North Korea's Missle Test

North Korea has announced that last night it tested a nuclear device, underground. Worldwide politicians and editorialists alike have called this a blatant act of aggression. The BBC, Great Britain's major media outlet, is running an article entitled, North Korea Test, A Blow to Diplomacy. The article states:

For the Bush administration, the fact that one of the countries described by the president as part of an "axis of evil" has apparently confirmed its membership of the nuclear weapons' club means that, short of military action, there is little it can really do to enforce a change of policy.

Lesson Ideas:

1. Many students do not understand how a nuclear bomb works. In science it might be worthwhile to provide an explanation. Be sure to explain the difference between fission and fusion. The wikipedia article on nuclear weapons might prove helpful. You might ask students to draw diagrams demonstrating the difference between fission and fusion. On the other hand, you might ask them to use construction paper and yarn to demonstrate the difference.
2. One of the amazing qualities of wikipedia is the speed at which it can change. Many people claim that this is a drawback since information cannot be verified. However, others like the speed and argue that traditional encyclopedias are not fully accurate, either. Select a rapidly changing article, dealing with a current event, such as North Korea, and ask students to keep track of the changes. In addition to keeping track of changes, ask students to use additional sources of information to either verify or refute the accuracy of a change. If students refute the accuracy of a change you might ask them to correct the Wikipedia article. The article already states:

On October 9, 2006, it was reported that North Korea had successfully tested their first nuclear weapon[18]. Associated Press also reported that Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed South Korean official that a nuclear test took place at 10:36 am Korea Time in Hwadaeri near Kilchu city in North Korea's North Hamgyŏng province, on Monday, October 9. [19]

Wikipedia has a page entitled "history" at the top of every document that will make it easier to track changes.
3. China now has a tough diplomatic decision to make. They've long supported North Korea, giving it money and food. But they've also told North Korea that they didn't want the country to develop nuclear weapons. As the article explains, China wants to ensure that the Korean peninsula, it's neighbor remains secure. The Chinese definitely don't want South Korea to take over North Korea. Tell students that the Chinese government has approached them and them to develop a proposal as to how they should respond to the crisis. In groups of three or four ask students to write proposals. You might ask them to blog them.
4. I wanted to post a link to the North Korean perspective of the missle test in this space. But I couldn't find it on North Korea's official English news source. Ask your students why they think this is so. Ask students if they think it's appropriate for the North Korean government not to discuss this test with their own people. Faciliate a discussion in which you discuss the importance of free speech.

Edit and expand upon these lesson ideas on our Lesson-Wiki.