High School (9-12)
Lesson Plans

Facts About Terrorism and War (rh08)

Objectives

Students will:

• Brainstorm, compare and discuss their perceptions of war or armed conflict.
• Write and perform choral readings to share and analyze perceptions of war.
• Work in committees to design rules of humanitarian behavior toward vulnerable people and compare these rules with the Geneva Conventions.
• Search the media to discover and map areas in which families might be separated because of disaster or armed conflict.
• Write messages and responses, acting as family members separated during disaster or war (armed conflict) in the world today.

Purpose

• To recognize that during times of disaster or war there are vulnerable people who need help and protection and that there are rules and principles to address these needs.

Key Terms and Concepts

• humanitarian law
• protections
• vulnerable people
• combatants
• civilians
• war
• protected symbols
• tracing
• refugees
• principles
• humanitarian organizations
• prisoner of war (POW)
• Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols

Activities

• "Perceptions of War"
• "The _________________Conventions"
• "Finding Your Family"

Home Connection

• How Do We Help?

Linking Across the Curriculum

• Social Studies/Media Literacy
• History

Most nations agree that in times of war there should be rules to protect groups of people, including children and other civilians, from the fighting. These rules are found in international humanitarian laws like the Geneva Conventions. Symbols such as the red cross, red crescent or red shield of David legally identify humanitarian organizations that remind everyone that innocent people should be protected from harm. Acts of terrorism violate all humanitarian rules and behavior.

The activities within this lesson plan are meant to guide students to understand that even during the most tragic events, there are people to help those affected by the tragedy and humanitarian rules by which people live.

Files

(These files are in Adobe Acrobat format. If you need assistance with this format,
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Lesson Plan

Activity Sheet 13

Activity Sheet 14

Activity Sheet 15

Activity Sheet 16

Activity Sheet 17

Activity Sheet 18

This Lesson Plan was contributed by the American Red Cross.