What Is War?

PURPOSE: Students will consider the kinds of human activity we define as war, what activities we might describe as warlike, and what activities are neither. Students will examine various definitions of war and types of warfare, especially as these descriptions relate to the kinds of war we are witnessing at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

LEARNING STRATEGIES: Brainstorming, whole group discussion, reading for understanding, cooperative learning

TIME: One class period

MATERIALS: Handout: Defining War and Aggression, newsprint, markers, large paper, newspapers, tape

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONS:
    1         Make a web chart, placing the word "war" in the center. Ask students to brainstorm all the words and phrases that they think of when they hear the word "war."

 

    2         Put the following list of events on the board or newsprint, and ask students to consider whether they would categorize each item as "War," "Warlike," or "Neither":

 

"War on Drugs"
Uprising of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank
The bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City
U.S. invasion of Panama in 1990
Drug wars in Columbia and Mexico
"War on Poverty"
Attack on World Trade Center and the Pentagon, 2001
Vietnam War
Urban street violence
Trade wars over tariffs and open markets
L.A. riots in 1992
Assassination of terrorist leaders
The invasion of Iraq in 1991
Terrorist bombing of Pam Am Flight 407 over Scotland
Protests in Tienamen Square in China in 1989
Democratic Revolution in Russia in 1990
The Cold War
Assassination of a state leader
The conflict among Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda
Israeli bombing of nuclear facilities in Iraq in 1988
Protests against the policies and practices of global capitalism

 

    3         Give students a few minutes to discuss the list with a partner before you open up discussion with the whole class. Make three lists as students select where they would place each item. Discuss what students perceive to be the differences between each the three categories of activities and events.

 

    4         Pass out copies of the handout "Defining War and Aggression" to each student. Read through the definitions of war and the descriptions of various kinds of warfare carefully, soliciting examples and illustrations from students using the web charts, the list from #2, and current conflicts that students might be familiar with.

 

    5         Now, ask the students to come up with a definition for terrorism. After they come up with some definitions, discuss the pros and cons of different definitions. What differentiates terrorists from warriors, freedom fighters, or patriots? Is any attack on civilians a terrorist act? When governments bomb cities, is it terrorism? Was the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 an act of terrorism?

 

Assessment: Divide students into groups of three. Ask students to use current newspapers and news magazines to make a collage of current conflicts, labeling them using descriptions from the handout.

 

 

 

What Is War?

This lesson was conducted on May 3, 2007.  It was a one class period overview on the definition of war and what kinds of wars exist.

 

Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment

I believe that this paper best aligns with standard 6:   The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.

The lesson started with a brainstorming session wherein students shared their ideas of what war is.  I asked probing questions to get them to think about the various aspects of war and different kinds of wars that exist.  I wrote their ideas down in the form of a large web on butcher paper so they could visualize the interrelation between the various aspects they were coming up with.

I believe that the manner in which I was communicating with the students allowed for them to feel empowered to share their ideas in a safe space where they knew that their opinion was valued.  Even when a student shared something that wasn’t what I was looking for, I would reinforce how their ideas could be linked to the ideas that we where talking about.

I facilitated whole group discussion as a part of this lesson.  This is a skill that middle school students need to practice on a regular basis.  It is difficult for some students to sit and listen to others share without interrupting with their ideas.  While for others it is difficult to find the courage to share with the whole class.  One idea that a student had often would lead to another student getting an idea that was related but slightly different.  The group discussion was very productive and actually was hard to step away from as we needed to move on to other things.

The students also communicated their ideas about war through making collages with pictures of war scenes, etc.  They then labeled them and shared the collages with the rest of the class at the end of the hour.  Using visuals to communicate is very powerful.  Many of the students were able to express ideas that wouldn’t have come out if we were simply having a discussion or if I had asked them to write their ideas down.

 

UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment

KS3.a. COMMUNICATES CLEARLY AND ACCURATELY

When I was facilitating the brainstorming, group discussion, and the collage making I used communication techniques that made the students think about the fundamental aspects of war.  I used questions such as “Who is the conflict between” when a student offered World War II or the Iraq War as an example of war.  The questioning/communication strategies that I employed helped the students delve deeper into the question of what war is.  I asked them what was an example of a war, what was warlike, and what was neither.  I asked them if there is a difference between a war, such as the Iraq War, and the attack on the World Trade Center (9/11).  Some thought that the attack was a war.  I used further questioning to get them to think about governments versus individual or group actions.

 

What I learned about teaching

I learned that the manner of communicating is very important in the middle school environment.  The way I asked certain questions was received by puzzled looks.  I would change the way I asked a question to try to make it more clear.

I have learned that there are subtle ways to communicate not using verbal cues.  For instance, at one point many of the students were talking out of turn.  I decided to write a note on the board thanking the students who were on task and listening to directions.  This got the attention of most of the students and relatively quickly I received the desired result of having the students back on task.

The collage proved to be a wonderful communication tool for the students to employ to show their understanding of the basic concepts of war.  The had fun with it while being able to share very meaningful ideas and information with one another.

 

What I learned about myself

I have learned that I need to be comfortable using many different communication techniques and transitioning from one to another quickly.  If one method is not working in a given class, with a given activity or lesson; then I need to have the versatility to change it on the fly.  Otherwise, the lesson might not turn out to be the productive, stimulating one that I thought I had planned.

I discovered that I talk a lot.  I might talk too much at times.  As my cooperating teacher sometimes says, “Sometimes less is more.”  I have to be able to see when I just need to let things play out a little bit without saying anything.  I don’t believe that I tell the students the “answers” very often, but I am too quick to ask new questions at times.  I need to give them more time to chew on the questions and/or problems that were posed to them previously.  Then maybe they will come up with some new questions that tie in to what we are learning and/or extend us to another worthwhile exploration of a related topic.