Overview: A sandstorm that kicked up in southern Iraq on Monday continued to pelt U.S. troops as they moved forward on Tuesday. It limited coalition troops' ability to see more than a few feet ahead of themselves, and it largely prevented them from calling in air support from fighter jets or helicopters. CNN's Walter Rodgers, who is embedded with the U.S. Army's 3-7th Cavalry, gave a detailed report of the cavalry's progress.

After students read "U.S. troops weather sandstorm, cross Euphrates River" and watch the first segment of CNN Student News (the video can be accessed from CNNStudentNews.com) pose the following questions:

• CNN.com: War in Iraq  • 366th Infantry: Buffalo Soldiers  • Histories of the Armored and Cavalry Divisions of the US Army  • Portraits in Black-The Buffalo Soldiers   • Holt, Rinehart and Winston: World Map  • Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Conflict in the Persian Gulf

1. With what military group is CNN's Walt Rodgers embedded in Iraq? What weather hazard have they encountered? What dangers do troops face because of the sandstorm? How has the sandstorm affected combat?

2. Near what river is the 7th Cavalry? How many Iraqi fighters were shooting at the 7th Cavalry in this region? How many Iraqi POWs did the 7th Cavalry capture in this engagement? What were these Iraqi soldiers doing when they were captured?

3. Direct student groups to the links provided and other multimedia resources to research the history of the U.S. Cavalry. Have student groups choose a particular battle in which the U.S. Cavalry played a significant role, and instruct them to prepare a report on their chosen incident. After groups present reports to the class, ask: How has the mission of the U.S. Cavalry changed over time?