Explosions and Bhutto

(Note: Please ask students to contribute their responses to these questions. When I teach I sometimes wish that I had an activity that I could pull out at the last minute for students who may have finished other work. Do you ever have the same thought? If so, why not encourage students to respond to these questions on the blog. Remind them not to use their full names.)

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Explosions Target Bhutto Convoy in Karachi." The article begins, "Two explosions tore into a convoy transporting former prime minister Benazir Bhutto through Karachi early Friday, killing and injuring scores of people celebrating her triumphant return to Pakistan from eight years in exile." The article continues, "Ignoring assassination threats and a suggestion from President Pervez Musharraf that she delay her homecoming, Bhutto arrived on a plane from Dubai Thursday at a time of immense turmoil in Pakistan -- with her presence and possible return to the prime ministership adding another layer of uncertainty."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Students

• Have you ever heard somebody say something that you did not like? What didn't you like about what was said? Why didn't you like this? Have you ever heard a sound that you did not like? What kind of sound was it? What didn't you like about the sound?
  
• When somebody is saying something that someone does not like, do you think it's OK to try and make that person be quiet? Why/why not? If you were saying something that somebody else did not like would you want the other person to try and make you be quiet? Why/why not?
  
• Have you ever had to make a difficult choice? What choice did you have to make? Do you think you made the right choice? Why/why not? Would you make the same choice again? Why/why not?
  
• Imagine that you were leaving their home for a year and could only bring four things with them. What four things would you bring? Why would you bring these four things? What kinds of things from your house might you miss if you had to leave for a year?
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Scores; Gridlock; Throngs; and, Scrum.
  
• Respond to the following statement: "Benazir Bhutto has blood on her hands. For if she had not returned to Pakistan people would not have been killed in this apparent assassination attempt. Simply put, Bhutto should not have returned to Pakistan."
• Imagine a conversation between President Musharraf and Ms. Bhutto in which Ms. Bhutto looks at the president and says, "Thank you for allowing me to return. Now you should leave office if the people don't want you in office anymore." How would the rest of the conversation go? What would you like to know about the situation in Pakistan in order to consider the possible discussion, intelligently? Why would this information be useful. Do you think that Ms. Bhutto, a supporter of democracy, should form an alliance with the dictator Musharraf? Why/why not?
  
• Select one paragraph from the article that you would like to find more information about. What paragraph would you select? What information would like to gather? Why do you think that this information would be useful? Do you think that there is anything about this situation worth knowing? Why/why not?