This lesson has students look at video clips of elected officials and news reports reacting to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. After viewing these videos, students will provide their own reactions to the events that occurred that day.
INTRODUCTION:
To begin class, have students brainstorm what they know and what they would like to know about the January 6 protests and violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol. Once students have done that, review their ideas and answer any questions that they might have about it.
EXPLORATION:
Using the video clips below, students will hear from elected officials and news reports to learn how various people reacted to this event.
Teachers can give students the option of viewing one or several of these video clips. These can be accessed using the Google Doc handout linked below.
Handout: January 6 Attacks on the U.S. Capitol (Google Doc)
For each assigned clip, have students complete the following tasks:
Summarize what is being discussed in the video clip.
VIDEO CLIPS:
Video Clip: News Coverage of the Violence at the Capitol(5:02)
Video Clip: Vice President Pence After Protestors Storm Capitol (2:15)
Video Clip: Sen. Sasse (R-NE) on American Unity (5:48)
Video Clip: President-elect Biden Addresses Storming of the Capitol (2:58)
Video Clip: International Reactions to the Attacks on the Capitol (1:35)
Video Clip: Sen. Shaheen (D-NH) on Peaceful Transfers of Power (5:30)
Video Clip: Rep. McCarthy (R-CA) on Congress after the Attack on the Capitol (5:19)
Video Clip: Sen. Booker (D-NJ) on the Attack on the Capitol (3:53)
Video Clip: Rep. Stefanik (R-NY) on the Attack on the Capitol and the 2020 Election (3:21)
Video Clip: Sen. Romney (R-UT) on the Attacks on the Capitol and the Election (2:44
APPLICATION:
Using the information from the video clips, students can provide their reactions and feelings about the events at the U.S. Capitol by choosing from one of the following activities. These can be shared with the class if appropriate.
Free Write- Start writing how you feel about the events. Write down any idea and feeling that you have. Do not worry about grammar or spelling.
Questions- Make a list of questions that you still have about the events at the Capitol. They can be about anything related to the events.
Drawing Activity- Draw a picture representing how you feel or your reaction.
Writing Prompts- Using one of the following prompts, write a short response in sentence form.
Which of the reactions from the video clips do you most agree with? Explain your answer.
How do you think historians will remember this event? Explain your answer.