Burma

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Burmese Crackdown Generates Broad Condemnation." The article states, "In addition to cracking down with automatic weapons in the street, Burmese security forces arrested dozens of the robed monks who provided leadership and moral authority to the protests since they erupted in August. Those protests have grown during the past two weeks into a political movement demanding an end to military dictatorship."

"The world is watching the people of Burma take to the streets to demand their freedom and the American people stand in solidarity with these brave individuals," President Bush said in a written statement. He added: "Every civilized nation has a responsibility to stand up for people suffering under a brutal military regime like the one that has ruled Burma for too long."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children:

• How would your students feel if they had to do whatever they were told to do and could not make any of their own decisions? Why would they feel this way?
• Consider asking students to develop skits in which they explain how it would feel to have to do whatever you're told.
  
• Do your students think that it would be interesting to visit another country? Encourage them to support their opinions. How many other countries can your students name?
• What might be different about another country? This might be an ideal time to celebrate the fact that somebody in your class comes from a foreign country.
  
• Do your students think that they should be allowed to say whatever they want to say? Why/why not? What if they want to tease somebody else?
• What kinds of rules should students remember when they say things? Consider asking students to write these rules out and posting them around the room.
  
• If your students knew that they could be punished if they said certain things would they say these things? Why/why not? Do your students think that there are any places where people are not allowed to say certain things?
  
• Ask students to make a list of kinds of words that they are not allowed to say at home.

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Junta; Curtailed; Preponderance; and, Envoy.
  
• Ask your students to imagine that wanted to promote a rebellion against a military dictatorship. What steps might they take to promote this rebellion? Why would they take these specific steps?
  
• Students might develop plans in groups of two or three.
  
• Ask students to imagine that they were advisers to the envoy sent to try and settle the hostility. What would they do to try and promote peace?
  
• These questions might promote an interesting discussion.
  
• Ask students to define the term "authority." Where can people get their authority from? Ask them to describe religious authority.
• Ask students to develop graphic organizers describing the meaning of the word "authority" and the various sources of authority.
  

Why Lie?

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "In a 9/11 Survival Tale, the Pieces Just Don't Fit." According to her own account, Tonya Head had, "survived the terror attack on the World Trade Center despite having been badly burned when the plane crashed into the upper floors of the south tower." The article reports, "No one has suggested that Ms. Head did anything to profit financially from her position as an officer with the Survivors’ Network, the nonprofit group for which she helped to raise money. But the organizations with which she has been affiliated have also questioned her account after learning of the inquiries from The Times."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children:

• Why do your students think that somebody might lie? Is it ever OK to lie? Why/why not? If so, when? Is there a difference between lying and making up a fictional story? What is the difference?
  
• Challenge students to create fictional accounts of something that has happened in their lives.
  
• Do your students think that it's important to introduce their friends to their parents? Why/why not? In what ways might parents help to make sure that kids are OK with their friends?
  
• Consider having a class program in which parents meet all of the students in the class. Even if this can't be done, consider having students create class albums that they can use to show their parents the other students in the class.
  
• Do your students think it's important to raise money for charity? Why/why not? Can people who don't have a lot of money to give away still help other people? How?
  
• Challenge students to come up with a way that they can help another student in the class.
  
• Challenge students to explain how they can tell that a fictional story is indeed fictional. They could select a fictional story that they are reading independently.
  
• Alternatively, the entire class might read a fictional story together and discuss how students can know that the story is not true.

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Inscribed; Stanched; Selfless; and, Immediacy.
  
• The newspaper article does not explicitly state that Ms. Head lied. Ask students to imagine that they were newspaper journalists attempting to either prove or disprove Ms. Head's story. What might they do to achieve their objective. Encourage them to be specific.
  
• Challenge students to consider a local mystery or legend. (These might include legends from summer camps or bonfires.) Ask students to develop a plan to either prove or disprove the mystery/legend. They might work on these projects in groups of two or three. Certainly discourage students from implementing these plans if they could be dangerous.
  
• Let's assume that Ms. Head lied. Why motive could somebody possibly have for creating such a story? What did she stand to gain? How might Ms. Head have gained the same thing without developing a lie?
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
• Do your students think that it's ever possible to lie without causing any harm? Why/why not? Is the truth always less harmful than lies? Why/why not?
  
• Ask students to respond to these questions in reflective essays.
  

Tasered

CNN is running a story entitled, "Woman Says She Didn't Deserve Taser Treatment." The article states, "Video footage from the police cruiser shows Gill, 38, crawling on the ground while the officer stands over her with the stun gun. She's screaming wildly. At one point, officer Rich Kovach shoves her with his foot as she struggles." It reports, "In the video, Gill, once inside the police car, kicks the back-seat window and continues to scream. 'At this point, I had been Tased for so long and just drug around by my handcuffs. I was terrified of this man. He was no longer a police officer to me.'"

Read the Article!!

Discussion-Starters for Young Children

• Have your students ever thrown a fit? Why did they throw a fit? Have they ever seen somebody else throw a fit? What's the best way to prevent yourself from throwing a fit? What's the best way to stop somebody when he/she throws a fit?
• Consider teaching students to count to ten when they get upset. Encourage students to use this strategy the next time they become frustrated.
  
• Do your students think that it's OK for a non-parent to hit a child? Why/why not? Why might a parent spank a child? Is it ever appropriate for a child to hit another child? Why/why not? Is it ever appropriate for a child to hit an adult? Why/why not?
  
• Consider asking students to develop skits that show how somebody might respond to somebody else who makes them mad, instead of hitting them.
  
• Do your students know what electricity is? What is it? Why might students get hurt if they touch an outlet? Why might they even be more likely to get hurt if they touch an outlet with a wet hand? What else can students think of that might be dangerous to touch
• Students could make signs warning others not to touch electric currents. Post these signs around the school.
• Have your students ever had an argument with somebody else as to who did something first? Perhaps, they've argued with somebody over who sat in a specific chair first. When students argue over such a situation is it possible that both students think they are telling the truth? Why/why not?
  
• Consider asking students to identify situations in which two people say that different things occurred when only one thing could have occurred.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Stun; Administrative; Deploy; and, Nonlethal.
• Ask students to imagine that they are investigating the situation described in this article. What questions would they ask as they attempt to determine whether or not the officer should have used his taser as many times as he did? To whom would they want to ask these questions? Encourage them to justify their answers.
  
• Consider challenging students to write these questions in groups of three or four. Students might even try and cull a first hand account of the incident. How might they successfully accomplish this objective?
  
• Do your students think that police officers should have the right to physically hurt somebody who is neither physically hurting somebody else nor threatening to hurt somebody else in an effort to bring them to jail? Why/why not?
  
• Consider challenging students to argue the side of this question with which they do not originally agree. They might write persuasive arguments. Encourage them to incorporate core democratic values.
  
• Do your students think that the bar has a vested interest in how this case turns out? Why/why not? Ask students to respond to the following statement: "The bar should not care how this case turns out as long as they have paying customers."
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
  

A Teenager Converts $8 into $1,000,000

The Detroit Free Press is running an article entitled, "$8 Grows to a Million on Teen's Website." The article states, "On the cusp of national fame, (Ashley) Qualls is planning to expand Whateverlife.com, which gets more visitors than Oprah.com. She wants to start a social network for the millions of teenage girls who flock to her Web site for free designs to decorate their MySpace pages." It continues, "Whateverlife.com generated a million dollars in revenue last year and is on track to do the same this year. Already, Qualls has turned down outside funding for her site and a verbal offer from someone willing to pay $5 million to buy her company." Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children

• Ask students to describe or show their favorite pictures or posters. Why do they like these particular pictures and/or posters? If they could take a picture of anything of what would they want to take a picture?
  
• Consider asking students to make a collage of pictures featuring their favorite sports team or their favorite hobby. If possible encourage students to post these projects online.
  
• If your students could make their own personal website and could put any design on it, what design would they use? Why would they use this design?
  
• Consider inviting students to design the background of a personal website. Even if student's don't develop their own websites, they could draw a background.
  
• What one project have your student completed of which they are most proud? Why are they most proud of this project? If they could change it in any way, would they? Why/why not?
  
• Consider asking students to select a piece of work that they have completed in the past week and include it in a portfolio of their work. Challenge them to explain why they have included this work.
  
• Do your students think that it's possible for a teenager to make more money at work than an adult? Why/why not? What do your students think that somebody has to do in order to make money?
  
• Ask your students to list as many different kinds of jobs of which they can think. Consider making a class list.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Cusp; Pulse; Awe; and, "Coming Out Party".
  
• With reference to Qualls, the article explains, "She is growing up fast but possesses instincts for life and business that elude many girls her age." Ask students to explain and further develop this sentence in their own words.
  
• Students might develop a list of components that would comprise "instincts for life and business," in groups of two or three.
  
• Are students surprised that this young entrepreneur is a girl and not a guy? Why/why not? Do students think that girls are more likely to succeed in math and science than boys? Why/why not? What kinds of questions would students want answered before answering this question definitively? Why would they want these questions answered? What would it mean to succeed in math and science?
  
• Consider asking students to conduct an investigation into the relative rates at which boys and girls "succeed" in math and science.
  
• What do your students think is the difference between developing a creative business idea and following through to make sure that the idea is successful? Do they think that it would be easier to create the idea or to follow through and make sure it is successful? Encourage them to support their ideas
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
  

Let's Walk

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "G.M. Workers Begin Walkout Over Contract Impasse." The article begins, "Members of the United Automobile Workers union walked off the job today at General Motors plants across the country after union leaders and company officials failed to reach an agreement in contentious talks on a new contract." The article reports, "The two sides apparently hit a stalemate over the union’s demand for job protection for its work force at G.M., which is one-fifth its size in 1990. G.M., in return, had pushed for the creation of a trust that would assume responsibility for its $55 billion liability for health care benefits for workers, retirees and their families."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children:

• Do your students think that there are some things that their parents should do for them? What? Why? Are there some things that children should do for parents? What? Why?
  
• Consider asking students to develop a "contract" in which they stipulate what parents should do for children and visa versa.
  
• Have your students ever been ignored by somebody? How does it feel? Why does it feel this way? Have they ever ignored somebody? Why did they do this? Is it OK to ignore somebody? In what situations might it be OK to ignore somebody?
  
• Consider asking students to develop skits in which they depict somebody ignoring somebody else for a good reason.
  
• Have your students ever made a promise to somebody? To whom did they make the promise? What did they promise? Has anybody ever promised them something? What were they promised? Was the promise kept?
  
• Consider asking students to make signs explaining why it's important to keep promises.
  
• Have your students ever worked together with somebody else? Why might people want to work together instead of separately? Did students accomplish what they wanted to accomplish when they worked cooperatively with somebody else? Why/why not? Why is it sometimes difficult to work with other people?
  
• Challenge students to work cooperatively with another student, with whom they do not usually work, to complete a class activity.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Contentious; Solidarity; Liability; and, Defray.
• What is the purpose of a union? Do your students think that it's important for workers to unionize? Why/why not? Ask students to respond to the following sentence: "Intelligent business owners pay their workers large salaries to keep them happy." Encourage students to support their thoughts critically.
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
  
• Do your students believe that businesses should pay for health insurance for their workers? Why/why not? If your students were looking for a job would they want to work somewhere that did not provide health insurance for workers? Why/why not?
• Consider asking students to create a mock discussion between the owner of a company and a worker at a company as to whether or not the company should provide health insurance.
• How do your students think that labor strikes effect the economies? Why?
  
• Ask students to develop graphic organizers demonstrating how labor strikes effect economies.
  

Mattel Says Sorry!!

The USA Today is running an article entitled, "Mattel Apologizes to China for Toy Recalls." The article begins, "Mattel, the world's largest toymaker, apologized on Friday for damaging China's reputation after recent massive recalls of its Chinese-made toys, admitting it targeted some goods that were actually up to scratch." Thomas Debrowski, Mattel's Executive Vice President for World Wide Operations said, "...It's important for everyone to understand that the vast majority of those products that we recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in Chinese manufacturers."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children

• What do your students think it means to play safely? Do they think it's important to play safely? Why/why not?
  
• Consider asking students to make a list of three rules that all students should follow on the playground. The class might do this collaboratively.
  
• Ask your students what the word "poison" means. Ask students to give some examples of things they should never touch because they could get sick if they use it in the wrong way.
  
• Students could make signs warning people not to touch poison items. These signs might be placed in appropriate places in school and at home.
  
• Do your students think that it is bad to lie? Why/why not? What does it mean to trust somebody? In what ways might lying destroy trust?
  
• Consider asking students to write rhymes emphasizing the importance of telling the truth. Students might work on these rhymes in small groups.
  
• Ask your students to think of one thing that they would like to do to make themselves better people. Why would this one thing make them better people?
  
• Students could write their one way to become a better person down on a piece of paper. Alternatively, they could draw a picture showing a way that they would like to behave.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Scrutiny; Reputation; Conciliatory; and, Stonewalling.
  
• Ask students what it means to apologize for something. What has to happen inside of an individual for a real apology to take place, if anything. (Note: The Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur begins this evening. This holiday stresses the importance of repentance.)
  
• Students might answer these questions in small groups and then report back to the entire class.
  
• Do students think that Mattel should have apologized to China? Why/why not? What questions might they like to have answered before answering this question definitively. Why would they want these questions answered?
  
• Students might conduct an investigation to determine if they think that Mattel should have apologized. Alternatively, ask students to read the comments posted in response to this article. What might be learned about the writers of these comments from these comments? Encourage students to support their answers.
  
• What alternative reasons might Mattel have had for apologizing to China? Do students think that it would have been ethical for Mattel to apologize if their sole reason was to promote their business within China? Why/why not? Have students ever apologized for something for which they did not believe an apology was necessary in order to get out of trouble? Encourage students to explain!!
• Students might consider these questions in a class discussion.
  

NBC Offers Downloads

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "NBC to Offer Downloads of Its Shows." The article begins, "NBC Universal said yesterday that it would soon permit consumers to download many of NBC’s most popular programs free to personal computers and other devices for one week immediately after their broadcasts." It continues, "NBC’s move comes as companies throughout the television business search for new economic models in the face of enormous changes in the business. Networks continue to lose audience share, and viewers — especially many of the highly prized viewers under 30 years old — are increasingly demanding control of their program choices, insisting on being able to watch shows when, where and how they want."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Questions for Younger Children

• Do your students prefer to watch shows/videos on television sets or the computer? What are your students favorite shows/videos? What do they like about these shows/videos?
  
• Students could draw a picture of their favorite character.
  
• Tell students to imagine that they could chat with their favorite cartoon character. What would they say to this character? What do they think the character would say to them?
  
• Students could develop skits in which they act out conversations with their favorite cartoon characters.
  
• Do your students like any television commercials? Which ones? Do they know any commercials by heart? Which ones? Why do your students think that commercials exist?
  
• Challenge your students to develop commercials for a product of their choice. They might do this in small groups.
  
• Do your students think that televisions will exist when their own children are growing up? Why/why not? Ask your students how televisions sets might be different in twenty five years. Encourage them to be creative.
  
• Ask students to list the ways in which televisions might be different.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: "Piracy Protection"; Analyst; Hotly; and, Extract.
• Ask your students to imagine that they were executives at television stations when television was first developed. The executives know that they have to make money but they don't know how to do so. What would your students suggests that different from any model for generating television revenue.
  
• Consider asking students to develop proposals in groups of three or four.
  
• Modern technology has greatly influenced the ways in which individuals can watch television/videos. How do your students think that the viewing experience might be different in one hundred years than it is today? Why do they think this way?
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
  
• Ask your students to imagine a conversation between iSuppli's Mr. Crotty and NBC's Mr. Gaspin. What might the two men say to each other? Why might they say this?
  
• Students could actually develop conversations in either writing or skit.
  

Who is William S. Lerach?

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Guilty Plea to End Crusading Lawyer's Lucrative Run." The article begins, "In a three-decade career, California lawyer William S. Lerach won tens of billions of dollars for his clients by suing executives embroiled in corporate scandal. Casting himself as the voice of victimized shareholders, he chalked up unprecedented awards in the Enron accounting mess and the Exxon oil spill." It reports, "Now Lerach, 61, is headed to prison, brought down not by adversaries in executive suites or on Capitol Hill but by his own hubris." Lerach paid plaintiffs to testify in court.

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children

• Have your students ever disagreed with somebody? With whom did they disagree? What did they disagree about? Do your students think that it is OK to disagree with somebody? Why/why not? Can two people disagree and still be friends? Encourage students to explain!!
• Consider asking students to write down three things they should remember about how to behave respectfully whenever they disagree with somebody else.
• Ask your students to imagine that two students in the class have a disagreement and they explain their disagreement to the teacher. Would it be alright for one of these two students to pay another to take their side? Would it be alright for one of these two students to promise to do something for the third student if the third student takes his/her side? Why/why not?
  
• Ask your students how the third student should respond if one of the first two students offers him something for taking his side in a disagreement. Students might develop skits to demonstrate how the third student should respond.
  
• If one child is trying to sell another a baseball card or a video game would it be alright for the seller to tell the buyer that the card or game is worth $100 if it really only worth $75? Why/why not? Shouldn't the buyer have to know how much something should cost before he/she pays for it? Explain!!
• Ask your students to write a list of three things a buyer must think about before purchasing something. The class might do this collaboratively.
  
• Can your students think of anybody who other people would like to be like? Who can they think of? Why would somebody want to be like somebody else? Can your students think of anything about themselves that other people might want to copy? Why might others want to copy this?
  
• Consider asking students to make a list of three things about themselves that they like very much.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Hubris; Spawned; Securities; and, Prowess.
  
• Do your students think that some people believe they can get away with breaking the law? Encourage them to support their belief with evidence. Why do your students think that some people think they can get away with breaking the law? What does this indicate about human nature?
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
  
• Ask your students to imagine a conversation between Mr. Lerach and a teen-age grandchild yesterday in which Mr. Lereach explained that he was going to jail. What might Mr. Lereach have said? How might his grandchild have responded?
  
• Students could actually develop mock conversations, either in writing or possibly podcast.
  
• Do your students think that courts should give greater weight to complaints made by individuals and/or entities that have made large investments in a corporation than they would give to individuals who have only made small investments in the corporation, when a class action suit is brought against a corporation for wrongful practice? Why/why not?
  
• Students could respond to these questions in persuasive essays. Consider asking them to incorporate a core democratic value into their thesis.
  

A New Direction

Recently, as my readers have likely noticed, I have not posted as frequently as I was posting over the summer. (Perhaps as my business grows I'm finding less and less time to write my own blog entries. I continue to read and enjoy others' blogs.) Furthermore, I'm finding that as my Discussion Starters newsletter is sent to more and more people, it's getting blocked by spam folders more and more. Therefore, I am going to revert to a practice that I began early last year. I'm going to post my daily discussion starters here on the blog. This will also give readers a chance to comment on my postings. I hope you enjoy!!

What, There was a time Before Google?

This morning as I was preparing to teach a group of fifth graders something dawned on me. These kids, nine and ten years old, don't remember a time before Google existed. This realization shocked me. Today I asked these kids how they think people might have looked something up BG. One responded by looking in files. I had to explain that people didn't have access to much of the information that they needed to learn because in order to have the information in a file you must have known it at one time. Another suggested that you could have looked the information up on an EReader. Today's kids don't know what it would have been like to live before an advanced state of the web. I'm not sure why I'm so amazed with this obvious realization; but, I am.

Where's the Credit

I don't want to sound too made, because I'm also a bit honored, but I just found something online that I wrote that had no attribution to me. A blog entitled Boxxet Web 2.0 contains a paragraph from my recent post on shared vision without an attribution. Here's what I think happened, Stephen Downes' OLDaily often runs my posts. Downes always includes attributions. Boxxet ran Downes' post without attribution to me.

The funny thing is that my girlfriend's ten year old son asked me if that wasn't "copyright"?

I feel honored because at least what I'm writing is getting around.

53,651

On May 11, 2006, Josh Kopelman wrote, "As more and more entrepreneurs start building what Fred Wilson referred to as second derivative companies, I think they run a big risk of designing a product/service that is targeted at too small of an audience. Too many companies are targeting an audience of 53,651. That’s how many people subscribe to Michael Arrington’s TechCrunch blog feed. I’m a big fan of Techcrunch – and read it every day. However, the Techcrunch audience is NOT a mainstream America audience." What do you think? Is this still applicable in 2007? Why/why not?