Current Events Lesson Plan: November 12-18, 2015
Current Event: Terror Returns to Paris
A series of coordinated terrorist attacks recently killed 129 people in Paris, France. The Islamic State, or ISIS, took responsibility for the massacre. The attacks began when a bomb was detonated outside the Stade de France, the national sports stadium. A soccer game between Germany and France, with 80,000 people at the stadium, was in progress at the time of the detonation. About five minutes after the first attack, gunmen opened fire on patrons at a bar and a restaurant. Soon after, the deadliest attack of the night took place at the Bataclan theater. Terrorists entered the theater and began shooting AK-47 assault rifles into the crowd of some 1,500 people. The terrorists then gathered up about 100 people to hold as hostages. French security forces stormed the Bataclan soon after, but the terrorists detonated explosive vests, killing themselves and 8 hostages. Eighty-nine people died at the Bataclan. Paris had been on high alert since January 2015, when Islamist gunmen attacked the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Hyper Cacher supermarket. The attacks took place over three days and resulted in the deaths of 20 people in total. In August, tourists thwarted an attack on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris by stopping a would-be terrorist.
Objective:
Paris is France’s capital and largest city. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. At night, floodlights shine on many of Paris’s magnificent palaces and monuments. The gleaming beauty of Paris has given it the nickname City of Light. Every year, millions of tourists visit Paris to see the Arc de Triomphe, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and other famous sites. Paris has long been a world center of the arts, intellectual life, and education. The University of Paris, one of the largest universities in the world, is more than 800 years old. The history of Paris goes back more than 2,000 years. In 52 B.C., soldiers of ancient Rome found in the area a tribe of people who lived by fishing. The Romans established a colony there. During the Middle Ages, Paris grew rapidly and became a major center of culture and government. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Paris and other French topics.
Words to know:
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name some famous French people. (Students might say Charlemagne, René Descartes, Charles de Gaulle, Victor Hugo, Joan of Arc, Louis XIV, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Claude Monet, Napoleon Bonaparte, Blaise Pascal, Pierre Renoir, Robespierre, Jean-Paul Sartre, Voltaire.)
2. Ask your students to debate, “Today, terrorism is the greatest threat to world security.”
3. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the History of France timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s France article for help.)