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Justification for Military Action

Persistent Issue:
What actions are justified in the interest of the welfare or security of the community?
Central Question:
When would the U.S. be justified in taking military action?
Topic:
U.S. Foreign Policy
Course:
U.S. History
Strategy:
Response Groups
Grade Level:
8
Lessons in this unit:
  1. Justification for Military Action

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Click here to download a chart detailing the standards addressed in this lesson as identified by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the National History Standards, and the Missouri Course of Study

Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

1.
Clip 1: Introduction to Justification for War Lesson

Mr. Endacott introduces the lesson topic: When is military action justified? He then explains the activities that students will engage in during the two-day lesson.

Reflection: Mr. Endacott discusses how he introduces the lesson, and explains his rationale for placing the topic of the lesson within a broader historical context.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

2.
Clip 2: Group Discussion Reflection

Mr. Endacott divides students into groups and asks them to discuss when military action is justified based on various roles he has assigned to them: President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, National Security Advisor, and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Reflection: Mr. Endacott explains his strategies for helping students take on their assigned role as in their groups (national security advisers and presidents). He discusses the questions he asks students to guide them in their role.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

3.
Clip 3: Continued Discussion – Jigsaw Groups Reflection

Mr. Endacott re-forms students into new groups in which each group has at least one member representing each unique role: President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, National Security Advisor, and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He then asks each group to compile a list of five situations in which military action is justified.

Reflection: Mr. Endacott discusses the importance of using an instructional strategy multiple times with a class (in this case - the jigsawed group activity). He further explains how he assists students in successfully fulfilling their assigned roles within the group activity.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

4.
Clip 4: Reviewing Small Group Discussions

Mr. Endacott begins day two of the lesson by by reviewing each small group's list of justifications for military action.

Reflection: Mr. Endacott explains how he focuses students on the specific activities that need to be accomplished during day 2 of the unit.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

5.
Clip 5: Ranking Justifications of Military Action

After reviewing the list of justifications from each small group, Mr. Endacott asks the class to determine how they should rank the potential justifications. He guides the class in narrowing the parameters of each justification.

Reflection: Mr. Endacott describes the strategies he uses to assist students in reaching consensus during the whole group discussion, and his rationale for making the class reach consensus.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

6.
Clip 6: Whole Class Discussion – Continued Reflection

Mr. Endacott continues the whole class discussion of when military action is justified.

Reflection: Mr. Endacott describes how he leads the class in discussing the the concept of "allies," and the difficulty with maintaining neutrality during a conflict when allies are involved in the conflict.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

7.
Clip 7: Conclusion of Discussion

Mr. Endacott concludes the whole class discussion by assisting the class with finalizing its prioritized list of justifications for military action. The class will revisit the list and modify it throughout the school year.

Reflection: Mr. Endacott discusses how he probes students to generate more controversial reasons for military action. He then describes how he concludes the discussion with his students

Mr. Jason Endacott

Jason Endacott is currently a social studies teacher at New Mark Middle School in the North Kansas City School District. He is in his 9th year of teaching middle school social studies. Jason holds a B.S. in elementary education from Kansas State University, an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Kansas and is currently a PhD candidate in social studies education at the University of Kansas. He currently teaches 8th grade American history, but has also taught 7th grade ancient history as well as 7th grade world cultures and geography.

New Mark Middle School

New Mark Middle School is a 6-8 school serving approximately 1,000 students in the outer edge of the metropolitan area of Kansas City, Missouri. Approximately 81% of New Mark’s students are white, 8% are African American, 7% are Hispanic, 3% are Asian, and 1% are if Native American or other descent. There is a wide range of socio-economic levels represented in the student body as the New Mark attendance area includes government subsidized housing as well as million dollar golf course homes. For the 2005-2006 school year approximately 18% of the students were enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. While New Mark’s population is not particularly racially diverse, the recent influx of immigrants to the North Kansas City area has diversified the school’s population and school culture considerably in recent years.

Teacher Pre Interview

Lesson Video

1.
Clip 1: Pre-Interview Lesson Description

Mr. Endacott provides a description of the lesson he will be teaching. He discusses the topic of the lesson and the overall goals of the lesson.
Lesson Video

2.
Clip 2: Pre-Interview Students and Setting

Mr. Endacott provides a description of the students participating in the lesson, and unique aspects of the classroom and/or school.
Lesson Video

3.
Clip 3: Pre-Interview Curricular Context

Mr. Endacott discusses how this particular lesson fits within his overall curriculum.
Lesson Video

4.
Clip 4: Pre-Interview Standards Addressed

Mr. Endacott provides a description of the state and national standards addressed by this lesson.
Lesson Video

5.
Clip 5: Pre-Interview Unique Aspects of Lesson

Mr. Endacott discusses some of the segments of this lesson that he believes will be most interesting to viewers. He also discusses aspects of the lesson that he is particularly excited about.
Lesson Video

6.
Clip 6: Pre-Interview Challenges in Planning Lesson

Mr. Endacott discusses challenges faced in designing and implementing this type of lesson.
Lesson Video

7.
Clip 7: Pre-Interview Evidence of Effectiveness

Mr. Endacott discusses why he believes the approach exemplified in this lesson is effective with students.
Lesson Video

8.
Clip 8: Pre-Interview Preparation Necessary for Planning Lesson

Mr. Endacott describes any equipment, materials, or preparation needed to implement this lesson. He also discusses prerequisite knowledge and/or skills needed by students in order for them to be successful with the lesson activities.
Lesson Video

9.
Clip 9: Pre-Interview Assessing Student Achievement

Mr. Endacott discusses his plans for assessing student achievement during the lesson.

Teacher Post Interview

Lesson Video

1.
Clip 1: Post-Interview Overview of Lesson

Mr. Endacott provides a overview of what occurred during the lesson.
Lesson Video

2.
Clip 2: Post-Interview Scaffolding Used During Lesson

Mr. Endacott provides a overview of what occurred during the lesson.
Lesson Video

3.
Clip 3: Post-Interview Student Assessment

Mr. Endacott describes how he assessed student achievement during lesson activities.
Lesson Video

4.
Clip 4: Post-Interview Modifications to Lesson

Mr. Endacott provides advice and suggestions for other teachers who would like to implement this type of lesson with their students.
Lesson Video

5.
Clip 5: Post-Interview Advice for Other Teachers

Mr. Endacott discusses modifications he would make to this lesson prior to delivering it again.
Lesson Video

6.
Clip 6: Post-Interview Assisting Students with Special Needs

Mr. Endacott discusses any adaptations he may need to make to the lesson to assist students with special needs who may be in his class.
Lesson Video

7.
Clip 7: Post-Interview Next Steps

Mr. Endacott discusses the next set of activities planned for his students.