Yesterday, I posted a video from CNN Student News that gave a brief overview of the current fighting in the Gaza Strip. Today, I found a couple of timelines to accompany that video.

As is to be expected, the BBC has put together some good resources that middle school and high school students can use to gain an understanding of the current situation in Gaza. The timeline provides brief summaries of the events of each day since the fighting started on December 27. Students can gain a geographic context of the events by using the BBC’s situation map. You can access the map and timeline here.

The New York Times has a great interactive timeline that middle school and high school students can access. The interactive timeline covers not only the current events in Gaza, but also the history of Israel dating back to 1949. By clicking along the top of the timeline students will find articles and images explaining each event. You may also want to have your students read this recent article from the NY Times Learning Network. Turn on the geography and vocabulary keys to help younger students comprehend the content.

Larry Ferlazzo has compiled a great list of resources for teaching about the Middle East. Make sure you check out Larry’s list for more ideas.

On a more positive note, Snag Films, has made available for free the PBS movie Bridge Over the Wadi. Bridge Over the Wadi is a documentary about a joint Arab-Jewish school that opened in 2004 in Israel’s Wadi Ara region.