Lately we have been studying the Middle East in my social studies class. I've been a bit disappointed with how little my students know about the current situation in the Middle East. At first, I tried to make learning about the history of the Middle East interesting by referring to the current events in the Middle East....but they weren't familiar enough with them to make the connection! This is when I realized encouraging students to watch the news was a major priority.
After students watched the news, we made Middle East bookmarks with colored pencils. Students needed to write a few facts about the history of the Middle East, a few facts about what is currently happening, and a few opinion statements about the war in Iraq. This was a non-threatening art activity to get their minds working. The next day, after teaching on the Middle East, I had students complete a writing to learn activity.
I designed a "want ad" RAFT for students to complete. It's a great format as it takes little time, but like a cinquain, shows a lot of content in just a few words. Once my students got the gist, they loved it. I had them write want ads for "peace in the Middle East", the elusive desire and news catch phrase. I found that my students, after watching the news, have a much firmer grasp of how terrorism relates to the World War II Jewish plight, and to the independence movements which rocked the area. I found the RAFT activity a great summative assessment. More proof that writing to learn is a worthy strategy for content classrooms!
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