ACTIVITY #2
Current Events Poll

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A Cultural Look at the Conflicts in the Mid-East
Grades 7-9 Social Studies
Author: Christine Archer-Davison, Parker, CO
Assignment

Design and administer a video opinion poll analyzing the public’s understanding and opinions of conflicts in the Middle East.

Suggested Research Questions:

  • How did Palestinians, Jews and British feel about the geographical area occupied by Israel?
  • What role did religion play in the situation in Israel?
  • What were the Jewish and Palestinian attitudes about Israel?
  • How did the British peace-keepers feel about the nation of Israel?
  • What justification did each group have for their attitudes and the actions they took?
  • Could Israel have been located somewhere else?
  • How were the Israeli and Arab economies linked?
  • Did the Arabs use the land differently than Jews, and if so, how?

Phase 1

Meet as a group to decide on questions that you will administer by personal interview and who is your target population. Make sure your questions are relevant to the task at hand.

Phase 2

Decide on the roles for polling (interviewer, camera person, observer, note taker). Then set up appointments for your interviews.

After the interviews have been conducted, synthesize your notes and draft a script.

Using footage from the interviews, create a video presentation using Avid Cinema that reflects current attitudes and understandings of events in the Middle East.

Phase 3

With a video of your interviews, edit and polish your video presentation. This will take approximately one week to complete. Include a brief analysis of the weaknesses/biases of your poll. After completion of the assignment, you will present their video to the class. Your classmates and teacher will assess the video, and you will also assess your own work.

Follow Up/Extension Activities

  • After hearing all sides of the issues, write a reflection paper that examines your current beliefs on the situation.
  • Have a mock peace talk to try and come up with a solution.
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Activity #1 - The Palestinians     Home     Activity #3 - The Jews     Activity #4 - The British

 

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