Common Core State Standard L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
02/24/2020
‘Poison’ of hate blamed in German killings
The murder of nine people in a shooting rampage by a suspected right-wing extremist has revealed the “poison” of racism and hate in Germany, said Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nine people with immigrant backgrounds were killed in two hookah bars in a Frankfurt suburb. Police said the 42-year-old attacker then went home and killed his mother and himself. The shootings came days after the arrests of 12 extremists accused of plotting large-scale attacks on German mosques.
■Class discussion: Less than a year ago 50 people were slain in two mosques in New Zealand, and another 22 people were murdered in an El Paso Walmart last August by a man targeting “Mexicans.” Are attacks on people perceived as “foreigners” becoming more common? Are these just the actions of some mentally ill people? Are attacks being triggered by growing anti-immigrant political rhetoric? What is xenophobia? Are human beings naturally frightened of “outsiders” from another group? Why or why not?