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. Forces Capture Eight Iraqis Pictured on "Most Wanted" Playing Cards, 4/21/03
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june03/captured_4-21.html

Initiating Questions:

1) What is the latest information about Iraq? Who is in charge? What is the status of Saddam Hussein's regime?

2) What do you know about playing cards? How are they organized?

Reading comprehension questions: (click here for printout)

1) How many Iraqi officials from the "most wanted" list have been captured so far?

Eight Iraqis from the most wanted list have been captured and are now in American hands.

2) How are the "most wanted" cards organized?

The cards are organized like regular playing cards; the higher the card the more important the wanted official.

3) What card is Saddam Hussein? Why?

Saddam Hussein is the ace of spades because that is the highest card in a deck and he is the most wanted Iraqi.

4) List and explain the ways in which the military has used similar playing cards in the past?

In World War II, soldiers played with "spotter cards" illustrating enemy tanks, ships and planes to help gunners identify aircraft before shooting them down. In addition, cards that contained secret maps were sent to prisoners of war. During the Vietnam War U.S. soldiers left the ace of spades card to scare the enemy.

Discussion questions:

1) Does this use of cards trivialize the U.S. mission in Iraq? Why or why not?

2) Why might this method be effective in searching for members of the Saddam Hussein regime? Explain.

Extension Activity:

Have your students research more deeply the use of similar playing cards in past military operations including World War II and Vietnam. How was the use similar or different? How does this compare to the current use of playing cards in Iraq?