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.
05/18/2015
Migrants left to starve at sea in Southeast Asia
A boat filled with around 380 men, women and children was found off the coast of Thailand. Those on board say the ship's traffickers and captain escaped, leaving without rice or water. No country is willing to take in the thousands of people, fleeing persecution and poverty, who are thought to be adrift in seas in Southeast Asia.
■Class discussion: Most of the migrants are from the Rohingya ethnic minority. Where do they come from? Which countries have turned back the boatloads of migrants? Why? Can you find other examples of “boat people”? In 1939, Cuba and the United States turned away a refugee ship, the SS St. Louis. What happened to many of its passengers?