Using NewsHour Extra Feature Stories

Overview: NewsHour Extra features stories can help students identify and interpret key issues in current events. This activity anticipates one class period, but the follow-up essay might be assigned as homework, or in another period.

Warm Up: Use initiating questions to introduce the topic and find out how much your students know.

Main Activity: Have students read NewsHour Extra's feature story and answer the questions on the reading comprehension handout.

Discussion: Use discussion questions to encourage students to think about how the issues outlined in the story affect their lives and express and debate different opinions.

Follow-up: Students can write an 500-word editorial on the topic expressing their views and send it to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org] for possible publication.

Evaluation: Students are graded on their answers to reading comprehension questions and/or their editorial.

Story: U.S. Economy Shows Improved Growth, 11/03/03
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec03/gdp_11-03.html

Initiating Questions:

1. Do you think the U.S. economy is weak or strong?
2. How do economists measure the strength of the economy?
3. What are some of the problems facing the U.S. economy today?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. What is the GDP?

The GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country during a given time. In the United States, the GDP includes consumer spending, stock prices, housing prices and other factors such as imports and exports.

2. In what areas of the economy did the Commerce Department report show improvement?

"We believe the report was very positive," said Lynn Reaser, the chief economist for Bank of America Capital Management. "We saw consumer spending up. Increases in capital spending … increases in housing and also exports so it appears that the economy is finally coming to life."

3. How did tax cuts help the economy, according to President Bush?

On Thursday, President Bush attributed the rise in spending to his controversial income tax cut, which provided families at certain income levels with tax refund checks. At the time, the president argued that cutting taxes would stimulate the economy. The idea was that families would use their refunds to buy goods, thereby supporting business and encouraging economic growth.

"Exports are expanding, investment is rising, housing construction is growing. The tax relief we passed is working," President Bush said.

4. Has the unemployment situation improved as a result of the high growth rate? Explain.

Following the Commerce Department report however, some economists questioned whether the numbers were an accurate sign of improvements in the economy. A separate report released by the U.S. Labor Department showed that the unemployment rate is still high.

While job growth does not always coincide with a strengthening economy, and some analysts say jobs are the last part of the economy to improve, a high unemployment rate means millions of Americans are out of jobs and unable to find work. Currently there are 9 million unemployed Americans, according to the Department of Labor.

"When you have a growth rate of 7.2 percent and don't see jobs appearing, it's a real puzzle for economists," said William Spriggs, an economist and director of research and public policy at the National Urban League Institute for Opportunity and Equality in Washington, D.C. "We all have to be concerned that there's growth without jobs and we have to think why is that and how do we get jobs?" he said.

5. What has been one of the major criticisms against Pres. Bush by his Democratic opponents in the current presidential campaign?

Economic issues have been a key concern among politicians campaigning for the 2004 presidential election. The president's Democratic opponents have accused him of ignoring the economy at home as he focuses on foreign policy issues such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the global war on terrorism.

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. How does the health of the U.S. economy affect teens?

2. Do you think the president's tax cuts created the economic growth? What other factors could be credited?

3. Should the United States spend taxpayer dollars on rebuilding Iraq after the war? Or should that money be used to improve the economic situation at home? If the money should be spent at home, how would you use it?

4. If you were Pres. Bush, what successes would you focus on as you planned your campaign for re-election? In what areas would you try to focus less attention?

Write a 300-500 word essay on any of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org]. Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.