CURRICULUM AREA PROJECT2013

Grade 7- Social Studies Big Questions In American History & Its

Relation to Present Day

Woodland Middle School

Facilitator: Staci KluczkaWriters: Staci Kluczka, Arzije Dervisi, Mark Feinstein

Superintendent: Mr. Louis R. DeAngeloPrincipal: Mr. James Lethbridge

East Meadow Union Free School District

Table of Contents

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Title Page ..............................................................................1

Table of Contents .................................................................2

Abstract .................................................................................3

Rationale ................................................................................4

Standards Addressed.........................................................5-9

Big Questions..................................................................10-47

Bibliography.........................................................................48

Abstract

The primary goal of this seventh grade social studies CAP is to present the students with several Big Questions in American History and how they correlate to historical events and the present day. This CAP demonstrates the New York State Social Studies Standards, as well as the Common Core Standards. The Big Question tasks will incorporate essential questions and historical content that specifically requires students to apply higher level thinking skills. These tasks support our goals of assessing students’ abilities to analyze and synthesize information, while citing evidence that supports their thinking like a historian. All State and Common Core strategies and skills will be addressed.

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In an effort to promote and connect higher level thinking skills to present day, the CAP creates four Big Question tasks- one per quarter for Middle School students. Through the use of a backwards design approach, the CAP infuses the New York State Social Studies Standards with the Common Core Standards to create an optimal learning experience for students. As a culminating activity at the end of each quarter, students will complete a current events task that connects present day to the historical content that they have analyzed. Students will develop the necessary skills to accurately discover history and relate it to present day. They will use "big questions" to analyze the past and explore real world problems. This will enable them to formulate their own arguments using evidence that engages them in the curriculum and makes a connection to current events and present day. As a result, students will be able to think like a historian by demonstrating historical skills such as sourcing, making inferences, considering alternate perspectives and connecting the past to the present day. Big Questions such as: “Does geography influence one’s culture? Should government’s be required to protect the rights of it’s people? Is war worth the risks? Should one group be sacrificed for another? “will be addressed.

To help students begin to acquire college and career ready skills, this CAP will help them develop attributes that are critical for future success. For example, with the guidance of the teacher, students will partake in critical thinking and problem-solving. Through the use of this CAP students will develop the skills to conduct research, as well as expand on their written communication and present skills. Finally, to develop the students’ social and emotional learning this CAP will foster self-esteem and confidence and a sense of responsibility for and involvement in their acquisition of historical knowledge and their ability to draw connections with significant present day issues.

Rationale

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The following Common Core Standards will be addressed during the course of this project:

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for LanguageConventions of Standard English1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage

when writing or speaking.

2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for ReadingKey Ideas and Details

1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; citespecific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the keysupporting details and ideas.

3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining

technical, connotative,and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of thetext (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually andquantitatively, as well as in words.

8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to

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Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12

Key Ideas1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide

an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.3. Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies.

and Structure4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including

vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.5. Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, and

causally).6. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded

language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas1. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps)

with other information in print and digital texts.2. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.3. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for WritingText Types and Purposes1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using

valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly andaccurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences. Production and Distribution of Writing

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstratingunderstanding of the subject under investigation.

8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

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The following New York State Standards will be addressed during the course of this project:

Studies Standard 1: History of the United States and New YorkStudents will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Key Idea 2Investigate key turning points in New York State and United States history and explain why these events or developments are significant.

Key Idea 3Interpret and analyze documents and artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history.

Key Idea 4Consider the sources of historic documents, narratives, or artifacts and evaluate their reliabilityUnderstand how different experiences, beliefs, values, traditions, and motives cause individuals and groups to interpret historic events and issues from different perspectivesCompare and contrast different interpretations of key events and issues in New York State and United States history and explain reasons for these different accountsDescribe historic events through the eyes and experiences of those who were there.

Social Studies Standard 2: World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Key Idea 1 Interpret and analyze documents and artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history.

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Key Idea 2Develop timelines by placing important events and developments in world history in their correct chronological order.Study about major turning points in world history by investigating the causes and other factors that brought about change and the results of these changes.

Key Idea 3 Investigate the roles and contributions of individuals and groups in relation to key social, political, cultural, and religious practices throughout history.Interpret and analyze documents and artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history.

Key Idea 4Explain the literal meaning of a historical passage or primary source document, identifying who was involved, what happened, where it happened, what events led up to these developments, and what consequences or outcomes followed.Analyze different interpretations of important events and themes in world history and explain the various frames of reference expressed by different historians.View history through the eyes of who witnessed key events and developments in world history by analyzing their literature, diary accounts, letters, artifacts, art, music, architectural drawings, and other documents.

Social Studies Standard 3: Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live-local, national, and global- including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Key Idea 1 Understand the characteristics, functions, applications of maps, globes, aerial and other photographs, Describe the relationships between people and environments and the connections between people and places.

Key Idea 2Present geographic information in a variety of formats, including maps, tables, graphs, charts and diagrams.

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Social Studies Standard 4: EconomicsStudents will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the U.S. and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Key Idea 2Identify and collect economic information from standard reference works, newspapers, periodicals, computer data bases, textbooks and other primary and secondary sources.

Social Studies Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and GovernmentStudents will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

Key Idea 1Analyze the sources of a nation’s value as embodied in its constitutions, statues and important court cases.

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Do Now: Identify one geographic feature that makes Long Island popular.

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________ 10

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Big Question 1: Does geography influence one’s culture?

Task: Using the information from your lessons this quarter you will:

1. Formulate a response to the Big Question above.2. Relate the Big Question to a current event in the

world

Respond to the Big Question using three pieces of evidence from the lessons that you have analyzed during the quarter. Be sure to write in paragraph format.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Select an article, analyze and annotate its relationship to the Big Question.

Be sure to include evidence from the current events article explaining its connection to the Big Question.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Apr. 29, 2013— A wide range of challenges are facing people in the Arctic regions as the climate warms up twice as fast as the global average. People in some communities in Northern Norway see wind patterns changing and fish moving towards the North. People in Northern Canada, who have seen their coastlines eroding for a long time, may see erosion happen faster due to warming temperatures and stronger storms. Together we discuss which challenges these scenarios may bring and how these may be met”. 

Inger Katrine Juuso is the mayor of one of the Norwegian cities. She says that the climate change creates challenges for her community.

“However, we are happy that the communities are made visible. People here feel that they see the climate changes. The wind has increased, the tree boarders move, the amount of predators is increasing”, Juuso says.

Toril Svendsen, adds that people talk about the winters changing.

“The winters are milder than they used to be. If it goes on like this, we have to wait until February to get the snow conditions we are used to. This creates challenges for the tourism industry, but also for our general wellbeing. It is dark here in December and January. We are used to the snow lightening up”, Svendsen says.

Other challenges facing Northern Norway are a possible reduced food access for reindeer and migration of fish to areas further north.

Arctic Communities Challenged When Temperature Rises

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“For many in Canada, environmental changes are causing livelihood changes, and they already have to adapt in how they harvest and travel. This is something that you don’t see yet in Northern Europe. But if the cod moves north or decline, communities in Europe also might face these sorts of challenges, indicates Sydneysmith.

The researchers underline the importance of seeing environmental changes in connection to social and political changes.

“Climate change is not at the top of the agenda for many people in the North. Other problems, like unemployment, are more immediate, but more and more people are realizing that climate change may make some things worse. It represents one more thing to worry about”, says Robin Sydneysmith.

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Egypt is still in shock over Ethiopia’s May 28 announcement, in which it said it was diverting the flow of the Nile River to facilitate (help) the building of a dam on the Blue Nile.

In the fourth century BCE, Egypt was known as the gift of the Nile – and this still holds true today. The mighty river surging from the depths of Africa to the Mediterranean, with its more than 4,000-mile course, is the lifeblood of Egypt and has made a flourishing civilization possible since the dawn of history.

Ninety-five percent of the country is desert, the continuation of the Sahara, and the Nile not only waters the lands it passes through, it carries loose soil taken from Africa and deposits it along its banks. In this way, it turns them into a narrow strip of fertile land – inhabiting 4% of a country of 1 million square kilometers.

North of Cairo the river divides into two branches running to the sea, thus creating a delta in which most of Egypt’s agriculture is concentrated. Altogether, 96% of a population numbering an estimated 85 million people lives in the Nile Valley. For generations, Egypt has been accustomed to seeing the Nile as its own property, only allowing Sudan – which was long under Egyptian rule and considered a sister Arab country contributing to its security – to have a small part of the river’s flow.

Egypt was given full control of the Nile, while African countries were forbidden to build dams on the river.

In 1959, Egypt received 87% of the annual flow accrued through the rains – leaving a mere 13% to the Upper Nile countries of Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and Congo.

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Arab World: Is Egypt losing the Nile?By ZVI MAZEL06/06/2013

Egyptian politicians are enraged by Ethiopia’s plans to divert the waters of the Nile and some have gone as far as calling for military action.

Egypt had the right to build the Aswan Dam, and Lake Nasser. The dam made it possible for Egypt to boost its production of electricity to 2,100 megawatts and to regulate the flow of the river, putting an end to the annual flooding that impacted Cairo and other areas. Lake Nasser is used to provide water for drinking and irrigation, thus increasing usable lands.

In this way, Egypt has remained an agricultural land and cannot see a future with no free and steady supply of water from the Nile for its multipurpose uses. However, the past 50 years have seen changes in Africa. The growing populations of newly independent states need more and more water – drinking water, water for agriculture and for industry, water to produce electricity. For the past 10 years they have had talks on the subject with Egypt, which stubbornly refused to see the problem and forbade them from taking advantage of the river flowing through their countries.

The Blue Nile, which provides 85% of the river’s water, has its source in Ethiopia. The country, the largest in the region with a population set to overtake that of Egypt in the coming decades, has begun to build several dams. The best-known is the Grand Renaissance Dam, which is scheduled to hold 200 billion cubic meters in its reservoir and provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity.

Intense pressure from Egypt has not deterred Ethiopia, which insists upon developing its water resources, as Egypt clings to the right to control what goes on in the river.They have yet to come to terms with the new reality in the region and the needs of other countries.

So far, Ethiopia says that there will be no change to the amount of water reaching Egypt, and that the reservoir will not start functioning until next year and will not be full before 2017.The Egyptians do not quite believe it and are afraid that their share will be affected, since the Ethiopians will slow the flow of the river in order to fill the dam.. While the president and officials repeat that they will not tolerate attempts on their water, they say it is too early to come to the conclusion that the Grand Renaissance Dam will affect Egypt.

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The World's Most Earthquake-Vulnerable Cities

March, 2013

When it comes to earthquakes, a magnitude 6.0 rumble in San Francisco may shake the same as a 6.0 in Delhi. But you are far more likely to die in India.

Blame that on poverty, and lax or non-existent building codes. In short: Poor nations run far greater risk of fatalities (deaths) than rich ones.

In a 2001 study, Kathmandu, Nepal ranked first followed by Istanbul, Turkey; Delhi, India; Quito, Ecuador; Manila, Philippines; and Islambad/Rawalpindi, Pakistan–all of which could expect fatalities in the tens of thousands if disaster struck. The wealthier cities that on the list were in Japan: Tokyo, Nagoya and Kobe. Fatalities (deaths) in these cities were estimated in the hundreds, not the thousands.

Poorer nations are subject to greater risk as people move to cities in search of better opportunities. The reason that the risk has increased is the replacement of single-story bamboo homes with multistory, poorly constructed concrete-frame structures, often on steep slopes, has made the population much more vulnerable.

The opposite has happened over the last century in wealthier nations. Building codes have improved in earthquake-prone regions, as have preparations for disasters. Populations have grown in urban areas, to be sure, but at nothing like the rates in third-world cities, where an influx of rural poor has created increasingly dense living arrangements. In the next 20 years, the worlds population will grow by 2 billion, yet only 50 million will be added to industrialized nations. The gains in the third world will come mostly in large cities. Poverty and lack of resources will be the deciding factor in how a person will survive natural disasters such as

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Question: How is the Big Question related to issues today?

Directions: Based on today’s lesson, answer the question that follows.

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Lesson Plan: Big Questions

Aim: Does geography influence one’s culture?

Do Now: Identify one geographic feature that makes Long Island popular.

Method:

· Share do now responses.

· Have students respond to the Big Question in pairs using three pieces of evidence from the lessons that they have analyzed during the quarter. They must write in paragraph format.

· Have students select an article, analyze and annotate its relationship to the Big Question.

· Students will use annotations from the current events article to draw connections to the Big Question.

· Facilitate a discussion based on the task that the students completed.

Lesson specific questions:

Why does history repeat itself?

How are currents events linked to the past? (Assessment question)

Assessment: EXIT CARD

Common Core Standards: Rh1 - Citing Evidence, Rh4 - Determine Meaning, Rh7 - Visuals, Rh9 - Sources, Wh1 - Writing

New York State Standards: Standard 1- United States History

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Do Now: Identify one right that you have today in America and why it’s important to you.

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________ 20

Big Question 2: Should government be required to protect the

rights of its people?

Task: Using the information from your lessons this quarter you will:

1. Formulate a response to the Big Question above.2. Relate the Big Question to a current event in the

world today. Respond to the Big Question using three pieces of evidence from the lessons that you have analyzed during the quarter. Be sure to write in paragraph format.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Select an article, analyze and annotate its relationship to the Big Question.

Be sure to include evidence from the current events article explaining its connection to the Big Question.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Human Rights in North KoreaThe State of Human Rights in North Korea:

North Korea is in all likelihood the most oppressive regime on Earth. Although human rights monitors are generally banned from the country, as are radio communications between citizens and outsiders, some journalists and human rights monitors have been successful in uncovering details about the secretive government's policies. The government is essentially a dictatorship--previously operated by Kim Il-sung, then by his son Kim Jong-il, and now by his grandson Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un, now known as "Dear Leader," is similarly described as a supreme moral entity with supernatural powers.

Loyalty Groups:

The North Korean government divides its citizens into three castes based on their perceived loyalty to Dear Leader: "core" (haeksim kyechung), "wavering" (tongyo kyechung), and "hostile" (joktae kyechung). Most of the wealth is concentrated among the "core," while the "hostile"--a category that includes all members of minority faiths, as well as descendants of perceived enemies of the state--are denied employment and subject to starvation.

Enforcing Patriotism:

The North Korean government enforces loyalty and obedience through its Ministry of People's Security, which requires citizens to spy on each another, including family members. Anyone who is overheard saying anything perceived as critical to the government is subject to a reduced loyalty group rating, torture, execution, or imprisonment in one of North Korea's ten brutal concentration camps.

Controlling the Flow of Information:

All radio and television stations, newspapers and magazines, and church sermons are government-controlled and focus on praise of the Dear Leader. Anyone who makes contact with foreigners in any way, or listens to foreign radio stations (some of which are accessible in North Korea), is in danger of any of the penalties described above. Traveling outside of North Korea is also forbidden, and can carry a penalty of death.

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A Military State:

Despite its small population and dismal budget, the North Korean government is heavily militarized--claiming to have an army of 1.3 million soldiers (the fifth-largest in the world), and a thriving military research program that includes the development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. North Korea also maintains rows of massive artillery batteries on the North-South Korea border, designed to inflict heavy casualties on Seoul in the event of international conflict.

Mass Famine and Global Blackmail:

During the 1990s, as many as 3.5 million North Koreans died of starvation. Sanctions are not imposed on North Korea primarily because they would block grain donations, resulting in the deaths of millions more, a possibility that does not appear to concern the Dear Leader. Malnutrition is almost universal except among the ruling class; the average North Korean 7-year-old is eight inches shorter than the average South Korean child of the same age.

No Rule of Law:

The North Korean government maintains ten concentration camps, with a total of between 200,000 and 250,000 prisoners contained therein. Conditions in the camps are terrible, and the annual casualty rate has been estimated as high as 25%. The North Korean government has no due process system, imprisoning, torturing, and executing prisoners at will. Public executions, in particular, are a common sight in North Korea.

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China Human RightsAmnesty International has documented widespread human rights violations in China. An estimated 500,000 people are currently enduring detention without charge or trial, and millions are unable to access the legal system. Harassment, surveillance, house arrest, and imprisonment of human rights defenders are on the rise, and censorship of the Internet and other media has grown. Repression of minority groups, including Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians, and of Falun Gong practitioners (religious group) and Christians who practice their religion outside state-sanctioned churches continues. While the recent reinstatement of Supreme People's Court review of death penalty cases may result in lower numbers of executions, China remains the leading executioner in the world. Detention Without TrialThe authorities frequently used administrative punishments, including Re-education through Labour (RTL), to detain people without trial. According to the government, 190,000 people were held in RTL facilities, down from half a million several years ago, although the real figures were likely to be much higher. Former RTL prisoners reported that Falun Gong constituted one of the largest groups of prisoners, and political activists, petitioners and others practicing their religion outside permitted bounds were common targets. The authorities used a variety of illegal forms of detention, including "black jails", "legal education classes", "study classes" and mental health institutions to detain thousands of people.

Freedom of ExpressionAs the internet was increasingly used to spread news and conduct debates, the authorities tried to control its use by restricting news reporting and shutting down publications and internet sites, including ones that "slandered the country's political system", "distorted the history of the Party", "publicized Falun Gong (religious group) and other evil cults". The government blocked access to content and recorded individuals' activities through new filtering software such as Blue Shield. Following the publication of Charter 08 in December 2008, a document calling for political reform and greater protection of human rights, police questioned and put them under surveillance for many months.

• Liu Xiaobo, a prominent intellectual was originally detained in December 2008, was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment on 25 December for "inciting subversion of state power". His lawyers were given only 20 minutes to present their case, in a trial that lasted less than three hours.

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BAGHDAD (AP) 2/22/2013– Iraq's Shiite-led government cracked down harshly on dissent during the past year of Arab Spring uprisings, turning the country into a "budding police state" as dictatorship like regimes crumbled elsewhere in the region, an international rights groups said Sunday.

Iraqi security forces routinely abuse protesters, harass journalists, torture detainees and intimidate activists, Human Rights Watch said in the Iraq chapter of its annual report.

"Iraq is quickly slipping back into authoritarianism," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for the New York-based group. "Despite U.S. government assurances that it helped create a stable democracy (in Iraq), the reality is that it left behind a budding police state."

Iraqi officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Protests against Iraq's U.S.-backed and democratically elected government erupted around the country in February 2011, partly inspired by demonstrations elsewhere in the Arab world.

While protests in other countries demanded the downfall of autocratic regimes, most of the demonstrations in Iraq pushed for improved services like reliable electricity and water, and an end to corruption. The government clamped down, sometimes leading to bloodshed — 14 people were killed in clashes between security forces and civilians across the country during the Feb. 25 protests billed as the "Day of Rage."

A year later, with U.S. troops withdrawn and Iraq's government mired in a political crisis, anti-government protests have all but died out. The few demonstrators who still gather in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on Fridays are usually outnumbered by the security forces watching over them.

"Iraqis are quickly losing ground on the most basic of rights, including the right to free speech and assembly," said Samer Muscati, an Iraq researcher for the group. "Nowadays, every time someone attends a peaceful protest, they put themselves at risk of attack and abuse by security forces or their proxies."

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Prison brutality, including torture in detention facilities, was a major problem throughout the year, the group's report said. In February 2011, Human Rights Watch uncovered a secret detention center controlled by elite forces who reported to the prime minister's military office.

The group claimed authorities transferred more than 280 detainees to the facility since the beginning of 2010 and charged detainees were tortured there with impunity. Government officials denied the facility's existence and alleged abuses. Just days before the U.S. military withdrew its last troops from the country last month, authorities rounded up hundreds of Iraqis suspected of having links to the previous Baath Party, the group said in its report. It added that at least 600 of those detained in the sweep remain in custody without being charged.

Since the U.S. withdrawal, Iraq has plunged into a worsening political crisis that pits the country's majority Shiites against the minority Sunnis. The political crisis has been coupled with a surge in violence that has killed more than 160 people since the beginning of the year.

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Question: How is the Big Question related to issues today?

Directions: Based on today’s lesson, answer the question that follows.

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Lesson Plan: Big Questions

Aim: Should governments be required to protect the rights of its people?

Do Now: Identify one right that you have today in America and why it’s important to you.

Method:

· Share do now responses.

· Have students respond to the Big Question in pairs using three pieces of evidence from the lessons that they have analyzed during the quarter. They must write in paragraph format.

· Have students select an article, analyze and annotate its relationship to the Big Question.

· Students will use annotations from the current events article to draw connections to the Big Question.

· Facilitate a discussion based on the task that the students completed.

Lesson specific questions:

Why does history repeat itself?

How are currents events linked to the past? (Assessment question)

Assessment: EXIT CARD

Common Core Standards: Rh1 - Citing Evidence, Rh4 - Determine Meaning, Rh7 - Visuals, Rh9 - Sources, Wh1 - Writing

New York State Standards: Standard 1- United States History

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Do Now: Explain what you believe is worth fighting for?

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________ 30

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Big Question 3: Is war worth the risks?

Task: Using the information from your lessons this quarter you will:

1. Formulate a response to the Big Question above.2. Relate the Big Question to a current event in the

world today.

Respond to the Big Question using three pieces of evidence from the lessons that you have analyzed during the quarter. Be sure to write in paragraph format.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Select an article, analyze and annotate its relationship to the Big Question.

Be sure to include evidence from the current events article explaining its connection to the Big Question.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NATO's Plan for Afghanistan Post-2014: A 'Stable Instability'By Michael Hirsh

Many Americans think we're winding down in Afghanistan by the end of next year, for better or for worse. We're not. Despite America's evident desire to withdraw itself from the nation's longest war, Taliban fighters, criminal gangs, and other insurgents continue to terrorize much of Afghanistan, making travel around the country as difficult as it's ever been. And the grim bargain that has dogged U.S. efforts in Afghanistan since the beginning of President Obama's "surge" still holds: The United States must find a way to supply and support an Afghan national army and police force that Washington has largely built but which is barely in its adolescence, although it is already 10 times the size of the fierce Taliban insurgency it is fighting.

28 NATO countries and 22 other participating nations, say that substantial aid and military support is going to be necessary well after the scheduled withdrawal at the end of 2014. "For some time to come, it's our expectation that we will need to supply the Afghans [with] air support, certainly, counter-IED (roadside bombs)support, logistic support, and a number of areas where their capabilities are not at the level where they need to be at," Lt. Gen. Nick Carter, the deputy ISAF commander, said. "It's our expectation that we'll need to continue to build those areas for some time to come and probably beyond 2014."

Asked how many years that role might go, Carter, a British officer, said he believes that ISAF will need to "set the horizon out to 2018 ... It will take between three and five years to achieve. And it's important for people to understand that."

2013 by The Atlantic Monthly Group.

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Indeed, the talk back in Washington often does not seem to square with the reality over here. Since last year's presidential election, Obama administration officials have indicated that America's military is heading for the exit in Afghanistan as quickly as possible. "This year, we'll mark another milestone -- Afghan forces will take the lead for security across the entire country," Obama said in January. "And by the end of next year, 2014, the transition will be complete -- Afghans will have full responsibility for their security, and this long war will come to a responsible end."

But Carter indicated that ISAF is under no illusions about the war ending in the foreseeable future and that, even after years more of effort, the results will not be pretty. Outside of major cities such as Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat, he says, substantial portions of the country will not be very "connected" to the central government.

In many parts of Afghanistan, especially rural areas, a combination of local, often corrupt interests will be dominated by warlords, drug lords, tribal leaders or insurgents who will "pursue their own interests.

While Obama is committed to withdrawing the remaining 63,000 or so U.S. troops by the end of 2014, his administration is still negotiating a post-2014 strategic partnership with Karzai that calls for a residual U.S. force numbering from 5,000 to 10,000 troops, according to various reports. Karzai, meanwhile, recently revealed that he has been discussing the use of as many as nine military bases to be used by the United States and ISAF after 2014. Carter confirmed that ISAF is considering the need for that many bases to support and supply six Afghan corps, as well as provide a headquarters, air-support mission, and training facility.

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Iraq, a decade after U.S. invasion, torn between progress and chaos

BAGHDAD — Ten years after the United States barreled into Iraq with extraordinary force, the country is neither the failed state that seemed all but inevitable during the darkest days of the war nor the model democracy that the Americans set out to build.

Haunted by the ghosts of its brutal past, Iraq is teetering between progress and chaos, a country threatened by local and regional conflicts that could drag it back into the bloodshed its citizens know so well. The nation is no longer defined or influenced by its relationship with the United States, despite an investment of about $1.7 trillion and the loss of 4,487 American troops. In the end, Washington failed to carve out a role as a neutral party in postwar The contrasts of today’s Iraq are as sharp as they are dangerous. The Kurdish region in the north is thriving, inching ever closer to independence, helped by an oil boom and bold, ambitious leaders who have kept the area safe. The Shiite provinces in the south are enjoying a renaissance, reaping millions from improved security and the growth of religious tourism. Predominantly Sunni areas, meanwhile, are very angry. The minority, which enjoyed elite status under Saddam Hussein’s reign, views itself as increasingly left out in the Shiite-run state of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki; its members have resorted to large-scale protests in a bid to claim a fair share in the new Iraq.

Drawing on Sunnis’ widespread anger and frustration, remnants of Iraq’s once-mighty insurgency remain a threat, periodically striking at the heart of the state. On Tuesday, a series of bombs detonated in the capital, killing at least 48 people in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods. It was the deadliest act of violence in Iraq so far this year.

Since the U.S. military withdrawal at the end of 2011. They have

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Why the U.S. Will Lose in Syria, No Matter Which Side Wins the WarThe conflict in Syria is more than a nation rising up against a tyrannical (cruel) leader. Both sides have ties to terrorism and that means that whoever wins, the United States loses.

The war in Syria began in 2011 when Syrian security forces killed protestors who were demanding the release of political prisoners. The act led to increased protests and more violence between the government and protestors. Syrian President  Bashar Al-Assad ordered the release of political prisoners and provided amnesty for them. His actions were too late as more Syrians joined in demanding his removal.

On the face, this seems like a war between the oppressed and the oppressor. The Syrian people, on one side, are trying to remove a dictator and create a new nation. Al-Assad, on the other side, is trying to maintain his control and power over the nation. Unfortunately, both sides have ties to terrorist organizations that are fighting for their own reasons.

The Syrian people are being supported by rebels from Chechnya and Al-Qaeda. The Chechen rebels claim to be fighting a jihad (holy war) against Al-Assad in order to create an Islamic state in Syria. Al-Qaeda's presence in Syria is more interesting since they support global jihad (holy war) and getting rid of Sunni governments. Al-Qaeda may be establishing its forces in the nation.

Al-Assad the president, on the other hand, is supported by the terrorist group Hezbollah. This group has sent fighters into Syria to support the Al-Assad regime. Hezbollah has been involved in kidnappings, hijackings and is believed to be responsible for the 1983 suicide bombing of Marines in Lebanon. Al-Assad is also supported by Iran, which provides equipment and training to the Syrian government. Iran has been identified as a supporter of worldwide terrorism activities.

The U.S. has gone on the record as supporting the removal of Al-Assad. President Obama has authorized support for the rebels and has publicly recognized the Syrian rebel efforts. The Syrian rebels have

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If the U.S. continues with its support for Syrian rebels how can the nation justify supporting terrorists? Al-Qaeda was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the U.S. If American leadership decides to change its position and support the Al-Assad regime, can it justify its support of Al-Assad's regime and Hezbollah's role in terrorism?

Unfortunately, the U.S. cannot win if either side succeeds. The problem for the nation is that each side is supported by terrorists with specific goals. Those goals, whoever wins, puts the U.S. in a poor position to create peace in the Middle East.

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Question: How is the Big Question related to issues today?

Directions: Based on today’s lesson, answer the question that follows.

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Lesson Plan: Big Questions

Aim: Is war worth the risks?

Do Now: Explain what you believe is worth fighting for?

Method:

· Share do now responses.

· Have students respond to the Big Question in pairs using three pieces of evidence from the lessons that they have analyzed during the quarter. They must write in paragraph format.

· Have students select an article, analyze and annotate its relationship to the Big Question.

· Students will use annotations from the current events article to draw connections to the Big Question.

· Facilitate a discussion based on the task that the students completed.

Lesson specific questions:

Why does history repeat itself?

How are currents events linked to the past? (Assessment question)

Assessment: EXIT CARD

Common Core Standards: Rh1 - Citing Evidence, Rh4 - Determine Meaning, Rh7 - Visuals, Rh9 - Sources, Wh1 - Writing

New York State Standards: Standard 1- United States History

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Do Now: Is it fair for the government to favor one group over another?

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________ 40

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Big Question 4: Should one group be sacrificed for another?

Task: Using the information from your lessons this quarter you will:

1. Formulate a response to the Big Question above.2. Relate the Big Question to a current event in the

world today. Respond to the Big Question below three pieces of evidence from the lessons that you have analyzed during the quarter. Be sure to write in paragraph format.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Select an article, annotate and analyze its relationship to the Big Question.

Be sure to include evidence from the current events article explaining its connection to the Big Question.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

By Hadley Heath- The Washington TimesMonday, January 21, 2013

HEATH: Young people get short end of Social Security

The year 2013 has not brought a happy New Year for the salaries of workers across the United States. The two-year Social Security payroll tax reduction, which brought the employees' share of the tax down to 4.2 percent from 6.2 percent, is over. Young workers -- who have particularly struggled in this economy -- will be hit hardest as they are forced to pay more toward retirement instead of making ends meet today. Yet it's not the loss of the temporary payroll-tax reduction that should anger young Americans -- it's the entire Social Security system. That's because for young workers, money paid into Social Security is money they will never see again.

Social Security was supposed to be a government-managed pension program, but that's not what it actually is. In reality, money raised by the payroll tax are shipped directly back out to today's seniors and the disabled. Even worse, billions of dollars -- a projected average of $66 billion per year from 2012 to 2018, and rising sharply thereafter -- will be taken from the general money in order to meet obligations. In addition to payroll taxes, Social Security will increasingly demand more of our income tax dollars as well.Just how bad is it? The unfunded liability of Social Security for the next 75 years is $8.6 trillion. In order to keep its promises as they are written today, Social Security owes $8.6 trillion more in future checks than it will receive in money.

What about that Social Security "Trust Fund" you've heard politicians talk so much about? It is a meaningless gimmick. When Social Security goes to cash in the bonds in the trust fund, the Treasury has to come up with every last dollar through other taxes or new debt. The trust fund is expected to be officially depleted in 2037. That's when today's 25-year-old workers -- born in 1987 -- will be 50 years old. At that point, according to the Congressional Budget Office, beneficiaries will see a reduction in their benefits of about 25 percent. This means that a bad deal for today's young workers will become even worse.

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Nike in Indonesia – employing more than a hundred thousand workersCROSSROADS (Toward Philippine Economic and Social Progress) By Gerardo P. Sicat (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 17, 2013 - 12:00am

Indonesia has a population that consists of 243 million people. Nike – the shoe company that produces those famous athletic shoes – set up factories in Indonesia because of the low wages there. Today, typical workers can earn the equivalent of around $3.50 per day, which for a six day work-week amounts to $21.

“Nike is highly labor-intensive.” Initially, Nike produced most of its shoes elsewhere in East Asia. As labor costs rose in these older locations – Japan, South Korea and Taiwan – Nike relocated its factories to China, Thailand, and Indonesia. Today, Nike also has plants in Vietnam. Nike is not alone among world class enterprises. When faced with high costs of labor, they move factories to where costs could be cut.

In Indonesia, Nike found a country with a supply of cheap labor. Even with its minimum wage policy, that “minimum wage” (then) was low enough to become an attractive incentive rather than a turnoff in their cost calculations.

Some estimate that Nike has around 171,000 employees associated with its factories and enterprises in Indonesia. Even if such reports may be widely off the mark, Nike’s direct scale of operations is truly large. Indonesia is the third biggest supplier of Nike sourced output for this giant corporation.

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For Indonesia, many workers found steady jobs and the country managed to expand its share of world class industrial manufacturing for the international economy.

On the part of Nike, access to Indonesia’s low cost labor enabled the company to maintain and expand its economic position. The success of the shoe business made it expand into garments and the production of other athletic equipment.

A common criticism is that Nike exploits the poor countries where its factories are located. People call them sweatshops. They accuse the company of engaging in poor labor practices, paying its workers miserable wages, and pointing out unsafe or dangerous operations.

Of course, these criticisms have been made before. Many developing countries with successful growth stories were once industrial low wage workshops: Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Such countries have now moved out of the sphere of “sweatshops” and have become great industrial examples to the world.

AFL-CIO Now Report Documents Significant Abuses of Migrant Workers

04/09/2013 Carson Osberg

Nicolas Perez came to the United States from Mexico as a non-agricultural temporary worker under the H-2B guest worker program to work in the fair and carnival industry from 2008 to 2010. Perez worked 12- to 13-hour days during which he was responsible for operating, assembling and disassembling a roller coaster ride. Every time the fair moved to a new site, he had to climb up the side of some 130-foot-tall ride without any safety equipment to disassemble the ride. Throughout the nine- to 10-month fair season, Perez and his co-workers were forced to live in cramped, overcrowded and often bug-infested employer-provided trailers. Perez's employer took his passport during his first two weeks in the United States and forbade the workers from leaving the fairgrounds for the first month. The employer often yelled at the workers and called them derogatory names. For the dangerous work and poor living conditions, the employer paid Perez a flat weekly rate that amounted to about $3.00 per hour or less.Fair and carnival employers bring some 5,000 migrant workers to the United States. Many workers experience similar, if not worse, treatment and working conditions. The widespread abuses in the fair and carnival industry, including the following:

• Unfair recruitment processes, including charging illegal recruitment fees;• Wage and hour abuses, such as paying workers way below the federal

minimum wage ($7.25)• Significant health and safety risks;• Lack of access to workers' compensation;• Limited access to medical care;• Isolated and substandard living conditions; and• Limited access to legal representation and justice in the courts.

Workers are afraid to report abuses because of the threat of employer retaliation and job termination. Job termination is devastating to those who took out significant loans for the job and whose families and home communities depend on their earnings. The lack of government monitoring allows employers to mistreat workers. Employer associations and the U.S. Department of Labor are currently facing off over wages and working conditions under this visa program, which brings non-agricultural temporary workers to the United States. Taken for a Ride illustrates the importance of

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Question: How is the Big Question related to issues today?

Directions: Based on today’s lesson, answer the question that follows.

Name ___________________________________________ Date ______________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Lesson Plan: Big Questions

Aim: Should one group be sacrificed for another?

Do Now: Is it fair for the government to favor one group over another?

Method:

· Share do now responses.

· Have students respond to the Big Question in pairs using three pieces of evidence from the lessons that they have analyzed during the quarter. They must write in paragraph format.

· Have students select an article, analyze and annotate its relationship to the Big Question.

· Students will use annotations from the current events article to draw connections to the Big Question.

· Facilitate a discussion based on the task that the students completed.

Lesson specific questions:

Why does history repeat itself?

How are currents events linked to the past? (Assessment question)

Assessment: EXIT CARD

Common Core Standards: Rh1 - Citing Evidence, Rh4 - Determine Meaning, Rh7 - Visuals, Rh9 - Sources, Wh1 - Writing

New York State Standards: Standard 1- United States History

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Wineburg, S. (2011). Beyond The Bubble. Retrieved August 2012, from http://beyondthebubble.stanford.edu/about-us

Bibliography

Wineburg, S. (2011). Reading like a historian: Teaching literacy in middle and high school classrooms. New York: Teachers College Press.

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