Free Lesson Plans for Teachers: Pelosi in Syria

Pass-Ed's Living Textbook
Free Lesson Plans for Teachers
Alpha Stage

Pelosi in Syria
April 4, 2007

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Pelosi Meets
Syrian President."

The article begins, "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Syria's president
in a hilltop palace Wednesday in a visit to Damascus that came despite
the Bush administration's objections and appeared to underline Syria's
gradual emergence from years of international isolation."

Pelosi's visit to Syria was the first of a high ranking U.S. official since
the Bush Administration pulled its ambassador out of Syria in February
2005.

Read the Article!!

Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

Have your students ever ignored somebody or given somebody
"the silent treatment"? Why did they do this? Do your students
think that it was smart to do this? Why/why not?

Ask students how they would feel if somebody ignored
them? What can they learn from the way that they
would feel?

Have your students ever asked one adult for something been
told "no" and then asked another adult the same thing? Why did
they do this? Did they get what they wanted from the second
adult? Would your students behave in this way again?
Why/why not?

Consider asking students to create stories in which a
child asks two adults for the same thing, after the first
adult says no. When the two adults both find out what
happened, what kind of a consequence should there be
for the child, if any?

If your students were having a snowball fight or playing
dodgeball and one part of the field was higher than the other,
which part of the field would they want to be in, the high part
or the low part? Why?

Students could draw pictures of the way that a hill could
be used in a game, in comparison to lower ground.

When your students go over to a friend's house who's rules do
they follow? If the students' own family allows people to wear
shoes in their house and their friends ask people to take off
their shoes, should your students wear their shoes in their
friend's house? Why/why not?

Consider developing a list of two or three rules that
guests should remember when they are in somebody
else's home. Students could create these rules in small
groups and then discuss them as a whole class.

Discussion-Starters for Older Students

Vocabulary terms to discuss: Symbolic; Plateau; Destabilize;
and, Succession.

According to the United States Constitution, the President is in
charge of our nation's foreign relations. Do your students think
that Speaker Pelosi should have gone to Syria even though
President Bush asked her not to go? Why/why not? What might
be some of the positive outcomes of this visit? What might be
some of the negative outcomes of this visit? Once Speak Pelosi
announced that she was going to Syria what might the
consequences have been if she changed her mind as a result of
the President's request?

These questions might prompt an interesting class
discussion.

Tell your students to imagine that they are advisors to Syrian
President Assad. Assad wants to know if President Bush runs
the United States government. He wants to know if he needs to
pay any attention to the desires of President Bush. What would
you students advise? Why?

Students could prepare memos to President Assad, in
small groups. Consider telling them that President Assad
likes statistical data. They should therefore find statistics
to support their advice.

Numerous bloggers have criticized Speaker Pelosi for wearing
a hijab, traditional Muslim head covering, while in Syria. These
people claim that the hijab symbolizes subjugation. Do your
students think that the Speaker should have worn a hijab?
Why/why not?

Consider asking students to write persuasive essays in
response to this question. They might use core
democratic values to support their arguments.

If you like these
lesson ideas
you'll love our
newsletter!!
Learn More!!

Blog