Current+Events+Page

CURRENT EVENTS "It's Our World"  My students are curious and passionate about the issues around them in and around their world.


 * For 12 weeks, on each Friday, we have an //"In the News"// activity for Current Events. **

- Students are given opportunities to share with the class a news article that interested them, and expected to share at LEAST 3 articles.

- Using this article as a reference, students are expected to write a 2 paragraph writing assignment (one paragraph answers the 5 W's (Who, What, When, Where, Why (what's the point)), and the second paragraph as a personal response as in "What is your take-away message? (e.g. how does the news affect you, why did you choose this particular article).

- Students are also expected to choose 2 words that they did not know before reading this article or a word that they might find challenging for his or her peers. (Remember, Vocabulary building is important and a life long practice!) For each 2 vocabulary words, the part of speech, all definitions for that word as well as the context definition used within the article typed in a bold font type. I also would like a sentence written,using that word correctly, that is not the same sentence written in the news article.

At the end of the semester, they will be turning a portfolio in, that will contain each weekly article for a final grade.


 * Each week, there will be a specific theme.**


 * Week 1: Your choice**
 * Week 2: Local News (City/Neighborhood News from // The Morning Call // or // The Express Times // ) **
 * Week 3: From National Geographic**
 * Week 4: State News**
 * Week 5: International/World News**
 * Week 6: US/National News**
 * Week 7: Choice of Obituary or Health **
 * Week 8: Entertainment (Music/Movies) **
 * Week 9: Your Choice**
 * Week 10: Special Education**
 * Week 11: Your Choice**
 * Week 12: Your Choice of School News or Community News**

__ ** The objectives of this assignment meet Common Core ** __ ** Standards: **
 *  [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1] Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 *  [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4] Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

Checklist Rubric for Weekly Writing Assignments <- //**FOR VIEWING AND/OR PRINTING**//

//**Successful Star Students, what you will need for this assignment:**// //**- A news article, printed out (whether it came from a print source or from the internet)**// //**- An open mind..**//

//**For this assignment, please keep these requirements in mind, which we have reviewed in class.**//



* Did you put the 5 W’s in your summary?

1) Who was the article about? 2) What happened? 3) When did the story occur? 4) Where did the story happen? 5) Why did the writer write the story? (Background info is key)

*For your personal response, did you give a clear explanation of your take away message?


 * *IMPORTANT: News Articles MUST come from a reliable source, **
 * whether it is an internet source or from a **** print source. When in doubt, ASK ME* **

//__** Links to Some Acceptable Resources **__//

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">**[|ABCNEWS]** <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">**- A reliable resource that has World News, US/National News, Local News (with proper settings), and Entertainment. They are always up-to-date and have a variety of news stories within each category.**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">**[|The Morning Call (Lehigh Valley News)]** <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">**- Local Newspaper (With sections specific to certain areas in the Lehigh Valley). World, US/National, State, Local news can be found, as well as Classified, Obituaries, Health & Fitness, Entertainment, etc..**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">**[|BBC (British Broadcasting Company, UK)]**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">- Sometimes it can be refreshing to hear news from a different perspective, such as our distant relatives "across the pond" in the United Kingdom. I have found that BBC gives less slanted angles to news stories because they are not invested into it as an American might be. **

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">**[|National Geographic]**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">- This website features popular articles that are focused on Earth Science, Animals, and our Environment. This link will be useful for Week 3:) **

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">**[|Grammarly Handbook]** <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">**- Grammarly Handbook breaks down Grammar into categories such as punctuation, mechanics, styles of writing, etc. It is very helpful guide for using and writing grammatically correctly in the English language.**