The Cease Fire (A Think)

Recently I've been thinking that the name of this blog may not adequately express what I want the blog to be. Though I link to newspaper articles on a daily basis, I hope that my lesson plan ideas can be used in many more classes than simply "current events." More on this later...

Now on to the daily think...

The Washington Post runs an article entitled, Israel Accepts U.N. Deal: Both Sides Warn of More Fighting. The article begins,

The Israeli military halted its combat operations against Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah rockets stopped raining on Israel early Monday morning as a tenuous U.N.-imposed cease-fire took effect after more than a month of fighting that devastated parts of Lebanon and sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis into bomb shelters.

Lesson Plan Ideas
1. Ask students what it means to have a "cease fire." Help them understand the difference between "cease fires" and "peace treaties." Students should understand that there is no peace between Israel and Hezbollah. They have simply agreed not to fire on each other. Ask students to think about, and perhaps write about, whether they've ever been in a situation in which they very much disliked somebody and had previously fought with them but had agreed not to physically fight with them.
2. Students should understand that it is often very difficult to maintain cease fires. Ask them to make a list of rules that would make it easier for nations to maintain cease fires and not battle with one another. Encourage them to consider why it might be difficult for countries to live by these rules.
3. This article has links to wonderful videos and panoramas. Every picture has a story behind it. After ensuring that our students understand the general themes of the conficlt, as teachers we might show our students a picture or two and ask them to explain the story behind it. You might divide the class into small gorups, assign each group a picture to develop a story about, and then reconvene the class and invite the groups to share their stories.
4. You might want to show students a map of the Middle East. A useful map exists at this website.