Missions Accomplished?

Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.

Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.

• See all lesson plans »

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students will examine how the war on Iraq is progressing by looking at current events and comparing them to the goals outlined by General Tommy R. Frank; they then create a progress report assessing how close the coalition forces are to obtaining these goals.

Author(s):
Michelle Sale, The New York Times Learning Network
Javaid Khan, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Suggested Time Allowance: 1 hour

Objectives:
Students will: 1. Examine their beliefs about the value and effectiveness of the war with Iraq according to what they already know about current events.
2. Learn about current successes, setbacks and concerns in the war against Iraq by reading and discussing “U.S. Forces Take Control of Baghdad.”
3. Analyze the progress towards the goals motivating this war put forth by General Tommy R. Frank by researching the success of the war to date.
4. Reflect on the value of the war by examining their research and thinking about how this war will change political and economic conditions around the world.

Resources / Materials:
-student journals
-pens/pencils
-paper
-classroom blackboard
-copies of “U.S. Forces Take Control of Baghdad” (one per student)
-computers with Internet access

Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: In their journals, ask students to respond to the following prompt (written on the board prior to class): “Based on what you know about the war with Iraq, do you think the war is failing, on schedule, or exceeding your expectations? Why?” After a few minutes, allow students to share their responses. If time allows, you may choose to pose the following questions for further consideration:
–How, if at all, do the number of casualties affect your opinion?
–Do you think that the war efforts are making for a more secure future in the Middle East? Why or why not?
–Do you think that the war efforts will have a large effect on global terrorism? Why or why not?
2. As a class, read and discuss the article “U.S. Forces Take Control of Baghdad,” focusing on the following questions:
a. From where was Saddam Hussein’s image pulled down?
b. According to the article, why did the Marines surround a house in northern Baghdad?
c. What is Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s opinion of the war proceedings so far?
d. According to the article, what must the Army and Marines still confront?
e. For what is the Central Intelligence Agency using a cash reward system?
f. At the time this article was printed, what or who had not been destroyed?
g. Why are American and British commanders cautious about the dramatic collapse of authority in Baghdad?
h. How did Kurdish areas in the North respond to the American successes?
i. What examples of civil unrest and lawlessness are evident in Iraq?
j. What type of meeting is the Bush administration planning?
k. Who is Jay Garner?
l. Why did Mr. Rumsfeld publicly criticize Syria?
m. How many Iraqi prisoners are the coalition forces holding?
3. Divide the class into four groups. Explain that groups will be creating a progress report for the war with Iraq after assessing the coalition forces progress in eight different goals mentioned during a briefing given by General Tommy R. Frank on March 22, 2003. The progress towards meeting each goal will be determined by researching news articles about the war, focusing on success stories. Assign each group two goals, such as:
–Group 1: Goals 3 and 4 (Terrorism and Terrorism Networks)
–Group 2: Goals 2 and 5 (Weapons of Mass Destruction)
–Group 3: Goals 1 and 8 (Ending Saddam Hussein’s Regime and Rebuilding Iraq’s Government)
–Group 4: Goals 6 and 7 (Delivering Humanitarian Support and Securing Oil Resources)
As the transcript of General Frank’s speech outlines (http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Transcripts/20030322.htm), his goals for the war with Iraq include:
“First, end the regime of Saddam Hussein.”
Second, to identify, isolate and eliminate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.
Third, to search for, to capture and to drive out terrorists from that country.
Fourth, to collect such intelligence as we can related to terrorist networks.
Fifth, to collect such intelligence as we can related to the global network of illicit weapons of mass destruction.
Sixth, to end sanctions and to immediately deliver humanitarian support to the displaced and to many needy Iraqi citizens.
Seventh, to secure Iraq’s oil fields and resources, which belong to the Iraqi people.
And last, to help the Iraqi people create conditions for a transition to a representative self-government.”
To guide students in their research, have them complete the following questions (copied into a handout along with the goals, or written on the board for easier student access):
-What goals have you been assigned to research?
-How will these goals be met?
-Who or what will be necessary to make this goal a reality?
-Who or what will the accomplishment of this goal affect?
-What events have helped coalition forces meet this goal?
-What events have hurt the coalition forces attempts to meet this goal?
-What factors have affected the accomplishment of this goal? Why?
In order for each group to research their goals most effectively, students should divide their research chronologically. For example, have two students research the first week of the war, two students research the second week of the war, and two students research the third week of the war, and so on and so forth.
After research is completed, ask students to meet in their groups to discuss the research collected and determine whether or not the goal is on its way to being accomplished, is not being accomplished at all, or has already been achieved. The group’s answer should be written in the form of a progress report, with the goal written at the top of the page, a letter grade such as “A,” “B,” or “C,” etc., as well as an explanation for why this grade was given.
In a future class, all of the progress reports for the individual goals should be combined into one large progress report on the war against Iraq.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Individually, students will use their evaluations from class to reflect on the necessity of the war with Iraq. In addition, students should consider the value of the goals researched in class to determine how they will affect world political and economic issues after the war. Who specifically is affected by this goal? How will this goal be reinforced once the war is over?

Further Questions for Discussion:
–Why do you think the coalition forces are not called “United States forces,” if the United States makes up the majority of the military action in Iraq?
–What will prove to the coalition forces that Saddam Hussein and his sons are dead?
–Where might weapons of mass destruction be found?
–Where are the Iraqi prisoners being kept? Why were they captured? What is being done with them? When will they be set free?
–Who are the people committing acts of lawlessness? Why might they be behaving this way?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal responses, thoughtful participation in class and group discussions, thorough research and thoughtful completion of progress reports, and meaningful analysis of actions towards reaching wartime goals and how these goals can affect the rest of the world.

Vocabulary:
pedestals, portraiture, regime, bastions, column, remnant, deployed, arsenal, prudent, repository

Extension Activities:
1. Write a research paper examining the propaganda campaigns of an iconic leader such as Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, or Joseph Stalin. Why was this person “larger than life” to their countries? How was their propaganda used? Where was it located? What happened after this person was deposed (taken from power)?
2. Create a pie chart illustrating the breakdown of the coalition forces in Iraq. Which countries are involved? How many troops did they send? Within these breakdowns, what division or divisions of the military do these troops belong? Whenever possible include monetary donations or costs, as there are some countries that have donated money and not actual military support.
3. Create an illustrated timeline showing the political, social and economic progression of Afghanistan since the war with the United States. What is the U.S.’s current involvement, both politically and economically? Is a new government in place, and who are the leaders? Is the country still being financed by outside sources? What infrastructure is being built to make Afghanistan self-sufficient?

Interdisciplinary Connections:
American History- Write a research paper examining how countries recover from a war. To provide a well-rounded picture, include both sides of the war, such as the United States and Vietnam (after the Vietnam War).
Economics- Create a poster illustrating why wars costs so much. The Bush Administration has created a number for how much this war will cost; find that number and to the best of your ability, track down how this money has been earmarked and over what period of time. If possible, make an educated guess as to how much money has been spent in the past three weeks. To get an idea, research several different wars, such as military operations in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Afghanistan, and the Balkans.
Fine Arts
-Create a collage illustrating the different ways Fidel Castro has been portrayed. Your collage should have a “split-personality,” where one side represents how his own people view Fidel Castro, and the other represents the views of rest of the world. Look for items such as posters, political cartoons, newspaper photos, etc.
-Collect photographs of images that evoke national pride and create a photo gallery in your classroom. Write a brief introduction to your exhibit explaining how patriotism is represented through the images you have chosen.

Other Information on the Web:
Standoff with Iraq (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/issues_in_depth/20030129.html) provides lesson plans, multimedia and other resources for the classroom from The Learning Network and NYTimes.com.
U.S. State Department: Iraq Update (http://usinfo.state.gov/regi onal/nea/iraq/) includes special reports, fact sheets, and official statements.
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://www.uruklink.net/mofa/epa ge.htm) includes statements by officials, policy positions, and more.

Academic Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
World History Standard 44- Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world. Benchmarks: Understands influences on economic development around the world; Understands in stances of political conflict and terrorism in modern society; Understands the emergence of a global culture
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’6-8’, ‘wh10’)
Geography Standard 13- Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth’s surface. Benchmarks: Understands factors that contribute to cooperation or conflict; Knows the social, political, and economic divisions on Earth’s surface at the local, state, national, and international levels; Understands the factors that affect the cohesiveness and integration of countries
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’6-8’, ‘geo4’)
Civics Standard 22- Understands how the world is organized politically into nation-states, how nation-states interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy. Benchmarks: Knows various means used to attain the ends of United States foreign policy (e.g., diplomacy; economic, military, and humanitarian aid; treaties; trade agreements; incentives; sanctions; military intervention; covert action); Knows examples of important current foreign policy issues and the means the United States is using to deal with them; Knows the purposes and functions of major governmental international organizations (e.g., UN, NATO, OAS, World Court) and nongovernmental international organizations (e.g., International Red Cross, World Council of Churches, Amnesty International)
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’6-8’, ‘civ4’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes persuasive compositions; Writes in response to literature
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’6-8’, ’1’)
Language Arts Standard 8- Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmarks: Plays a variety of roles in group discussions; Asks questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas; Listens in order to understand a speaker’s topic, purpose, and perspective; Conveys a clear main point when speaking to others and stays on the topic being discussed
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’6-8’, ’8’)
Grades 9-12
World History Standard 44- Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world. Benchmarks: Understands rates of economic development and the emergence of different economic systems around the globe; Understands the role of political ideology, religion, and ethnicity in shaping modern governments; Understands the role of ethnicity, cultural identity, and religious beliefs in shaping economic and political conflicts across the globe; Understands the effectiveness of United Nations programs
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’9-12’, ‘wh10’)
Geography Standard 13- Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth’s surface. Benchmarks: Understands how cooperation and/or conflict can lead to the allocation of control of Earth’s surface; Knows the causes of boundary conflicts and internal disputes between culture groups; Understands the changes that occur in the extent and organization of social, political, and economic entities on Earth’s surface
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’9-12’, ‘geo4’)
Civics Standard 22- Understands how the world is organized politically into nation-states, how nation-states interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy. Benchmarks: Understands the significance of principal foreign policies and events in the United States’ relations with the world; Understands how and why the United States assumed the role of world leader after World War II and what its current leadership role is in the world; Understands the major foreign policy positions that have characterized the United States’ relations with the world; Knows how the powers over foreign affairs that the Constitution gives to the president, Congress, and the federal judiciary have been used over time; and understands the tension between constitutional provisions and the requirements of foreign policy; Understands the process by which United States foreign policy is made, including the roles of federal agencies, domestic interest groups, the media, and the public, and knows the ways in which Americans can influence foreign policy; Understands the idea of the national interest and how it is used as a criterion for shaping American foreign policy; Understands the current role of the United States in peacemaking and peacekeeping; Understands the role of the United States in establishing and maintaining principal international organizations
(CTSS – ‘social’, ’9-12’, ‘civ4’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes persuasive compositions that evaluate, interpret, and speculate about problems/solutions and causes and effects; Writes reflective compositions; Writes in response to literature
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’9-12’,’1’)
Language Arts Standard 8- Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmarks: Asks questions as a way to broaden and enrich classroom discussions; Adjusts message wording and delivery to particular audiences and for particular purposes
(CTSS – ‘english’, ’9-12’,’8’)