January 8, 2003

ARM WRESTLING
Comparing and Contrasting Current Arms Concerns in Iraq and North Korea

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  Current Events, Global History, Language Arts

Related New York Times Article
"Bush Welcomes Slower Approach to North Korea, By DAVID E. SANGER", January 8, 2003

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students examine the United States’ response to the current concerns surrounding weapons of mass destruction in both Iraq and North Korea. Students participate in a fishbowl discussion and compare the responses made by the United States in both cases, and then share their own views and synthesize their understanding by writing editorials.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Complete a Venn diagram to illustrate their prior knowledge about similarities and differences between Iraq ad North Korea, both historically and in current events.
  2. Learn about the United States’ approach to the situation in North Korea by reading and discussing “Bush Welcomes Slower Approach to North Korea.”
  3. Research key information about Iraq and North Korea.
  4. Participate in a “fishbowl” discussion about the potential of United States intervention in Iraq and North Korea.
  5. Write editorials that address the approach that United States or the United Nations has taken in the situations in North Korea, Iraq or both.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Prior to class, draw a large Venn diagram on the board. Label one circle “Iraq” and the other “North Korea.” Be sure to overlap the circles significantly. Upon entering class, students respond to the following prompt in their journals (written on the board prior to class): “Copy the Venn diagram on the board in your journal. Then, use this diagram to list as much as you know about the two nations, both historically and in relation to current events. Use the section where the two circles intersect for information that applies to both Iraq and North Korea.” After a few minutes, ask students to share their ideas, and add them to the Venn diagram on the board. What significant similarities and differences do they notice?
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article “Bush Welcomes Slower Approach to North Korea,” focusing on the following questions:
    1. What did the International Atomic Energy Agency decide to do about the current situation in North Korea?
    2. How did the White House respond to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s decision?
    3. According to President Bush’s statements, how does he intend to handle the situation in North Korea?
    4. According senior officials, what could be North Korea’s likely response to economic penalties imposed by the United States?
    5. Why is South Korea critical of President Bush’s refusal to engage in diplomatic talks with North Korea?
    6. So far, what have been the findings of the United Nations inspection teams in Iraq?
    7. How does the nuclear program in North Korea compare to that in Iraq?
    8. What explanation did one senior official offer for why the situation in North Korea has not been brought before the Security Council?
    9. What are the positions of the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia with regards to supporting military action against Iraq?
    10. When President Bush asks for support in his plan to move forward with military action against Iraq, how does he plan to address the failure of the inspectors to find evidence of weapons of mass destruction there?
    11. What is the nature of the compromise that South Korea will present at a meeting among Japanese, South Korean and American officials?
    After completing reading and discussing the article, students should add new ideas to the Venn diagram on the board.
  3. Explain to the class that they will participating in a "fishbowl" discussion on the current situations in North Korea and Iraq, but first they are going to conduct some basic research to obtain a little more background information. Divide students into eight pairs or small groups, and assign each one of the following questions for investigation, using all available classroom resources to help them answer their questions (written on the board, written on slips of paper or photocopied for easier student access; all students should take notes on the findings): After research is completed (ten to fifteen minutes), ask a representative from each group to share their findings with the class.
  4. Ask students to number off one to five, and then 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 speak. 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 the new person in the discussion. After discussing the first question, switch the students in the center to all "2's," and allow the same fishbowl procedure to occur. 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 students include:
  5. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Each student writes a newspaper editorial that addresses the approach that the United States or the United Nations has taken in the situations in North Korea, Iraq or both. Students should share their editorials in a future class.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal entries, participation in class and group discussions, thoughtful participation in group research, and individual editorials.

VOCABULARY:
sought, condemn, diplomatically, initiatives, sanctions, essential, confronts, confrontation, incriminating, coalition, provocative, flagrant, rails, imminent, stockpile, concede, skeptical, prerequisite, veto, unanimously, inclined, denounced, omissions, breach, adversary, reciprocal

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Design a board game in which players select either a diplomatic or military approach to the situation in Iraq or North Korea. The decision made by each player will determine the path that he or she will travel on the board. Include instructions along the paths that players must follow that deal with key people and information and provide evidence of your knowledge of current events.
  2. Design a report card or progress report for President Bush that evaluates his performance in the first two years of his presidency. In the report card or progress report, compare what he has actually done to the promises he made in his campaign. Include sections for specific area of foreign and domestic policy, such as the economy and taxes, education, response to terrorism, foreign aid, and other key issues.
  3. Write and record a radio or video documentary that explores the recent history of either the Middle East or Southeast Asia.
  4. Create a magazine profile or a television biography special about Saddam Hussein or Kim Jong Il.
  5. In his January, 2002 State of the Union address, President Bush identified an “axis of evil” that included Iraq, North Korea and Iran. Although Iraq and North Korea have been in the news a great deal since then, Iran has not. Write an article for the newspaper about the current relationship between the United States and Iran.
  6. Write and perform a dramatic skit in which Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein are trapped together in an elevator for a long period of time. Include dialogue that deals with the relationship each leader has with the United States.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Civics- Design a poster that compares the systems of government in Iraq, North Korea and the United States. Include information about how laws are made, how laws are enforced and how leaders are chosen.

Economics– Write an economics textbook entry about economic sanctions. What are they, and why are they used? How have they been used successfully in the past? How have they been used unsuccessfully?

Mathematics- Design a poll to investigate the extent to which students in your school are informed about the current situations in Iraq and North Korea. Ask students the same questions about both nations, and record whether they answer correctly. For example, can students at your school correctly identify the leader of Iraq? Can they correctly identify the leader of North Korea? What do they know about the United States’ (and other countries’) current views on them? Publish your findings in the school newspaper.

Media Studies/Journalism/Teaching with The Times- Read several of the recent editorials that have appeared in The New York Times with regards to the situations in North Korea and Iraq (http://www.nytimes.com/opinion). Select the one that you believe is the most effective. Write an analysis of how the author supports his or her position, explaining why the editorial is so effective.

Copyright 2003
The New York Times Company

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