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Lesson ideas

Fighting terrorism

Students consider some options open to Australia when confronting terrorism at home and abroad, and develop informed opinions about those options.

The destruction of the World Trade Center in New York in 2001 demonstrated the vulnerability of the entire world to terrorism. The bombing of tourist venues in Bali, killing over 200 people, almost half of whom were Australians, in 2002, and the bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in 2004 tragically brought this issue home. In this activity students explore issues relating to terrorism and consider and evaluate three approaches to fighting terrorism at home and abroad.
This is a sensitive issue. Teachers need to consider that some students or their families may be victims directly or indirectly of terrorism or may be sympathetic to causes supported by what is generally considered terrorist activity. Discussion should be as factual as possible.

Download and copy:
Pairs work
Glossary
Fighting Terrorism
For and against

Background reading
Although these activities focus on recent terrorist events involving the Middle East and Western influence, historically terrorism has been linked to many different causes and religions. Teachers may like to read the fact sheet Terrorism with the class as background reading.

1. Pairs
Divide the class into pairs and distribute Pairs Work and Glossary. Ask the students to read the article Do we kill the mosquitoes or try to drain the swamp? consulting the glossary when necessary. In pairs, students discuss and list the actions required to kill the mosquitoes, and the issues which have created the swamp.

2. Class discussion.
As a class discuss the issues raised in the article.
Introduce the following approaches and write on the board
Act pre-emptively to head off potential threats
Raise our defences by tightening security
Use persuasion and collaboration to defeat terrorism
Categorise the actions and issues raised by the students.

3. Pairs
Give each student copies of the worksheets Fighting Terrorism and For and Against. Ask students, in pairs, to look at the three approaches to fighting terrorism and come up with their own way of addressing the problem. They may use the Glossary as needed. Tick the actions they consider should be taken and then record any additional ideas of their own in the boxes. Record all their chosen actions in the first column of the worksheet For and Against and the supporting arguments in the second column.

4. Conclusions
In pairs, students present their choice of actions and supporting arguments to the class. Class members may suggest arguments against to record in the third column.
Individually, students write expositions of their own conclusions.

1. Acting pre-emptively to head off potential threats
In 2003 President Bush of the US committed American forces to an invasion of Iraq in order to destroy the government of President Saddam Hussein. It was argued that Saddam Hussein had links to terrorism and was trying to amass, hide and develop biological, chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Australia as a member of the "Coalition" committed support to that pre-emptive action. Using Australian newspaper reports online or in the local library, students research that commitment and as a class construct a timeline of the most significant events of the Australian forces' involvement.

2. Raising our defences by tightening security
Visit National Security Australia and research measures taken by the Government to raise our defences by tightening security. Write a short report for class discussion.

3. Using persuasion and collaboration to defeat terrorism
(i) Australian Government agencies collaborate with many countries in many ways including peacekeeping, promoting democracy, assisting refugees and displaced people, upholding human rights, fighting disease, providing emergency aid in times of natural disasters and tempering the impact of globalisation on workers and the environment. Visit the sites of the Australian Agency for International Development and the Australian Federal Police /International and explore the range of projects sponsored by the Australian Government. Select one and use the following sites to prepare a report for the class. Include some background information on the country involved, why such a project is needed and the anticipated outcomes.
Australian Agency for International Development: Annual Report 2003-2004
Australian Federal Police: International
Clearing Landmines
Emergencies and Australian Aid
International Health Programs
Human Rights
Gender and Development
Governance Related Programs
Globalisation
(ii) In groups or pairs, research the ways in which Australian aid agencies work to alleviate problems of displaced people, refugees, famine and disease internationally. Agencies to research might include AusAID
CARE Australia
World Vision Australia
OXFAM, Community Aid Abroad, Australia
Australians Caring for Refugees
Australian Volunteers International
The Fred Hollows Foundation
Save the Children Australia
Present your report to the class.

Copyright acknowledgement
The handouts and activities adapted from Create Your Own Choicework: Fighting Terrorism are by kind permission of Public Agenda

The New York Times Learning Network has several relevant Lesson Plans related to articles in the New York Times including:
Global Intelligence: Evaluating Terror Threats Around the World
In this lesson, students examine the physical and political geography of countries considered to harbour terrorist factions. Using this "intelligence," they evaluate the level of the threat and make recommendations for an appropriate response from world leaders.
Homegrown Terror: Examining the History of Domestic Terrorism in Six European Countries
In this lesson, students investigate the history of domestic terrorism in six European countries; they then analyze and write about the difference between terrorist acts planned and committed by a country's citizens and those planned by groups or individuals outside of that country.

Public Agenda
AusAID Archive Hot Topics Tackling Terrorism
The New York Times Learning Network
UN action against terrorism
Global Education