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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: Panel to Investigate
Iraq Intelligence: 2/02/04
Reading Comprehension Questions: 1. What did President Bush
announce on Monday? What reasons did he give? 2. What led to the president's
decision? 3. Who is Sen. John Kerry and
what has he said about the Iraq war intelligence? 4. According to President Bush,
what will the investigative commission examine? 5. What did former weapons
inspector David Kay say about some of the problems in intelligence gathering? Discussion Questions (more
research might be needed): 2. How can this commission impact the 2004 presidential election? Provide both positive and negative concrete examples for each political party. 3. David Kay explained how U.S. intelligence can be improved. He said,"You need Americans on the ground penetrating those societies and people who are speaking their languages." How can the United States begin to improve in this area? Send your answers, in essay form, to extra@newshour.org for possible publication! |