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 a 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: Nuclear Watchdog Wins Nobel Peace Prize, 10/10/05
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/nobel_10-10.html

Initiating Questions:

1. What are nuclear weapons?

2. Why do many people want to eliminate nuclear weapons?

3. Who is in charge of making sure that countries or groups do not obtain nuclear weapons?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. Who won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize?

Mohamed ElBaradei and his team of inspectors, who angered the Bush administration by disputing its claims that Saddam Hussein's regime had an active nuclear weapons program, won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize Friday. ElBaradei heads the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

2. What do the IAEA and Mohammed ElBaradei do?

Created as an independent nuclear organization in 1957, the IAEA works to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and encourage peaceful use of nuclear energy.

As the agency's director, the Egyptian-born ElBaradei has led the struggle with nations, including North Korea and Iran, on ending their pursuit of nuclear weaponry or verifying their nuclear programs are for civilian uses only. .

3. What is the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty? What does it mean if a country signs the treaty?

The IAEA is composed of representatives of 137 countries, all of whom have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Nearly 200 countries have signed the treaty since 1970.

The NPT states that only the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the United States, England, France, China and Russia, are allowed to have nuclear warheads.

These countries pledged in 2000 to eventually eliminate all their atomic weapons.

When countries sign the NPT, they promise to destroy any current nuclear weapons program and develop no more weapons. South Africa signed the NPT and dissolved its nuclear program in 1991.

4. Why are the IAEA and North Korea at odds?

North Korea signed the NPT, but pulled out in December 2002 after IAEA inspectors found evidence of a nuclear program.

At the time, ElBaradei called North Korea a "serious and immediate challenge to the nuclear nonproliferation regime." Last month, the country agreed to talk with five other nations about reducing their atomic arsenal

5. What was the disagreement between the IAEA and the United States?

Although the United States was once a supporter of ElBaradei and his leadership of the IAEA, conflict developed when ElBaradei questioned the U.S. claim that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction.

He called the start of the Iraq war "the saddest day of my life."

Last year, the Bush administration said ElBaradei should step down when his term ended, but other countries disagreed and he was reinstated.

6. What is the Nobel Prize?

The prize is the work of Alfred Nobel, famed Swedish inventor and philanthropist, who created the Nobel committee to award prizes in chemistry, physics, literature, medicine and peace.

The winners receive $1.3 million.

 

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Why are organizations such as the IAEA important?

2. Why are world leaders concerned about Iran and North Korea building nuclear weapons?

3. What are the pros and cons of having nuclear warheads?

4. Who should win next year's Nobel Peace Prize?

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.