Using NewsHour Extra Feature Stories

Overview: NewsHour Extra feature 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: Iraq War Central Issue in 2008 Primary, 9/5/07
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec07/iraq08_9-05.html

Initiating Questions:

1. When is the next presidential election?

2. What is a primary election?

3. What is happening in Iraq right now?

4. How do Democrats and Republicans differ on what should be done in Iraq?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. What do the Republican presidential candidates say about Iraq?

With minor exceptions, the Republican candidates argue that the United States should stay in Iraq and stabilize the country before withdrawing soldiers.

2. What do the Democratic candidates say about Iraq?

Democrats, on the other hand, say they would pull at least some of America's forces out of the chaotic country.

3. Who are some Democrats running for president?

Among the Democratic presidential candidates, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, followed by Illinois Senator Barack Obama and former Senator from North Carolina John Edwards are the most popular among primary voters, according to polls.

4. Name three Republican presidential candidates.

The Republican front-runners, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Arizona Senator John McCain and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, who has yet to officially announce his candidacy, are all supportive of the war in Iraq.

5. What happens on September 15, and how might it affect the debate over what to do in Iraq?

Currently, all eyes are on a Sept. 15 report to Congress from the top military commander in Iraq, Army General David Petraeus, and top U.S. diplomat Ryan Crocker, which will give results of this year's increase in troops in Iraq.

The report is expected to say the troop increase ordered by President Bush earlier this year has brought some improvements in security but that progress toward power-sharing deals among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds has lagged.

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Are Americans paying attention to the presidential primary race? Why or why not?

2. Do you think Iraq will be the key issue in the 2008 elections? What other issues will help decide the next president?

3. Do a survey of voters in your community: which candidate do they favor? What issues do they care about?

4. Make a list of the issues that concern your class and keep track of them every week. How do the issues change? Are candidates addressing these issues? Why or why not?

Write a 300-500 word essay on either 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.