Common Core State Standard L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
08/22/2016
US Army Falsely Adjusted Its Spending By Trillions Of Dollars
Just how bad are the U.S. Army's accounting problems? Well, it tried to make its books seem balanced and had to fudge the numbers by trillions of dollars. Last year, the Pentagon's inspector general found the Army falsely adjusted its books by $6.5 trillion — without any receipts to back them up. For years, federal budget watchdogs have called for an audit of the Defense Department in hopes of shedding light on suspected areas of wasteful spending.
■Class discussion: How much did the United States spend on defense last year? How does US defense spending compare with the rest of the nations in the world? How does defense spending compare with all other federal spending? How much does the latest jet fighter cost? How much does an aircraft carrier cost? What are the arguments for and against defense spending? How can spending so much on defense make us stronger or weaker?