Article of the Week

Week of 11/7-11/10
Directions: Complete all steps below, which includes annotating, answering questions, and margin
notes. You should read this article multiple times before Friday. Be prepared to share your thoughts,
ideas, and opinions on Friday!
Step 1 : Read the article. Use the coding we practiced in class to annotate the article. You can use
the following options:
* important idea

+ you agree

X you disagree

! surprising idea

__ Underline a specific line that you

found interesting

Circle a word you dont knowtry to guess the meaning using

context clues

? you are wondering about that idea

Step 2: Read the article a second time. Number the paragraphs. Read the article carefully and
make notes in the margin. Notes should include:
The 5Ws:
Who is involved in the text?
What is the main subject of the text?
When is the event of the text happening?
Where is the event of the text taking place?
Why is this text written? What is the point?
Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the
main idea of important sections may serve this purpose. You could also [bracket] the
paragraph and write the GIST.)
Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.
Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.
Make a connection (another event, another historical movement) with something you
read (no personal connections!)
Observations about how the writers strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,
evidence) and choices affect the article.
Step 3: Read the article again noting anything you might have missed during the other reads of the
text.
Step 4: Answer the questions that follow the article. Be sure to use evidence from the article when
necessary.

Standing Their Ground

Notes on my
thoughts,
reactions and
questions as I
read:

By Mary Kate Frank | October 31, 2016 | NY TIMES UPFRONT MAGAZINE

Native Americans are protesting an oil pipeline that they say threatens
their water supplyand their culture
Thousands of Native Americans had been gathered on the North Dakota prairie for
months to protest a new oil pipeline when violence erupted last month: Some
protesters broke down a wire fence and surged into the construction site, which they
say runs through sacred Indian grounds. Security guards responded by using dogs and
pepper spray to disperse them.
At issue is whats known as the Dakota Access pipeline, which, when complete,
would carry nearly half a million barrels of oil a day from North Dakotas oil fields to
Illinois (see map). From there, other pipelines would transport the oil to markets
around the United States.
The company that owns the new pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, says the $3.7
billion project will pump money into local economies, create jobs, and help make the
U.S. less dependent on oil from other countries. The pipeline, which runs mostly on
private land, is already half complete.
But many American Indians see the project as a major threat to both their environment
and culture. Part of the pipelines 1,170-mile route travels under the Missouri River,
not far from the Standing Rock Sioux tribes reservation, which straddles the North
Dakota-South Dakota border. The reservations 8,000 residents depend on the river for
water. Tribal leaders fear that if the pipeline leaks or breaks, their water supply could
be polluted. They say that building the pipeline would also damage sacred sitessuch
as ancient burial groundsthat lie outside the reservation. Thousands of Native
Americans from tribes all over the country have joined protests during the past few
months just outside Cannon Ball, a town in south central North Dakota.
This pipeline is going through huge swaths of ancestral land, Dean DePountis,
the tribes lawyer, told The Washington Post. It would be like constructing a pipeline
through Arlington Cemetery or under St. Patricks Cathedral.

A Symbolic Standoff
The Standing Rock Sioux say they werent properly consulted before work on the
pipeline began. In July, they sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineersthe federal

Notes on my
thoughts,
reactions and
questions as I
read:

agency in charge of public building projectssaying it failed to do sufficient

environmental and cultural impact studies before approving the pipeline. The Army
Corps says it met with Indian officials and tried to involve them more, but that they
were uncooperative.
For its part, Energy Transfer Partners says the pipeline has safety features that can
stop the flow of oil within minutes if a leak is detected, and that it poses no threat to
the water supply. And the company says reviews of the pipelines route found no
sacred items.
Many Native Americans say the issue is bigger than whats happening in North
Dakota. They say the current standoff is symbolic of the way Indians have been
mistreated since the founding of the United States (see key dates).
For far too long, our lands and resources were seen as disposable, says Brian
Cladoosby, president of the National Congress of American Indians, a nonprofit group
that represents the interests of more than 500 tribes. All tribes have faced this in one
form or another, and Standing Rock has become the symbol for many.
The Standing Rock Siouxs case against the Army Corps could take a year to be
resolved. So in August, the tribe asked a court to temporarily halt construction at the
area near their reservation. In September, a federal judge denied the tribes request. The
judge ruled that the tribe had been given time to express its views and hadnt shown
that the project would harm them.
After the ruling, however, the federal government stepped in and ordered that
construction of the pipeline be paused in the area under dispute while the Army Corps
reviews its previous decisions.
In a joint statement, the Corps and other federal agencies called for serious
discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering
tribes views on these types of infrastructure projects.
In the meantime, construction on the Dakota Access pipeline continues elsewhere
along the route. Energy Transfer Partners says it remains committed to completing the
project in 2016.
Protesters arent backing down either. They say they wont rest until the pipeline is
canceled, and theyre prepared to stay at the protest camp as long as necessary.
Theyll be here for years, says Jana Gipp, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux.
They wont give this up.
KEY DATES: U.S.-Native American Relations

1778 Treaties
The Continental Congress and the Delaware tribe of Ohio become allies against the
British. Its the first of 389 treaties Congress makes with Indians over the next century.
1789 Constitution
The U.S. Constitution states that Indian land may not be seized except in wars
authorized by Congress. The pledge is repeatedly violated.
1830 Indian Removal Act
President Andrew Jackson signs a law allowing him to negotiate relocation treaties
with Indians east of the Mississippi. Many tribes are forcibly moved west.
1851 First Reservations
To make way for western migration of white settlers, Congress authorizes Indian
reservations in the West. By the 1880s, about 60 have been built.
1890 Wounded Knee
Great Plains Indians resist whites migrating west. The Battle of Wounded Knee in
South Dakota, where up to 300 Lakota Sioux Indians are massacred, is the last
major military clash between the U.S. and Indians.
1934 Indian New Deal
Congress gives American Indians greater control over their land and internal affairs.
Federal funds are allocated for education, land purchases, and tribal organization.

Directions: Use the article to answer the questions below.

1. Define the following words using context clues from the text.
Disperse:

Sufficient:

Detected:

2. What is the article mostly about?

3. Why are Native Americans protesting in North Dakota?

4. What does the company thats building the Dakota Access pipeline say about why the project should
be completed?

5. What does Dean DePountis mean by saying it would be like constructing a pipeline through Arlington
Cemetery or under St. Patricks Cathedral?

6. What do the key dates tell you about Native Americans and their relations with the U.S. government?

7. EVALUATE: Do you think the Native Americans makes an effective argument? Do you spot any
weaknesseslike a bias or missing informationin their argument?

Adapted from Valle Middle School & the NY Times

Rubric
Plan
Outcome Target

Not Yet

Meets Standards

Exceeds Standards

Creates appropriate plans

and follows them in a
timely manner with
attention to deadlines.

See below
on ways to
improve

Student uses a planning tool (e.g. planner) to

document assignments and project deadlines,
set smaller goals and, if necessary, modify
plans to meet these deadlines. During work
sessions, student organizes class time to
carry out responsibilities and requires no
teacher redirection.

Student uses a planning tool (e.g. planner) to

document assignments and project deadlines,
set smaller goals and, if necessary, modify
plans to meet these deadlines. During work
sessions, student organizes class time to
carry out responsibilities.

Ways to improve this outcome:____ Complete all parts(steps) of the task, _____ next time hand in your assignment on time, _______
spend more time revising before handing in assignment , ____ other: