Conflict in the Middle East: Causes, Effects and Solutions
Lesson plan authors:
Jim Brohman
Toni Doswell
Amy Kroeger
Julie Popelka
Overview:
This videoconference has been established to help our students understand the crisis in the Middle East and what effects it has on their lifestyle. This model has been designed around the Middle Eastern conflict but could be adapted to simulate any conflict which impacts our students.
During this simulation, our students will role play a specific population. (In this case one group will simulate the Israelis and the other class the Lebanese.)
Project time frame:
Teachers should plan to devote 4-6 weeks on the research, planning, the videoconference, and follow-up activities.
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Learner Outcomes:
TSW analyze the historical background of selected contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current conditions.
TSW identify and explain examples of conflict and cooperation between and among cultures within selected societies.
TSW use problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.
Michigan Benchmarks:
Benchmark
• Select social and political conditions in various parts of Southwest Asia and North Africa and describe how they have been shaped by events from the past (I.2.MS.3).
• Describe major economic and political connections between the United States and different countries of Southwest Asia and North Africa and explain the causes and consequences of those connections (II.3.MS.4).
Pre-conference activity:
Connection activity: Using a facilitator, the two classes will meet and react to the facilitator’s questions regarding causes of, effects of and solutions to the Middle East conflict while role playing the specific population. Each side will have an opportunity to respond to and ask questions. These questions will be limited to two or three depending on time constraints. The facilitator will control the questions and keep the participants on task.
Students may be encouraged to dress the part, use props and visual aids.
Materials
Students may use costumes, power point presentation, documents or maps on the document camera, or any other visual aid.
Videoconference Details.
Time: 60 minutes
Responsibilities: Students from each site will research history and current events of the assigned areas. Several students need to be assigned roles as spokespersons Students will decide as a group what props are needed.
Agenda:
10 minutes: Introductions
10 minutes: Each of the two sites has 5 minutes to explain what it perceives the causes of the conflict to be.
10 minutes: After each side has presented its reasons, both sites may engage in discussion with facilitator monitoring times for fairness.
10 minutes: Following the causes discussion, each site will have 5 minutes to discuss the effects that the conflict has had on its respective communites.
10 minutes: Discussion will follow with facilitator monitoring.
10 minutes: Debrief and conclude.
10 minutes: Each site will take 5 minutes to present possible solutions to the conflict.
10 minutes: Sites will evaluate and discuss solutions.
Activity Pages: