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.
04/24/2023
'Wrong place' shootings in America
The nation has been shaken by the recent shootings of young people who accidentally ended up in the wrong place. It began when a 16-year-old trying to pick up his younger brothers rang a doorbell at the wrong address in Missouri. Bullets fired through closed a storm door stuck his head and leg. A 20-year-old in New York was shot and killed after her car turned into the wrong driveway. A high school cheerleader was shot in Texas after she opened the wrong car door. A 6-year-old and her father were wounded in North Carolina after their basketball rolled into a neighbor’s yard.
■Class discussion: Are Americans just trigger-happy? Are we a nation of heavily armed and paranoid people ready to shoot first and ask questions later? Have “stand-your-ground” laws which say a person can shoot someone if they feel threatened led to more shootings and gun deaths? Is being afraid a valid reason to kill someone? Do laws that allow people to carry guns without a permit or any training make “wrong place” shootings more likely? What are the firearm laws in your state? Has the spread of armed citizens even affected police, making them quicker to draw and use their weapons??