Evaluate U.S. government agencies' responsibilities

President George W. Bush responded to the terrorist attacks with words of comfort and resolve.

Overview: The United States continues to respond to the destruction of New York's World Trade Center Towers and the western wall of the Pentagon. Use this article and discussion activity to have students evaluate U.S. government agencies' responsibilities during times of crisis.

Curriculum Connections: Psychology, U.S. History, Government, Current Issues, International Relations

After students read the CNNfyi.com story "U.S. targets terrorist suspects," ask the following questions:

1. What happened to the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon? How many people are thought to be injured or dead? Why did the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meet? How are commercial airlines responding to the tragedies?

2. What is the role of the president during a national tragedy? Direct students to read President Bush's speech from Tuesday night. Have students analyze his speech in a class discussion. What was the purpose of the speech? What were some of Bush's key points? What is your opinion of the speech? Did you find Bush's words reassuring? Why or why not? What else, if anything, do you think Bush should have included in his speech?

3. In the article, President Bush stated, "Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks." Why do you think the President feels it is necessary to make this statement?

4. Challenge students to comb multimedia sources to identify the different local, state and federal government agencies that are responding to the New York City and Washington, D.C. attacks. These agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). List the students findings on the board.

Then, pair students and assign each pair an agency from the list. Ask each pair to find out when its agency was created, its responsibilities, and how it has responded to the current crisis thus far. After students present their findings, ask: What do you think are the greatest difficulties associated with coordinating the efforts of these agencies? What challenges lie ahead for these organizations? Have students create a chart of their findings and continue to add information about each of the agencies efforts as coverage of the tragedy continues.