Newspaper in Education: Ukraine 2022

The March Washington Post online curriculum guide focuses on Ukraine, its history and current invasion by Russia. There are many entry points for cross-disciplinary reading and discussion. Using “How Ukraine became Ukraine, in 7 maps” students get practice in map reading, a world history lesson, and a glimpse into one land being fought over for centuries. Students meet Post reporters, photojournalists and video journalists as they are covering different regions of Ukraine. Articles explain NATO, SWIFT and sanctions; provide a background on culture and language, and nuclear experts examine the reasons to be concerned when nuclear power plants were taken. Editorials, commentary and editorial cartoons as well as Washington Post Live interviews present diverse points of view.

They are all found at nie.washingtonpost.com.

Ukraine 2022

Resource Guide 1: Backdrop

• Map It: “How Ukraine became Ukraine, in 7 maps”
• Student Activity: 7 Maps, 7 Eras in Ukraine’s Shifting Borders
• Post Reprint: “How joining NATO and the E.U. became Ukraine’s unattainable dream”
• Post Reprint: “Why are Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine’s Donbas region a flash point for Putin?”
• Post Reprint: “Putin says he will ‘denazify’ Ukraine. Here’s the history behind that claim.”
• Post Reprint: “The Ukrainian language is having a big moment”
• Student Activity: Identity in One’s Language

Resource Guide 2: Invasion

• Map It: “How Ukraine’s terrain could influence a Russian invasion”
• Photo Essay: Photojournalists Cover Ukraine
• Letter From Ukraine: “On the road from Kharkiv, checkpoints and a resolve to fight Russians”
• Post Behind the Story: “How three Washington Post journalists are covering Ukraine on the ground”
• Student Activity: Post Journalists Cover Ukraine 
• Post Editorial: “Why Ukraine — and Russia’s aggression against it — matters”
• Post Editorial: “From the streets of Russia, protests rise to the war without a cause”
• Post Commentary: “Distinguished persons of the week: Breathtaking bravery in the face of war”
• Editorial Cartoons Activity: Visual Commentary | Ukraine Invasion and Questions
• Student Activity: Social Media, Satellites & Survival

Resource Guide 3: Perspective

• Student Activity: Washington Post Live | World Stage: Ukraine
• KidsPost Reprint: “What is NATO? War in Ukraine raises profile of the alliance.”
• Post Sports Reprint: “Knocking his teams off the stage exposes Putin to his own people”
• Post Reprint: “To understand the Ukraine-Russia conflict, look to colonialism”
• Post Reprint: “What are economic sanctions, and how did they become Washington’s foreign policy tool of choice?”
• Post Reprint: “What is SWIFT, and why does it matter in the Russia-Ukraine war?
• Post Reprint: “The Ukraine power plant fire was contained. But nuclear experts fear what’s to come in Russia’s war.”
• Student Activity: Words to Explain and to Inspire

For continued daily coverage read the pages of The Post and visit the online War in Ukraine: In videos and photos, a timeline of Russia’s war on Ukraine.