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Alpha Stage







MSNBC is reporting that while Iran is set to assemble thousands of
uranium centrifuges, President Bush has issued a capture or kill order
regarding members of the Iranian military in Iraq.

With reference to centrifuges an article states, "Iran ultimately plans to
expand its enrichment program to 54,000 centrifuges, which spin
uranium gas into enriched material to produce nuclear fuel. That
would give it the capacity to produce dozens of nuclear warheads a
year, if it chose to develop weapons."

With reference to the capture or kill order, the article begins,"The
Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture
Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to
weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to
give up its nuclear program."


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Ask your students if they've ever spied on anybody. Why did
    they do this?
  • Not that it completely relates, but with this conversation
    you might consider playing "I Spy with My Little Eye."

  • Ask if they've ever been spied on? How did it feel?
  • You might write a spy story with your class. Consider
    asking each student to contribute one word and going
    around the class this way until the story is complete.

  • Ask your students if there are certain things they should never
    put in their mouth. Like what? (Note: Please make sure that this
    question does not prompt your students to want to try to eat or
    drink something that would hurt them.)
  • Consider asking students to make labels that can be put
    on things that would be dangerous to either eat or drink.

  • What do your students think it means for something to be
    dangerous? What should people do with dangerous things to
    make sure they don't get hurt?
  • Consider making a list of dangerous things on the board
    that students should be careful not to play with.

Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary Terms to Discuss: Centrifuge; Uranium;
    Informally; and, Proliferation.

  • Do your students think that President Bush is correct in
    allowing soldiers to either capture or kill Iranians in Iraq who
    seek to promote aggression? What types of negative
    consequences could stem from this decision?
  • Consider holding a class discussion. Be sure to
    encourage students to represent both positions. Very
    smart people stand on either side of this issue. Students
    should be able to develop articulate supports for both
    sides.

  • Tell your students to imagine that for one day they were
    stranded on a desert island with the presidents of the United
    States and Iran. What might they say to the presidents to
    encourage them to engage in meaningful dialogue?
  • Students could develop skits in response to this
    question. Skits would also give them the opportunity to
    represent the voices of Presidents Bush and
    Ahmadinejad.

  • Obviously nuclear weapons have the capacity to destroy the
    entire world. Ask your students what might be done to insure
    that this never occurs.
  • In groups of two or three, students might develop
    proposals.
To Kill or Capture
January 26, 2007
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