Cross-Curricular Activities
Consider building on the themes of the above activity by working with colleagues in other disciplines to conduct the following activities.
Protest Violence with Painting (Art)
The Activity
Over the past 20 years, Sri Lanka has been the site of more suicide bombings than anywhere else in the world. To fight against the tendency for society to become desensitized by such violence, a group of local artists paint a colorful mural at each bombing site to serve as a memorial. Have students read the brief narrative and watch the slide show at Fighting Terror With Paint Brushes.
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/srilanka/slideshow.html
Ask students to consider these questions.
- What is the key message of the art of "road painters"?
- Who is the intended audience for this message?
- Will such street paintings have a positive impact? Why or why not?
Resources
Visit the "Sri Lanka: Living With Terror" Web resources to see the slideshow, watch the full FRONTLINE/World television segment in streaming video, read a synopsis, follow the reporter's diary, or gather related links and facts:
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/srilanka/
Relevant National Standards
Visual Arts, Standard 3: Knows a range of subject matter, symbols and potential ideas in the visual arts
Level IV, Benchmark 2Applies various subjects, symbols and ideas in one's artworks Visual Arts, Standard 4: Understands the visual arts in relation to history and cultures Level IV, Benchmark 1
Knows a variety of historical and cultural contexts regarding characteristics and purposes of works of art
back to top
Write About the Communist and Postcommunist Experience (English)
The Activity
Show students the story "Romania: My Old Haunts."
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/romania/
Before viewing the short (18 minutes long) film, explain that Romania was ruled by communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu from 1965 until his execution in 1989. In the video, students will see and hear reporter Andrei Codrescu as he takes a personal journey back to his homeland to see how Romania is faring more than a decade after the fall of communism. Have students divide a sheet of paper in half and label one side "During Communist Rule" and the other side "After Communist Rule." Ask students to take notes while they watch, listening closely and making careful observations about life in Romania, both during communist rule and afterward. After viewing the piece, have the class discuss what they observed, then have students use their notes as a content source for writing a poem, drawing a political cartoon, creating a travel brochure or writing a comparison/contrast essay.
Resources
Visit the "Romania: My Old Haunts" Web resources to see the story in streaming video, read a synopsis of the story or interview with the reporter, or gather related links and facts:
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/romania/
A transcript of the story is also available:
pbs.org/frontlineworld/about/episodes/102_transcript.html#romania
Relevant National Standards
Language Arts, Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
back to top
Write an Editorial on the Wall Being Built to Separate Jews and Arabs in Israel (English)
The Activity
Ask students the purpose of building fences and walls. Begin the class discussion with backyard fences and walls, then move to those found throughout the community. And finally, discuss the purposes of large-scale political walls, for example, the Berlin Wall and the Great Wall of China. Are walls and fences to keep things out? to keep things in? both? What would happen if no fences or walls were put up in each of the circumstances discussed? On a blackboard or marker board that is visible to everyone, list some of the issues raised during the class discussion.
Next, break students into seven groups and assign each group a different section of the Web-exclusive story "Israel: Tracing Borders"
pbs.org/frontlineworld/fellows/israel/
Have all the groups read the introduction to the story, then have them read their assigned section. As they read, students should take notes on the purpose of Israel's Seam Line Project and on social, political and economic issues that the building of the wall raises. How do these issues compare with the list of issues made earlier?
Ask students to write a newspaper editorial that seeks to persuade readers either that the Seam Line Project will help ease tensions between Jews and Arabs or that the project will intensify these tensions. Editorials should be based on what students believe after learning and thinking about the issue, and should include specific evidence drawn from "Israel: Tracing Borders" to make the case.
Relevant National Standards
Language Arts, Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
Levels III and IV, Benchmark 1Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts
Levels III and IV, Benchmark 2 Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts
ncG1vJloZrCvp2O9o7%2BNqKmgZ5anvK%2FAy6Klnq%2Bfp7mle8SdrJyZpKS%2FtHvHoqqtp6KurKStzJumnaGRY7W1ucs%3D