November 10-16, 2011, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters. Participants are essentially protesting what they see as an ever-widening gap between the wealth of the top 1 percent of the population compared with the rest, known as “the 99 percent.” They demanded a more equal distribution of the world’s wealth and a stronger response to the global economic crisis. The movement began in the Wall Street financial district of New York City in mid-September, and has since inspired similar movements across the United States and around the world.
Objective:
The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles on the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations will first give students a basic understanding of how protesters use demonstrations to fight for their beliefs. Second, it will help students understand the global economic crisis.
Places:
Vocabulary Terms:
- demonstration
- disorderly conduct
- economic crisis
- protesters
- resisting arrest
- wealth
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students if they’ve ever seen a demonstration. What was being protested? What methods did the protesters use to communicate? Did your students think the protesters were effective? Why or why not?
2. Help your students understand why the Occupy Wall Street protesters feel so strongly about the unequal distribution of wealth, and ask them whether they agree with the protesters and their reasons?
3. Protests often revolve around animal rights, unequal wages for workers, the environment, or recently enacted laws. Ask your students what topics they feel most strongly about, and what they would change if they were in charge.
4. Occupy Wall Street protesters have been arrested primarily on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Ask your students if they know what these charges mean and why these actions are illegal.