[ABCDE] VOLUME 8, Issue 9 MEXFaces ChallengesICO MAP BY GENE THORP — THE WASHINGTON POST INSIDE Drugs, Army Young Unraveling Guns, Reality Takeover Quells Adults at Swine Flu 15 Check 16 Violence 25 Risk 32 Mystery May 5, 2009 © 2009 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, Issue 9 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program A Word About Mexico Faces Challenges Lessons: Mexico, a country with a rich Three times the size of Texas, Mexico is a country of cultural heritage and history, remains contrasts. From towering mountains to coastal lowlands, closely tied to the U.S. Lessons in tropics to deserts. A country of World Heritage sites economics, global health provisions and preserving a rich history and culture, and leaders in Mexico international policy are abundant as Mexico confronts the epidemics of drug City moving it into the 21st century. Ranked by the World trafficking, violence and the A/H1N1 virus. Bank as the twelfth largest economy in the world, it is For journalism teachers, the coverage of experiencing deep recession. these issues by The Post provides lessons in depth reporting and breaking news Mexico is a country of large cities of millions and dusty coverage. villages. It is a country of cathedrals, wayside shrines and devout respect for life facing drug cartels and violence. It Level: Mid to High is the latter that was the original focus of the May guide. Subjects: U.S. History, Journalism Following the meeting of presidents Obama and Calderón Related Activity: Economics, World in Mexico, Post photographers, writers and Foreign Service History, Health correspondents were covering the violence that has resulted from the flow of U.S.-made firearms south and drugs north of the shared border in a series called Mexico at War: On the Front Lines. As the epidemic of violence was joined by a flu epidemic, our guide expanded. The articles, commentary and informational graphics follow ten days of Post coverage. Read the well- researched articles and watch how the same team handles breaking news. These story strands will continue. We urge teachers to encourage students to continue reading the articles and commentary on the health, economic, policy, cultural and personal impact of these events. A reminder to Post INSIDE program teachers: If you plan to use articles in this guide in the e-Replica format more than three months after their publication date, remember to bookmark them. “Listen to e-Replica” in this guide e- gives e-students instruction e- in using the audio feature Replica of theReplica e-Replica Post.Replica NIE Online Guide Editor: Carol Lange Art Editor: Carol Porter Contributing to This Guide: Jeannine Cotner, Herndon (Va.) Middle School, provided the “Stock Performance” worksheet. 2 May 5, 2009 © 2009 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, Issue 9 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Mexico Faces Challenges On the Web How closely the stories of Mexico and the U.S. are intertwined was www.explorandomexico.com/about- evident in Post coverage of drug trafficking across the U.S.-Mexican mexico/5/89/ border and the emergence of the H1N1 strain of the influenza virus. Mexico’s World Cultural Heritage Sites The following suggested activities may be used with the Washington UNESCO preserves cultural identity “of a Post articles found in this guide as well as today’s Post. country rich in natural resources and owners of an architectural, religious and artistic Locate Mexico Mexico after NAFTA. Discuss the tradition” Use a world map or globe to pro and con of its impact on the locate Mexico. Ask students culture, economy and lifestyle. www.ecultura.gob.mx/patrimonio/index. to indicate its location using php?lan=2 such terms as “hemisphere,” Do Research Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes “continent,” and geographic To acquaint students with the Links to heritage sites, includes UNESCO relationship to other countries. rich cultural heritage of Mexico Heritage of Humanity, Historical Monuments, A map of Mexico is provided in and its history, students may Archaeological Zones, museums and cultural this guide. Use it to locate places be asked to prepare reports on tourism (virtual tours). mentioned in news, commentary different topics. “Research From A and other articles. to Z” provides some of the people, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mxtoc.html events and organizations that may Country Study: Mexico Do a Crossword Puzzle be researched. Library of Congress study includes history, The crossword puzzle, “Shades To introduce the project, teachers profile and economy of Mexico,” includes names and may play a Jeopardy-inspired words associated with current and game to test students’ knowledge www.loc.gov/rr/international/hispanic/ historic Mexico. After students of Mexico. Areas covered would mexico/mexico.html have completed the puzzle, include: Portals to the World teachers could ask students to • Formal name of Mexico (Estados Library of Congress resources range from select four to six words to include Unidos Mexicanos, United business to culture to history and religion and in a paragraph about Mexico. Mexican States) philosophy The answers to the puzzle are • Official language (Spanish) found at the end of these suggested • Geographically largest nation www.history.com/content/mexico activities. in Latin America (Brazil; 2nd, The History of Mexico Argentina; 3rd, Mexico) History Channel highlights, photographs and Get Acquainted • Divides Mexico into temperate videos, maps Ask students who have lived and tropical zones (Tropic of in Mexico or visited Mexico Cancer) www.kidsculturecenter.com/mexico/mexico. to share their memories of the • Celebrates defeat of French by htm people, architecture, food and General Zaragoza at the Battle of Mexico daily life. Were they only in resorts Puebla (Cinco de Mayo) Culture (ancient culture, holidays, recipes), or did they stay in the city or The research reports could be resources, events, and Kids Page (images to countryside? Did they eat Mexican collected to form a background download). foods? Did they see American file on Mexico. As students read products? articles about Mexico note where http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/ Read “The Southern Colony,” a facts about history, culture, cis_970.html book review written by a former economics, events and people Mexico Washington Post Mexico City have been included to provide U.S. Dept. of State country information bureau chief. The author of In the Shadow of the Giant presents his www.museohistoriamexicana.org.mx view on the Americanization of CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Museo de Historia Mexicana In Spanish. Mesoamerican to contemporary Mexico 3 May 5, 2009 © 2009 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, Issue 9 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Outbreak.” They reported: “An Research From A to Z unusual strain of swine flu has been perspective on the contemporary detected among victims of a large Explore the history, economy and culture story. outbreak of a severe respiratory of our neighbor to the south. Select a topic illness in Mexico, prompting global to research. What’s the News? health officials, fearful of a potential What characteristics make a story flu pandemic, to scramble yesterday Alamo “news”? What factors play into to try to contain the virus.” Authentic Labor Front (FAT) editors’ judgment of what makes an On the same day, an A8 story Aztec empire A1 story? The 5 Ws and H — Who, reported that the Pentagon and Benito Juarez What, Where, When, Why and Homeland Security Department Cinco de Mayo How — are essential to presenting were developing plans to send Cortés’s expedition the details of news. Concepts such National Guard troops to the U.S.- Laura Esquivel as Firsts, Life, Hate, Greed and War Mexican border “to expand the U.S. Foreign investment since 1900 may be news. Timeliness, proximity, military’s role in the drug war.” French occupation magnitude, impact on readers and The stories, commentary, maps Frida Kahlo beyond, uniqueness and human and graphics in this guide reflect Carlos Fuentes interest are factors in defining and the priority that flu coverage took Gadsden Purchase determining news and deciding its as numbers of confirmed cases Maximilian I placement in coverage. and deaths took place in Mexico Mayans Take a closer look at the changing and expanded to other countries, Mexican-American War news coverage of Mexico during ten including the U.S. Moctezuma II (Montezuma) days in April 2009. The Washington The articles that were selected for NAFTA Post maintains 15 bureaus for inclusion in this guide are presented Olmec international coverage. Before in order of publication. In addition Narcotics trafficking William Booth became bureau chief to discussing the information in Pancho Vila in Mexico City, he wrote for science them, students could be asked to Religion and Style desks of The Post. South • Identify the news judgment Diego Rivera American correspondent Joshua indicated in the articles; Santa Anna Partlow is stationed in Rio de • Consider the importance of Spanish colonization Janeiro. Note their bylines. having experienced reporters in Sugar, silver, oil and other products Reporters in late April covered international bureaus; Tourism since 1970 the impact of drug trafficking. On • Debate the importance of having Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo April 21, “An Army Takeover Quells reporters trained in science Guadelupe Victoria Violence in Mexico,” was an A1 and health; for example, Post Women in Mexican revolutions story. Written by Steve Fainaru and science reporter David Brown is a Zapatista William Booth, it was datelined physician; Ciudad Juarez. On April 22, a World • Discuss the unfolding of details Digest brief reported “Mexican about the flu and other parts of the Army to Stay on Streets for Years” story; in order to stop drug cartel killings.