INQUIRING MINDS: Exploring Issues Related to the Joint Congressional Investigation of the Events of September 11

June 5, 2002

INQUIRING MINDS
Exploring Issues Related to the Joint Congressional Investigation of the Events of September 11

Grades: 6-8,9-12

Subjects: Civics, Current Events, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Rifts Plentiful as 9/11 Inquiry Begins, By JAMES RISEN", June 5, 2002

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students participate in a "fishbowl" discussion to address the notions of government and intelligence accountability for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE: 45 minutes - 1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

Reflect on the notion of accountability for the events of September 11, 2001 as it relates to United States security and intelligence.
Learn about the joint hearings to investigate the role of United States intelligence in the September 11 attacks by reading and discussing "Rifts Plentiful and 9/11 Inquiry Begins Today."
Address issues connected to the investigations with classmates through a "fishbowl" discussion.
Write letters to the Bush administration articulating their perspectives on September 11 inquiry.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

four large pieces of paper, each with one of the following statements written on it in large letters: "Strongly Agree," "Agree," "Disagree," "Strongly Disagree"
pens/pencils
paper
student journals
copies of "Rifts Plentiful As 9/11 Inquiry Begins Today"

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Before class, hang the four statement posters in different corners of the room. Because students will be moving to the corners for this activity, be sure that they have clear paths.
Upon students entering class, explain that they will be expressing their views on two statements that you will be reading to them regarding the events of September 11, 2001. Read each statement below aloud, and allow students to move to the statement posters that they feel most represent their opinions. After students take their places, ask at least one student on each side to share his or her perspective.
- If it comes to be known that individuals in government agencies knew about the September 11 terrorist attacks before they happened and thus the attacks may have been prevented, those individual people should be held accountable.
- Even if it is found that the September 11 attacks could have been prevented, we should move forward and not focus on accountability.
As a class, read and discuss "Rifts Plentiful As 9/11 Inquiry Begins Today," focusing on the following questions:
1. Who are Bob Graham, Porter Goss, and Mehmood Ahmed?
2. What were these men doing on the morning of September 11, 2001?
3. In what type of hearings will Graham and Goss be involved, according to the article?
4. What is meant by "fingerpointing"? What are some examples of this?
5. Who is Zacarias Moussaoui?
6. Why did Coleen Rowley write a 13-page letter?
7. Who is Robert Mueller?
8. What was President Bush's response to the latest disclosures described in the article?
9. How are Graham and Goss connected to the intelligence community?
10. How would Graham and Goss prefer to hold the investigative hearings?
11. Why are some members of Congress requesting a separate investigation?
12. Who is Tom Daschle?
13. What does the article refer to as the "leaking"?
14. What are some effects of Senator Graham and Representative Goss's alliance, according to the article?
Explain to the class that they will be participating in a "fishbowl" discussion about issues related to the September 11 investigations. First, ask students to number off from one to five, and keep a list on the board of all "1's," "2's," "3's," "4's," and "5's." Ask all "1's" to sit facing one another in the middle of a circle created by the rest of the students. The students in the center are the only ones allowed to address a question. If a student from the outer circle wants to add to the discussion, he or she moves to the middle of the circle, taps a participant to indicate that he or she should resume a place in the outer circle, and takes that student's place as a new student in the discussion. After discussing the first question, switch the students in the center to all "2's," and begin the fishbowl procedure again. Be sure to switch topics enough times so that all students have the opportunity to be in the center of the discussion at least once. Questions to pose to the students include:
- Should the United States look into the possible accountability of different government agencies and individuals for the events of September 11, 2001?
- What can be learned from the information gathered from intelligence activity prior to September 11?
- Should a separate investigation be conducted in addition to the joint committee investigation discussed in the article, and if so, what would that investigation entail?
- How do you think the United States government and the Bush administration should move forward after these discoveries?
- What do you think is the most important message or lesson to be learned from these investigations?
- What is your opinion of the United States' ability to protect its people after hearing about these investigations?
WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Each student writes a letter to President Bush or to another member of the Bush administration expressing his or her opinion of the September 11 inquiry. Students may wish to use the responses they provided in the "fishbowl" activity as starting point. Letters should include support for their opinions in the form of facts, examples and details they find in New York Times articles and other reliable sources.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Do you think President Bush's response to the inquiry has been sufficient? Why or why not?
How do you think other countries around the world might view these investigations?
Why do you think some members of Congress fear that the joint committee's hearing will not be aggressive enough?
Do you think the United States' bipartisan (two-party) system might affect the efficiency of these investigations? Why or why not?

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on participation in the initial class activity, participation in class discussions, and letters to members of the Bush administration regarding the September 11 hearings.

VOCABULARY:
immersed, colossal, intelligence, pitting against, overshadow, chafe, alliance, yearn, freewheeling, disdain, confrontational, hallmark, partisan, reticence, gravity, counterterrorism, circumvent

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Create a comparative intelligence chart of the F.B.I. and C.I.A. organizations, duties, goals, responsibilities and jurisdictions. As two of the most prominent agencies in the United States, these bureaus are responsible for gathering and evaluating information on domestic and foreign policy, respectively. How are they alike? How are they different?
The U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act, the antiterrorism bill passed in October 2001, has become the subject of debate by civil rights and civil liberties organizations. What are some of the key points of this legislation? Why might some oppose it? Why might some support it? Create an informational brochure to inform your classmates.
Write a "key players" directory of all the people mentioned in the article who are involved in the September 11 investigations. Include each person's full name, title, and role in the inquiry.
Keep a clippings scrapbook of news articles about this topic as it unfolds. You might want to focus your scrapbook on the inquiry into a government bureau, national or global response, or other themes. Include a one-paragraph personal response with each article.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Economics- How much money has been raised to benefit the victims of September 11? How has it been distributed thus far? Investigate these questions, and then make a graph. Compare your findings to funds and donations to victims of war in other parts of the world.

Global Studies- How have people from around the world responded to the events of September 11, 2001? A recent donation of cattle from the Masai people of Kenya is one example. Find photographic evidence of other examples, and create a collage to represent international support of the victims.

Technology- The "sniffer keystroke logger" or "Magic Lantern" is intelligence technology used by the F.B.I. to track individuals' computer usage. Research this device, create a "how it works" illustration, and then write an analysis addressing the legal and ethical issues connected to such technology.