Creating Objective Summaries of Current Events in Saudi Arabia

Connecting to Saudi Arabia: Using objective summaries to connect to current events in Saudi Arabia

Objective:

Students will be able to provide objective summaries of three texts about current events in Saudi Arabia in order to create a resource connecting issues in Saudi Arabia to issues in the U.S.

Warm up:

1. Brainstorm: What do the following issues look like in your community? Jot down a short sentence/draw an image that reflects what these issues look like in your community.

• Women’s rights/Treatment of women
• The upcoming election/a recent election
•  Violence

2. Pick one of the topics above and free-write a journal entry describing the current state of that issue in your community. As you write, try to analyze the situation objectively, meaning without incorporating your own personal opinion. Consider the following as your write:

• What does this issue look like in your community?
• Who is affected by this issue and how?
• What different perspectives might there be around this issue and how can I be sure to present all of those perspectives?

3. Try to summarize your journal entry into 1-2 sentences. Remember what elements are necessary in a summary (who, what where, when, how, why it’s important) and try to incorporate all of those elements into your sentences. Be prepared to share you summary with the rest of the class.

Introducing the Lesson:

Today’s lesson will apply the skill of writing objective summaries to an exploration of issues facing Saudi Arabia. The lesson will use international journalist Caryl Murphy’s project “Saudi Arabia’s Shifting Islamic Landscape.”

 As you review the following articles and create your summaries, use your warm up reflection to notice connections and differences between how issues of women’s rights, government and violence are similar/different in your own community.

Introducing Resource 1: “In With the Old in the New Saudi Arabia”

1. Read the article and answer the accompanying questions.
2. Create a 1-2 sentence summary of the article that explains how the shift in government in Saudi Arabia is impacting the country.

Introducing Resource 2: “Laws of Men: In Saudi Arabia, Women Are Still Assigned ‘Male Guardians’”

1. Read the following article and answer the accompanying questions.
2. Create a 1-2 sentence summary of the article that explains issues facing women in Saudi Arabia

Introducing Resource 3: “Saudi Arabia Tries to Keep the Islamic State from Recruiting Its Youth”

1. Read the following article and answer the accompanying questions.
2. Create a 1-2 sentence summary of the article that explains how Saudi Arabia is responding to the Islamic State (IS).

Conclusion:

Consider the following:

1. What did you learn about the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in these articles?
2. What similarities and differences did you notice between Saudi Arabia and your own community?

Extension:

Final Task: Write a short essay that summarizes the similarities and differences you discovered between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in regards to the following: women’s rights, government/elections, and/or violence. The essay should have a thesis that summarizes what you noticed as similarities and differences. It should then use examples from your warm up reflection and the texts you read to support your thesis.