Student Walkout

Across the country, thousands of high school and college students walked out of their classrooms last week in protest , calling for greater gun control in the wake of the shootings in Parkland, Florida.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt, a debate question, as well as other assessment questions.

Download the Lecture Spark PowerPoint for Student Walkout

Links

A generation raised on gun violence sends a loud message to adults: Enough
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/14/us/national-school-walkout-gun-violence-protests/index.html

Thousands of students march on the White House to call for better gun control
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/14/students-teachers-march-gun-control-461746

Yesterday, they walked out of class. Now, they’re forced to stay after school
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/us/student-walkout-punishment-trnd/index.html

What to Know About March for Our Lives and Other Student-Led Gun Control Protests
http://time.com/5165794/student-protests-walkouts-florida-school-shooting/

NRA tweets picture of an AR-15 amid the National Student Walkout
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nra-tweets-picture-ar-15-amid-national-student/story?id=53767732

Are We Putting Too Much Pressure on the Parkland Survivors?
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/23/are-we-putting-too-much-pressure-on-the-parkland-survivors-217076

Teacher, Tell Your Students To Walk Out On Wednesday
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-hutchful-student-gun-walkout_us_5aa722a6e4b009b705d572ff

‘Coerced’ student walkout in Chicago is ‘political indoctrination:’ GOP chair
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/14/coerced-student-walkout-in-chicago-is-political-indoctrination-gop-chair.html

Assessment

Writing: Why makes a youth movement different politically than other social movements.
Debate: Students participating in the walkout should be appropriately punished for missing class time.
Poll: Greater gun control efforts will reduce school shootings in the United States.
Short Answer: What are the goals of the student walkout and how does collective action help achieve them?

Current events quiz:

1) Youth movements are a relatively new phenomena in American politics. (T/F)

2) School shootings have actually been on the decline in the United States for the past two decades. (T/F)

3) Students walked out of schools last week to call for greater gun control and school safety measures. (T/F)

4) The student movement for greater gun control is, in part, targeting which interest group?

a.The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

b.The National Rifle Association

c.The American Association of Retired Persons

d.The American Civil Liberties Union

5) Public officials calling for _____________ have come under increased criticism as mass shootings seem to continue unabated.

a.“a legislative solution to gun violence”

b.“a political response”