Texas Sixth Graders Being Taught About Beheadings

[herding cats]

In a state that shelters students from sex, in a state that rigidly believes that creationism is a valid scientific study, 11-year-olds are being confronted with one of the most brutal truths of our modern world and many parents have no problem with it whatsoever. At Alvin Jr. High in Alvin, TX, where Fox News most is most likely the news of choice, six grade children are being taught to fear, with lessons of ISIS beheadings.

Here are copies of the lesson from ABC 13.





At first glance, this lesson may seem politically neutral, as it should be, but it’s not. The “Who is Funding Them” section is particularly misleading. ISIS is not stealing their funding as much as being handed it by America’s allies, like Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. And, they haven’t stolen our military equipment as much as picked it up off the ground after Americans left the unjustified war in Iraq.

More significantly, the lesson teaches that an attack inside the United States is almost inevitable. While this may or may not be a legitimate risk, the odds of an American child being killed by a terrorist attack are almost nil. An 11-year-old child is infinitely more likely to be killed in their parent’s own car than at the hands of a terrorist, but let’s teach them fear of brown people at an early age, right?

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/10/19/texas-sixth-graders-being-taught-about-beheadings/

[Nye Bevan]

1. I think sixth graders are generally mature enough to be taught about such current events.

But yes, it should have been mentioned that while ISIS receives the majority of their funds from theft and extortion they also receive private donations from rich Sunnis from countries such as Kuwait. I could not, however, find the part that claims that "an attack inside the United States is almost inevitable".

I much prefer to see this kind of lesson plan than stuff like creationist bullshit.

[scarystuffyo]

2. Some equipment they took when the Iraqi army cut and ran

Some they took by killing Iraqi soldiers that didn't run and stood and fought but were over run.
Funding comes from a lot oil sales and very wealthy sympathizes from Qatar and perhaps from
some very wealth Saudis but for the most part that paper is correct.

As to an attack on American soil it could happen and it's probably being planned as we speak by splinter groups who are affiliated with ISIS . So I see no relevance to comparing that a child could be killed in a car crash more so than being killed by a terrorist attack.

We could use the same analogy that a child is more prone to die in a swimming pool than by a firearm then......
They are not talking about a D DAY invasion type of attack

[bluestateguy]

3. Speaking of beheadings

Fine,teach the kids about ISIS.

But I wonder if they are ever taught about James Byrd Jr. He was beheaded in their state by white terrorist thugs.

[Demit]

4. I love the part that ISIS has a state b/c they have their own flag.

Shades of Eddie Izzard! "Do you have a FLAG?"

Sorry, I know this is serious. They're feeding the kids propaganda in the guise of an exercise in "critical thinking." But I recall the indoctrination I got as a kid, against Communists. In retrospect, it was pretty absurd too.

[Electric Monk]

5. But, do you have a FLAG?

[Demit]

10. Hahahahaha! Never saw that.

I thought the routine was perfect, but this visualization adds to it. Thanks!

[Yo_Mama]

6. That is a news story taken for a classroom exercise in reading comprehension/analysis

Here's the direct link:
http://www.mtv.com/news/1905299/what-is-isis-caliphate-james-foley/

It's probably chosen because of grade reading level. I don't think this is weird. If the kids watch the news or read papers, they know what's going on. My fifth and sixth grade teachers had us read a certain number of newspaper articles and comment on them. That was decades ago, but my impression is that kids are much more aware than they were then.

Kids are exposed to this stuff. Teaching them to THINK about their exposure to this stuff and analyze what they are exposed to is a valid exercise.

[Hestia]

7. I think it is a comprehensive report w/o propaganda. Quite surprising it came from Texas education

system. I am not getting a fear factor from the report, more current events module.

[justabob]

8. kids have been learning about beheadings forever

Western ones even. We can talk about the wording and the politics of this ISIS based exercise, but beheadings have been part of history curricula forever. Remember Henry and all his wives.... French Revolution.... et al. It isn't quite so barbaric as the ISIS model, but grisly all the same.

[MineralMan]

9. In the sixth grade, I read the

Los Angeles Times daily, all sections. By that age, newspaper stories should be part of every student's reading. I have no problem with this assignment.

[aikoaiko]

15. Soon sixth graders will ask, "what's a newspaper?"

[MineralMan]

17. And I'll be very sad about that.

I learned a great deal through my early newspaper reading, and it's still a habit for me. Even though the news today is at least a day old, it's presented in more depth and with more detail in the newspaper, generally. I like that.

[aikoaiko]

18. Me, too. As a kid I modeled my father who read the morning and evening papers.

I even tried to fold it just like him for easier reading.

[LWolf]

11. What teacher spent all that time creating that document about ISIS,

or did a teacher just download it from a news source?

ISIS came up in my 6th grade classroom last week. We weren't doing current events, but ancient history. The Fertile Crescent, standard 6th grade curriculum...which touches upon the 3 major branches of modern religion that sprang from there. "Branches" was the key to the conversation; they'd been hearing "ISIS" in the news, and I just pointed out that Islam, like their own faith, has many branches small and large.

We spent some time talking about religious wars then and now, and then went back to the focus of our lesson: the various tribes/civilizations and what they accomplished.

[cali]

12. that's a fail re funding. ISIS is largely self-funding

and it's nitpicking to claim that ISIS hasn't stolen military equipment.

[seveneyes]

13. It beats teaching that a 7th century madman swordsman was a saint and should be followed

Or any other violent methods to living life in peace.

[gollygee]

14. I think 6th graders are plenty old enough to learn about current events

but they should learn about them in truthful and not politically biased ways.

They should also have comprehensive sex ed.

[LibertyLover]

16. By the time I was in 6th grade

I'd read a lot of British history, including a fair amount on the Tudors - you know, Henry VIII -divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived? Not to mention all the ancillary beheadings and executions during that period that were easily as bad as the IS beheadings for poor technique and effectiveness. Read the account of the execution of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. It wasn't for nothing that Ann Boleyn requested to be beheaded by a swordsman from France.