-controversial-or-difficult-issues">these guidelines</a>&nbsp;for teaching about difficult or controversial issues.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li class="rteindent1">Lesson 1: &nbsp;Black Lives Matter: &nbsp;Introduction</li> <li class="rteindent1"><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/black-lives-matter-lesson-series-part-2">Lesson 2: "All Lives Matter" versus "Black Lives Matter"</a></li> <li class="rteindent1"><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/black-lives-matter-lesson-series-part-3">Lesson 3: &nbsp;What Is "Black Lives Matter" Working Towards?</a><br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <h3><br> <strong style="font-size: 12px;">Background for the Teacher:</strong></h3> <p>The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was created around the time of George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in July 2013. It lay somewhat dormant until the shooting death of Michael Brown in early August of 2014—a young man of color, shot and killed by a white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO.&nbsp;</p> <p>But it wasn’t till November 25, 2014, when the news not to indict Darren Wilson came out, that the hashtag gained real traction and went mainstream. In the first 20 hours of that day, #BlackLivesMatter was used to send around 10,000 tweets. But in the four hours that followed the verdict, the twittersphere lit up: 92,784 tweets were sent using the hashtag.&nbsp; #BlackLivesMatter was to become a force to be reckoned with. (See this <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/03/02/468704888/combing-through-41-million-tweets-to-show-how-blacklivesmatter-exploded">NPR Codeswitch article</a> for more.)</p> <p>Since those early days of online activism, Black Lives Matter has evolved into a movement that is now as much physical as it is digital.&nbsp; It is not a traditional movement with a centralized system of leaders, headquarters or appointed spokespeople. It sees itself more as a diffuse ideological and political intervention in a world where systemic racism and structural inequality fail to be sufficiently acknowledged or addressed. The vast inequalities left by a legacy of slavery are once again brought into the public eye by a social movement that is fighting inequality and injustice while also affirming "Black folks’ humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression." (<a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory/">https://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory/</a>)</p> <p>Though the hashtag is separate from the Black Lives Matter organization and movement, it is often used in in the organizing, mobilizing, momentum building and reporting of events and interventions.</p> <p>On August 1, 2016, a coalition or organizations with affiliations to Black Lives Matter called the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/movement-black-lives-platform/494309/">Movement for Black Lives</a> released a detailed platform of demands. These were soon tweeted on social media using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.&nbsp; #BlackLivesMatter has connected people from around the U.S. (and beyond) with the goal of ending various forms of racial injustice, while also seeking to celebrate and humanize Black lives.<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>Preparation:</h4> <p>This lesson uses tweets to introduce students to the origin and motivations behind Black Lives Matter. Print out several copies of these tweets (<strong><a href="/sites/default/files/files/BLM%20Tweets%201.pdf">#BLM tweets pdf here</a></strong>) - enough for several small groups in your classroom to consider.</p> <p>Also print out the quotes that follow the tweets, which students will read out loud.</p> <p>An additional activity has students consider the movement’s core principles by posting them around the room, with explanations of each principle hidden underneath. This requires preparation. The principles and descriptions are reproduced <strong><a href="/sites/default/files/files/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20principles%20for%20posting%20around%20the%20room.pdf">in this pdf</a>.</strong> Print out the pdf and cut the pages to separate the different principles. When the time comes, you’ll post these around the room with the heading on top and in view, with the corresponding description folded underneath.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Gathering: Black Lives Matter web<br> &nbsp;</h3> <p>Invite students to share any associations they have with the phrase "Black Lives Matter." Chart their associations in a web (or other visual representation).&nbsp; Elicit associations while interest remains high, then invite students to look over the web and discuss it using some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What do you notice about what’s written on the chart?</li> <li>Are there any similarities?&nbsp; Differences?&nbsp;</li> <li>Is there anything on here that surprises you?&nbsp;</li> <li>Is there anything on here that you have questions about?</li> </ul> <p>Explain that in today’s lesson you’ll be looking more closely at the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and the movement that sprang from it.&nbsp;</p> <p>Elicit and explain that over the past few years, police violence against mostly young men of color has entered the mainstream news cycle with great immediacy.&nbsp; Video footage, shot mostly on private cellphones and broadcast on social media, has helped bring to light what communities of color have long been trying to expose - what Black Lives Matter calls "the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society" (<a href="http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/">http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/</a>).</p> <p>Through Twitter and the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, activists were able to disseminate information directly to millions of people, bypassing the traditional mainstream media, which, until Black Lives Matter, had mostly ignored police violence in black communities.&nbsp;</p> <p>#BlackLivesMatter turned names like Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, and Philando Castile into household names while raising awareness beyond communities of color about the systemic racism and structural inequality that black and brown Americans experience on a daily basis.&nbsp; As the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag gained momentum, it soon turned into a movement that continues to grow and evolve to face and address real world needs, beyond the digital world it sprang from.<br> <br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>What is Black Lives Matter? Why was it created?</h3> <h4><br> 1. &nbsp; Tweets</h4> <p>Break students into small groups and give each group a copy of the&nbsp;<strong><a href="/sites/default/files/files/BLM%20Tweets%201.pdf">these #BLM tweets</a></strong>. Ask them to discuss these questions in their groups:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about these tweets?</li> <li>What do you think they are in reference to?</li> <li>What do you know about #BlackLivesMatter and why it was created?</li> </ul> <h4><br> 2. &nbsp;Quotes</h4> <p>The following quotes about the background and goals of #BlackLivesMatter are taken from the Black Lives Matter website.</p> <p>Print out the following quotes and invite volunteers to read them loud.</p> <ul> <li>#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was ... placed on trial for his own murder. http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>#BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the ... anti-Black racism that permeates our society.&nbsp; http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>&nbsp;#BlackLivesMatter is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted [and killed] .... http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>[#BlackLivesMatter] affirm[s Black] contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.&nbsp; http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>[Beyond the hashtag, founders of #BlackLivesMatter] created the infrastructure for this movement ...—moving the hashtag from social media to the streets. http://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory/<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>[Black Lives Matter, is trying to] broaden... the conversation around state violence to include all of the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state.&nbsp; We are talking about the ways in which Black lives are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity. http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation.&nbsp; http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>#BlackLivesMatter has connected people across the country working to end the various forms of injustice impacting our people. &nbsp;We’ve created space for the celebration and humanization of Black lives.&nbsp; http://www.thefeministwire.com/2014/10/blacklivesmatter-2/</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Divide students into small groups to discuss the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about Black Lives Matter, based on this information?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What did you learn about Black Lives Matter that you didn’t know before?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What questions do you have about #BlackLivesMatter, the hashtag, and Black Lives Matter, the movement?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Back in the large group invite students to share out some of the points that were made in their small groups and facilitate a large group discussion around the issues raised.&nbsp; Invite students to come up with any questions they have about Black Lives Matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Additional activity if time allows</em></p> <h3><br> Stand Under:&nbsp;<br> Black Lives Matter guiding principles</h3> <p><br> <em>Note:&nbsp;</em> Depending on the work you’ve done with your group, you may consider reviewing the meaning of the words used in the principles (or only use the principles you think students will already understand.) Alternatively, let students experience the activity without this advance preparation, but encourage them to share their questions (as the activity suggests). Make sure you return to these questions as the group continues to convene.&nbsp;</p> <p>Print out a copy of these&nbsp;<strong><a href="/sites/default/files/files/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20principles%20for%20posting%20around%20the%20room.pdf">Black Lives Matter principles</a>. &nbsp; </strong>Post the principles&nbsp;around the room, with the descriptions folded underneath so that students will only see the principles at first, not the descriptions.</p> <p>Explain that these principles are at the core of the BLM movement.&nbsp; Ask students to define what a principle is.&nbsp; Elicit and explain that a principle, according to Merriam-Webster, is</p> <ul> <li class="rteindent1">a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions</li> <li class="rteindent1">a basic truth or theory : an idea that forms the basis of something</li> </ul> <p>Ask students to think about a particular community, whether it’s their own school community, the neighborhood or city they live in or the U.S. at large.&nbsp; In this context, ask them what principle are they most drawn to, for whatever reason.&nbsp; It could be because they have questions about it, because they feel this is the most important principle in the given context, or because they think that the school, neighborhood, city or country should do a better job upholding this principle. &nbsp;</p> <p>Invite students to stand by the principle they feel most drawn to. &nbsp;In the small groups now standing by different principles, invite students to open up the description of the principle posted below, read it, then discuss among themselves some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>Why were they drawn to this principle?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What is it about this principle that spoke to them?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What questions do they have about this principle?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>How do they see it relating to other principles around the room?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>Why do they think Black Lives Matter felt the need to explicitly create a page on their website that outlines these principles?</li> </ul> <p><br> Invite each small group to share out, in no more than a minute, the key points of what they discussed.&nbsp; Then convene the whole group to discuss the principles as a set, going back to the last two questions on the list above. Link the discussion back to the community you had students relate these principles to.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3><br> Closing</h3> <p><br> Ask students to share one thing that stood out for them today - one thing that if they were to forget everything else they discussed today, they’d want to hold on to.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&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="2016-09-09T12:53:39-04:00" title="Friday, September 9, 2016 - 12:53">September 9, 2016</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, 09 Sep 2016 16:53:39 +0000 fionta 382 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Back-to-School Quiz: What the World Did Over the Summer https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/back-school-quiz-what-world-did-over-summer <!-- 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>Back-to-School Quiz: What the World Did Over the Summer</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"><h3>To the teacher:</h3> <p>This quiz aims to get students engaged in issues that have surfaced over the summer.&nbsp; Discussion questions on selected subjects follow the quiz. You may also want to have further discussion on quiz questions that are of special interest to your class.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Quiz</h3> <h4>Campaign Dramas&nbsp;</h4> <p>1. Match the following candidates with their running mates:</p> <p>a) Mike Pence<br> b) Gary Johnson<br> c) Jill Stein<br> d) William Weld<br> e) Donald Trump<br> f) Chris Christie<br> g) Hillary Clinton<br> h) Tim Kaine<br> i) &nbsp;Ajamu Baraka</p> <p>2. Which of the following has NOT been a problem for Hillary Clinton's campaign?</p> <p>a) Persistent questions about her use of private email while Secretary of State<br> b) Evidence of favors done for donors to the Clinton Foundation<br> c) High unfavorability ratings among voters<br> d) Lack of donor support</p> <p>3. Which of the following has NOT been a problem for the Trump campaign?</p> <p>a) Lack of donor support<br> b) Off the cuff remarks which are widely seen as offensive to African Americans, women, Latinos, immigrants, people with disabilities and Muslims<br> c) Lack of news coverage<br> d) Luke-warm support from the Republican establishment</p> <p>4. Bernie Sanders lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton. He has founded an organization to harness the energy that his campaign inspired. The name of that organization is...</p> <p>a) PoliticalRevolution.org<br> b) FeeltheBern.com<br> c) Our Revolution<br> d) A Luta Continua</p> <p>5.&nbsp; True or False:</p> <p>Widespread voter fraud has forced many states to pass strict voting requirements.</p> <p><strong>Answers</strong></p> <p>1. Trump and Pence (Republicans), Johnson and Weld (Libertarians), Clinton and Kaine (Democrats), Stein and Baraka (Green)</p> <p>2. d</p> <p>3. c</p> <p>4. c</p> <p>5. False</p> <p><strong>About the Two-Party System</strong></p> <p>Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have record high unfavorability ratings (near 60%). According to the Pew Center, 53% of Trump supporters and 46% of Clinton supporters say they are primarily voting <em>against </em>the other candidate. Donald Trump's campaign meanwhile has been in almost constant turmoil, with much staff turnover, a continuing uneasy relationship with the Republican establishment, few campaign offices or "door-knockers," and low fund-raising results. But Trump's obvious efforts to appear more "presidential" have succeeded in raising the number of Republicans&nbsp; (about 80%) who say they will vote for him.</p> <p>Despite strong party support, successful fundraising,&nbsp; and a strong lead following the party conventions, Hillary Clinton has been unable to overcome voter doubts about her honesty and credibility. Some polls in early September show a very close race.</p> <p>Dissatisfaction with the Democrats and Republicans has led to stronger showings for the third parties. The Libertarians are close to Republicans on some issues and to Democrats on others (see "Who Are the Libertarians?" Teachable Instant for 6/5/2016). They generally oppose government control and interference in our lives. So the Libertarians oppose drug laws and government spying on Americans, wars of choice and sexual discrimination. They also oppose virtually all government regulation of business, environmental laws, and programs to help the poor. Presidential candidate Gary Johnson gets about 10% in some polls.</p> <p>The Green Party is on the ballot in 41 states. States make it difficult for third parties to be on the ballot and each state has different rules (see this recent <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/could-us-move-beyond-two-party-system">TeachableMoment lesson</a>). The Greens are waiting for a ruling on whether they quality in 8 additional states. The Green Party supports:</p> <ul> <li>action to halt global climate change</li> <li>renewable energy and mass transportation</li> <li>racial justice, ending mass incarceration and police brutality</li> <li>government action to create jobs on a large scale</li> <li>health, food and housing as human rights</li> <li>ending the U.S. militarist foreign policy</li> </ul> <p>The presidential candidate, Jill Stein polls at about 4%.</p> <p><strong>About Voting Restrictions</strong></p> <p>Since the 2012 elections, 17 states have enacted laws to restrict voter access. While the ostensible reason for the new laws has been, in all cases, to prevent voter fraud, there have been virtually zero cases of such fraud to point to. The laws include:</p> <ul> <li>requiring multiple forms of identification</li> <li>requiring the voter to have lived in the district for 28 days before being able to vote</li> <li>eliminating same-day registration</li> <li>restricting early voting</li> </ul> <p>All such laws tend to reduce the number of African-American, Latino and Native American voters. Over the summer, the NAACP and other civil rights organizations, &nbsp;and the U.S. Department of Justice, were successful in challenging some of these laws. Courts in five states struck down voter laws as discriminatory and completely unnecessary. In voiding the North Carolina law, a federal court determined that the state legislature had targeted "African-Americans with almost surgical precision."</p> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h4>Sports</h4> <p>1. The Summer Olympics in Brazil had to cope with a number of challenges. Which difficulty was NOT one of those challenges?</p> <p>a) The Zika virus epidemic<br> b) A strike by taxi drivers, bus drivers, and train operators<br> c) Ocean pollution threatening water events<br> d) Corruption and mismanagement slowed construction for the Olympic Park<br> e) A political and financial crisis impeded the government's ability to adequately prepare for the event</p> <p>2. In response the Black Lives Matter movement, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick &nbsp;did the following:</p> <p>a) Refused to play in any city which has had an incident of police shooting an unarmed person<br> b) Quit the team and began working with San Franciscans Against Police Abuse (SFAPA)<br> c) Refused to stand for the National Anthem and spoke out against police brutality<br> d) Written a children's book about police violence and appeared on Sesame Street to talk about the issue</p> <p><strong>Answers:</strong></p> <p>1) b</p> <p>2) c</p> <p>Since the media has noticed that Colin Kaepernick refuses to stand during the National Anthem that precedes football games, Kaepernick has had numerous opportunities to speak out about racial injustice and unequal treatment by the police.</p> <p>"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color," he said. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."</p> <p>Kaepernick has provoked outrage among some who support the police and object to sports figures taking stands on controversial issues. But he has gotten noticeable support from veterans who support his right to dissent, even when the dissent disturbs some people's idea of patriotism.&nbsp; A teammate, Eric Reid, has joined Kaepernick in his symbolic protest as has NFL player Jeremy Lane and soccer star Megan Rapinoe.</p> <p>Rapinoe (who is white) objected to the way Kaepernick was being treated, saying:&nbsp; "It is overtly racist. 'Stay in your place, black man.' Just didn't feel right to me. We need a more substantive conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated."<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>Climate Change</h4> <p>1. Which of the following statements is true?</p> <p>a) July 2016 was the warmest July the Earth has seen since the Big Bang.<br> b) July 2016 was the warmest July since global temperatures have been measured.<br> c) July 2016 was the warmest July since 2014.<br> d) Each of the last 15 months has tied or set a record for warmest on record.<br> e) July 2016 was the warmest month on record.</p> <p>2. True or False:&nbsp; The U.S.&nbsp; is taking steps to control global climate change.</p> <p><br> <strong>Answers</strong></p> <p>1. b, e and almost d (the statement is true for only <em>14 </em>of the last 15 months!)</p> <p>2. True</p> <p>The scientific community is nearly unanimous major efforts are needed to stop the disastrous effects of climate change. (See other activities on TeachableMoment.)&nbsp; But politics and short-term economics have tended to trump that scientific consensus. On September 3, 2016, President Obama and Xi Jinping (president of China) announced their ratification of the Paris climate agreement. That agreement, by almost 200 countries in December 2015, established a framework through which countries were to set "ambitious" goals for reducing climate-changing emissions. Since China and the U.S. account for almost 40% of those global emissions, Obama's and Xi's agreement is a big boost for the framework.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the fight to "keep it in the ground" (that is, to keep fossil fuels from being extracted, transported, processed and burned) continues in communities throughout the U.S. and the world. In North Dakota, the Standing Rock Sioux have challenged a four-state pipeline in court and on the ground. They argue that the pipeline may pollute water sources and will cause destruction at sites that are sacred to their people. Thousands of Native Americans have been joined by climate activists and Black Lives Matter activists in opposing the pipeline.</p> <p>Meanwhile, all summer, activists in Louisiana have been protesting the federal government sale of oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Over 200,000 people have signed petitions to stop the sale of millions of acres in the Gulf. From August 20-24, 2016, climate protesters, Native Americans, Black Lives Matter and local activists held a "Week of Resistance, Solidarity and Love" to protest the continuing Gulf auctions.&nbsp; Coincidentally, Louisiana was experiencing historic flooding in mid-August that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, in a weather event exacerbated by climate change.</p> <h4><br> World</h4> <p><span style="font-size: 12px;">1. Brexit is most commonly defined as:</span></p> <p>a) A flat biscuit with sesame seeds and salt<br> b) The UK leaving the European Union<br> c) A trade agreement between France, the UK and the United States<br> d) The purposeful fragility of electronic devices</p> <p>2. In what country was there a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016?</p> <p>a) United States<br> b) Freedonia<br> c) Iraq<br> d) Iran<br> e) Turkey</p> <p>3. True or False</p> <p>The war in Syria continues.</p> <p><br> <strong>Answers:</strong></p> <p>1. b</p> <p>2. e</p> <p>On July 15, elements of Turkey's military attempted a coup against the country's elected Muslimist leader, &nbsp;Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While the coup failed, the country remains divided between those who support Erdogan's increasing intolerance of dissent and those favoring a more secular society with protection for speech and press. In the aftermath of the attempted coup, tens of thousands of soldiers, bureaucrats, academics, and political opponents were arrested or fired from their jobs.</p> <p>3. True</p> <p>One of the consequences of the war in Syria has been a flood of refugees trying to escape the violence. Over 5 million people have been forced to leave Syria. Over the summer, the U.S. admitted its 10,000th Syrian refugee, meeting a target that President Obama had set last fall. Other nations have accepted many more refugees. Germany expects to accept about&nbsp;300,000 Syrian refugees in 2016; Canada has resettled more than 30,000 since last November.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Class discussion</h3> <p><strong>1. On sports protests</strong></p> <ul> <li>Do you think that sitting or kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner or the Pledge of Allegiance is disrespectful? Is it inappropriate?</li> <li>Should sports figures be discouraged from taking political stands?</li> <li>Can you think of times in the past when athletes have engaged in public protests?&nbsp; What impact did those protests have?</li> </ul> <p><strong>2. On the U.S.’s two-party system</strong></p> <p>The United States has a tradition of two major parties and election laws which make it difficult for third parties to compete. Should election rules be changed so that third parties have a fair chance at attracting voters?</p> <p><strong>3.&nbsp; On climate change</strong></p> <ul> <li>Are you worried about climate change?</li> <li>Why hasn't climate change been much of an issue in the presidential campaign?</li> <li>Do you think the actions of the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies can affect the climate change discussions and, ultimately, policies?&nbsp; Why or why not?</li> </ul> <p>4. <strong>On the Syrian conflict</strong></p> <ul> <li>What responsibility does the United States have for accepting refugees?</li> <li>What responsibility do other countries have?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3><br> Bonus activity:&nbsp; The Portmanteau</h3> <p>The new word "Brexit "is formed by the combination of the word "British" and the word "exit." This combination of two words to form a third has a name—portmanteau.</p> <p>Portmanteau has another meaning. &nbsp;What is it?&nbsp; Why portmanteau might have been chosen to mean a combination of two words?</p> <p>Here is a list of other portmanteaus. Guess what words were combined to make these new words:</p> <ul> <li>Spork</li> <li>Workaholic</li> <li>Frappuccino</li> <li>Biopic</li> <li>Brunch</li> <li>Sexting</li> <li>Chillax</li> <li>Zedonk</li> <li>Favicon</li> <li>Netiquette</li> <li>Breathalyzer</li> <li>Moped</li> <li>Smog</li> <li>Docudrama</li> <li>Edutainment</li> <li>Infomercial</li> <li>Sitcom</li> <li>Televangelist</li> <li>Mocktail</li> <li>Bromance</li> <li>Carjack</li> <li>Forex</li> <li>Guesstimate</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3><br> Sources<br> &nbsp;</h3> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jul/11/we-just-broke-the-record-for-hottest-year-9-straight-times">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jul/11/we-just-broke-the-record-for-hottest-year-9-straight-times</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/07/transgender-us-military-rules">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/07/transgender-us-military-rules</a></p> <p><a href="https://weather.com/news/climate/news/july-2016-warmest-global-temperature-record">https://weather.com/news/climate/news/july-2016-warmest-global-temperature-record</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/02/488392765/as-november-approaches-courts-deal-series-of-blows-to-voter-id-laws">http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/02/488392765/as-november-approaches-courts-deal-series-of-blows-to-voter-id-laws</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/31/politics/supreme-court-north-carolina-voter-id/">http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/31/politics/supreme-court-north-carolina-voter-id/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2016/09/gun-violence-another-bloody-summer-in-america/">https://www.thetrace.org/2016/09/gun-violence-another-bloody-summer-in-america/</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/police-brutality-misconduct-and-shootings">http://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/police-brutality-misconduct-and-shootings</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/world/asia/obama-xi-jinping-china-climate-accord.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/world/asia/obama-xi-jinping-china-climate-accord.html?_r=0</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/02/for-many-voters-its-not-which-presidential-candidate-theyre-for-but-which-theyre-against/">http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/02/for-many-voters-its-not-which-presidential-candidate-theyre-for-but-which-theyre-against/</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-poll-idUSKCN1182PT">http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-poll-idUSKCN1182PT</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.jill2016.com/plan">http://www.jill2016.com/plan</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/u-s-soccer-star-megan-rapinoe-kneels-during-anthem-as-a-nod-to-kaepernick/">http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/u-s-soccer-star-megan-rapinoe-kneels-during-anthem-as-a-nod-to-kaepernick/</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/veterans-for-kaepernick_us_57c6d704e4b0a22de09325f4">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/veterans-for-kaepernick_us_57c6d704e4b0a22de09325f4</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/08/19/amid-flooding-groups-call-end-unconscionable-fossil-fuel-auctions">http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/08/19/amid-flooding-groups-call-end-unconscionable-fossil-fuel-auctions</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/what-caused-the-turkish-coup-attempt-214057">http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/what-caused-the-turkish-coup-attempt-214057</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/30/us/syrian-refugees-in-the-united-states.html?_r">http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/30/us/syrian-refugees-in-the-united-states.html?_r</a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/30/us/syrian-refugees-in-the-united-states.html?_r=0">=0</a></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="2016-09-06T12:00:00-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - 12:00">September 6, 2016</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, 06 Sep 2016 16:00:00 +0000 fionta 383 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Discussing Tragic Events in the News https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/discussing-tragic-events-news <!-- 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>Discussing Tragic Events in the News</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"><p>When upsetting things happen in the world, it can be very helpful to give young people a chance to share their feelings and thoughts about it. While we adults may be tempted to avoid bringing up upsetting news, if it is on students' minds, it's present in the classroom, whether we talk about it or not. When we create a safe, supportive space where students can discuss sensitive issues and events constructively, we can turn those events into powerful teachable moments, and foster a stronger sense of community among our students in the process.<br> &nbsp;<br> Below are some basic questions to help students share thoughts and feelings after a violent incident has been in the news. Below that are two formats you might use to structure this discussion - a listening circle and a microlab.<br> &nbsp;<br> For more suggestions on handling difficult issues in your classroom, please see our guidelines,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-about-controversial-or-difficult-issues">Teaching about Controversial or Difficult Issues</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/suggestions-discussing-violent-events-news">Suggestions for Discussing Violent Events in the News</a>.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Questions for discussing a violent incident in the news:&nbsp;</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>1.</strong> &nbsp;What thoughts and feelings have you had?</p> <p><strong>2. </strong>&nbsp;What thoughts might you want to share with the victims of the violence, their friends and families, and with others who are feeling vulnerable right now?</p> <p><strong>3. </strong>&nbsp;What is one thing we could do - individually, as a group, or as a society - to show love for one another in the wake of this event?</p> <p><strong>4.&nbsp;</strong>What do you want to say about [the issue]? What's on your mind?</p> <p><strong>5.</strong>&nbsp;What would you like to do for our community or the world to address [the issue or problem]?<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Formats for discussion:</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Listening Circle</strong><br> (all ages)<br> &nbsp;<br> When upsetting events happen, a listening circle&nbsp; can be helpful for young people of all ages, as well as for adults.&nbsp; Listening circles give people a chance to say what they are thinking and feeling, and can help engender mutual understanding and support.</p> <p>The format is simple:&nbsp; Arrange chairs in a circle.&nbsp; Provide an introduction to the issue at hand, and to the format of the circle. Then invite each person in turn to share what they are thinking and feeling.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Give each person a few minutes to say whatever they want to say - or to pass.&nbsp; When one person is speaking, the others in the group should pay close attention but not comment.&nbsp; The circle is over after every person has had a chance to speak. Often going around the circle more than once allows those who pass on the first go-round to collect their thoughts and feelings so that they can share in the next round.<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Microlab </strong><br> (grades 4 and up)<br> &nbsp;<br> One way to support young people (4th grade and older) in dealing with emotionally laden and controversial issues is to start with a small group experience called a "microlab." In a microlab, people gain understanding through speaking and listening. It is not a time for discussion or dialogue; rather each person has a short time (one to three minutes depending on students' age) to speak in response to a question. When a person is speaking, the others in the group - usually only two or three others - should listen only and not interrupt.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>1.</strong> Divide the class into groups of three or four using puzzle pieces, number cards, or by counting off.<br> Ask participants to arrange themselves in their small groups so that each person can easily see and hear everyone else in the group.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>2. </strong>Before you begin, explain the guidelines for a microlab:</p> <ul> <li>It's okay to pass if you need more time to think or would rather not respond.</li> <li>This is a timed activity. I will let you know when it is time to move on to the next speaker. You will each have one [or two or three] minutes to speak.</li> <li>Speak from your own point of view.</li> <li>Be your own barometer - share as much as you feel comfortable sharing.</li> <li>Confidentiality is important, especially when we come back together as a large group. We need to agree that what we share among ourselves in the small group will stay private.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>3. </strong>Introduce your first microlab question.<br> (Use the questions above or create your own.) In introducing each question, it's usually helpful to say the question, then give some specifics about the question or model answering the question yourself, and then repeat the question again. This gives participants some time to think about what they would like to say. In between microlab questions, you may want to remind people to try not to interrupt or engage in dialogue.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>4. </strong>Reconvene the full group.<br> Ask students how the microlab was for them. Then ask for volunteers to share something they said or felt in their microlab. Remind participants of the need for confidentiality - each person should only speak from his or her experience.<br> &nbsp;<br> This sharing may lead to a wider classroom discussion. If the issue is a volatile one, discussions can sometimes get heated. If you decide to open up the topic, it would be a good idea to establish some guidelines for discussion or "community practices" ahead of time.<br> &nbsp;<br> You may want to end the session by having the students brainstorm about questions they have on the issue that would lead to gathering information and further study.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Closing Quotes</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."&nbsp;(Martin Luther King Jr.)</p> <p>"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." &nbsp;(Mahatma Gandhi)</p> <p>"In the face of hate and violence, we will love one another."&nbsp;(President Obama)<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>More resources:&nbsp;</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Guidelines for handling difficult issues in the classroom:</strong><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/suggestions-discussing-violent-events-news">Responding to an Act of Violence in the News</a><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-about-controversial-or-difficult-issues">Teaching about Controversial or Difficult Issues</a><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/interrupting-oppressive-behavior">Interrupting Oppressive Behavior</a><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/5-tips-teaching-current-events-younger-students">5 Tips for Teaching Current Events to Younger Students</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>More information on formats for discussions:</strong><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/introduction-circles">An Introduction to Circles</a><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/engaging-your-class-through-groupwork">Engaging Your Class Through Groupwork</a><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/listening-circles">Listening Circles</a><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/microlab-exploring-tough-issues">Microlab for Exploring Tough Issues</a><br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Handling feelings:</strong><br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/awareness-anger">Awareness of Anger</a> (elementary school)<br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/metaphors-expressing-feelings">Metaphors for Expressing Feelings</a> (middle school)<br> <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/coping-strategies-managing-feelings">Coping Strategies: Managing Feelings</a> (middle school)<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="2016-07-08T10:52:52-04:00" title="Friday, July 8, 2016 - 10:52">July 8, 2016</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, 08 Jul 2016 14:52:52 +0000 fionta 388 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org