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: Truck Bomb Kills Dozens in Chechnya, 5/12/03
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june03/chechnya.html

Initiating Questions:

1). Where is Chechnya?

2). Why was Chechnya in the news late last year?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1). Where did the truck bomb explode? Why might this be unusual?

The truck bomb exploded in Znamenskoye. It is an area considered to be a largely stable part of Chechnya.

2). What happened in Chechnya in March?

Russia held a constitutional referendum in March in an effort to find a peaceful solution to three and a half years of fighting between Russian forces and Chechen rebels seeking complete independence from Moscow.

3). Why do Chechen rebels want to be separate from Russia?

The Chechens are Muslims who, throughout history, have been severely treated by the Russians. They were deported to other Soviet areas and forbidden to practice their religion. When the Soviet Union collapsed Chechen nationalists in the region wanted to become independent from Moscow.

4). What was the intended target of the bomb? Why might this have been a target of Chechen rebels?

The bomb seemed to target a government compound. It damaged the headquarters of the regional government as well as offices of the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service. These are all offices and or buildings that represent the Russian government, an enemy to the Chechen rebels.

5). The article mentions two goals the Russian government hopes to achieve. What are they?

Moscow hopes to reduce the number of federal forces patrolling the war-torn region and encourage thousands of Chechens who have fled the country to return to their homeland.

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1). Should Chechnya be allowed to declare itself independent from Russia? Why or why not?

2). What is the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter/revolutionary? What are acceptable forms of violence?

For more on this topic, see NewsHour Extra's "Defining Terrorism" lesson plan.

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.