Going Nuclear

1. Set Focus 
Pose these essential questions: What comes to mind when you think of nuclear energy? Do you have a positive or negative opinion of it?

2. Read and Discuss 
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. Then ask them to answer the following questions, citing text evidence:

• What do the first two paragraphs of the article describe? Why do you think the author begins the article with this information? (The first two paragraphs describe a disaster that occurred in Japan after nuclear reactors melted down. Despite Japan having once sworn off nuclear power, the nation now plans to expand the use of it. Students should discuss how this description represents the dilemma surrounding nuclear energy.)

• What is the purpose of the section “It Starts With a Bomb”? How does the information in this section contribute to the rest of the article? (The purpose of this section is to explain why nuclear energy was developed and how it evolved over time. This section shows how nuclear energy’s relation to nuclear weapons and its subsequent disasters have contributed to the debate still surrounding it.)

• What reasons does the article give to explain why officials want to expand the use of nuclear power? (The article points out that nuclear power can be used to combat climate change because of its low carbon emissions. It also cites the war in Ukraine to show that oil is vulnerable to global conflict, while nuclear energy is less so.)

3. Core Skill Practice
Assign, print, or project the activity In Their Own Words. Have students identify the speaker for each quotation from the article and paraphrase his or her words.

4. Writing Prompt
Using info from the article and statistical data from your own research, discuss the pros and cons of nuclear energy.

5. Classroom Debate
Should the U.S. continue using nuclear energy?

6. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Analyze the Graphs skill sheet and the Organizing Ideas skill sheet to practice data analysis and outlining.