Current Events

[SnowDay]

I've been a high school social studies teacher for three years. Next year, I'll be teaching a new course 1/2 year of Global Issues (essentially Current Events). There is no curriculum, so I can pretty much make my own. I have some ideas, but I want some sort of structure to the class. Is there anyone who teaches a current events class and HAS a structured curriculum? Obviously, part of the class will be dictated by the "news of the day," but I would like some sort of set material as well. I'm not sure what resources I will be able to obtain for the class. I have internet access for the students, but not daily. If anyone can provide some help or direction, it is appreciated. Thank you.

[guest]

While I've never taught Current Events, I did take a Current Events class in high school. One of our weekly activities was to bring in an article of interest, give the class a synopsis of the article's content, and give our opinion of the article's content. I always loved this weekly activity, and it really helped to hone my public speaking skills. It sort of combines media awareness(reading newspaper to find article), public speaking, debate, and a whole gamut of other "unteachables" that students must simply practice and experience in order to master.

It might be interesting to give students a theme or a topic occasionally (especially during certain seasons, important dates, etc) so that they would be searching for and discussing similar topics on the same day, such as civil rights around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, selfish acts during the winter holidays (reverse psychology), and so forth. Good luck with your class, it sounds like a real challenge!

[Maryanne]

As part of my bioethics class I have a current events component. We are on the block schedule and have 3 marking periods for a course. I identified 3 differnt categories for articles that work with our content. The students are assigned a day of the week when they will present and the topic changes each marking period. We have student presentations on Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday. If the schedule is off, I can move a day to Monday or Friday. It also helps keep the students interest by breaking down the group. A full class of presentations would be difficult to keep everyone on focus (including me). I designed a half page sheet that they use to organize what they will present that includes the title, source, date of publication and a short summary.
It is also helpful to identivy the big topics for your course and poll the class to see what aspects they are most interestd in.

[P. Lindsay]

Your global issues class sounds like a lot of fun. Although I do not have a curriculum for you, I would suggest tackling global issues like education, role of women, economy, population, resources, military, and technological advances. Basically, you may want to know who is doing what where. Have fun.

[Janet Cundall]

Hi, UNESCO has curriculum on their website Education for Sustainable Development. It includes cultural information as well as science, social and economic issues. Baha'i International Community at the UN also has a lot of information. Have you looked into Model UN for students to participate?
Janet

[Edgar Caniz]

I actually teach science and social studies, and I love to relate current events with my classes, I also have found that my students enjoy talking about current events. I usually have students make presentations, debates, power point presentations, and of course I let them use their creativity, and I have found out that students can provide teachers with many great ideas to work not only with current events, but also with many other subjects. Have fun

[Intro to S. S. Teacher]

I teach an 8th grade Intro. to Social Studies course in which current events is an important part. Some have already mentioned some techniques I use (including themes, articles, UN materials), but also check with Patrick's Press (I believe they have a web-site). I use their weekly quiz bowl materials (they have both middle school and high school versions). We play a game and use it to re-enforce the issues we discuss in class. There are also 'this week in history' sections. Good luck, the course has a great deal of potential!

[Sylvia B]

All of the suggestions are right on target. Another suggestion would be to contact your local newpaper and ask if they would like to participate by donating newspapers to your school. It works great at my son's school. Good luck and have fun!

[Unregistered]

One thing that goes hand-in-hand with Current Events is Geography. Most students possess weak geographic skills. You can focus on a particular region geographically and then tie that into whatever is happening in that area -- for example, the tsumami last year affected a wide geographic area; many coastal US areas are prone to hurricanes -- students enjoy learning to track these storms. In time, they begin linking areas together (economy, government issues, trade) and not looking at areas in isolation.

[SnowDay]

Thank you for all your ideas. Many of them will certainly be used. I have many ideas, I guess my problem is with the structure of the course. I would like to have topics to cover -- so we don't just "read the newspaper" everday. I have a good start, your ideas will only help. I also teach Geography, Civics, and Journalism...so many of these ideas are already incorporated into my classes or they will be. Thanks again.

[Unregistered]

TIME FOR KIDS is a great resource for current event magazine or you can just print articles & teacher guides from the website. Scholastic also offers current event magazines or a daily current event.. I don't know if this will help. But I thought I'd tell ya about these anyway...have fun... I have always loved doing current events with any age group...

[Unregistered]

Hi,
I tripped over this site finding ideas for my own current events class that has been "created" for this coming year. Mine will be a 10-week "rotation" course for 8th graders. I am calling it "USA Today" and am focusing on international diplomacy and trade. I broke it down by regions:
Communism: why were we scared by it?
Russians, then and now
Cuba
North Korea
China
-Middle East
Israel/Palestine conflict
Iran
Iraq, then and now (Desert Storm vs. "Iraqi Freedom")
-Growth of Terrorism
Libya
bin Laden/Afghanistan
9/11
-European Union
Euro coinage, effects on economies
Federation of countries in decision-making (help or hurt?)
-NAFTA
-United Nations vs. NATO
US's role
"peacekeeping" troops

Throw in some culture and geography along the way. Now I'm trying to form my actual lessons. I've found quite a few through US News and World Report.

[love2teach]

Hey there. I recently taught a current events class and this was my weekly schedule.
Monday's: The class watched 60 minutes and answered questions on a worksheet that I craeted the night before.
Tuesday: Lecture on a current event (usually powerpoint) and some geography component
Wednesday: Students were put into pairs at the beginning of the semester and they choose an issue (abortion, international relations, social security) and create a presentation to give to the class. The class must take notes during the presentation and then a quiz is given at the end of class that the presenters created.
Thursday: same as Tuesday
Friday: Current Event Day--students must take notes the whole time because I create a quiz and give it to them orally at the end of the current events.

This is at least a start. Of course things change when we watched a movie etc. But, it kept the kids on a set routine....because most of them were senior and the motivation levels were not very high! Good Luck! E-mail me if you have questions cmpaul2@kent.edu

[C. Gibbs]

Current Events Class Suggestion

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While I've never taught Current Events, I did take a Current Events class in high school. One of our weekly activities was to bring in an article of interest, give the class a synopsis of the article's content, and give our opinion of the article's content. I always loved this weekly activity, and it really helped to hone my public speaking skills. It sort of combines media awareness(reading newspaper to find article), public speaking, debate, and a whole gamut of other "unteachables" that students must simply practice and experience in order to master.

[Unregistered]

A great way to start a current event class is to do some media analysis. Talk about what goes into a newspaper article. Discuss bias and the difference between an article and op-ed piece. I find too often students blindly look at the newspaper or magazines as "the word" never questioning what is written....

[Real Live WI Teacher]

Thank you for all your ideas. Many of them will certainly be used. I have many ideas, I guess my problem is with the structure of the course. I would like to have topics to cover -- so we don't just "read the newspaper" everday. I have a good start, your ideas will only help. I also teach Geography, Civics, and Journalism...so many of these ideas are already incorporated into my classes or they will be. Thanks again.

I'm a HS special ed teacher, and co-taught with or supported social science teachers. I also am developing curriculum for my Independent Study Social Science class, for students with LD or EBD needs that need an alternative to the general ed environment for this subject. My expertise is with the structure and methodology more than the content, although I'm qualified for both.

I've found there's different levels of structure- daily structure, learning structure, and content structure- that make up an effective curriculum. Often we start with content structure and funnel our way down based on the requirements of that design. But a more dynamic interaction between the three may be what you are looking for, also.

For example, a daily structure may be to start class with a 5 minute "jump start." Something predictable and consistent, such as presenting them with a clip, issue, or journal starter, and having them write independently for that time. Weekly structure can be developed in tandem with learning structures.

An example of learning structure could be to have a binder kept in class (or egg crate files, or if more of an AP setting, they create their own system), and one section would be a "Daily journal" or Reflection section. This method allows for differentiation, also. This reflective and independent thinking exercise is a flexible tool that you can connect to current events, historical understanding needed for context, etc. This can also be ties to overall curriculum development, with 10% of the grade and time devoted to this section. It can be something that's done on Wednesdays only, etc.

No matter what event or issue is being examined, consistent and predictable exercises can make up a structured curriculum that provides a solid framework (i.e., no floating around) for students, teachers, and grading systems alike: the study and analysis of specific elements uniformly.

For special ed, that may look like this: binders divided into PEOPLE, PLACES, CONFLICT, CULTURE, BIAS, TIMELINE, JOURNAL, EVENTS, PROJECTS; with a weekly, quarterly, and semester structure for due dates, grading, feedback, etc.

That can be made more sophisticated and delivered in a variety of ways, but it's helpful to have a general framework for specific elements required in the process of becoming aware of issues / events, understandng them, analyzing them, and ultimately connecting them together in various contexts while developing personal / individual understanding and skills. For a higher-level class, the uniform elements could be closer to post-secondary areas of study: labor, institutions, economics, psycho-social dynamics, gender, ethnicity, culture, conflict resolution, politics, activism.

For example, each area would covered for every event or issue, with one selected to be studied and analyzed more indepthly for a particular week. The routine could be set, but the area of focus could be flexible depending on what's happening currently in the world. The fun part is the activism, and I'd definitely plan to encourage personal participation or activitism on the part of the students.

The daily / weekly structure and learning methods you choose can influence the way the content is chosen / delivered, etc., and can be helpful to develop alongside the course content. Structuring the processes, and setting consistent routines and expectations allow you and the class to choose current events and slip them into the structure. I believe teaching how to effectively process and engage in current events and global issues is the true goal of the class, and the information and content gained from the individual events and issues while beneficial, are the equivalent of a fish for a day.

[Matthew Smith]

When I start a current events class I also tell my students that articles in papers are based on facts and opinions. You have to pull out the facts and form your own opinions. You have to let the students know that not all media reports are all facts. I give my students a lot of opportunities to write their opinions in class.

[slhx3@hotmail.com]

Hi Newbie! I have used "Newspapers in Education" for the past 4 years. It is awesome and I think it's the huckleberry you are looking for. I am gong to give you their web link and you will see that THEY provide a very well done weekly curriculum based on the news of the day ie current events. I use the parts that are appropriate to me as a secondary level SPED high school teacher. You will need to contact you local newspaper and asked them if they will sponsor you so each student can get their own free newpaper. I am sure they would be happy to. Take care Suzan Hyndman http://www.usaweekend.com/partners/nie/index.html

[thand]

As Mark Twain once said "Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper", he also said "If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed"

[klkatz]

early in the year, usually within the first week i think it's important to go over exactly HOW to read a current event article and become informed on everything about the article... for example

The Source - what do you know about the source? Is it a publication that usually slants to the left or to the right? Are the reputable? are they national, local, global?

Author - is it a man or a woman? we all know the viewpoints are totally different. What do you know about them? Have they written other articles you'd know? Are they conservative or liberal? Are they racist? Are they educated?

Title - what is the title trying to tell you? is it an accurate representation of the content? does it grab your attention? and for what reason?

Date - is it from yesterday or 30 years ago? (it's sometimes fun to give them an article that is dated, and have them discuss it as if it were "current" and then let them know when it's from... they'll have a whole new perspective.

obviously it is your job as a teacher to play devils advocate, this is just one of those ways to create informed learners. teach them about opinions vs. facts, and that it's okay to believe a lot of what you read, but to teach them to read with doubt is a good thing.

[Unregistered]

>The Source - what do you know about the source? Is it a publication that usually slants to the left or to the right? Are the reputable? are they national, local, global?

You are absolutely right.
There is so much material out there that is influenced by advertisers, affiliation, religion, etc.
It's hard to dig deep.

I just found this article on Forbes.com.
The site is launching in January, but sounds like it might be a good reference when teaching current affairs, as well as getting a real raw look at what is happening around the world.

http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2008/10/16/businesswire20081016006323r1.html

Hope this helps.