Current Events

Keeping my opinionated mouth closed is one of the biggest challenges I face in teaching students about current events. It's a difficult balance to strike - to teach students all sides of a topic and not editorialize the information. Social Studies teachers are given the task not of teaching our students what to think - but of guiding them towards developing the skills necessary for them to become analytical, disciplined thinkers. Teaching a man to fish..and all that...

*CNN Student News is a great resource. It's a daily 10 minute newscast geared towards JrHigh/High School Students. They cover a little bit of everything - this year they've placed particular emphasis on our nations economic issues - each episode comes with discussion questions and comprehension activities (I make little use of these materials - my kids run with the ideas on their own). This newscast is available for streaming online (the link I provided) and for free daily download on itunes as a podcast (this is I highly recommend for those of you who have issues with Internet speed at your schools).

*Scholastic News is also pretty awesome. This is a resource that is appropriate for a wider range of students. They have free leveled news stories available for download and printing. Many stories are accompanied by a skill builder activity that reinforces reading skills and comprehension.

*Channel One is another resource I've heard good things about. I am less familiar with it than CNN Student News - but it serves the same function. The only drawback I've seen in my limited experience is that it isn't available for download - only live streaming.