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The Crisis in Syria – Lesson Plan
Lesson
The Crisis in Syria
Background, Current Situation, and Activities to Engage
Subject
Social Studies, Geography, International Studies, World History
Estimated Time
One class day (40 minutes) & Homework
Grade Level
Grades 6-8
Objectives
Students will:
Gain insights on the background of conflict in Syria
Understand how the conflict escalated to a humanitarian crisis
Become familiar with terms such as refugees, internally displaced population,
humanitarian crisis
Learn to take action for Syria and engage others in the discussion
Suggested Materials
A computer that supports online presentation tools such as Prezi
Internet access, Projector, Speakers
Hand-outs for students with definition of key terms, sample letter to the President,
crossword and word search
Learning about Syria Worksheet and infographics
Marker/Chalk and Blackboard/Whiteboard to record ideas from brainstorm session
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 4
ABOUT THE CLASS 4
BACKGROUND OF THE SYRIAN CRISIS 4
HISTORY OF SYRIAN CONFLICT 4
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS 4
CURRENT SITUATION IN SYRIA 5-6
THE CRISIS 5-6
ACTIVITIES TO ENGAGE 6
ENGAGING STUDENTS: DISCUSSION ABOUT REFUGEES IN SYRIA AND VIDEOS 6
ASSIGNMENTS 6
HOME-WORK & EXTRA CREDIT 6
APPENDIX I 7
DIAGRAM I – REFUGEES IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES 7
APPENDIX II 8
PICTURES FROM SYRIAN CRISIS 8
APPENDIX III 9
TRAUMA-RELATED RESOURCES 9
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LEARNING ABOUT SYRIA 10-11
WORKSHEET 10-11
KEY FOR WORKSHEET 12
KEY TERMS 13-14
SAMPLE LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT 15
CROSSWORD 16-17
CROSSWORD ON SYRIA 16
KEY FOR THE CROSSWORD 17
WORD SEARCH 18
RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS TO DEVELOP LESSON PLAN 19-20
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Lesson Plan
Introduction
1. Introduce images to the students
(Refer to Appendix II, page 8 for
images)
2. Engage the students by asking
questions:
o What can you tell me
about the pictures?
o What is happening?
o Where do you think this
is?
o How many of you know
an event/place where you
have seen similar things?1
3. Tie all of their thoughts together
and bring their attention to Syria
Background of the Syrian Crisis
1. Video - http://prezi.com/oopubqldmd6i/syria-the-basics/2
2. Ask students to fill out the “Learn about Syria” worksheet (Refer to page 10 & 11) as
they watch the presentation, and write down at least one question they have about the
video.
1. What do you remember most from the prezi presentation?
2. Who do you think is affected the most by the conflict? Let’s find out!
1 Refer to the Appendix III for trauma-related resources
2 IAMSYRIA
Figure 1 : Map of Syria and bordering countries
About the class (5 minutes)
History of the Syrian Conflict (5 minutes)
Follow –up questions (5 minutes)
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Current Situation in Syria
1. Use the data below to create a picture of the current crisis in Syria. Start by asking students
to brainstorm ideas about the problems caused by war.
Total Killed in Syria:
As of July 2013, the UN has documented more
than 100,000 casualties since the beginning of
the uprisings in 3/18/2011.
While presenting data, put an emphasis on
civilians (women, children).
Refer to the “Syria: Cost of Conflict” infographics
http://firstperson.oxfamamerica.org/2013/09/09/infographic-syria-the-cost-of-conflict/ for
data on children. Distribute a copy of the infographics to students.
Total Number of Refugees:
Before showing the numbers of
refugees, ask the students if they know
about refugees. Explain refugees using
the hand-out with definitions of key
terms (Refer to Page 13).
Use the UNCHR site to provide exact
numbers of refuges from Syria in
Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and
Egypt.
Data - http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php
As of August 12, 2013 the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries: Refer to
Diagram I in Appendix I (Page 7). Focus on children who are refugees. Refer to
http://firstperson.oxfamamerica.org/2013/09/09/infographic-syria-the-cost-of-conflict/ for data.
Internally displaced population (IDP): Around 5 million (UNHCR). Explain IDP to
students using hand-out with the definitions of key terms (Refer to Page 13).
Figure 2: Refugee camps in Jordan (UNHCR)
The Crisis (10 minutes)
Figure 2: Shelling in Syria (Reuters/Khattab Abdulaa)
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2. Build up to what children are facing
Ask students to imagine how they would feel if
they were living in these circumstances and what how
they would feel about their county.
Ask them to keep that in mind while showing
them the next video
Show them the “What children feel about their
country” (Syria) Video-
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/multimedia/video/syria-our-hearts-love-you
Activities to Engage
Ask students how they feel about the video they just watched-
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/multimedia/video/syria-our-hearts-love-you
Discuss how they can take Action. Brainstorm ideas and record their suggestions on the
white /black board.
Some suggestions:
o Organize a fundraiser
o Educate others—friends and family (they could show others the video and have
their own discussion)
o Write a reflection/essay
o Learn more (teacher can provide other resources)
o Write a letter to President Obama asking him to help bring peace so children can
return home and go back to school
Ask how many students would like to write a letter (use Oxfam’s letter
as an example). Refer to Page 14 for sample letter to the President.
Ask them to write a letter at home and bring it to school the next
day.
Assignment
Distribute a copy of the “Sample letter to the President” to students. Ask them to write a
letter to President Obama asking for peace talks and to end fighting in Syria. (Refer to
page 15 for Sample letter to the president)
For Extra Credit: Complete the crossword and word search on Syria (Refer to page 16 &
18).
Figure 3 : Rema (Oxfam America)
Engaging students: Discussion about refugees in Syria and video (15 minutes)
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Appendix I
Diagram I – Refugees in neighboring countries as of 02 September, 2013 (UNHCR)
Turkey, 463,885
Lebanon, 739,823
Jordan, 519,676
Iraq,
183,195
Egypt, 117,470
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Appendix II
Figure 5: By Matt Brown
Figure 6: By John Stossel
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Appendix III
Trauma- Related Resources
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Website: http://www.istss.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Website: http://www.nctsnet.org/
The Child Welfare league of America (CWLA)
Website: http://www.cwla.org/whowhat/more.htm
Child Trauma Academy
Website: http://childtrauma.org/
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Learning about Syria3
Fill in the blanks based on the information from the Prezi presentation
About Syria:
1. Syria is a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea and is considered part of the
__________ East.
2. Syria is roughly the size of the state of Missouri and is home to over _____ million
people.
3. Flying from the US to Syria spans _________________ miles.
4. In Syria, the majority of people speak ____________.
5. The religion most Syrians follow is _________________.
6. Syrians are famous for their ________________ and _______________.
7. Since 2000, Syria has been ruled by President Bashar al-_____________.
8. Syria has a one party system and has no _________________,
_____________________________, and ________________.
9. The Syrian revolt has been part of a movement for freedom in the Middle East known as
the ____________ Spring.
The Rebellion
10. The revolt in Syria was started by __________________ who wrote anti-government
graffiti on the walls of their city.
11. The school children were ____________________________ and
__________________________.
3 IAMSYRIA
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12. The regime tried to control the protesters with ____________________.
13. Protestors fought back by ________________________________.
14. In July 2012, the Red Cross called it ___________ War.
15. Both sides are accused of ______________ ________________ abuses.
The World’s Reaction
16. The UN is trying to negotiate a ____________ solution in Syria.
17. The World Powers are split over how to do it. The U.S, _____________,
__________________, and __________________ want Assad to go.
18. But ____________, ______________, and _____________ have stood by the Assad
regime.
19. The fighting has spilled over to various countries such as ______________,
________________ and _________________.
Hope for Syria
20. Some of the organizations helping Syrians are _________________, _______________,
______________ and _____________________.
21. Children are helping by _____________________.
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Key for “Learning about Syria Worksheet”
About Syria:
1. Middle
2. 20
3. 5710
4. Arabic
5. Muslim
6. Food and Music
7. Assad
8. Political freedom, free speech and freedom of Conscience
9. Arab
Rebellion:
10. School children
11. Arrested and harshly punished
12. Force
13. Organizing a rebel army
14. Civil War
15. Human Rights
The World’s Reaction
16. Peaceful
17. France, Britain and Turkey
18. Russia, China and Iran
19. Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq
Hope for Syria
20. UNHCR, UNICEF, ICRC and Save the Children
21. Following the story in the news/collecting donations
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Key Terms
Refugee
A refugee is someone who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,
religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the
country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of
the protection of that country."4
For more information regarding refugees, visit http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home
Internally Displaced Population (IDP)
Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or
places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed
conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made
disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border.5
For more information regarding IDP, visit http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c146.html
Humanitarian Crisis
A humanitarian crisis is an event or series of events which represents a critical threat to the
health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, usually over
a wide area. Armed conflicts, epidemics, famine, natural disasters and other major emergencies
may all involve or lead to a humanitarian crisis that extends beyond the mandate or capacity of
any single agency.6
For more information regarding Humanitarian Crisis, visit http://humanitariancoalition.ca/
Dictatorship
Form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without
effective constitutional limitations.7
For more information regarding Dictatorships, visit
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Dictatorship.html
4 UNHCR
5 UNHCR
6 Humanitarian Coalition
7 Britannica
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Arab Spring
The Arab Spring refers to the pro-democracy uprisings currently sweeping the Middle East and
North Africa.
For more information regarding Arab Spring, visit http://topics.time.com/arab-spring/
United Nations
An organization of independent states formed in 1945 to work for peace and development, based
on the principles of justice, human dignity and well-being of all people.
For more information regarding United Nations, visit http://www.un.org/en/
Oxfam America
Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and
injustice.
For more information regarding Oxfam America, visit www.oxfamamerica.org/syriacrisis
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Sample Letter to the President of United States of America
Date:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
My name is [First Name, Last Name], and I am a student at [Name of the middle School] in [city
and state].
I am writing to express my concern about the children in Syria. More than 7000 children have
been killed in the fighting in Syria since the conflict started in spring 2011, and many children
have had family members killed. The UN has estimated that more than 1 million Syrian children
have fled to other countries. Further, thousands of schools have been damaged or destroyed, and
many Syrian children are no longer able to attend school.
I urge you to do everything you can to find a diplomatic solution that will help Syrian children.
They want to go home, they want to live safely, and they want to go back to school. The children
of Syria cannot wait any longer for the conflict to stop.
Please do everything in your powers to help achieve peace talks and bring an end to the fighting.
We ask that you do this for the children of Syria.
Sincerely,
[First name, Last Name]
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Crossword Syria
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Key for Crossword
Across
2. Aleppo
4. Basaralassad
7. Jordon
8. Damascus
9. Dictatorship
11. Desert
13. Oxfam
Down
1. France
2. Arabic
3. Turkey
5. Syrianpound
6. UNHCR
10. Islam
12. Egypt
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Word Search Syria
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Resources for Teachers to Develop their own Lesson Plan
Oxfam America Syria Page
Information available: Brief history of the conflict, the urgent need and Oxfam’s humanitarian
response to the crisis. Information on how everyone can contribute.
www.oxfamamerica.org/syriacrisis
High School Lesson Plan
Learn More at:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/world/syria.html
Anthony Shadid: Time Is Running Out for a Better Future for Syria (Q & A regarding Syria)
Information Available: Introduction to Syria’s Past, present and the current crisis from the
Pulitzer Prize winner journalist Anthony Shadid.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-defense/syria-undercover/anthony-
shadid-time-is-running-out-for-a-better-future-for-syria/
News
Syria Deeply
Information available: In-depth coverage of the crisis. Outlines the reason, response, causalities,
and refugee situation of the conflict. Daily news and recent developments in Syria.
http://beta.syriadeeply.org/
I AM SYRIA
Information Available: How to advocate for Syria among students, communities and information
of Syria including background, and current situation. Lesson plans for middle school students.
http://www.iamsyria.org/
The Guardian
Information available: Latest news on Syria
http://www.theguardian.com/world/syria
Videos and Documentaries
Inside Syria’s War (2013) (15 minutes)
Information Available: Inside look from the rebel’s perspective in Aleppo.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50133121n
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The Battle for Syria (2012) (27 minutes)
Information available: Day-to-day activities of the rebels including their perspective on Assad’s
government.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50133121n
The Regime Responds (2012) (23 minutes)
Information available: The history of the crisis and how it escalated to a civil war.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/battle-for-syria/#b
The Refugee Crisis (3 minutes)
Information Available: Data on Syrian refugees and the resources needed.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/25/syrian-refugee-numbers-video-animation