Current events Each week one class member will select a current event to bring to discussion on Friday of that week. Requirements: Article must be from a reputable news source (Chicago Tribune, NY Times, Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, etc. If you use an online or alternative news source, you must show it to Ms. Robin for approval at least two days in advance); You must summarize the article and create 2-3 good discussion questions; You can either type it up on Powerpoint or create a handout, but if you need copies, you need to print/ it to Ms. Robin at least two days in advance.

Other grading criteria: First present your summary (you can include direct quotes as long as you use quotation marks); afterwards ask if there are questions, and be sure to bring the full article with you in case someone has a question that you can’t address on your own; next present your discussion questions and allow your peers to answer/discuss; it is your responsibility for keeping the conversation going and calling on people to answer; and close up the discussion when it makes sense. REMEMBER: The objective of this activity is prep us for the argument essay on the AP exam. Articles and discussions are great source material for the “observation” category of evidence and help us become a part of “the conversation.”

3 Background Crises in Syria: “UN estimates 100,000 dead; more than 6 million displaced” -New York Times, Confirmed use of chemical weapons on civilians (sarin gas).

“Teaching Children the ‘Easy’ Lesson of Syria” from The New York Times (9/12/13) Summary: Dell’Antonia encourages parents to tell their children (teens) about what is happening in Syria. She believes that history is read as something that was inevitable at the time. By discussing what is happening with Syria and the United States, Dell’Antonia hopes that her children-and others will learn that political problems are complicated and uncertain. Key quotes: “If you’re not a student of history or politics, it is so easy to look back on pivotal moments in the past and think, well, of course.... It all seems so inevitably wrong or so inevitably right.” “When my children remember the questions of Syria, I hope they will remember that at one point, nothing was inevitable. That people struggled and debated and argued over what was right, or at least closest to right, or what seemed somehow right at the time. That’s the easy lesson of Syria: that it wasn’t easy.”

5 Discussion Questions Should children/teens be trusted to discuss with sensitive topics, like this one? Why or why not? What is your stance on Syria? Do you think the United States should go to war or not? Why? What does Dell’Antonia mean by her quote: –If you’re not a student of history or politics, it is so easy to look back on pivotal moments in the past and think, well, of course.... It all seems so inevitably wrong or so inevitably right. As a student of history, how do you look back at “pivotal moments” like the Civil Rights Movement, or World War 2? Do the choices made in history by leaders seem “inevitable” or “uncertain”? 5