ENGLISH 12 MULTI-DAY LESSON PLAN CONSPIRACY THEORIES ENGLISH 12 MULTI-DAY LESSON PLAN

WHAT DO THESE IMAGES MAKE YOU THINK OF WHAT DO THESE IMAGES MAKE YOU THINK OF? WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF EACH SUBJECT?

OBJECTIVES! TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A CONSPIRACY IS TO EXPLORE HOW WE CAN BE PERSUADED TO REACH OUR PERSONAL POINTS OF VIEW TO EXAMINE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HAVING DIFFERENT OPINIONS

BY DEFINITION, A CONSPIRACY IS WHEN A GROUP OF PEOPLE SECRETLY PLAN TO DO SOMETHING UNLAWFUL OR HARMFUL A CONSPIRACY THEORY IS AN EXPLANATION OF AN EVENT (OR AN ENTITY) WHICH BLAMES A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE (MOST OFTEN AN INFLUENTIAL ORGANIZATION) FOR THAT EVENT

An example of a conspiracy theory Sept 11, 2001 was a “false flag” operation A “false flag” operation is an attack by the military on one of its own targets in order to justify a war. The theory here is that the attacks were staged by the Americans and used to justify wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A related belief is that the towers were brought down by controlled demolition, not hijacked aircraft. This is not the first time a “false flag” operation theory has involved America. There’s also “evidence” that America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was triggered by a similar incident.

Example #2: The New World Order According to this conspiracy, the world is secretly controlled by an elite group, who are waiting for the right time to seize power openly, and form a single totalitarian government that rules the entire planet. This theory is sometimes related to the illuminati. In 1990, theorists became excited when George HW Bush used the term “new world order”’ in a speech to Congress on the topic of ending the Cold War (this was a war between Russia and America). To be noted: Bush delivered this speech on September 11th. Hmmmm…

Have any conspiracy theories been proven true? In short, YES. Remember (or maybe your parents do) when “crazy people” insisted that the American government was spying on them, looking at their Facebook accounts, listening in on their phone calls, and covertly checking their private emails? Not so crazy. Edward Snowden (who is currently in Russia, and “wanted” by the American government) released information to the public that proved it was true. As well, from 1932 to 1972, the Public Health Service studied effects of syphilis on approximately 400 black men …that they themselves had infected for the purpose of the study! This idea had long been “just a theory”, until leaked information became public.

Have time for one more example? In the 1950s, the CIA started to experiment with mind-control and behavior engineering of human beings. Drugs like LSD were given to test subjects, not always with their knowledge or consent. Allegedly, this program came to an end in the 1970s… but some theorists think that it never officially ended and that it is actually still going on today. The project was called MKULTRA, if you want to google it on your own time.

Who is alex jones? Alex Jones runs infowars.com and prisonplanet.tv He also has a radio talk show. He is involved in many conspiracy theories, amongst: Global Warming is a hoax Vaccinations are harmful The American government is hiding the truth of 9-11 The Boston Bombings are more than meets the eye The government can create and control tornadoes to use as weapons

Student Assignment You are going to choose a conspiracy to present to the class. You can choose from the list I distributed. If you want to research a conspiracy that is not on the list, ask me first to make sure it’s appropriate for the assignment. Criteria Appropriate conspiracy is chosen Summary of the conspiracy (what is it, how did it orginate, etc) Your opinion of the conspiracy Presentation is between 2 and 5 mins You are encouraged to use visual aids, but if you’re an absolutely fantastic public speaker, and want to pace the room and orate, then go for it! 