Materials

• Computer with Internet access
• Map of Cuba

Instructional Activities

1. Review content from previous session, as needed, as needed.
   
   
2. Explain that when the United States placed a tariff on Cuban sugar, in effect restricting importation of the sugar to the U.S., many American businessmen who had investments in Cuban sugar became alarmed. Help students to see the similarities between Cuba and Hawaii. (Tariffs and the profits of Americans were involved in both situations.) What differences existed between Cuba and Hawaii? (Cuba was a colony wanting independence. Hawaii was a monarchy that desired to maintain self-rule.)
   
   
3. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   
   The United States involvement in Cubans affairs demonstrated the U.S. ability to intervene in that area of the world.
   
   Explain that the United States sent the USS Maine to the waters surrounding Cuba to protect the lives of United States citizens there. On February 15, 1898, when the Maine was blown up in the Havana Harbor, the U.S. blamed Spain for the destruction of the ship and declared war on Spain. Journalist promoted the war through yellow journalism. Have students define this term. The following Web sites may be helpful in guiding the discussion:
   •  <http://www.pbs.org/crucible/frames/_journalism.html>
   •  <http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/chronology.html>
   
   Point out that much later, historians and others came to the conclusion that Cuban insurrectionists blew up the ship to gain support and sympathy, as they knew Spain would be blamed.
   
   
4. Conduct a discussion about the impact the media can have on public opinion. Encourage students to consider how the media can guide readers to reach certain conclusions or select the reference in which to portray events.
   
   
5. Put the students in groups, and give each group a copy of a newspaper or magazine photo without a title or description. Instruct each student to create a few sentences describing the photo and then, by using their group’s collective interpretations, develop a group description of the event portrayed in the picture. (Remind students that these descriptions must be appropriate to share with the class.) Have each group share its interpretation with the whole class, note these on the board, and prompt students to compare the differences between the groups’ interpretations. Distribute the real caption and other information that goes with the picture. Examine how close the groups came to correctly describing the picture. Discuss why different interpretations can be made when all of the true information is not provided. Help them recognize that assumptions are made based on the reader’s own background knowledge and experience — assumptions that may be entirely false.
   
   
6. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available resources.